Eccentric molt for Eccentric Birds

CAPTAIN SAMS

Captain Sams had a significantly improved day of banding compared to yesterday, with a total of 34 new birds and 20 recaptures. It was a welcomed pace, as we are still catching a good variety of birds, and it's nice to have the time to mull over some interesting molts! Today we caught a few late migrants such as a recap Black-throated Blue Warbler who has been around at least since yesterday, stocking up on resources before she continues South, and a newly caught Ovenbird whom we speculate could be another individual planning to spend the winter here (time will tell!). We also banded two House Finches, which the station has now only caught 13 of this year!

House Finch (Hatch Year, Male)

This individual was undergoing an eccentric molt, which is what helped us determine the age as a Hatch Year. The inner tertial and outside primary feathers (highlighted in green) are freshly molted, replaced feathers. Those highlighted in red are worn, retained feathers that have yet to be replaced. This molt limit is admittedly a tougher one to see in photos, but a darker brown is observed in the replaced feathers, in addition to a darker rachis (the center shaft of the feather). In addition, there is more wear on the tips of the older retained feathers.

-Lisa Viviano

LITTLE BEAR

Today was a bit of a slow day with a total of 32 birds (22 new and 10 recaptures). We caught the usual late-season characters, including Yellow-rumped Warblers, Swamp Sparrows, and a recaptured Ruby-crowned Kinglet. 

The rain yesterday morning created a few wet spots, but I was happy to see that these are already being reduced down to small puddles. Hopefully Little Bear can stay dry for this last week of banding!

-Natalie

Species	Captain Sam's		Little Bear
	New	Recaps	New	Recaps
Eastern Phoebe	-	-	1	-
Carolina Chickadee	-	1	-	-
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	1	-	-	1
House Wren	-	-	-	1
Carolina Wren	-	-	-	1
Gray Catbird	2	3	1	4
Hermit Thrush	1	-	-	-
House Finch	2	-	-	-
Song Sparrow	1	-	-	1
Swamp Sparrow	4	-	2	-
Ovenbird	1	-	-	-
Orange-crowned Warbler	-	1	1	-
Common Yellowthroat	-	-	-	1
American Redstart	-	1	-	-
Black-throated Blue Warbler	-	1	-	-
Myrtle Warbler	24	11	14	-
Northern Cardinal	1	1	-	-
Painted Bunting	-	-	-	2

Today's Banding Stats	Captain Sams	Little Bear	TOTAL
# Birds Banded	34	22	56
# of Recaptures	20	10	30
# of Species	13	11	18
Effort (net-hours)	169.6	148.2	317.8
Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours)	31.8	21.6	27.1
# of Nets	32	26	58

2024 Fall Cumulative Banding Stats	Captain Sams	Little Bear	TOTAL
# Birds Banded	4,952	3,192	8,144
# of Recaptures	1,100	895	1,995
# of Species	87	86	101
Effort (net-hours)	13,453.15	8,642.1	22,095.25
Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours)	45.0	47.3	45.9
# of Days	82	72

Banding Staff

Michael Gamble (CS)

Kristin Attinger (LB)

Natalie Miller (LB)

Lisa Viviano (CS)

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.

First Let Me Get a Shower

  CAPTAIN SAMS

Today was one of the slowest days we've had at Captain Sams in some time. Our early morning was interrupted by rain, which prevented us from opening on time and pushed us back by an hour. We were only able to capture six new birds and recaptured seven, for a grand total of 13 birds captured. Although uneventful, we caught a late Black-throated Blue Warbler which was unexpected for the day. Weather does not look like it will cooperate with us over the next few days. Furthermore, we are expecting another hurricane to hit the Gulf Coast and storms will potentially reach us sometime this upcoming weekend. Hopefully we can get a few more quality weather days in before the end of the season, which is coming up fast!

-Noah Nei

LITTLE BEAR

Today started out slower than we typically do. The early morning rain had us starting 2 hours later. Fighting with the wet nets and the vegetation we managed to capture a total 4 of birds. 

I think overall it was a good attempt to see what might be hanging around after the storm cleared up. We saw a lot of local birds flying around and chattering. Hopefully tomorrow picks up a bit more for us.

-Kristin 

Species	Captain Sam's		Little Bear
	New	Recaps	New	Recaps
Downy Woodpecker	-	1	-	-
Gray Catbird	1	3	-	2
Song Sparrow	1	-	-	-
Swamp Sparrow	-	-	-	1
Black-throated Blue Warbler	1	-	-	-
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle subspecies)	3	3	1	-

Today's Banding Stats	Captain Sams	Little Bear	TOTAL
# Birds Banded	6	1	7
# of Recaptures	7	3	10
# of Species	5	3	6
Effort (net-hours)	130.2	88.4	218.6
Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours)	10.0	4.5	7.8
# of Nets	32	26	58

2024 Fall Cumulative Banding Stats	Captain Sams	Little Bear	TOTAL
# Birds Banded	4,918	3,170	8,088
# of Recaptures	1,080	885	1,965
# of Species	87	86	101
Effort (net-hours)	13,283.6	8,503.0	21,786.6
Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours)	45.2	47.7	46.1
# of Days	81	71

Banding Staff

Aaron Given (CS)

Aiden Given (CS)

Kristin Attinger (LB)

Natalie Miller (LB)

Lisa Viviano (CS)

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.

