The 2022 fall migration banding season at the Kiawah Island
Banding Station (KIBS) concluded on Tuesday, 30 November. Banding occurred at
two sites on Kiawah Island: Captain
Sam's and Little Bear. This was the 14th
consecutive year of fall migration banding at the Captain Sam's site with
banding occurring daily during the last 11 years. It was the 8th season for the Little Bear
site which we initiated during the fall of 2015. The two sites are located at each end of
island about 8 miles apart (Captain Sams on the west end, Little Bear on the
east end). Both sites are situated in
coastal scrub/shrub and high marsh habitats, however, the Little Bear site is
in an earlier stage of succession.
Collectively, we banded 8,664 birds and had 2,229 recaptures of 99 different species. Captain Sams had a substantial increase in the number of birds banded compared to last fall, while Little Bear experience a slight decrease. Combined, that increase translated into 11% more birds banded than last year.
Along with the typical hot
and humid weather, August was a wet one dumping 8.8” rain during the last two
weeks. The heat and humidity continued through September with a handful of cold
fronts that brought us good numbers of migrants and was capped off by Hurricane
Ian on September 29 and 30. Great migration conditions existed through much
of October bringing substantial numbers of birds to the coast. As usual migration slowed down in November
but stayed steady throughout the month as scores of Yellow-rumped Warblers
migrated to the area. A rare late season
tropical storm also passed through on November 10.
CAPTAIN SAMS
Nets were opened for a total of 101 days from 15 August - 30
November. There were 7 days when banding
did not occur because of rain or wind (8/29, 8/30, 9/9, 9/29, 9/30, 11/10, 11/11).
Unlike at Little Bear, Captain Sams can operate during windy conditions as
there are some nets that are sheltered enough to open. It is rare that wind alone will cause Captain
Sams to completely shut down.
We banded 5,709 new birds of 86 different species. The most commonly banded species were Gray
Catbird (1,111), Yellow-rumped Warber (1,047) and Common Yellowthroat (1,026). Those three species combined made up 56% of
all the birds banded this season. Gray
Catbirds increased 6.9% from last year, and 24.8% over the 10-year
average. The 1,111 Gray Catbirds banded
this year was the highest total over the past 14 years. After several years
(2014-2020) of steady declines in Yellow-rumped Warbler numbers, they rebounded
nicely last year but made a huge jump this year with a 52% increase over last
year and a 40% increase on the 10-year average.
Common Yellowthroats fell to the number three spot for the first time
ever this fall after exhibiting a 4.8 % decrease from last fall and a 9.0% decrease
compared to the 10-year average.
Several species exhibited record high numbers this
season: Black-billed Cuckoo (3),
Chuck-wills-widow (5), Red-shouldered Hawk (1*), Downy Woodpecker (10), Great
Crested Flycatcher (11), Eastern Kingbird (7), Tree Swallow (112), Gray Catbird
(1,111), White-throated Sparrow (17*), Yellow-breasted Chat (26), Cape May
Warbler (21), Bay-breasted Warbler (3*), Palm Warbler (270), Summer Tanager
(6*), and Scarlet Tanager (6*). Alternatively, we had a couple species that had
record low numbers: Carolina Chickadee (2)
and Carolina Wren (7*). The * indicates
species that tied the record high or low.
The overall effort increased from 15,023.9 net-hours in
2021 to 15,292.6 net-hours this year despite banding on four fewer days. 2022
was a record-breaking year with regards to birds banded. We banded 1,005 more birds this year compared
to last year, and 1,143 birds more than the average for the previous 10 years. The next highest fall season occurred in 2014
when 5,086 birds were banded. The
overall capture rate was 47.3 birds/100 net-hours. The capture rate increased
by 6.5 birds/100 net-hours compared to last year but was 2.2 birds/100
net-hours lower than the 10-year average of 49.5 birds/100 net-hours. Our capture rate has decreased every year
starting in 2012 with exception to 2017 and 2019 when we experienced small
increases from the previous year. The capture rate of recaptures is very
consistent from year to year; therefore, all decreases in the total capture
rate can be attributed to new birds. The
capture rate of recaptures this fall was 10.0 birds/100 net-hours.
