Captain Sams:
It was once again a chilly morning out at Captain Sams, however this did not stop us from catching 44 birds (14 of which were recaptures)! Several familiar faces graced our nets, including Gray Catbirds (which are becoming increasingly uncommon), Song Sparrows, and Yellow-rumped Warblers (Myrtle). These Yellow-rumps are quickly becoming our most common bird, which is exciting to see. These little "butter butts" are adorable to see while birding, but they are even cuter in the hand!
However, Yellow-rumps do not win the competition for cutest bird of the day. That honor goes to the two Tree Swallows we caught! I have never had the opportunity to hold one of these birds, so it was very cool to see one up close! Their iconic blue color is beautiful and I was glad to get the chance to band one! Flocks of Tree Swallows have been circling near our nets for a few days now, but so far we have only caught 4. I hope to catch more of these adorable little birds before the season is over!
Little Bear:
The cold continued through the early morning today with nets being opened under strong winds and a temperature in the low 50s. It was our hope that once the sun rose higher in the sky, it would warm up and lead to a surge in bird activity. This proved to be false, as we ended the day we a low total of 27 birds; 18 newly banded and 9 recaptures. Usual suspects flew into our nets in low numbers today, with the highest numbers coming from 6 Yellow-rumped Warblers (Myrtle) and 3 Swamp Sparrows.
In comparison to previous seasons, just two days ago Little Bear tied the record for most species caught. As a result, Kristin has been eagerly awaiting the capture of at least one additional species to break that longstanding milestone. Thankfully, today was indeed the day! At the conclusion of our second net run, Kristin exclaimed proudly to Wentao and I that she had captured the 85th species, leading to a guessing game to determine what the mysterious individual was. Birds were thrown out left and right, but neither of us guessed correctly; the 85th species was a Field Sparrow!
The individual was an after-hatch-year bird and was quite special to see in hand for the first time. These sparrows are found in areas true to their name; fields and grasslands, lending to them being quite common most of the year across the areas of Illinois where I have birded. Their song is quite reminiscent of a bouncing ball, starting with a series of whistles that accelerate into an intense trill.
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-Matt
| Species | Captain Sams | Little Bear | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New | Recaps | New | Recaps | |
Downy Woodpecker | - | - | - | 1 |
Eastern Phoebe | 1 | - | - | - |
Tree Swallow | 2 | - | - | - |
Golden-crowned Kinglet | 1 | 1 | - | - |
Ruby-crowned Kinglet | 4 | 1 | - | - |
Brown Creeper | - | 1 | - | - |
House Wren | - | - | 2 | - |
Gray Catbird | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
Brown Thrasher | - | - | 1 | - |
Northern Mockingbird | - | - | 1 | - |
Hermit Thrush | 1 | 1 | - | - |
Field Sparrow | - | - | 1 | - |
Song Sparrow | 3 | 1 | 1 | - |
Swamp Sparrow | 3 | 1 | 3 | - |
Black-and-white Warbler | - | 1 | - | - |
Orange-crowned Warbler | - | - | 1 | - |
Common Yellowthroat | - | - | - | 2 |
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) | 8 | 3 | 6 | - |
Northern Cardinal | - | 1 | - | 2 |
Painted Bunting | 1 | - | - | - |
| Today's Banding Stats | Captain Sams | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 30 | 18 | 48 |
| # of Recaptures | 14 | 9 | 23 |
| # of Species | 13 | 12 | 20 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 165.8 | 100.0 | 265.8 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 26.5 | 27.0 | 26.7 |
| # of Nets | 32 | 25 | 57 |
| 2023 Fall Cumulative Banding Stats | Captain Sams | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 4003 | 3102 | 7105 |
| # of Recaptures | 967 | 648 | 1615 |
| # of Species | 80 | 85 | 94 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 12984.45 | 7976.05 | 20960.50 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 38.3 | 47.0 | 41.6 |
| # of Days | 79 | 67 | - |
Banding Staff
Aaron Given (CS)
