Say "Chuck-y" Cheese!

CAPTAIN SAM'S:

Well hello again! Last time we talked, it was about that amazing Sora we caught at the station for the first time in history. Well guess what? We got another amazing bird today! Although not a first for the station, it is an exciting find for all of us at the station, including Bill Kee - one of our fantastic volunteers. Without further ado, here he is, the Chuck-Will's-Widow:

(Photo: Dave Sandahl)

Dan and Arcata look on as Aaron guides them on ageing and sexing this bird. (Photo: Dave Sandahl)

Chuck-Will's-Widows are the largest Nightjars in the country and spend the days hunkered down on a low branch until the darkness of night gives them cover for their nocturnal insect feeding. You should absolutely check out how wide their mouths get for inhaling buckets of insects, they even sometimes swallow bats and small birds! How neat is that? Keep an eye out for more fascinating birds at Captain Sam's this season.

- Dave

LITTLE BEAR:

Today was on the slower side of things at Little Bear. We processed a total of 22 birds, 14 of which were new captures.  Some of the highlights included a hatch year White-eyed Vireo, a Downy Woodpecker, and a recap "Traill's" Flycatcher. 

HY "Traill's" Flycatcher

Flycatchers can be tricky to ID, as a handful of Flycatcher species look very similar at first glance. When processing Flycatchers we have to take many different morphological features into account, such as leg color, primary and secondary feather measurements, and bill measurements. In fact, Willow and Alder Flycatchers look so similar and have such similar measurements, that they are collectively referred to as "Traill's" Flycatchers. The easiest way to tell Flycatchers apart is actually by their vocalizations. To learn more about Alder Flycatchers see here. To learn more about Willow Flycatchers see here.

-Beth

Species	Captain Sam's		Little Bear
	New	Recaps	New	Recaps
Chuck-will's-widow	1	-	-	-
Downy Woodpecker	-	-	1	-
"Traill's" Flycatcher	-	-	-	1
White-eyed Vireo	1	-	1	-
Red-eyed Vireo	2	-	-	-
Carolina Chickadee	1	-	-	-
Carolina Wren	-	-	-	3
Eastern Towhee	-	-	-	1
Northern Waterthrush	2	1	3	3
Common Yellowthroat	-	1	2	-
American Redstart	1	-	-	-
Yellow Warbler	-	-	1	-
Prairie Warbler	1	-	2	-
Northern Cardinal	-	1	-	-
Indigo Bunting	1	-	-	-
Painted Bunting	6	1	4	-

Today's Banding Stats	Captain Sam's	Little Bear	TOTAL
# Birds Banded	16	14	30
# of Recaptures	9	8	17
# of Species	10	10	20
Effort (net-hours)	134.4	68	202.4
Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours)	14.9	32.4	23.7
# of Nets	28	20	48

2019 Fall Cumulative Banding Stats	Captain Sam's	Little Bear	TOTAL
# Birds Banded	484	283	767
# of Recaptures	202	81	283
# of Species	34	27	40
Effort (net-hours)	2,715.25	835.2	3,550.45
Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours)	25.3	33.9	29.6
# of Days	22	14	-

Banding Staff
Aaron Given (CS)
Dan Errichetti (CS)
Arcata Leavitt (CS)
Dave Sandahl (CS) 
Bill Kee (CS)
Josh Lefever (LB)
Kristin Attinger (LB)
Bethany Darby (LB)