We had 1,529 recaptures which is higher compared to the 1,429 recaptures from last year. Recaptures can be divided into 3 categories: repeats (birds recaptured in the same season in which they were banded), returns (birds recaptured in a different season in which they were banded), and foreign recaptures (birds recaptured that were banded elsewhere). We had 1,307 repeats, 219 returns, and 3 foreign recaptures. Foreign recaptures are exciting as they are birds that were not banded at Kiawah Island. They are as follows:
1. Tree Swallow that was recaptured on 11/22/2022 and was originally banded as a nestling in Lido Beach, New York on 6/26/2015.
2. Yellow-rumped Warbler that we captured on 11/7/2022 and was banded at Long Point Bird Observatory in Ontario, Canada on 10/6/2022.
3. American Redstart that we captured on 10/18/2022 and was banded at Pelee Island Bird Observatory in Ontario, Canada on 9/22/2022.
In addition, two birds that we banded this fall were recovered in
Florida. A Gray Catbird that was banded
on 9/28/22 was hit by a car on 10/21/22 near Palm Coast, and a Palm Warbler
that was banded on 10/18/22 was found dead on 11/1/22.
There were 16 days this fall when over 100 birds were banded
including 5 days with over 200 birds banded.
Last year we had no days over 200 birds and only 11 days with over 100
birds. The best day of the season was on
9 October when we banded 246 birds and had 36 recaptures. Of those 246 birds, 199 of them were Gray
Catbirds! The next two busiest days
occurred 27 September and 5 October when 238 and 221 birds were banded,
respectively. Favorable winds associated with several low-pressure systems
(“cold fronts”) created good migration conditions during the second half of
September and the first half of October.
We captured one species that has never been banded at the
Captain Sams site during the fall: a Warbling
Vireo. Little Bear has banded 3 Warbling
Vireos over the years, but they have evaded Captain Sams until 2022.
Some other rare and notable species that were banded this
fall include: Black-billed Cuckoo (3; 2
previous), Red-shouldered Hawk (1, 2 previous), Yellow-belled Flycatcher (1, 8
previous), Alder Flycatcher (3, 8 previous), Eastern Bluebird (1, 3 previous), Chipping
Sparrow (1, 8 previous), Lincoln’s Sparrow (1, 3 previous), Louisiana
Waterthrush (1, 5 previous), Golden-winged Warbler (1, 1 previous), and Canada
Warbler (1, 5 previous).
Species notably absent this year included: American Robin (55 total, average 4.6/year),
Baltimore Oriole (32 total, average 2.5/year), and Blue Grosbeak (28 total,
average 2.2/year).
We hosted several groups this year including the SC Master
Naturalist Program, AmeriCorps, Seabrook Island Birders Group, field trip
during Kiawah’s Native Plant Week, and the Kiawah Island Photography Club. ABC News 4 also featured a story on KIBS on
30 November. Click
here for the story.
Top 10 Species Banded at Captain Sams
1. Gray Catibrd (1,111)
2. Yellow-rumped
Warbler (1,047)
3. Common
Yellowthroat (1,026)
4. American Redstart
(366)
5. Palm Warbler (270)
6. Northern Waterthrush (174)
7. Ruby-crowned
Kinglet (138)
8. Painted Bunting (136)
9. Red-eyed Vireo (135)
10. Prairie Warbler (115)
LITTLE BEAR
Nets were opened for a total of 76 days from 22 August - 14
November. Little Bear opened one day later
and closed one day earlier than last year.
There were 9 days cancelled due to bad weather (rain and/or wind). Because the habitat at Little Bear is more
open than at Captain Sams, wind has a much bigger effect on the operation of
the nets there. As a result, two days
were cancelled due to wind alone (9/23, 11/9) with another 7 due to rain (8/29,
8/30, 9/9, 9/29, 9/30, 11/10, 11/11). An
additional day (10/1) was cancelled the day following Hurricane Ian because we
had not had enough time to put the nets back up the day before.
We banded 2,955 new birds of 83 different species. The most commonly banded species were Gray
Catbird (746), Common Yellowthroat (446), and Palm Warbler (210). Those three species combined made up 47% of
all the birds banded this season. Gray
Catbird numbers exhibited only a 0.8% decrease compared to last fall but a 15%
increase over the last 7 years. Common
Yellowthroat decreased by 31% compared to last year and 25% compared to the
average of the last 7 years. After a good
year in 2021, Palm Warblers number were down 15% from last fall however remained
9% above the average of the last 7 years.
