FOS: Chuck-will's-widow

It was another slow day out at Captain Sam's this morning, but it felt a little cooler due to the cloud cover we had during part of the early morning. We caught 11 new birds and 7 recaptures of 9 different species. There was no competition for highlight of the day with our first-of-the season Chuck-will's-widow caught on the first net run! You can hear this bird at dusk and throughout the night, sometimes calling continuously. It is the largest nightjar in North America, and its brown plumage allows it to blend in to its surrounding environment, enabling it to surprise insects while foraging. This also allows them to remain inconspicuous while sitting on their eggs, which they lay on the ground.

Another surprising catch today was a very young Painted Bunting. All its flight feathers were still in pin, meaning it had recently fledged from a nest. This must have been a very late nesting attempt by the adult Painted Buntings. We also caught another Prothonotary Warbler, this one being a hatch year female.

-Michael

Chuck-will's-widow (after hatch year, female)

Photo by Mattie VandenBoom

New Birds
1 Chuck-will's-widow
1 Great Crested Flycatcher
1 Prothonotary Warbler
1 American Redstart
5 Prairie Warbler
1 Northern Cardinal
1 Painted Bunting

Recaptures
1 Great Crested Flycatcher
2 Carolina Chickadee
1 Carolina Wren
1 American Redstart
1 Northern Cardinal
1 Painted Bunting

Banding Stats
# of Birds Banded: 11
# of Recaptures: 7
# of Species: 9
Effort: 122.5 net-hours
Capture Rate: 14.7 birds/100 net-hours
# of Nets: 25

Banding Staff
Aaron Given
Blaine Carnes
Mattie VandenBoom
Michael Gamble