It was a bit slower today at
Captain Sam’s with 53 new birds and 16 recaptures, comprised of 22
species. The slowed activity today gave
us the opportunity to do some net repair and maintenance. The mist nets we use are made of a fine nylon
mesh that stretch about 12 meters and stand about 2.5 meters tall. The mist nets at KIBS have a life span of
about 2-3 fall banding seasons. After
about 2-3 seasons of being exposed to the elements, the mesh of the net can
become brittle and can break when minimal force is applied. Every season, we usually have to replace a
net or two that had the misfortune of a deer encounter. Small holes and tears in the net are most
commonly caused by banders. The net can
get hung up on zippers and buttons and if it goes unnoticed, it can put a rip
in the net. Each net cost about a
hundred dollars to replace, so we will always try to repair a net before we
replace it.
-Mattie
Little Bear
It was a bit busier at Little Bear
with 83 new birds and 19 recaptures of 22 different species. Common Yellowthroats and Red-eyed Vireos kept
us busy for most of the morning. We also
banded several “Traill’s” Flycatcher, one of which we were able to key out as
an Alder Flycatcher. For each of the “Traill’s”
Flycatchers we catch, we take a series of measurements to see if we can determine
if it’s a Willow or Alder Flycatcher.
More often than not, it seems these measurements do not lead to a specific
species and we are left with “Traill’s” Flycatcher. Though it is always rewarding when the measurements
do pan out and the species is identified.
| Species | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New | Recaps | New | Recaps | |
Common Ground-Dove
|
2
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Acadian Flycatcher
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Alder Flycatcher
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
"Traill's" Flycatcher
|
-
|
-
|
3
|
-
|
White-eyed Vireo
|
-
|
5
|
5
|
1
|
Red-eyed Vireo
|
8
|
-
|
14
|
-
|
Carolina Chickadee
|
1
|
1
|
-
|
|
Tufted Titmouse
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
Carolina Wren
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
Veery
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
Swainson's Thrush
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Gray Catbird
|
3
|
-
|
2
|
4
|
Brown Thrasher
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
Northern Mockingbird
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
Ovenbird
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Northern Waterthrush
|
2
|
-
|
-
|
3
|
Common Yellowthroat
|
20
|
2
|
29
|
3
|
American Redstart
|
3
|
1
|
3
|
-
|
Yellow Warbler
|
2
|
-
|
4
|
-
|
Palm Warbler (Western)
|
1
|
-
|
6
|
-
|
Prairie Warbler
|
3
|
1
|
6
|
1
|
Yellow-breasted Chat
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
Eastern Towhee
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
Northern Cardinal
|
-
|
3
|
1
|
2
|
Painted Bunting
|
2
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
Baltimore Oriole
|
-
|
-
|
2
|
-
|
| Banding Stats | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded |
53
|
83
|
136
|
| # of Recaptures |
16
|
19
|
35
|
| # of Species |
22
|
22
|
28
|
| Effort (net-hours) |
149.5
|
120
|
269.5
|
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) |
46.2
|
85.0
|
63.5
|
| # of Nets |
26
|
20
|
46
|
Banding Staff
Aaron Given (CS)
Blaine Carnes (LB)
Mattie VandenBoom (CS)
Alison Nevins (LB)
Michael Gamble (CS)
Michael Rodgers (CS)
Ryan Donnelly (LB)
