CAPTAIN SAMS
Today was very slow with 8 new birds and 15 recaptures but the crew got an excellent reminder of why we band even when its slow with the capture of the second Connecticut Warbler of the season! This species is very uncommon on Kiawah with only seven having been caught in the station's history. These large warblers are known for being sulky and difficult to find. They forage on the ground, walking instead of hopping like most birds, looking for insects in dense undergrowth.
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| Hatch Year Female Connecticut Warbler |
LITTLE BEAR
Just like Captain Sams, we had a pretty slow day over at Little Bear. We banded 10 birds and had 22 recaptures. We had some cool captures as well, including a male Northern Cardinal that was originally banded at the station in August of 2021, making him four years old, as well as a female Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) originally banded at the station in October of 2020 as an after hatch year bird, making her at least six years old!! It is really cool seeing birds returning to the same location year to year, especially a migrant like the Yellow-rumped Warbler!
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| Female Yellow-rumped Warbler (at least 6 years old, originally banded as an adult in 2020) |
Towards the end of the day, we took a page out of the folks at Captain Sams' book and put up a couple of nets in the salt marsh between the station and the beach. It was mostly a trial run because neither Liz or I have tried to catch marsh birds, but we managed to catch a hatch year Saltmarsh Sparrow! This super cool bird was a lifer for Liz and her partner Aidan, and only the second instance I have seen this species! A first in the hand for all of us was a great way to end Liz's birthday at the station.
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| Saltmarsh Sparrow (hatch year, unknown sex) |
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| Saltmarsh Sparrow (hatch year, unknown sex) |
- Camille
| Species | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New | Recaps | New | Recaps | |
Downy Woodpecker | - | 1 | - | - |
Carolina Chickadee | - | - | - | 2 |
House Wren | - | 1 | - | - |
Carolina Wren | - | - | - | 1 |
Gray Catbird | - | 3 | 6 | 11 |
Swainson's Thrush | 1 | - | - | - |
Hermit Thrush | 1 | - | - | - |
Saltmarsh Sparrow | - | - | 1 | - |
Swamp Sparrow | 3 | - | 1 | 1 |
Ovenbird | 1 | - | - | - |
Connecticut Warbler | 1 | - | - | - |
Common Yellowthroat | - | 2 | - | 1 |
Cape May Warbler | 1 | - | - | - |
Palm Warbler (Western) | - | - | 1 | - |
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) | - | - | 1 | 2 |
Prairie Warbler | - | - | - | 1 |
Northern Cardinal | - | 1 | - | 3 |
Painted Bunting | - | 6 | - | - |
| Today's Banding Stats | Captain Sams | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 8 | 10 | 18 |
| # of Recaptures | 15 | 22 | 37 |
| # of Species | 12 | 10 | 18 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 179.2 | 168.0 | 347.2 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 12.8 | 19.0 | 15.8 |
| # of Nets | 32 | 28 | 60 |
| 2025 Fall Cumulative Banding Stats | Captain Sams | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 4,522 | 3,163 | 7,685 |
| # of Recaptures | 918 | 835 | 1,753 |
| # of Species | 89 | 83 | 100 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 11,328.7 | 8,371.1 | 19,699.8 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 48.0 | 47.8 | 47.9 |
| # of Days | 72 | 62 |
Banding Staff
Aaron Given (CS)Michael Gamble (CS)
Liz Held (LB)
Arden Schneider (CS)
Camille Beckwith (LB)
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.