CAPTAIN SAMS
Today was a great day with our first real push of migrants! The cooler temperature and overcast skies also allowed us to keep our nets open for a lot longer! We managed to band 87 new birds and had 8 recaptures. First of season species for Captain Sams today include a Worm-eating Warbler and several Cape May Warblers! We banded 9 species of warblers, and had birds from 16 different species.
Today's highlight was definitely the Cape May Warblers (CMWA). We banded 13 of this species, which were particularly exciting because they were the first CMWA that Jeremiah and I (Camille) had ever banded! They were so so so gorgeous!! All of these individuals were after hatch year birds. Jeremiah shared a fun fact that CMWA are a bit unique in the warbler world because they have specially shaped curled tongues that can be used to sip nectar. In their wintering grounds, fruit and nectar can comprise up to one third of Cape May Warblers' diet! Hopefully more will come for a visit!
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| After hatch year Cape May Warblers: male on the left, female on the right |
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| Cape May Warbler, after hatch year male |
- Camille
LITTLE BEAR
The cool temperature was a nice change for us at Little Bear, but we were unfortunately dealing with windy conditions. While this may have kept us from catching as many birds as Captain Sam's, we still banded 29 birds of 11 different species which is a little higher than the last few days. We did not have any recaptures, so new birds are moving into the area even if they aren't flying into our nets. A highlight from today was banding our second Chuck-will's-widow of the season and our first Veery. Veeries are in the genus Catharus, which is sometimes referred to as the group of nightengale-thrushes due to their beautiful flute-like songs. This genus also includes Hermit Thrush, Swainson's Thrush, Gray-cheeked Thrush, and Bicknell's Thrush. What sets the Veery apart from these others is their uniform tawny-reddish color, very faint eye ring, and faint spotting on the breast. I like to say Veeries are "Veery" red.
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| After hatch year Veery, unknown sex |
Our top three species caught today were Northern Waterthrush with 9 banded, Red-eyed Vireo with 5 banded, and Common Yellowthroat with 4 banded. In between net runs we watched an adult male American Redstart hopping around the tree next to the banding table. Hopefully this means more warblers are moving into the area! Our fingers are crossed for more favorable winds tomorrow and an even busier day.
-Liz
| Species | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New | Recaps | New | Recaps | |
Chuck-will's-widow | - | - | 1 | - |
Acadian Flycatcher | 1 | - | - | - |
Traill's Flycatcher | 1 | - | 1 | - |
White-eyed Vireo | - | 1 | - | - |
Red-eyed Vireo | 9 | - | 5 | - |
Carolina Chickadee | - | 1 | - | - |
| Veery | 1 | - | 1 | - |
| Ovenbird | 4 | - | 1 | - |
| Worm-eating Warbler | 1 | - | - | - |
| Northern Waterthrush | 24 | 2 | 9 | - |
| Black-and-white Warbler | 5 | - | 2 | - |
| Common Yellowthroat | 8 | 1 | 4 | - |
| American Redstart | 17 | - | 2 | - |
| Cape May Warbler | 13 | - | - | - |
| Northern Parula | 1 | - | - | - |
Yellow Warbler | 1 | - | 1 | - |
Painted Bunting | 1 | 3 | 2 | - |
| Today's Banding Stats | Captain Sams | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 87 | 29 | 116 |
| # of Recaptures | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| # of Species | 16 | 11 | 17 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 168.3 | 133.5 | 301.5 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 56.4 | 21.7 | 41.1 |
| # of Nets | 28 | 28 | 56 |
| 2025 Fall Cumulative Banding Stats | Captain Sams | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 475 | 267 | 742 |
| # of Recaptures | 115 | 101 | 216 |
| # of Species | 35 | 30 | 41 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 3118.1 | 1691.5 | 4809.6 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 18.9 | 21.8 | 19.9 |
| # of Days | 22 | 16 |
Banding Staff
Aaron Given (LB)Michael Gamble (CS)
Liz Held (LB)
Arden Schneider (LB)
Camille Beckwith (CS)
Jeremiah Sullivan (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.
