Rained Out Again

Remnants of Tropical Storm Erika continued to soak the area therefore we were not  able to open the nets again today.  All of the rain associated with that system should move out today and hopefully we can get back out to the station tomorrow.

-Aaron

Rained Out Today

We did not band this morning due to rain.  Rain is in the forecast for most of the day tomorrow too.

-Aaron

Good Diversity But Still Low #'s

We had an interesting morning with 22 new birds and 5 recaptures of 14 different species.  We had several first-of-the-season's including Common Ground-Dove, Northern Parula, and Blue-winged Warbler.  The Blue-winged Warbler was the 2nd one ever banded at KIBS with the first one banded back in 2009.

-Aaron

Blue-winged Warbler (Hatch-year, female)

NEW BIRDS
1 Common Ground-Dove
1 "Traill's" Flycatcher
3 Red-eyed Vireo
1 Carolina Chickadee
1 Worm-eating Warbler
5 Common Yellowthroat
3 American Redstart
1 Northern Parula
2 Prothonotary Warbler
1 Blue-winged Warbler
2 Prairie Warbler
1 Painted Bunting

RECAPTURES
1 Carolina Wren
1 Northern Mockingbird
1 Prairie Warbler
2 Painted Bunting

BANDING STATS
# of Birds Banded:  22
# of Recaptures: 5
# of Species:  14
Effort:  131.25 net-hours
Capture Rate:  20.6 birds/100 net-hours
# of Nets:  25

BANDING STAFF
Aaron Given
Mattie VandenBoom
Chris Snook
Nancy Raginski
Michael Gamble
Casey Weissburg
Sean McElaney

FOS: Eastern Wood-Pewee

Despite the north winds last night, the bird activity was still slow with 19 new birds and 4 recaptures.  A species that may have taken advantage of the north winds was the Red-eyed Vireo, who made up more than half of the new birds banded today.  Mixed in with all the Red-eyes was our first-of-the-season Eastern Wood-Pewee.        

-Mattie  

NEW BIRDS

1 Eastern Wood-Pewee

11 Red-eyed Vireo

1 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

1 Northern Waterthrush

2 Black and White Warbler

1 Prothonotary Warbler

1 Yellow Warbler

1 Painted Bunting

RECAPTURES

1 Carolina Chickadee

1 Prairie Warbler

1 Northern Cardinal

1 Painted Bunting

BANDING STATS

# of Birds Banded:  19

# of Recaptures:  4

# of Species:  11

Effort:  125.0 net-hours

Capture Rate:  18.4 birds/100 net-hours

BANDING STAFF

Aaron Given

Chris Snook

Mattie VandenBoom

Nancy Raginski

Ryan Donnelly

8/27/2015

Today we banders were treated to slightly cooler and less humid weather.  Despite the cooler temperatures, bird activity was still slow with only 13 new birds and 6 recaptures, made up of 9 species.  The highlight of the morning goes to our second Eastern Screech-Owl of the season.  The owl captured this morning was another young bird that was still in the process of molting out of its juvenal plumage.  With winds from the north tonight, we should see an increase in bird activity for tomorrow. 

-Mattie

Eastern Screech-Owl (hatch year, sex unknown)

NEW BIRDS

1 Eastern Screech-Owl
4 Red-eyed Vireo
4 Northern Waterthrush
1 Common Yellowthroat
1 American Redstart
1 Prairie Warbler
1 Painted Bunting

RECAPTURE
1 Black and White Warbler
1 Northern Cardinal

1 Painted Bunting

BANDING STATS
# of New Birds:  13
# of Recaptures:  6
# of Species:  9
Effort:  108.2 net-hours
Capture Rate:  17.6 birds/100 net-hours
# of Nets:  25

BANDING STAFF
Aaron Given
Mattie VandenBoom
Michael Gamble
Nancy Raginski
Ryan Donnelly  

     

8/26/15

Another slow day at the banding station but we had a good diversity of migrants.  We also captured the first Ruby-throated Hummingbird of the season.  The bird was released without a leg band because it requires special training/permit that I don't currently possess.

