Based on the overnight northerly winds and a radar image which "showed" lots of birds in the air along the east coast, I had a feeling that we would have a good day. That prediction became evident after the first couple nets runs and by the end of the day we had banded 150 new birds and had 9 recaptures of 17 species. Common Yellowthroats were by far the most common species with 97 of them banded. We also had a couple of first-of-the-seasons such as Swainson's Thrush, Cape May Warbler, and Baltimore Oriole. We missed Baltimore Oriole at Captain Sam's last year so it was good to get one this year.
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| Radar Image from the night of 9/16/2019 |
 |
| Cape May Warbler (after hatch-year, male) |
-Aaron
LITTLE BEAR
If we thought yesterday was a good day, then today was mahhhvelous. Things seem to keep getting better since our two day lull. We nearly doubled our captures from yesterday with 69 birds and we even caught two first-of-the-season species for Little Bear (more like Big Bear). One being a Magnolia Warbler, which we expect more of throughout the season, and the other being a very special treat for everyone; a charismatic Bobolink. A bobo-what!? That's right folks, a Bobolink. These beautiful birds belong to the blackbird family and are close relatives to our friends the Red-winged Blackbird, Boat-tailed Grackles and even Baltimore Orioles. This ground foraging, seed eating bird was once called the Rice Bird due to its propensity to feed on cultivated grains. Unfortunately, this creature joins the ranks of other declining avian species across the Americas, which calls for action to help birds like the bobolink from further degradation!
-- Dan E.
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| Adult male Bobolink in non-breeding plumage. Adult male breeding plumage here! |
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| Displaying the newly molted, crisp feathers of our Bobolink's non-breeding plumage. |
| Species | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New | Recaps | New | Recaps | |
Downy Woodpecker
|
-
|
2
|
-
|
-
|
Traill's Flycatcher
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
White-eyed Vireo
|
12
|
1
|
7
|
-
|
Red-eyed Vireo
|
17
|
-
|
5
|
-
|
Veery
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Swainson's Thrush
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Gray Catbird
|
2
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
Brown Thrasher
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
Eastern Towhee
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
Yellow-breasted Chat
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Bobolink
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
Baltimore Oriole
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
Northern Waterthrush
|
2
|
2
|
-
|
1
|
Black-and-white Warbler
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
Common Yellowthroat
|
97
|
-
|
38
|
-
|
American Redstart
|
10
|
-
|
5
|
-
|
Cape May Warbler
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
Magnolia Warbler
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
Yellow Warbler
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
| Black-throated Blue Warbler | 2 | - | - | - |
| Prairie Warbler | 1 | 1 | 3 | - |
| Painted Bunting | 2 | 1 | - | 2 |
| Today's Banding Stats | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded |
150
|
66
|
216
|
| # of Recaptures |
9
|
3
|
12
|
| # of Species |
17
|
15
|
22
|
| Effort (net-hours) |
151.2
|
78.8
|
230
|
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) |
105.2
|
87.6
|
99.1
|
| # of Nets |
28
|
20
|
48
|
| 2019 Fall Cumulative Banding Stats | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded |
822
|
413
|
1235
|
| # of Recaptures |
249
|
109
|
358
|
| # of Species |
42
|
33
|
48
|
| Effort (net-hours) |
3,358.15
|
1078.4
|
4,436.55
|
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) |
31.9
|
48.4
|
35.9
|
| # of Days | 27 | 18 | - |
Banding Staff
Aaron Given (CS)
Dan Errichetti (LB)
Arcata Leavitt (CS)
Dave Sandahl (LB)
Josh Lefever (LB)
Kristin Attinger (CS)
David McLean (CS)
Bill Kee (CS)
