Bluebirds, Goodbyes, and Clear skies

 CAPTAIN SAMS

Today we banded 43 new birds and 20 recaps! Slower than predicted but still a pretty decent number of birds. Excitingly, we caught a pair of Eastern Bluebirds (1 new and 1 recap), so there is some good luck for everyone reading the blog today! 

Eastern Bluebird (After Hatch year, female) 

Today was my last day on Kiawah and the last day of my EBBA bird banding fellowship. As I look back on this journey, I feel overwhelming gratitude to have learned how to band at such amazing stations. Words can't do justice for what this opportunity has meant to me. I knew I loved birds at the start of this, but I found a passion for banding through this and gained valuable experience that not many people get so early in their career. I’ve learned so much and am hopeful for a future full of banding! I want to say a huge thank you to the Kiawah Crew for a wonderful last two weeks!! Bye blog, I'll miss you :(

Signing off,

Van 

LITTLE BEAR

Ahoy! Today on the shores o' Little Bear we captured 41 new birds and 14 recaps. Arrr, the mornin' were cool with clear skies, matey, but we be catchin' a bit o' wind! The crews nets blow like a sail hoist a mizzen on a ship set course fer some doubloons. Although they lay quiet early in the morn', the cursed winged bilge-suckers found the crew once more. I sent many straight to Davey-Jones locker meself, but I fear there be no end to those blisterin' barnacles, they won't avast till the seas run dry matey! Worry not hearties, fer the futures not yet lost, and much plunder lay ahead.

-Aiden

Species	Captain Sam's		Little Bear
	New	Recaps	New	Recaps
Yellow-billed Cuckoo	-	-	2	-
Eastern Phoebe	2	-	1	-
Carolina Chickadee	-	1	-	-
Golden-crowned Kinglet	1	-	-	-
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	3	-	-	-
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher	-	-	1	-
Northern House Wren	-	1	1	-
Carolina Wren	-	1	-	1
Gray Catbird	11	9	5	10
Eastern Bluebird	1	1	-	-
Hermit Thrush	-	-	1	-
Song Sparrow	2	-	-	-
Swamp Sparrow	3	-	3	-
Eastern Towhee	-	-	-	1
Yellow-breasted Chat	-	1	-	-
Common Yellowthroat	5	5	6	-
Northern Parula	-	-	1	-
Blackpoll Warbler	-	-	1	-
Western Palm Warbler	3	-	6	-
Myrtle Yellow-rumed Warbler	10	1	10	1
Painted Bunting	1	-	2	-
Brown Thrasher	1	-	-	-
Black-and-white Warbler	-	-	1	-
Northern Cardinal	-	-	-	1

Today's Banding Stats	Captain Sams	Little Bear	TOTAL
# Birds Banded	43	41	84
# of Recaptures	20	14	34
# of Species	15	17	24
Effort (net-hours)	172.5	138.5	311.0
Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours)	36.5	39.7	37.9
# of Nets	33	28	61

2026 Fall Cumulative Banding Stats	Captain Sams	Little Bear	TOTAL
# Birds Banded	4029	2378	6407
# of Recaptures	575	349	924
# of Species	80	72	93
Effort (net-hours)	9656.3	6675.65	16331.95
Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours)	47.7	40.8	44.9
# of Days	64	57

Banding Staff

Aaron Given (CS)

Michael Gamble (CS)

Liz Held (LB)

Olivia DeMarchi (CS)

Jasmine Fu (LB)

Aiden Gifford (LB)

Van Truong (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.