Rain and high winds did not allow me band today making for an anticlimactic end to the 2020 fall migration banding season. Overall it was a good season with record high numbers for some species and all time lows for others. Stay tuned for the season summary in the next couple of days.
-Aaron
CAPTAIN SAMS
The morning started out with me tracking our collared bobcat in the dark. She was found along the edge of the high marsh and uplands near net 20. Because I was alone this morning, I had to make the decision to not open many of the "River Nets" due to her presence. I opened up 19 of the 30 nets then checked to see if she had moved. She didn't. I was able to slowly and gently push her east past our furthest nets where she stayed the rest of the morning resting about 30-50 yards from net 15. This allowed me to open a few more of the inner "River Nets" but decided to keep the 5 nets closest to her closed for the day.
Around 8:30am my family joined me for a couple hours. Unfortunately, I didn't have a lot of birds to show them today with only had 6 new birds and 9 recaptures of 5 species.
The rain started around 11:45am which was a little earlier than expected. Thankfully, Aidan stay behind to help me after my wife, Mom, and Mother-in-law left earlier. We got a little wet closing down the nets in the rain but Aidan and I had fun doing it.
-Aaron
| Species | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New | Recaps | New | Recaps | |
American Robin | 1 | - | ||
Gray Catbird | - | 2 | ||
Swamp Sparrow | - | 1 | ||
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) | 5 | 5 | ||
Northern Cardinal | - | 1 | ||
| Today's Banding Stats | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 6 | - | 6 |
| # of Recaptures | 9 | - | 9 |
| # of Species | 5 | - | 5 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 101.3 | - | 101.3 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 14.8 | - | 14.8 |
| # of Nets | 25 | - | - |
| 2020 Fall Cumulative Banding Stats | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 4566 | 2633 | 7199 |
| # of Recaptures | 1166 | 508 | 1674 |
| # of Species | 80 | 71 | 92 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 13734.63 | 7836.82 | 21571.45 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 41.7 | 40.1 | 41.1 |
| # of Days | 104 | 79 | - |
Banding Staff
CAPTAIN SAMS
A few days ago I had high hopes for today's banding session. The forecast called for cloudy skies, cooler temperatures, and low winds following a mini cold front that produced NW winds. All of these things are ideal conditions for banding birds. Then yesterday, rain crept into the forecast and somewhat spoiled my expectations. It wasn't a washout, fortunately, as the rain was light and spotty most of the morning and not heavy enough to shut the nets down. Bird activity was steady all morning. The rain cleared the area by 2:00pm, and I decided to stay out to see what might be moving around the rest of the afternoon. I ended up banding from 6:00am-5:00pm and in that time I caught 35 new birds and 30 recaptures of 12 species. The highlight of the day was a Yellow-breasted Chat. This is not that unusual as a small number of chats spend the winter in the SC. This individual had some fat reserves therefore it likely that he was a late migrant.
 |
| Yellow-breasted Chat (hatch-year, male) |
-Aaron
| Species | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New | Recaps | New | Recaps | |
Eastern Phoebe | - | 1 | ||
Ruby-crowned Kinglet | - | 1 | ||
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | - | 1 | ||
Carolina Chickadee | - | 1 | ||
American Robin | 2 | - | ||
Gray Catbird | 5 | 7 | ||
Yellow-breasted Chat | 1 | - | ||
Swamp Sparrow | 2 | 1 | ||
Orange-crowned Warbler | - | 2 | ||
Common Yellowthroat | - | 1 | ||
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) | 25 | 14 | ||
Northern Cardinal | 1 | |||
| Today's Banding Stats | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 35 | - | 35 |
| # of Recaptures | 30 | - | 30 |
| # of Species | 12 | - | 12 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 325.65 | - | 325.65 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 20.0 | - | 20.0 |
| # of Nets | 30 | - | - |
| 2020 Fall Cumulative Banding Stats | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 4560 | 2633 | 7193 |
| # of Recaptures | 1157 | 508 | 1665 |
| # of Species | 80 | 71 | 92 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 13633.33 | 7836.82 | 21470.15 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 41.5 | 40.1 | 41.3 |
| # of Days | 103 | 79 | - |
Banding Staff
CAPTAIN SAMS
Bird activity was up today with 37 new birds and 20 recaptures of 8 species. West winds overnight helped bring in some new migrants (mostly Yellow-rumped Warblers). I also had several flocks of American Goldfinches that flew over the banding site. In addition, I also heard some Pine Siskins and Cedar Waxwings. It is very frustrating to watch all these birds fly high overhead and out of sight of the banding station.