The 10-day weather forecast shows no promising relief in the heat which probably means that bird migration will continue to be slow for a while.  Tropical Storm Erika is looming in the the Atlantic and could pose some problems by next week.  Hopefully it will turn and stay offshore sparing us the wind and the rain.        

-Aaron

NEW BIRDS
1 Red-eyed Vireo
1 Northern Waterthrush
1 Prothonotary Warbler
2 Common Yellowthroat
1 American Redstart
1 Black-throated Blue Warbler
1 Yellow Warbler
4 Prairie Warbler
2 Painted Bunting

RECAPTURE
1 Carolina Wren
1 Prairie Warbler
1 Northern Cardinal

BANDING STATS
# of New Birds:  14
# of Recaptures:  3
# of Species:  11
Effort:  125.0 net-hours
Capture Rate:  13.6 birds/100 net-hours
# of Nets:  25

BANDING STAFF
Aaron Given
Mattie VandenBoom
Michael Gamble
Nancy Raginski
Ryan Donnelly

Another FOS: Eastern Screech-Owl!!

It was a slow day today with 18 new birds and 8 recaptures of 10 different species, and the humidity was back in full force compared to yesterday. The most exciting part of the day came early in the morning where we found a hatch-year Eastern Screech-Owl in one of our nets! This was another first of the season and the first time I have gotten to hold and see a screech owl this close up! It has already been a more exciting season compared to my banding season in NC over the summer and we're just getting started!

-Michael

Eastern Screech-Owl (hatch-year, sex unknown)

NEW BIRDS
1 Eastern Screech-Owl
1 Red-eyed Vireo
1 Carolina Wren
1 American Redstart
1 Common Yellowthroat
1 Northern Waterthrush
7 Prairie Warbler
1 Northern Cardinal
4 Painted Bunting

RECAPTURES
1 Red-eyed Vireo
1 Carolina Wren
1 Northern Mockingbird
1 Northern Cardinal
4 Painted Bunting

BANDING STATS
# of Birds Banded: 18
# of Recaptures: 8
# of Species: 10
Effort: 127.5 net-hours
Capture Rate: 20.4 birds/100 net-hours

BANDING STAFF
Aaron Given
Mattie VandenBoom
Michael Gamble
Ryan Donnelly

More FOS: "Traill's" Flycatcher and Blue-gray Gnatcher

Migrants continue to trickle through KIBS with 32 new birds and 7 recaptures of 12 different species captured today.  The temperature was a little cooler today, thanks to a light NW wind early in the morning.  The humidity may have been slightly lower too because my clothes were just almost soaked through compared to drenched like the last few days.

We had a couple more first-of-the-seasons:  a Traill's Flycatcher and 4 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers.  Prairie Warblers have been the most frequently banded bird to this point in the season with 51 individuals.  Painted Buntings are not that far behind with 46.  

-Aaron

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (hatch-year, sex unknown)

NEW BIRDS
1 "Traill's" Flycatcher
7 Red-eyed Vireo
1 Brown Thrasher
1 Northern Mockingbird
4 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
3 Northern Waterthrush
2 American Redstart
1 Common Yellowthroat
8 Prairie Warbler
4 Painted Bunting

RECAPTURES
1 Red-eyed Vireo
2 Carolina Wren
2 Northern Cardinal
2 Painted Bunting

BANDING STATS
# of Birds Banded:  32
# of Recaptures:  7
# of Species:  12
Effort:  127.5 net-hours
Capture Rate:  30.6 birds/100 net-hours
# of Nets:  24

