Knock knock. Hoo's there?

 CAPTAIN SAMS

Although we were going into today thinking it would be a rather slow, mundane morning of banding that could not have been further from the truth. With winds coming from the southwest we did not anticipate a large quantity of migratory birds. That did appear to be the case, as we only banded 22 new birds and recaptured 14 that likely have continued to linger due to unfavorable migratory weather conditions. However, an unusual and exciting catch made the day one of the more memorable of the season so far. We were surprised to find a barred owl in our nets late into the morning. Barred owls belong to a genus known as strix, which include only two other species of owl that regularly occur in North America (the great gray owl and spotted owl). Strix owls can be difficult to capture and are even less likely to be caught during passive netting for small songbirds. Thus, it was very exciting news when our bander in charge, Aaron Given, announced over the radio that he had a barred owl in one of our nets.

This was clearly the highlight of the day for all involved. That aside, we did get to work repairing nets in preparation for the next few days which look favorable for migration. As storms to our north dissipate and the northernly winds return we are expecting another good push of migratory birds. 

Barred Owl (unknown sex)

- Noah Nei

LITTLE BEAR

Little Bear did surprisingly well considering today's less-than-optimal wind direction, with a total of 52 birds! Species diversity was high, with a few Downy Woodpeckers, an Eastern Wood-Pewee, and our station's FOS Swainson's Warbler!

Swainson's Warbler (after hatch-year, unknown sex)

Unlike most warblers, this species' plumage is inconspicuous, and the males largely cannot be differentiated from females unless they are in breeding condition (In good light, a breeding male may be seen with a chestnut tinge to its brown cap). They hide well in dense undergrowth, as they often forage close to or on the ground. Notable for their particularly flat heads, sturdy legs, and long pointed bills which assist in flipping leaves in search for small insects as part of their diet.

-Lisa Viviano

Species	Captain Sams		Little Bear
	New	Recaps	New	Recaps
Yellow-billed Cuckoo	-	-	1	-
Barred Owl	1	-	-	-
Downy Woodpecker	-	-	1	2
Eastern Wood-pewee	-	-	1	-
Traill's Flycatcher	1	-	-	-
White-eyed Vireo	-	-	3	-
Red-eyed Vireo	1	-	-	-
Carolina Wren	-	1	1	1
Gray Catbird	-	-	1	-
Veery	2	-	1	-
Yellow-breasted Chat	-	-	2	-
Ovenbird	2	-	-	-
Prothonotary Warbler	1	-	-	-
Swainson's Warbler	-	-	1	-
Common Yellowthroat	5	10	10	2
American Redstart	1	-	5	-
Yellow Warbler	2	-	3	-
Black-throated blue Warbler	1	-	-	-
Western Palm Warbler	-	-	2	-
Prairie Warbler	2	-	-	-
Northern Cardinal	1	-	-	1
Painted Bunting	1	2	3	9

Today's Banding Stats	Captain Sams	Little Bear	TOTAL
# Birds Banded	22	36	58
# of Recaptures	14	16	30
# of Species	14	16	21
Effort (net-hours)	160.0	137.8	297.8
Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours)	22.5	37.7	29.6
# of Nets	32	26	58

2024 Fall Cumulative Banding Stats	Captain Sams	Little Bear	TOTAL
# Birds Banded	989	755	1,744
# of Recaptures	309	235	544
# of Species	43	46	57
Effort (net-hours)	5,117.4	2,782.4	7,899.8
Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours)	25.39	35.58	28.98
# of Days	34	26

Banding Staff

Aaron Given (CS)

Michael Gamble 

Kristin Attinger (LB)

Natalie Miller (CS)

Lisa Viviano (LB)

Noah Nei (CS)

Note:  All banding, marking, and sampling is being conducted under a federally authorized Bird Banding Permit issued by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Bird Banding Lab.