Mixed in with the 20 recaptures were 7 birds that had returned to the site after being banded in a previous years.
1. Hermit Thrush (banded on 11/5/2019 as a hatch-year (HY).
2. Yellow-rumped Warbler (banded on 11/30/2019 as an after hatch-year (AHY).
3. Yellow-rumped Warbler (banded on 11/25/2019 as a HY.
4. Yellow-rumped Warbler (banded on 11/10/2019 as an AHY.
5. Yellow-rumped Warbler (banded on 10/28/2019 as an AHY.
6. Yellow-rumped Warbler (banded on 11/6/2017 as a HY.
7. Yellow-rumped Warbler (banded on 11/28/2014 as a AHY).
This last bird is at least 7 years old! Because it was an adult when we banded it back in 2014, we don't actually know when it was hatched. This birds has had quite a history at KIBS being captured at least once every year since 2014 except for last year. Here is a screen shot of my banding database that shows this bird's capture history.
 |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler (After hatch-year, male) |
| Species | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New | Recaps | New | Recaps | |
Ruby-crowned Kinglet | - | 1 | ||
Hermit Thrush | - | 1 | ||
Gray Catbird | - | 7 | ||
Song Sparrow | - | 1 | ||
White-throated Sparrow | - | 1 | ||
Common Yellowthroat | 1 | - | ||
Orange-crowned Warbler | 1 | - | ||
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) | 35 | 9 | ||
| Today's Banding Stats | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 37 | - | 37 |
| # of Recaptures | 20 | - | 20 |
| # of Species | 57 | - | 57 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 197.0 | - | 197.0 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 28.9 | - | 28.9 |
| # of Nets | 30 | - | - |
| 2020 Fall Cumulative Banding Stats | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 4525 | 2633 | 7158 |
| # of Recaptures | 1127 | 508 | 1635 |
| # of Species | 80 | 71 | 92 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 13307.68 | 7836.82 | 21144.5 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 42.5 | 40.1 | 41.6 |
| # of Days | 102 | 79 | - |
Banding Staff
CAPTAIN SAMS
Another strange day at the banding station. After catching 60 birds yesterday, I only captured 7 birds today. I ended up closing a little early because it was so slow...and it was Thanksgiving. It was almost 80 degrees when I closed down at 11:00am which is unusually warm for the end of November. In fact the entire month of November has been unusually warm - I have probably worn a t-shirt while banding most days this month.
-Aaron
| Species | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New | Recaps | New | Recaps | |
Ruby-crowned Kinglet | 1 | |||
Gray Catbird | 1 | |||
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) | 5 | |||
| Today's Banding Stats | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 6 | - | 6 |
| # of Recaptures | 1 | - | 1 |
| # of Species | 3 | - | 3 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 126.8 | - | 126.8 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 5.5 | - | 5.5 |
| # of Nets | 30 | - | - |
| 2020 Fall Cumulative Banding Stats | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 4488 | 2633 | 7121 |
| # of Recaptures | 1107 | 508 | 1615 |
| # of Species | 80 | 71 | 92 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 13110.68 | 7836.82 | 20947.5 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 42.7 | 40.1 | 41.7 |
| # of Days | 101 | 79 | - |
Banding Staff
CAPTAIN SAMS
Today marked the 100th day that the nets have been open at Captain Sams since 15 August (and I have been out there for 83 of those days). We have only had to close the station for three days this year due to rain. This is also the first year since 2014 when we didn't have to shut down the station for an extended period of time due to a tropical storm, hurricane, or 1000-year flood. It was nice to have a reprieve from tearing down 50+ nets and removing all equipment from the banding sites.
