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