Today was an exciting day at Captain Sam's. We had over 100 birds at the station today, one of which was a Bell's Vireo. Bell's Vireos are quite rare in South Carolina--we haven't had one at the station since 2013, making this only the fourth one the station has seen. These little vireos breed in the mid-west and migrate down to the Pacific coast of Mexico for the winter. It is interesting that the few we've caught in Kiawah have all been around the same time of year. This could indicate they are more common then previously believed.
 |
| Bell's Vireo (hatch-year, sex unknown) |
Our other rarity of the day came to us in snake form. While checking the nets we came across an Eastern Coachwhip. These snakes can get very large and are among the largest species of snakes in North America. The name 'Coachwhip' was given to them due to their light colored tail resembling a braided horse whip. There is an old urban legend that they can use their tails as a whip and whip humans with it. Although they can be aggressive when approached they are non-venomous and not able to whip you!
 |
| Coachwhip |
Little Bear
At Little Bear things were much slower--32 new birds and 5 recaptures of 12 species. However, today was the first day at the site with double-digit numbers of Common Yellowthroats, which is a sign that our overall captures may be about to climb rapidly. Yellowthroats are usually the most common species captured at both sites, with well over 1,000 individuals banded in most years.
--Blaine
| Species | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New | Recaps | New | Recaps | |
Common Ground-Dove
|
1
|
-
|
2
|
-
|
Acadian Flycatcher
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Willow Flycatcher
Alder Flycatcher "Traill's" Flycatcher |
1
1 3 |
-
- - |
-
- - |
-
- - |
Bell's Vireo
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Red-eyed Vireo
|
2
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
Carolina Wren
|
-
|
2
|
-
|
1
|
Ovenbird
|
2
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
Northern Waterthrush
|
7
|
-
|
2
|
-
|
Black-and-white Warbler
|
-
|
-
|
2
|
-
|
Common Yellowthroat
|
58
|
-
|
12
|
-
|
American Redstart
|
3
|
-
|
2
|
2
|
Magnolia Warbler
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Yellow Warbler
|
4
|
-
|
2
|
-
|
Prairie Warbler
|
5
|
1
|
3
|
-
|
Yellow-breasted Chat
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Northern Cardinal
|
2
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
Painted Bunting
|
5
|
-
|
5
|
1
|
| Banding Stats | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded |
98
|
32
|
130
|
| # of Recaptures |
3
|
5
|
8
|
| # of Species |
16
|
12
|
17
|
| Effort (net-hours) |
141.4
|
90.0
|
231.4
|
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) |
71.4
|
41.1
|
59.6
|
| Nets |
25
|
18
|
43
|
Banding Staff
Aaron Given (CS)
Mattie VandenBoom (CS)
Blaine Carnes (LB)
Michael Gamble (LB)
Alison Nevins (CS)
Col Lauzau (CS)
Michael Rodgers (CS)
Ryan Donelly(LB)