BANDING PERSONNEL
Aaron Given
Mattie VandenBoom
Michael Gamble

FOS: Least Flycatcher, Yellow Warbler, and Brown-headed Cowbird

It was another warm and humid morning out at the banding station today.  Despite the uncomfortable weather we still had a decent selection of migrants including our first Least Flycatcher and Yellow Warbler of the season.  We also had good numbers of Northern Waterthrush, Common Yellowthroat, and Red-eyed Vireo.  The highlight of the day was our first of the season Brown-headed Cowbird.  The Brown-headed Cowbird is a brood parasite which means it lays its eggs in the nests of other birds.  Cowbirds evolved this behavior back when they depended on buffalo herds and needed to have the ability to follow the herds.  When a female lays an egg in her host nest she will usually remove one or more of the host eggs.  Their eggs require less incubation time which allows the cowbird to hatch out first and out compete the host’s offspring.  If a cowbird egg is noticed, some host species will either abandon the nest or try to remove the egg.  Eastern host species are a less equipped to deal with cowbird parasitism than Mid-Western species.  Cowbirds stayed in the open grasslands of the Mid-West up until 1800’s when humans began expanding farmland westward and opened up a whole new eastern range for cowbirds.  Over 200 species have been recorded as being parasitized by cowbirds.     

-Mattie 

Yellow Warbler

 

NEW BIRDS

1 Least Flycatcher

4 Red-eyed Vireo

1 Worm-eating Warbler

5 Northern Waterthrush

2 Black and White Warbler

6 Common Yellowthroat

2 Yellow Warbler

4 Prairie Warbler

3 Painted Bunting

1 Brown-headed Cowbird

RECAPTURES

3 Carolina Chickadee

1 Northern Mockingbird

3 Northern Cardinal

2 Painted Bunting

BANDING STATS

# of Birds Banded:  31

# of Recaptures:  9

# of Species:  13

Effort:  125.0 net-hours

Capture Rate:  32.0 birds/100 net-hours

BANDING STAFF

Aaron Given

Mattie VandenBoom

Michael Gamble
Jen Tyrrell

FOS: Prothonotary Warbler and Ovenbird

NEW BIRDS

2 Red-eyed Vireo

1 Ovenbird

2 Northern Waterthrush

3 Black-and-white Warbler

1 Common Yellowthroat

1 Prothonotary Warbler

2 American Redstart

11 Prairie Warbler

1 Northern Cardinal

3 Painted Bunting

RECAPTURES

1 Carolina Wren

1 Northern Cardinal

BANDING STATS

# of Birds Banded:  27

# of Recaptures:  2

# of Species:  11

Effort:  112.5 net-hours

Capture Rate:  25.8 birds/100 net-hours

BANDING STAFF

Aaron Given

Ryan Donnelly

Black-billed Cuckoo!

Migrants were moving last night!  While walking in to the banding station to open the nets, we heard several "chips" in the sky.  I had failed to check the weather or radar this morning to see if conditions were good for migration so I was kind of a surprise by the nocturnal activity given how slow it has been the last couple of days.

It turned out to be a really good morning with 48 new birds and 9 recaptures of 12 different species.  We had several first-of-the-seasons including Black-throated Blue Warbler, Black-and-White Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Red-eyed Vireo, and House Finch.  But the bird that made my jaw drop when I approached the net was a BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO!  This species is especially rare in South Carolina and a first banding record for KIBS.

Black-billed Cuckoo (hatch-year, sex unknown)

Worm-eating Warbler (hatch-year, sex unknown)

    
NEW BIRDS
1 Black-billed Cuckoo
8 Red-eyed Vireo
3 Northern Waterthrush
1 Worm-eating Warbler
9 American Restart
3 Black-and-White Warbler
2 Black-throated Blue Warbler
11 Prairie Warbler
1 Northern Cardinal
8 Painted Bunting
1 House Finch

RECAPTURES
1 Carolina Wren
2 Northern Cardinal
6 Painted Bunting

BANDING STATS
# of New Birds:  48
# of Recaptures:  9
# of Species:  12
Effort:  145.0 net-hours
Capture Rate:  39.3 birds/100 net-hours
# of Nets:  25

BANDING STAFF
Aaron Given
Ryan Donnelly

FOS Summer Tanager

Well...we caught 100% more birds today than yesterday!  The downside is that we still only captured 14 birds.  We had some migrants, a first-of-the-season Summer Tanager, and what felt like lower humidity which made it a more enjoyable day to be at KIBS.