To The Polls We Go

  CAPTAIN SAMS

This morning, Captain Sams was met with strong winds and cooler temperatures. Despite having a relatively slow day with a total of 20 new birds banded and 5 recaptures, we processed a good variety of species including a Blackpoll Warbler, Hermit Thrush, Cape May Warbler, and two White-throated Sparrows!

Blackpoll Warbler (Hatch Year, Unknown sex)

Each year, Blackpoll Warblers migrate an astounding distance to their wintering grounds. Starting from as far North as Alaska, these birds will work their way to the East Coast of the U.S. and make a direct flight  to South America! It can be hard to conceptualize how these small birds manage, flying over the Atlantic Ocean for about 3 days and around 1,800 miles. Luckily, the individual we caught today had a fat score of 5 (highest fat score), so this bird is preparing well for the journey to come.

-Lisa Viviano

LITTLE BEAR

Today started out as another slow and windy day but as soon as the sun burned away the dreary skies we picked up slightly and ended our day with a total of 32 birds (24 new and 8 recaptures). We had many of the common winter species, including an Eastern Phoebe, 15 Yellow-rumped Warblers, and 2 new Swamp Sparrows. We did have 3 new Palm Warblers (western) and 1 new Common Yellowthroat. These species used to be common catches earlier in the season but have since dwindled down drastically.

We also caught another new Painted Bunting today, putting our total for the season at 280! This is a record bunting year for Little Bear and I am excited to see how many we will end up with at the end of the season!

-Natalie

Species	Captain Sam's		Little Bear
	New	Recaps	New	Recaps
Eastern Phoebe	-	-	1	-
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	1	-	-	-
House Wren	-	1	-	-
Carolina Wren	-	-	-	1
Gray Catbird	6	1	1	4
Hermit Thrush	1	-	-	-
White-throated Sparrow	2	-	-	-
Swamp Sparrow	-	1	2	1
Common Yellowthroat	-	-	1	-
Cape May Warbler	-	1	-	-
Blackpoll Warbler	1	-	-	-
Palm Warbler (western)	-	-	3	-
Yellow-rumped Warbler (myrtle)	9	1	15	-
Painted Bunting	-	-	1	2

Today's Banding Stats	Captain Sams	Little Bear	TOTAL
# Birds Banded	20	24	44
# of Recaptures	5	8	14
# of Species	9	8	14
Effort (net-hours)	176	140.8	316.8
Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours)	14.2	22.7	18.3
# of Nets	32	26	58

2024 Fall Cumulative Banding Stats	Captain Sams	Little Bear	TOTAL
# Birds Banded	4,912	3,169	8,081
# of Recaptures	1,073	882	1,955
# of Species	87	86	101
Effort (net-hours)	13,153.4	8,414.6	21,568.0
Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours)	45.5	48.1	46.5
# of Days	80	70

Banding Staff

Aaron Given (CS)

Kristin Attinger (LB)

Natalie Miller (LB)

Lisa Viviano (CS)

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.

A Rose between 2 Warblers

 CAPTAIN SAMS

Today things picked up on the spit as Captain Sams captured a total of 71 birds (52 newly banded and 19 recaptures). We managed to capture several flocks of Yellow-rumped Warblers as they were forced low to forage due to high winds, making it easier for them to find our nets. Accompanying these common wintering warblers were several late migratory species, including Northern Parula, Pine Warbler, Blue-headed Vireo and Cape May Warbler. Most of these species either winter in South Carolina or just south of the state with the exception of Cape May Warbler. These warblers are neotropical migrants and spend their winters within the Carribean Islands and parts of coastal central America. We typically expect the neotropical migrants to have passed through South Carolina already, but it appears that north winds have pushed some late migrants our way. 

Pine Warbler (hatch year, female)

-Noah Nei

LITTLE BEAR

Today was an extremely slow day for us. We started the day out a little windy and it was consistent enough, that it made our total captured birds low. We ended with a total of 18 birds with only 2 recaptures.

We did capture a few highlighted species for the day, our first of the season Rose-breasted Grosbeak and also another Blackpoll Warbler and a Pine Warbler. 