Several species exhibited record high numbers this
season: Green Heron (4), Belted
Kingfisher (6), Merlin (1*), Acadian
Flycatcher (1*), Golden-crowned Kinglet (10), Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (11),
Swainson’s Thrush (30*), Saltmarsh Sparrow (2), Baltimore Oriole (8), Louisiana
Waterthrush (1*), Northern Waterthrush (200), Black-and-White Warbler (26),
Swainson’s Warbler (4), Tennessee Warbler (7*), Connecticut Warbler (2), Pine
Warbler (3*), Wilson’s Warbler (1*), Scarlet Tanager (3), and Painted Bunting
(208). Species that had record low
numbers included: Carolina Chickadee
(3), Brown Thrasher (2*), Gray-cheeked Thrush (1*), Wood Thrush (1*), Song
Sparrow (15), Orange-crowned Warbler (5), and Prairie Warbler (37). The *
indicates species that tied the record high or low.
We logged 6,985.1 net-hours at Little Bear this fall – a large
decrease from the 8,332.6 net-hours in 2021.
Many more banding days were cut short due to excessive heat and/or wind
compared to last year. In addition, we
banded three less days than last fall.
We banded 148 less birds this year compared to last year but
70 birds more than the 7-year average.
Little Bear’s capture rate increased 18% from 44.3 birds/100 net-hours
in 2021 to 52.3 in 2022. However, the
capture rate decreased 15.4% compared to the 7-year average.
A substantial decrease in the number of recaptures has occurred each year from 2016-2019. However, the number of recaptures has been increasing each year since. This year we had 700 recaptures - 111 more than in 2021. Of the 700 recaptures, 608 were repeats, 91 were returns, and 1 foreign recapture. The foreign recapture was a Gray Catbirds that we captured on 9/24/2022 but was banded on Sullivan's Island, SC on 9/27/2021.
There were 8 days when over 100 birds were banded – 3 more
than last year. The best day of the
season was on 19 October when we banded 162 birds and had 22 recaptures. The next two busiest days occurred 18 October
and 5 October when 151 and 149 birds were banded, respectively.
We captured 4 species never banded at Little Bear during the
fall: Wilson’s Snipe, Great Egret (2),
Snowy Egret, and Canada Warbler. Wilson’s
Snipe, Great Egret, and Snowy Egret have never been banded at either site
before.
Some other rare and notable species banded included: Black-billed Cuckoo (1; 2 previous), Green
Heron (4; 4 previous), Belted Kingfisher (6; 1 previous), Merlin (1; 1
previous), Saltmarsh Sparrow (2; 2 previous), Lincoln’s Sparrow (2; 7
previous), Louisiana Waterthrush (1, 2 previous), Swainson’s Warbler (4, 4
previous), Connecticut Warbler (2, 1 previous), and Wilson’s Warbler (1, 2
previous). Another interesting bird that
was banded this fall was hybrid warbler.
It looked mostly like a Magnolia Warbler but there were a few features
that were different – 1) it was bigger than a normal Magnolia Warbler, 2) the
white in the tail was limited to the tips of outer tail feathers rather than a
band on white across the middle of the tail like in a Magnolia Warbler, and 3) the
underparts are completely washed out and pale yellow compared to the bright
yellow of a Magnolia Warbler. Tail
feathers of this individual were collected, and we are hoping to be able to
perform DNA analysis on them to determine its parentage. Based on plumage characteristics, we think
the most likely scenario is a Magnolia Warbler/Yellow-rumped Warbler
cross. Photos of this bird can be seen here.
Species notably absent include Eastern Screech-Owl (15
total; average 2.1/year), Marsh Wren (13 total; average 1.9/year), and Savannah
Sparrow (11 total; average 1.6/year).
Top 10 Species Banded at Little Bear
1. Gray Catbird (746)
2. Common
Yellowthroat (446)
3. Palm Warbler (210)
4. Painted Bunting (207)
5. Northern Waterthrush (200)
5. Yellow-rumped
Warbler (154)
7. American Redstart
(130)
8. Red-eyed Vireo (58)
9. Black-throated
Blue Warbler (56)
10. Ruby-crowned Kinglet (56)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Without the cooperation of many people and entities, this
work would not be possible. The success
of this project relies on their commitment, and I am in a debt of gratitude to
everyone involved.