Today was kind of strange. The weather couldn't have been better for banding - overcast and no wind, but after the first net run I only caught 2 birds. The second net run wasn't that much better with only 6 birds. After that I thought that I was in for a very slow day because normally bird activity slows down as the morning progresses but that was not the case today. Starting around 9:00am bird activity picked up and during the 11:50am net run, I captured 17 birds! In total, I banded 40 new birds and had 20 recaptures of 9 different species.
There are only five days left in the 2020 fall migration banding season. It looks like the weather should cooperate for the next four days but the 30th is not looking good.
-Aaron
| Species | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New | Recaps | New | Recaps | |
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker | 1 | |||
Ruby-crowned Kinglet | 1 | 3 | ||
Carolina Chickadee | 1 | |||
Gray Catbird | 1 | 2 | ||
White-throated Sparrow | 1 | |||
Swamp Sparrow | 1 | |||
Orange-crowned Warbler | 1 | |||
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) | 36 | 11 | ||
Northern Cardinal | 1 | |||
| Today's Banding Stats | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 40 | - | 40 |
| # of Recaptures | 20 | - | 20 |
| # of Species | 9 | - | 9 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 202.8 | - | 202.8 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 29.6 | - | 29.6 |
| # of Nets | 30 | - | - |
| 2020 Fall Cumulative Banding Stats | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 4482 | 2633 | 7115 |
| # of Recaptures | 1106 | 508 | 1614 |
| # of Species | 80 | 71 | 92 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 12983.88 | 7836.82 | 20820.7 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 43.0 | 40.1 | 41.9 |
| # of Days | 100 | 79 | - |
Banding Staff
CAPTAIN SAMS
It was much windier today and as a result, bird activity around the station was down with only 15 new birds and 11 recaptures. As you can guess by now, Yellow-rumped Warblers were at the top of the list with 10 banded and 1 recaptured. Another interesting capture was the Wood Thrush that was banded a few days ago. It still had the same fat score (2) but had lost almost a gram in mass. Not sure what this bird is still doing here but I guess it stills needs more time before heading to Central America for the winter.
It was a decent morning for Swamp Sparrows with 4 banded and 2 recaptured. This gave me an opportunity to see the variation in the head plumage between adults (AHY) and juveniles (HY), and among HYs. Swamp Sparrows are one of the easiest sparrows to age because AHYs and HYs have a distinct difference in the plumage on their heads, particularly in the supercilium (eyebrow). In HYs, the supercilium is buffy or yellowish, in contrast to the gray supercilium of AHYs.
