CAPTAIN SAMS
A slow day again at Captain Sam's. The live map on Birdcast.org showed birds migrating to South Carolina, but not quite arriving at Kiawah Island yet. 9 birds were processed today including our very first Cape May Warbler of the season. She was determined to be an after hatch year (at least one year old).
 |
| Cape May Warbler (after hatch year, female) |
Hopefully some more migrants will arrive tomorrow.
Jasmine
LITTLE BEAR
Today was a similar volume as yesterday at 20 birds total with 14 new and 6 recaps. However, a few new migrants arrived to the area and we added two exciting species to our list: a Dickcissel and a Solitary Sandpiper. Last year was the first time a Dickcissel has ever been captured at either station, so it's great that Little Bear caught one for the second year in a row.
The bird of the day was definitely the Solitary Sandpiper! It's been a few years since KIBS caught one, and we were both in awe of this bird today. Solitary Sandpipers will use quite a variety of habitats during migration but prefer areas with more cover instead of open mudflats and marshes. We found ours in one of our nets that is on the edge of the flooded area among thicker vegetation. This makes sense as they like to forage on the edge of water or even in the wet leaf litter. A few characteristics that set this species apart from other shorebirds is the prominent eye ring, olive legs, gray-brown back with minimal spotting, and a barred tail with a dark center. Solitary Sandpipers are known to prey on mosquito larvae, so we're hoping that it's out there having a big feast today.
-Liz
| Species | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New | Recaps | New | Recaps | |
Solitary Sandpiper | - | - | 1 | - |
Carolina Chickadee | - | - | 1 | 2 |
Tufted Titmouse | - | 1 | - | - |
Ovenbird | - | 1 | 1 | - |
Northern Waterthrush | 2 | - | 4 | - |
Black-and-white Warbler | - | - | 1 | - |
Common Yellowthroat | 1 | 1 | 1 | - |
American Redstart | - | - | 1 | 1 |
Cape May Warbler | 1 | - | - | - |
Prairie Warbler | 1 | - | - | - |
Northern Cardinal | - | 1 | - | 1 |
Painted Bunting | - | - | 3 | 2 |
Dickcissel | - | - | 1 | - |
| - | - | - | - | |
| Today's Banding Stats | Captain Sams | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 5 | 14 | 19 |
| # of Recaptures | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| # of Species | 7 | 10 | 13 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 135.3 | 106.4 | 241.7 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 6.7 | 18.8 | 12 |
| # of Nets | 33 | 28 | 61 |
| 2026 Fall Cumulative Banding Stats | Captain Sams | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 558 | 317 | 875 |
| # of Recaptures | 160 | 88 | 248 |
| # of Species | 35 | 33 | 44 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 3,873.4 | 2,261.1 | 6,134.5 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 18.5 | 17.9 | 18.3 |
| # of Days | 29 | 22 |
Banding Staff
Aaron Given (CS)