The following Painted Bunting was originally banded on 09/18/13 as a hatch-year.  At the time he was a green bird and we were unable to determine his gender. 

Painted Buntning (after second-year, male)

NEW BIRDS
1 American Redstart
1 Prairie Warbler
1 Northern Waterthrush
1 Summer Tanager
3 Painted Bunting

RECAPTURES
1 Carolina Chickadee
1 Carolina Wren
1 Northern Mockingbird
1 Northern Cardinal
3 Painted Bunting

BANDING STATS
# of New Birds:  7
# of Recaptures:  7
# of Species:  9
Effort:  118.75 net-hours
Capture Rate:  11.8 birds/100 net-hours
# of Nets:  25

Hot and Humid = Not Many Birds

Well, not much to write about today.  It was painfully slow with only 4 new birds and 3 recaptures of 3 different species.  It was exceptionally warm with heat indices reaching 105 degrees.  The actually temperature never reached above 88 degrees during the time we were in the field but the humidity was brutal.

NEW BIRDS
1 Downy Woodpecker
1 Northern Cardinal
2 Painted Bunting

RECAPTURES
3 Northern Cardinal

BANDING STATS
# of New Birds:  4
# of Recaptures:  3
# of Species:  3
Effort:  105.0 net-hours
Capture Rate:  6.7 bird/100 net-hours
# of Nets:  25

BANDING STAFF
Aaron Given
Ryan Donnelly
Michael Gamble


 

8/18/2015

A rain shower working its way up the coast delayed our opening of the nets by about an hour this morning.  Bird activity was slow all day with only 12 new birds and 4 recaptures of 4 different species.  Barn Swallow migration appears to be in full swing as what seemed like hundreds of individuals passed over KIBS along the river and over the dunes.        

NEW BIRDS
7 Prairie Warbler
4 Northern Cardinal
1 Painted Bunting

RECAPTURES
2 Carolina Wren
2 Northern Cardinal

BANDING STATS
# of New Birds:  12
# of Recaptures:  4
# of Species:  4
Effort:  100.0 net-hours
Capture Rate:  16.0 birds/100-nets
# of Nets:  25

BANDING STAFF
Aaron Given
Ryan Donnelly
Matt Johnson

Chuck-will's-widow

We banded 19 new birds and had 8 recaptures of 8 different species this morning.  The biggest surprise of the day came first thing in the morning when we found a Chuck-will's-widow in the net. Chucks are fairly common at KIBS during spring, summer, and fall but are mostly nocturnal, hunting open areas near woodlands searching to flying insects which they catch on the wing.  They have huge mouths and long, stiff bristle-like "whiskers" which help guide the prey into their mouth.

Chuck-will's-widow (Hatch-year, sex unknown)

 

NEW BIRDS
1 Chuck-will's-widow
1 Carolina Wren
1 Brown Thrasher
2 Northern Mockingbird
3 Prairie Warbler
2 Northern Cardinal
9 Painted Bunting

RECAPTURES
2 Carolina Chickadee
1 Carolina Wren
2 Northern Cardinal
3 Painted Bunting

BANDING STATS
# of Birds Banded:  19
# of Recaptures:  8
# of Species:  8
Effort:  125.0 net-hours
Capture Rate:  21.6 birds/100 net-hours
# of Nets:  25

BANDING STAFF
Aaron Given
Ryan Donnelly

FOS: AMRE, COYE, and NOWA

We had a little more migrant activity today although the overall number of birds were down from yesterday.  A few American Redstarts, a Common Yellowthroat, and a Northern Waterthrush visited the nets for the first time this season.  We also had a few interesting recaptures:  a Painted Bunting that was banded exactly two years ago today on 8/16/13, a Northern Cardinal that was banded on 1/25/13, and another Northern Cardinal that was banded on 4/19/11.