 |
| Swamp Sparrow (AHY, sex unknown) This is a typical adult with a clean gray supercilium. |
 |
| Swamp Sparrow (HY, sex unknown) This bird has a grayish supercilium but there is a yellowish wash to it above the eye. |
 |
| Swamp Sparrow (HY, sex unknown) The supercilium on this bird is buffy all the way from the in front of the eye to the back of the head. |
 |
| Swamp Sparrow (HY, sex unknown) This bird has more yellowish supercilium that is somewhat brighter in the front. |
-Aaron
| Species | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New | Recaps | New | Recaps | |
Downy Woodpecker | 1 | |||
Hermit Thrush | 1 | |||
Wood Thrush | 1 | |||
Gray Catbird | 4 | |||
Swamp Sparrow | 4 | 2 | ||
White-throated Sparrow | 1 | |||
Orange-crowned Warbler | 1 | |||
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) | 10 | 1 | ||
| Today's Banding Stats | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 15 | - | 15 |
| # of Recaptures | 11 | - | 11 |
| # of Species | 8 | - | 8 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 173.2 | - | 173.2 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 15.0 | - | 15.0 |
| # of Nets | 29 | - | - |
| 2020 Fall Cumulative Banding Stats | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 4442 | 2633 | 7075 |
| # of Recaptures | 1086 | 508 | 1594 |
| # of Species | 80 | 71 | 92 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 12781.08 | 7836.82 | 20617.9 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 43.3 | 40.1 | 42.0 |
| # of Days | 99 | 79 | - |
Banding Staff
CAPTAIN SAMS
Today was nearly exactly the same as yesterday with 28 new birds and 10 recaptures of 6 species. I heard a Purple Finch around the site most of the morning. I first heard it near net 23 right after opening. It few right over the net and landed in a large live oak tree adjacent to the net. Later, I heard it (or another one) near the banding table. There is a big finch irruption in the south this year due to a lack of food in the north where they would normally overwinter. Because of this, were are seeing species such as Pine Siskins, Purple Finches, and Red-breasted Nuthatches that we don't normally don't see. We have already had Pine Siskins and Purple Finches on site this year and in other years but have never captured one. I am hoping this year might be the year but I only have 7 more days to get it done.
-Aaron
| Species | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New | Recaps | New | Recaps | |
Carolina Wren | 1 | |||
Hermit Thrush | 4 | |||
Gray Catbird | 1 | 2 | ||
Song Sparrow | 2 | |||
Swamp Sparrow | 2 | |||
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) | 25 | 1 | ||
| Today's Banding Stats | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 28 | - | 28 |
| # of Recaptures | 10 | - | 10 |
| # of Species | 6 | - | 6 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 172.5 | - | 172.5 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 22.0 | - | 22.0 |
| # of Nets | 30 | - | - |
| 2020 Fall Cumulative Banding Stats | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 4427 | 2633 | 7060 |
| # of Recaptures | 1075 | 508 | 1583 |
| # of Species | 80 | 71 | 92 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 12607.88 | 7836.82 | 20444.7 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 43.6 | 40.1 | 42.3 |
| # of Days | 98 | 79 | - |
Banding Staff
CAPTAIN SAMS
The morning started out with some misty rain. Fortunately, it cleared in time for the first net run. The rest of the morning was cloudy with very little wind. All 27 new captures today were Yellow-rumped Warblers. This is not uncommon this time of year as Yellow-rumped Warblers are the most common species around the site. This year we have only banded 368 of them and with only 8 days left in the season, I suspect this will be the lowest number banded in the history of KIBS. Yellow-rumped Warblers have shown a fairly steep decline since 2012.
-Aaron
| Species | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New | Recaps | New | Recaps | |
Eastern Phoebe | - | 1 | - | - |
Ruby-crowned Kinglet | - | 1 | - | - |
Carolina Wren | - | 2 | - | - |
Gray Catbird | - | 3 | - | - |
Song Sparrow | - | 1 | - | - |
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) | 27 | - | - | - |
Northern Cardinal | - | 2 | - | - |
| Today's Banding Stats | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 27 | - | 27 |
| # of Recaptures | 10 | - | 10 |
| # of Species | 7 | - | 7 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 162.0 | - | 162.0 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 22.8 | - | 22.8 |
| # of Nets | 30 | - | - |
| 2020 Fall Cumulative Banding Stats | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 4399 | 2633 | 7032 |
| # of Recaptures | 1065 | 508 | 1573 |
| # of Species | 80 | 71 | 92 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 12435.38 | 7836.82 | 20272.2 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 43.9 | 40.1 | 42.4 |
| # of Days | 97 | 79 | - |
Banding Staff
CAPTAIN SAMS
Today was the first day of running the station by myself since mid-August and my feet are not happy with me. It was a little slower today with only 13 new birds and 15 recaptures of 9 species. Most of the birds captured came in the first 3 nets runs and after 8:30am, bird activity had slowed way down. After not capturing a new species for the season in a while, two were captured today. The first was a recaptured Field Sparrow that was banded last year on 25 November. The other was a Wood Thrush which is a species that I thought that we had missed for this year. It is fairly late for a Wood Thrush to still be working its way south. The 2020 eBird map for Wood Thrush shows only 17 reports in the United States in the month of November and most of those were reported prior to 10 November. Central America where the species spends its winter is loaded with sightings.
