Captain Sam's:
Today was quite a busy day! We had a total of 141 birds with only 18 of them being recaptures. We had Gray Catbirds coming in first today with 74 of them; so crazy to think that catbirds are coming in by the big numbers now. We didn't get any new bird species for the season today, but I think my highlight was capturing a nice hatch year male Ruby-throated Hummingbird with a little bit of red coming in on the throat. Now we just need to get a new first of the season to top this week off. Captain Sam's hit 2,000 new birds banded today too!
-Kristin
Little Bear:
Little Bear wasn't as busy as we had hoped for today, as we didn't get a big number of Gray Catbirds like Captains Sams. However, we still caught over 60 birds; not too bad for a hot and humid introduction to October.
Nothing stood out from today, but we did get to see a good mix of ages of both Common Yellowthroats and Gray Catbirds. Seeing the push of early hatch-year birds being followed by a mix of young and adult birds is fascinating. I really enjoy studying the subtleties of bird migration, so witnessing the succession of age classes as the season progresses has been incredible.
Some of my favorite birds to have in the hand have been Tufted Titmouse. These charismatic species are loud, bitey, and prevalent throughout the island. However, up close they are incredibly beautiful. We were lucky to catch 2 today, 1 adult and 1 juvenile. Getting to then compare the differences in their respective molts was exciting. In our adult Titmouse, the primary coverts we’re much darker and newer looking. Additionally, the eye ring was all black, and the wing was uniform in shape and wear. Contrastingly, the hatch year bird had a molt limit within the greater coverts, very dingy gray primary coverts, and a dissimilar coloration to the eye ring. I love handling these birds and am hoping for more down the line. Today was my last day at Little Bear for a while, but I hope that it continues to bring in new birds!
-Ben
| Species | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New | Recaps | New | Recaps | |
Downy Woodpecker | - | - | - | 1 |
Traill’s Flycatcher | 2 | - | - | - |
White-eyed Vireo | 1 | 1 | - | - |
Red-eyed Vireo | 4 | - | 5 | - |
Tufted Titmouse | - | - | 2 | - |
House Wren | - | - | 3 | - |
Gray Catbird | 74 | 16 | 14 | 2 |
Swainson’s Thrush | 3 | - | 1 | - |
Yellow-breasted Chat | 1 | - | - | - |
Ovenbird | - | 1 | 1 | - |
Black-and-white Warbler | 1 | - | - | - |
Common Yellowthroat | 31 | - | 21 | 4 |
American Redstart | 1 | - | 1 | - |
Yellow Warbler | 1 | - | 2 | - |
Black-throated Blue Warbler | 1 | - | 2 | - |
Western Palm Warbler | 1 | - | 1 | - |
Prairie Warbler | 1 | - | 2 | - |
| Today's Banding Stats | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 123 | 55 | 188 |
| # of Recaptures | 18 | 8 | 26 |
| # of Species | 15 | 14 | 17 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 162 | 98.5 | 260.5 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 87 | 64.0 | 82.0 |
| # of Nets | 30 | 23 | 53 |
| 2021 Fall Cumulative Banding Stats | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 2,041 | 1206 | 3247 |
| # of Recaptures | 272 | 158 | 430 |
| # of Species | 56 | 52 | 64 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 6,172.2 | 3994.9 | 10167.1 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 37.5 | 34.1 | 36.2 |
| # of Days | 44 | 39 | - |
Banding Staff
