FOS Grasshopper Sparrow

 CAPTAIN SAMS 

It was another slow morning but with some interesting captures. It was also much cooler as a strong cold front came through shortly after midnight. We captured 18 new birds and 10 recaptures of 9 different species. The highlight came on the first net run when we captured a first-of-the-season Grasshopper Sparrow. They are an uncommon migrant and wintering resident along the South Carolina coast and this is only the 5th one we have captured at the Kiawah Island Banding Station.  

Between 1966 and 2015, Grasshopper Sparrows lost 72% of their population and they continue to decline today. This decline is specifically due to the loss of native prairie habitat to intensive agriculture across their entire range. 

Grasshopper Sparrow (hatch year, unknown sex)

-Michael

 

LITTLE BEAR

The chilly morning gave us a much-needed respite from the mosquitoes, and we were even a little busier than yesterday. We banded 13 birds and processed 11 recaps for a total of 24 birds of 8 species. We caught a late Swainson's Thrush but it was very plump so it must be just enjoying a leisurely migration. One of our recaptured Gray Catbirds from today was originally banded in 2020 as a hatch-year, which means it turned 5 this summer. We love to see older birds thriving and surviving so many migrations! Another notable recap was an after-hatch-year Ruby-crowned Kinglet that was banded last fall as an older male. We have captured him 3 times since November 1st, and his fat level and weight has stayed consistent, so maybe he is here to stay for the winter.

-Liz 

Species	Captain Sams		Little Bear
	New	Recaps	New	Recaps
Sharp-shinned Hawk	1	-	-	-
Eastern Phoebe	-	-	2	-
Downy Woodpecker	-	-	1	-
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	1	1	1	1
Carolina Wren	-	-	-	1
Gray Catbird	1	2	3	8
Swainson's Thrush	-	-	1	-
Hermit Thrush	-	2	-	-
Grasshopper Sparrow	1	-	-	-
White-throated Sparrow	2	-	-	-
Swamp Sparrow	3	1	-	-
Palm Warbler (Western)	-	-	1	-
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)	9	3	4	-
Painted Bunting	-	1	-	-

Today's Banding Stats	Captain Sams	Little Bear	TOTAL
# Birds Banded	18	13	31
# of Recaptures	10	11	21
# of Species	9	8	14
Effort (net-hours)	170.5	155.7	326.2
Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours)	16.4	14.8	15.9
# of Nets	32	28	60

2025 Fall Cumulative Banding Stats	Captain Sams	Little Bear	TOTAL
# Birds Banded	5,006	3,435	8,441
# of Recaptures	1,072	963	2,035
# of Species	92	91	106
Effort (net-hours)	13,460.4	9,745.7	23,206.1
Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours)	45.2	45.1	45.1
# of Days	84	73

Banding Staff

Aaron Given (CS)

Michael Gamble (CS)

Liz Held (LB)

Arden Schneider (LB)

Camille Beckwith (CS)

Note:  All banding, marking, and sampling is being conducted under a federally authorized Bird Banding Permit issued by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Bird Banding Lab.