 |
| Wood Thrush (After hatch-year, sex unknown) This individual was not cooperating for a photo so this was the best I could get. |
| Species | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New | Recaps | New | Recaps | |
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker | 1 | - | - | |
House Wren | 1 | - | - | |
Hermit Thrush | 1 | 1 | - | - |
Wood Thrush | 1 | - | - | |
Gray Catbird | 6 | - | - | |
Field Sparrow | 1 | - | - | |
Song Sparrow | 1 | - | - | |
Swamp Sparrow | 2 | - | - | |
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) | 11 | 2 | - | - |
| Today's Banding Stats | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 13 | - | 13 |
| # of Recaptures | 15 | - | 15 |
| # of Species | 9 | - | 9 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 157.5 | - | 157.5 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 17.8 | - | 17.8 |
| # of Nets | 30 | - | - |
| 2020 Fall Cumulative Banding Stats | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 4372 | 2633 | 7005 |
| # of Recaptures | 1055 | 508 | 1563 |
| # of Species | 80 | 71 | 92 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 12273.38 | 7836.82 | 20110.2 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 44.2 | 40.1 | 42.6 |
| # of Days | 96 | 79 | - |
Banding Staff
Captain Sam's:
Today was definitely a busier day than yesterday. We had a total of 47 bird with only 25 of them being newly banded and 22 being recaptures. We tried our best to capture a Sedge Wren today that was hanging around one of our nets, but they seemed to have ventured off to another place. Our highlight of the day was capturing 4 Savannah Sparrows in one run, thanks to Aaron! He manage to call them into our nets, which they were such curious birds.
I would like to thank Aaron for letting me come back for my third year! Each year something new always happen and I'm excited to get to experience it each time. My most exiting experience, other than birds obviously, is getting the opportunity to handle the bobcat that has been hanging around Captain Sam's. That will be something I will never forget.
I would also like to thank each crew member for sticking out till the end! Everyone learned quickly and were a treat to be with! There is always something to hoot and holler about and I wish the best to each one and may our paths cross again someday!
So long KIBS and until next time,
-Kristin
| Species | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New | Recaps | New | Recaps | |
Eastern Phoebe | - | 1 | - | - |
Ruby-crowned Kinglet | 1 | - | - | - |
Hermit Thrush | - | 1 | - | - |
Gray Catbird | 1 | 10 | - | - |
Song Sparrow | 2 | - | - | - |
Swamp Sparrow | 4 | 3 | - | - |
Savannah Sparrow | 4 | - | - | - |
'Myrtle' Yellow-rumped Warbler | 13 | 6 | - | - |
Northern Cardinal | - | 1 | - | - |
| Today's Banding Stats | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 25 | - | 25 |
| # of Recaptures | 22 | - | 22 |
| # of Species | 9 | - | 9 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 171 | - | 171 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 27.5 | - | 27.5 |
| # of Nets | 30 | - | - |
| 2020 Fall Cumulative Banding Stats | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 4,359 | 2,633 | 6,992 |
| # of Recaptures | 1,040 | 508 | 1,548 |
| # of Species | 78 | 71 | 90 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 12,115.88 | 7,839.82 | 19,955.7 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 44.6 | 40.1 | 42.8 |
| # of Days | 95 | 79 | - |
Banding Staff
