CAPTAIN SAMS
Today at the Captain's we had 110 new birds and 11 good ol recaps, with a total of 22 species. Opening temps were in the high 40s which was really nice. I had to bring out my trusty gloves and jacket to stay warm. The wind was pretty bad again today but the birds kept on coming anyway. Catbirds and Yellowthroats were still our most numerous customers, but we also got a nice little push of 19 Yellow-rumped Warblers. These fellas are one of the last big pushes we get before winter so it's a sign that migration might be in its home stretch. The temps for the rest of the week look pretty nice, and bird activity will likely keep improving!
-Aiden
LITTLE BEAR
Another day battling the wind out at Little Bear. The gusts were a bit worse today and we had to leave some nets closed. Despite the conditions, it turned out to be a fairly busy day. We had 87 new birds and 20 recaps of 21 species. The Black-throated Blue and Cape May Warblers that were so prevalent yesterday cleared out and were replaced by Palms, Myrtles, and a handful of Blackpolls. A highlight of the day for me was the Yellow Palm Warbler. We mostly catch the Western subspecies (despite being about as far east as you can go) so it was really nice to see this extra bright yellow palm warbler for a change! See below for a little comparison of the two subspecies. We also caught our first Orange-crowned Warbler and Brown Creeper of the season, and another Savannah Sparrow!
-Liz
| Species | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New | Recaps | New | Recaps | |
Yellow-billed Cuckoo | 2 | - | - | - |
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker | 1 | - | - | - |
Eastern Phoebe | 4 | - | 1 | - |
Carolina Chickadee | - | - | - | 1 |
Golden-crowned Kinglet | 1 | - | - | - |
Ruby-crowned Kinglet | 1 | - | 2 | - |
Brown Creeper | - | - | 1 | - |
Northern House Wren | 1 | - | 2 | - |
Carolina Wren | - | - | - | 1 |
Gray Catbird | 27 | 5 | 18 | 11 |
Swainson's Thrush | 1 | - | - | - |
Field Sparrow | 1 | - | - | - |
White-crowned Sparrow | - | - | 1 | - |
Savannah Sparrow | - | - | 1 | - |
Swamp Sparrow | 8 | 1 | 1 | - |
Northern Waterthrush | 1 | - | - | - |
Black-and-white Warbler | 1 | - | - | - |
Orange-crowned Warbler | - | - | 1 | - |
Common Yellowthroat | 19 | 3 | 10 | 4 |
American Redstart | 2 | - | 3 | 2 |
Cape May Warbler | - | - | 1 | - |
Northern Parula | 4 | - | 3 | - |
Blackpoll Warbler | 3 | - | 7 | 1 |
Black-throated Blue Warbler | 3 | 1 | 1 | - |
Western Palm Warbler | 9 | - | 21 | - |
Yellow Palm Warbler | - | - | 1 | - |
Myrtle (yellow-rumped) Warbler | 19 | - | 10 | - |
Northern Cardinal | - | 1 | - | - |
| Indigo Bunting | 1 | - | - | - |
| Painted Bunting | 1 | - | 2 | - |
| - | - | - | - | |
| Today's Banding Stats | Captain Sams | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 110 | 87 | 197 |
| # of Recaptures | 11 | 20 | 31 |
| # of Species | 22 | 21 | 29 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 169.95 | 115.7 | 285.65 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 71.2 | 92.5 | 79.8 |
| # of Nets | 33 | 28 | - |
| 2026 Fall Cumulative Banding Stats | Captain Sams | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 3,940 | 2,306 | 6,246 |
| # of Recaptures | 531 | 320 | 851 |
| # of Species | 78 | 70 | 92 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 9,320.15 | 6,402.65 | 15,722.8 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 47.2 | 41 | 45.1 |
| # of Days | 62 | 55 |
Banding Staff
Aaron Given (CS)