FOS: House Finch, Blackpoll Warbler and Yellow-throated Warbler

Captain Sam's
Today things picked up a bit at Captain Sam's with 47 total birds compared to yesterday's 41. We caught 35 new birds and 12 recaptures comprising 14 species.  The highlight of the day was a first for KIBS...a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker! Sapsuckers migrate south to winter and are not uncommon in South Carolina. They are typically found in oak or pine forests so, it was unusual catching one. Sapsuckers; as the name implies feed primarily on tree sap. They drill neat holes in horizontal rows. They tend to choose trees which have a higher sugar content in the sap. That being said, they are not all that picky as they have been seen feeding on over 1,000 different species of trees and woody plants. Sapsuckers will also eat insects that they find underneath the tree bark. Other animals benefit from feeding at the holes Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers drill such as hummingbirds, porcupines and bats. 

Michael R

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (second year, male)

Little Bear 

Despite the lackluster movement on the radar last night and breezy conditions today, Little Bear did surprisingly well with 58 new birds and 24 recaptures, comprised of 18 species.  Mixed among the Gray Catbirds, we had several first-of-the-seasons including Marsh Wren and Blackpoll Warbler.  However, the best bird of the morning was a Yellow-throated Warbler which was a first for Little Bear and only the second record for KIBS.  Yellow-throated Warblers breed on Kiawah Island and are by no means rare on the island but their habitat preference likely keeps them from wandering into our banding sites.  They prefer pine and oak forest for breeding but can found in scrubbier habitats during migration.    

-Mattie    

Yellow-throated Warbler (hatch-year, sex unknown)

    

Species	Captain Sam's		Little Bear
	New	Recaps	New	Recaps
Downy Woodpecker	1	-	-	-
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	1	-	-	-
Carolina Chickadee	1	-	-	2
Tufted Titmouse	-	-	1	-
House Wren	1	1	-	-
Marsh Wren	-	-	1	-
Carolina Wren	-	1	-	3
Swainson's Thrush	1	-	-	-
Gray Catbird	23	7	41	12
Brown Thrasher	-	-	1	-
Northern Mockingbird	-	-	1	-
House Finch	1	-	-	-
Common Yellowthroat	2	2	-	1
American Redstart	1	-	1	-
Yellow Warbler	-	-	1	-
Blackpoll Warbler	-	-	1	-
Palm Warbler (Western)	1	-	1	-
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)	-	-	5	-
Yellow-throated Warbler	-	-	1	-
Prairie Warbler	1	-	-	-
Eastern Towhee	-	-	-	2
Swamp Sparrow	1	-	2	-
Northern Cardinal	-	1	1	3
Painted Bunting	-	-	-	1

Banding Stats	Captain Sam's	Little Bear	TOTAL
# Birds Banded	35	58	93
# of Recaptures	12	24	36
# of Species	14	18	24
Effort (net-hours)	123.3	98.5	221.8
Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours)	38.12	83.2	58.2
# of Nets	23	20	43

Banding Staff
Aaron Given (CS)
Blaine Carnes (LB)
Mattie VandenBoom (LB)
Michael Gamble (CS)
Michael Rodgers (CS)
Ryan Donnelly (LB)