Faced with another slow day at the station, the highlight of
the day came early with a trifecta of sparrow species. While many overlook
sparrows as “Little Brown Jobs” (LBJs), sparrows have held a popular place in historical
folklore. Sparrows in Greek mythology were the symbols of true love and thought
to be a sacred bird to the goddess of love, Aphrodite. In some early European
cultures, a sparrow venturing into your house was seen as a death omen unless
you could capture and kill the bird. However, Indonesian folklore holds a
different opinion about sparrows in the home. They welcomed them and even
encouraged nesting because it brought good luck. Even ancient Egyptians revered
the sparrow; they thought sparrows were charged with the task of catching and
carrying recently deceased souls to heaven. I wonder what our unassuming trifecta
of sparrows was up to this morning? Perhaps they brought us luck for better
numbers in the coming days.
From left to right: White-throated Sparrow (AHY), Song Sparrow (HY), and Swamp Sparrow (HY)
Our days as banding assistants here at the Kiawah Island
Banding Station this season are dwindling. However, the cool shift in weather
still holds promise for many great birds and experiences with the team before
we each take our own migrations.
From left to right: Josh with Song Sparrow, Claire with White-throated Sparrow, and Vicki with Swamp Sparrow
- Claire
NEW BIRDS
1
Blue-headed Vireo
3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
2 Gray
Catbird
20
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)
1 Song
Sparrow
1 Swamp
Sparrow
RECAPTURES
1 Carolina
Chickadee
1 Carolina
Wren
1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
4 Gray
Catbird
5
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)
1 Painted
Bunting
4 Northern
Cardinal
1 Swamp
Sparrow
1
White-throated Sparrow
BANDING STATS
# of Birds
Banded: 28
# of
Recaptures: 19
# of
Species: 10
Effort:
117.5 net-hours
Capture
Rate: 40.0 birds/100 net-hours
# of
Nets: 20
