Captain Sam's:
Hello readers! Being that this is my first blog post, introductions are in order. My name is Brendan, one of the newest KIBS team members, and I am super excited to be here.
Today started off relatively cool and cloudy - rather pleasant. The cardinals were waking up as we opened the nets and the cicadas were scream-singing as usual.
Our first net run yielded several charismatic species, including a personal favorite of mine, a prothonotary warbler. These neotropical migrants breed in the bottomland hardwoods and cypress swamps of the southeast. They get their names from their vibrant golden yellow plumage, mimicked by Roman-Catholic papal clerks, known as prothonotaries, who sported robes of bright yellow. Personally, I prefer their old name - the golden swamp warbler, or their illustrative nickname - Swamp Candle.
I have a special connection to this species for several reasons. I consider it my "spark bird", the bird that captures you, leading you down the steep hill that is birding, until suddenly you are tumbling with no hope of returning to the top. I observed one singing its sweet song in the wetland behind my high school and never looked back. I followed these birds down to their wintering grounds in the mangroves of Panama for my college study abroad. It is the first bird I ever pulled out of a mist net, the first bird I ever held, observed, and released. Quite fitting that it was also my first bird today. This time I observed it as a full-fledged bird bander and field biologist. The swamp candle burns brighter than ever.
- Brendan
| Species | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New | Recaps | New | Recaps | |
Great Crested Flycatcher | - | 2 | - | - |
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | 1 | - | - | - |
Carolina Wren | - | 2 | - | - |
Northern Waterthrush | 4 | - | - | - |
Black-and-white Warbler | 1 | - | - | - |
Prothonotary Warbler | 1 | - | - | - |
Common Yellowthroat | 1 | - | - | - |
American Redstart | 4 | - | - | - |
Prairie Warbler | 5 | - | - | - |
Northern Cardinal | 1 | 3 | - | - |
Painted Bunting | 4 | 3 | - | - |
| Today's Banding Stats | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 22 | - | - |
| # of Recaptures | 10 | - | - |
| # of Species | 11 | - | - |
| Effort (net-hours) | 142.5 | - | - |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 22.4 | - | - |
| # of Nets | 30 | 21 | 51 |
| 2022 Fall Cumulative Banding Stats | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 81 | - | - |
| # of Recaptures | 28 | - | - |
| # of Species | 16 | - | - |
| Effort (net-hours) | 399 | - | - |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 27.3 | - | - |
| # of Days | 3 | - | 3 |
Banding Staff
Brendan Wang (CS)