Male Painted Buntings retain a green, female-like plumage during their first year of life.  They don't attain their gaudy appearance until after their second summer.  The following photo is of a second-year (born last summer), male Painted Bunting that is undergoing its prebasic molt.  In several weeks this bird will be draped in blues, greens, reds, and pinks, and purples.  This individual will most likely hang out at KIBS while it completes its molt.

Painted Bunting (second year, male)

Painted Bunting (typical molt pattern of a second year)

    

NEW BIRDS
2 Carolina Wren
4 Prairie Warbler
3 American Redstart
1 Common Yellowthroat
1 Northern Waterthrush
6 Northern Cardinal
3 Painted Bunting

RECAPTURES
1 Carolina Wren
3 Northern Cardinal
1 Painted Bunting

BANDING STATS
# of New Birds:  20
# of Recaptures:  5
# of Species:  7
Effort:  118.1 net-hours
Capture Rate:  21.2 birds/100 net-hours
# of Nets:  25

BANDING STAFF
Aaron Given
Ryan Donnelly

First Day of the Season

The first day of the season was rather slow compared to previous years.  We only had  26 new birds and 2 recaptures of 7 different species.  It was actually a fairly typical mid-August banding session though.  Most of the birds captured were juveniles (hatch-years) and represented local breeding species.  We did see an American Redstart flitting through the trees near net # 15 but she was able avoid the nets.

NEW BIRDS
1 Downy Woodpecker
1 Great Crested Flycatcher
4 Carolina Chickadee
4 Carolina Wren
2 Prairie Warbler
6 Northern Cardinal
8 Painted Bunting

RECAPTURES
2 Carolina Wren

BANDING STATS
# of New Birds:  26
# of Recaptures:  2
# of Species: 7
Effort: 76.5 net-hours
Capture Rate:  36.6 birds/100 net-hours
# of Nets:  15

BANDING STAFF
Aaron Given
Ryan Donnelly

The 2015 Fall Migration Banding Season

The 2015 fall migration banding season will begin tomorrow, August 15th.  We are looking forward to another great season at KIBS.  This year we will be operating at two separate banding sites; one at each end of the island.  The original site located at the west end of Kiawah will begin its 7th fall season tomorrow.  We will be running 25 mist nets every day until November 30th.  The new site is located at the far eastern end of Kiawah on Little Bear Island.  Little Bear Island is a long narrow strip of high ground that borders the Atlantic Ocean/Stono River Inlet and the main part of Kiawah Island.  It is separated from the main part of Kiawah by a tidal creek and saltmarsh.  The vegetation is scrubby and dense with dune ridges, high marsh, and some scattered "trees".  The Little Bear Site will operate from September 1st  through mid-November.  We will only be running 10-12 mist nets during this first year.  It will be interesting to see how birds use this end of the island during migration.

We will have a great team working at KIBS this year!  Most of the banding assistants will arrive during the week of August 22-29.  I will update the "Staff" page in the coming weeks with everybody's profile.  I am happy to have Mattie VandenBoom returning for her 3rd fall season!  I'd like to welcome Chris Snook (who will be heading up the site at Little Bear Island), Casey Weissburg, Sean McElaney, Michael Gamble, and Nancy Raginski to Kiawah Island!  A big thanks to Ryan Donnelly for helping me the last couple weeks clear net lanes and put up the mist nets.  Ryan will hopefully be volunteering with us regularly during the banding season as well.

Any guesses what the first bird of the season will be?

-Aaron