It was a very productive day thanks to a little bit of migration that occurred last night. It was evident during the first net run that we were in for a busier day. Large flocks of American Robins and some Yellow-rumped Warbler lifted off just after first light to find a more suitable daytime feeding areas. Luckily for us, the Spit is the perfect feeding area for Yellow-rumped Warblers as they target the waxy berries of the wax myrtle shrubs - and the Spit is loaded with wax myrtles. Of the 132 birds captured today, 101 of them were Yellow-rumped Warblers. Mixed in with a flock of Yellow-rumps that hit net # 0 (yes, there really is a net # 0) was a male Eastern Bluebird. This is the first Eastern Bluebird of the season which brings our total species count to 103! As I was extracting the protesting bluebird, a couple of his buddies began to fly above my head and swoop down at me. I had no idea that bluebirds would become so aggressive in that type of situation. I have never experienced something like that while extracting any other species from a mist net.
It was nice to have Michael back at KIBS today (and last Monday). Michael was a banding assitant at KIBS from 2015-2017 and was the lead bander at Little Bear in 2018. I appreciated his help today with all those birds!
-Aaron
 |
| Eastern Bluebird (hatch-year male) |
| Species | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New | Recaps | New | Recaps | |
Eastern Phoebe
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
Blue-headed Vireo
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
|
4
|
2
|
-
|
-
|
Golden-crowned Kinglet
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
House Wren
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
Eastern Bluebird
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Hermit Thrush
|
3
|
2
|
-
|
-
|
American Robin
|
2
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Gray Catbird
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
Swamp Sparrow
|
4
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
Song Sparrow
|
3
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
White-throated Sparrow
|
3
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
Yellow-breasted Chat
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Orange-crowned Warbler
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)
|
95
|
6
|
-
|
-
|
| Today's Banding Stats | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded |
118
|
-
|
118
|
| # of Recaptures |
14
|
-
|
14
|
| # of Species |
15
|
-
|
15
|
| Effort (net-hours) |
173.6
|
-
|
173.6
|
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) |
76.0
|
-
|
76.0
|
| # of Nets |
28
|
-
|
28
|
| 2019 Fall Cumulative Banding Stats | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded |
4,235
|
2,561
|
6,796
|
| # of Recaptures |
1,041
|
454
|
1,495
|
| # of Species |
85
|
79
|
103
|
| Effort (net-hours) |
11,400.2
|
5,265.75
|
16,666.0
|
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) |
46.3
|
57.3
|
49.7
|
| # of Days | 85 | 71 | - |
Banding Staff
Aaron Given (CS)
Michael Gamble (CS)
