Captain Sam's:
Today started out pretty great with 25 birds during our first run. While we were walking around I saw over 100 Myrtles flying overhead. I was really hoping to see them in our nets but after the first run it was like a ghost town. We barely hit over 10 birds each run but it was worth our first of the season (FOS) American Robin. We have been hearing them almost every morning and yet they have avoided our nets every time until this cutie decided to make an accidental turn into one of our nets, which is a "yay" for us!
We ended our day with a total of 47 newly banded birds and 11 recaptures. Out of those 46 new birds, 39 of them were myrtles. I did catch a quick glance of a Northern Harrier that was flying south of our banding station. I'm hoping that could be our 105 species of the season but we will found out. So far 2019 was our highest species count of the season with 104 species and now we are tied. So many guesses have been thought out but we are unsure what it might be. It shall remain a mystery until that day comes.
Check out below for the American Robin photos that we took today.
-Kristin
Little Bear:
Thanks to a few Yellow-rumped Warbler flocks we stayed busy for a few hours during the day. Additionally, we caught a Savannah Sparrow, a fairly infrequent capture. Oddly enough, one of our more common species today was Common Yellowthroat. A month ago this was the most abundant bird in the area, but now they are a much more irregular catch. I can't remember catching more than the odd one on a single day this entire month. We ended with 5 total, a strange and interesting anecdote for the day. Our other notable catch was just the 2nd Yellow-bellied Sapsucker of the year here. Thankfully Josh was present for this bird and got to experience every step of extracting, banding, and processing one. These charismatic species have been scarce this season, so it was especially exciting to get this young female close to the last day.
With just a handful of net hours left at the Little Bear station, it is becoming easier to look back and appreciate the 2021 season.
Today was my last day banding here and it was sentimental as I furled my last nets, banded my last birds, and packed up the table for the last time. It has been an exceptional season out on the East end of the island. Even without an exceptional rarity, Little Bear has added multiple species to KIBS' lifetime list this year. My favorite memory from the year was extracting and holding a KIBS-first Barn Swallow. I remember being overwhelmed with excitement, but equally naïve to the nature of the capture. As Josh and I processed the bird, I got to see one of my favorite species up close, and learn so much about every bird along the way.
With one final day, we are hoping to catch something memorable, or simply add to the totals of an already excellent year. Either way, it will have been a great season with great people, and I'm looking forward to see what this place has in store for years to come.
 |
| Hatch-year female Yellow-bellied Sapsucker |
| Species | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New | Recaps | New | Recaps | |
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker | 1 | - | 1 | - |
Eastern Phoebe | 2 | - | 1 | - |
Ruby-crowned Kinglet | 1 | 1 | - | - |
House Wren | - | - | - | 1 |
Carolina Wren | - | 1 | - | - |
Hermit Thrush | 1 | 2 | 1 | - |
American Robin | 1 | - | - | - |
Gray Catbird | 1 | 3 | - | 2 |
Song Sparrow | - | 1 | 1 | - |
Savannah Sparrow | - | - | 1 | - |
Swamp Sparrow | 1 | 1 | 2 | - |
Common Yellowthroat | - | - | 3 | 2 |
Yellow-rumped Warbler (myrtle) | 39 | 1 | 15 | 2 |
Northern Cardinal | - | 1 | - | 1 |
| Today's Banding Stats | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 47 | 25 | 70 |
| # of Recaptures | 11 | 8 | 19 |
| # of Species | 11 | 11 | 14 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 177 | 125.6 | 302.6 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 32.8 | 26.1 | 29.4 |
| # of Nets | 30 | 23 | - |
| 2021 Fall Cumulative Banding Stats | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 4,283 | 3,047 | 7,330 |
| # of Recaptures | 1,055 | 572 | 1,627 |
| # of Species | 93 | 79 | 104 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 12,192 | 8,111.1 | 20,303.1 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 43.8 | 44.6 | 44.1 |
| # of Days | 85 | 76 | - |
Banding Staff