First, I'd like to thank my awesome team of banding
assistants (Kristin Attinger, Nate Watkins, Brendan Wang, Maia Nguyen, Aidan
Place, Katie Serba). Their hard work
over the course of this long season was outstanding. It was a great season, and I would like to
wish them all the very best of luck in the future.
Next, I'd like to acknowledge the Town of Kiawah Island for
providing funding for equipment and banding assistant stipends, the Kiawah
Island Conservancy for providing funding for the housing of the banding
assistants, and the Kiawah Partners and the Bear Island Holding Trust for
allowing access to their property for banding.
David McLean, Jenna Charydczak, Aidan Given, Michael Gamble,
Nancy Raginski, Adam Wolf, Chris Snook, Cathy Miller, Wes Floyd all donated a
considerable amount of their time (more than 10 hours) to help. We also had several others that came out for
just the day. I’d like to thank all the volunteers that made it out this year.
Because of their help, we can operate a more efficient banding station.
|
SPECIES |
CAPTAIN SAMS |
LITTLE BEAR |
||
|
New |
Recapture |
New |
Recapture |
|
|
Common Ground Dove |
3 |
1 |
- |
- |
|
Mourning Dove |
4 |
1 |
1 |
- |
|
Yellow-billed Cuckoo |
18 |
- |
14 |
2 |
|
Black-billed Cuckoo |
3 |
1 |
1 |
- |
|
Wilson's Snipe |
- |
- |
1 |
- |
|
Great Egret |
- |
- |
2 |
- |
|
Snowy Egret |
- |
- |
1 |
- |
|
Green Heron |
- |
- |
4 |
- |
|
Chuck-will's-widow |
5 |
- |
1 |
- |
|
Sharp-shinned Hawk |
4 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
|
Cooper's Hawk |
1 |
- |
1 |
- |
|
Red-shouldered Hawk |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
|
Eastern Screech-Owl |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
|
Belted Kingfisher |
- |
- |
6 |
|
|
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker |
7 |
- |
4 |
- |
|
Downy Woodpecker |
10 |
28 |
7 |
3 |
|
Northern Flicker |
1 |
- |
1 |
- |
|
Merlin |
- |
- |
1 |
- |
|
Eastern Wood-Pewee |
6 |
- |
2 |
- |
|
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
|
Acadian Flycatcher |
1 |
- |
1 |
- |
|
Alder Flycatcher |
3 |
1 |
- |
- |
|
Willow Flycatcher |
3 |
- |
- |
- |
|
"Traill's" Flycatcher |
13 |
- |
11 |
- |
|
Least Flycatcher |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
|
Eastern Phoebe |
52 |
2 |
36 |
1 |
|
Great Crested Flycatcher |
11 |
6 |
- |
- |
|
Eastern Kingbird |
7 |
- |
2 |
- |
|
White-eyed Vireo |
53 |
60 |
43 |
14 |
|
Blue-headed vireo |
6 |
2 |
2 |
- |
|
Warbling Vireo |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
|
Red-eyed Vireo |
135 |
12 |
58 |
- |
|
Carolina Chickadee |
2 |
12 |
3 |
3 |
|
Tufted Titmouse |
- |
- |
1 |
1 |
|
Tree Swallow |
112 |
1 |
- |
- |
|
Golden-crowned Kinglet |
12 |
- |
10 |
- |
|
Ruby-crowned Kinget |
138 |
63 |
56 |
2 |
|
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher |
17 |
5 |
11 |
- |
|
House Wren |
67 |
29 |
52 |
6 |
|
Marsh Wren |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
|
Carolina Wren |
7 |
33 |
18 |
48 |
|
Gray Catbird |
1,111 |
581 |
746 |
240 |
|
