CAPTAIN SAMS
So far the season has started out as what seems like a brutally slow August. However, after comparing it to the prior three years, we are actually doing quite well. At this point last year, we had banded 249 birds compared to the 246 this year. In 2024 and 2023, we were only at 100 and 181, respectively.
After many years of a steady decline of Prairie Warblers, their numbers are up so far this year with 51 banded. The over the last three year we've averaged in the mid 30's at this point in the season.
-Aaron
LITTLE BEAR
Luckily the storms held off this morning and we were able to open on time. The clouds even helped keep the heat at bay! It was still a pretty slow day for us out at Little Bear and we processed a total of 17 birds of 6 species with 11 new and 6 recaptures. Our total numbers at Little Bear are a little behind where we were at this point last year by about 50 birds. Even though it is a little slower, we have banded more individuals of a few species than we did throughout the whole season last year. For example, we only banded one Blue-gray Gnatcatcher last year and this week we have already banded 2. We also only had 1 Tufted Titmouse last year, and this week we've banded 3. Our Prairie Warbler, American Redstart, and Northern Waterthrush numbers are a little behind so far, so hopefully we'll see some more of those species start to move through soon.
-Liz
| Species | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New | Recaps | New | Recaps | |
Downy Woodpecker | - | 1 | - | - |
Red-eyed Vireo | 1 | - | - | - |
Carolina Chickadee | - | - | 2 | 3 |
Tufted Titmouse | - | - | 2 | - |
Carolina Wren | - | - | - | 1 |
Northern Waterthrush | 3 | 1 | 3 | - |
Common Yellowthroat | 1 | - | - | - |
Prairie Warbler | 1 | - | - | - |
Northern Cardinal | - | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Painted Bunting | 2 | - | 2 | - |
| - | - | - | - | |
| Today's Banding Stats | Captain Sams | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 8 | 11 | 19 |
| # of Recaptures | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| # of Species | 7 | 6 | 10 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 125.4 | 142.8 | 268.2 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 9.7 | 11.9 | 10.8 |
| # of Nets | 33 | 28 | 61 |
| 2026 Fall Cumulative Banding Stats | Captain Sams | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 246 | 88 | 334 |
| # of Recaptures | 99 | 29 | 128 |
| # of Species | - | 17 | 27 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 1,860.3 | 575.1 | 2,435.4 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 18.5 | 20.3 | 18.97 |
| # of Days | 14 | 7 |
Banding Staff
Aaron Given (CS)