Brown Thrasher |
6 |
9 |
2 |
1 |
|
Northern Mockingbird |
16 |
15 |
9 |
- |
|
Eastern Bluebird |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
|
Veery |
16 |
- |
7 |
- |
|
Gray-cheeked Thrush |
6 |
- |
1 |
- |
|
Swainson's Thrush |
70 |
2 |
30 |
2 |
|
Hermit Thrush |
29 |
11 |
7 |
1 |
|
Wood Thrush |
5 |
- |
1 |
- |
|
House Finch |
16 |
- |
1 |
- |
|
Chipping Sparrow |
1 |
- |
2 |
- |
|
Clay-colored Sparrow |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
|
Field Sparrow |
4 |
- |
- |
- |
|
White-crowned Sparrow |
1 |
- |
1 |
- |
|
White-throated Sparrow |
17 |
6 |
2 |
1 |
|
Saltmarsh Sparrow |
4 |
- |
2 |
- |
|
Savannah Sparrow |
2 |
1 |
- |
- |
|
Song Sparrow |
53 |
19 |
15 |
8 |
|
Lincoln's Sparrow |
1 |
- |
1 |
- |
|
Swamp Sparrow |
38 |
15 |
33 |
7 |
|
Eastern Towhee |
5 |
4 |
9 |
7 |
|
Yellow-breasted Chat |
26 |
12 |
11 |
5 |
|
Baltimore Oriole |
- |
- |
8 |
- |
|
Ovenbird |
45 |
32 |
26 |
2 |
|
Worm-eating Warbler |
2 |
- |
2 |
- |
|
Louisiana Waterthrush |
1 |
- |
1 |
- |
|
Northern Waterthrush |
174 |
48 |
200 |
66 |
|
Golden-winged Warbler |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
|
Black-and-white Warbler |
40 |
5 |
26 |
2 |
|
Prothonotary Warbler |
9 |
- |
6 |
- |
|
Swainson's Warbler |
- |
- |
4 |
9 |
|
Tennessee Warbler |
4 |
- |
7 |
- |
|
Orange-crowned Warbler |
16 |
6 |
5 |
3 |
|
Nashville Warbler |
3 |
- |
1 |
- |
|
Connecticut Warbler |
- |
- |
2 |
- |
|
Common Yellowthroat |
1,026 |
101 |
446 |
16 |
|
Hooded Warbler |
4 |
- |
2 |
- |
|
American Redstart |
366 |
64 |
130 |
11 |
|
Cape May Warbler |
21 |
2 |
24 |
- |
|
Northern Parula |
40 |
- |
20 |
- |
|
Magnolia Warbler |
12 |
1 |
7 |
- |
|
Bay-breasted Warbler |
3 |
- |
3 |
- |
|
Yellow Warbler |
28 |
2 |
55 |
3 |
|
Chestnut-sided Warbler |
2 |
- |
2 |
- |
|
Blackpoll Warbler |
6 |
- |
7 |
- |
|
Black-throated Blue Warbler |
108 |
4 |
56 |
- |
|
Palm Warbler |
270 |
- |
210 |
1 |
|
Pine Warbler |
1 |
- |
3 |
- |
|
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) |
1,047 |
180 |
154 |
11 |
|
Yellow-throated Warbler |
2 |
2 |
1 |
- |
|
Prairie Warbler |
115 |
19 |
37 |
3 |
|
Canada Warbler |
1 |
- |
1 |
- |
|
Wilson's Warbler |
- |
- |
1 |
- |
|
"Hybrid"
Warbler |
- |
|
1 |
|
|
Summer Tanager |
6 |
- |
- |
- |
|
Scarlet Tanager |
6 |
- |
3 |
- |
|
Northern Cardinal |
22 |
59 |
33 |
55 |
|
Blue Grosbeak |
- |
- |
2 |
- |
|
Indigo Bunting |
56 |
5 |
29 |
1 |
|
Painted Bunting |
136 |
64 |
207 |
165 |
|
BANDING STATISTICS |
CAPTAIN SAMS |
LITTLE BEAR |
TOTAL |
|
# of Birds Banded |
5,709 |
2,955 |
8,664 |
|
# of Recaptures |
1,529 |
700 |
2,229 |
|
# of Species |
86 |
83 |
99 |
|
Effort (net-hours) |
15,292.6 |
6,985.1 |
22,277.7 |
|
Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) |
47.3 |
52.3 |
48.9 |
|
# of Nets |
30 |
23 |
- |
|
# of Days Operated |
101 |
75 |
- |
|
Dates of Operation |
8/15-11/30 |
8/22-11/14 |
- |
Please note that these numbers are preliminary and may change after the data has been thoroughly proofed.
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