The Blackpoll Warbler is something that was fun and unexpected since they should be already gone. This one must have been late but with a score of fat being a 5 (highest score) and weighing in at 17.3 grams, I think he'll be leaving as soon as possible. They are fun to see, especially a healthy, chunky one.

Blackpoll Warbler (Hatch year, unknown sex)

Our Rose-breasted Grosbeak is a fun capture since they do not winter here in South Carolina or in the U.S. but they winter in Central American, Caribbean Islands and South America. This one was a little late to the migration party but just like the Blackpoll Warbler this little cutie had some fat that shall get him to his wintering grounds soon. Unfortunately he wasn't the best photogenic individual for us.
The Pine Warbler is our second one we captured this season at Little Bear. I was excited to capture another one. It seems like they choose to be in higher canopies but with our little bit of wind, we managed to snag this wonderful adult female. 

Pine Warbler (After hatch year, Female)

We also captured our second Blue-headed Vireo! It was nice to see another one since Little Bear is now on its soon to be single digit count down. I am excited to see what will be in store for us in the last 2 weeks!

Blue-headed Vireo (hatch year, unknown sex)

-Kristin 

Species	Captain Sam's		Little Bear
	New	Recaps	New	Recaps
Blue-headed Vireo	1	-	1	-
Golden-crowned Kinglet	-	1	-	-
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	-	1	-	-
House Wren	-	2	-	-
Gray Catbird	-	4	-	1
Song Sparrow	2	-	-	-
Swamp Sparrow	3	1	1	-
Orange-crowned Warbler	-	1	1	-
Common Yellowthroat	2	1	-	-
Cape May Warbler	2	-	-	-
Northern Parula	1	-	-	-
Blackpoll Warbler	-	-	1	-
Black-throated Blue Warbler	-	1	-	-
Palm Warbler (western)	1	-	2	-
Pine Warbler	1	-	1	-
Yellow-rumped Warbler (myrtle)	36	7	7	-
Rose-breasted Grosbeak	-	-	1	-
Painted Bunting	2	-	1	1

Today's Banding Stats	Captain Sams	Little Bear	TOTAL
# Birds Banded	52	16	68
# of Recaptures	19	2	21
# of Species	16	10	18
Effort (net-hours)	169.5	132.1	301.6
Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours)	41.9	13.6	29.5
# of Nets	32	26	58

2024 Fall Cumulative Banding Stats	Captain Sams	Little Bear	TOTAL
# Birds Banded	4,892	3,145	8,037
# of Recaptures	1,069	874	1,943
# of Species	87	86	101
Effort (net-hours)	12,977.4	8,284.6	21,261.9
Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours)	45.9	48.5	46.9
# of Days	79	69

Banding Staff

Michael Gamble (CS)

Kristin Attinger (LB)

Natalie Miller (LB)

Lisa Viviano (CS)

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.

Blue-headed Vireo in The House

 CAPTAIN SAMS

We had a minor cold front that mostly dissipated before reaching the southeast, but it did bring in a handful of new birds. We captured 40 new birds and 7 recaptures of 12 different species. Highlights were a late Ovenbird and a first-of-season for Captain Sam's Blue-headed Vireo. 

Blue-headed Vireo (hatch-year, unknown sex)

- Michael

LITTLE BEAR

Today was a warm and sunny day out at Little Bear. We captured a total of 37 birds (30 new and 7 recaptures). We got many of the usual November characters, including 17 Yellow-rumped Warblers, 3 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and 3 new Gray Catbirds. Notably we didn't catch any non-wintering migrant birds. This has been a recent trend and will continue to be a trend throughout the rest of the season as winter creeps ever closer.

We also got our first of the season House Finch today! Captain Sams has already caught a few of them so it was finally Little Bear's turn to get one. This individual was a nice looking hatch-year male. Male House Finches have the characteristic red feathers in the face, upper-breast and rump whereas females lack this feature. 

House Finch (hatch-year, male)

I am excited to see what other birds we catch as the end of the season draws near!

- Natalie

Species	Captain Sam's		Little Bear
	New	Recaps	New	Recaps
White-eyed Vireo	1	-	-	-
Blue-headed Vireo	1	-	-	-
Carolina Chickadee	-	-	-	1
Golden-crowned Kinglet	2	-	-	-
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	6	-	3	-
Carolina Wren	-	1	1	1
Gray Catbird	-	1	3	4
House Finch	-	-	1	-
Song Sparrow	1	-	-	-
Swamp Sparrow	-	1	1	1
Ovenbird	1	-	-	-
Orange-crowned Warbler	2	-	-	-
Palm Warbler (western)	-	-	1	-
Yellow-rumped Warbler (myrtle)	26	2	-	-
Northern Cardinal	-	2	-	-
Painted Bunting	-	-	2	-

Today's Banding Stats	Captain Sams	Little Bear	TOTAL
# Birds Banded	40	30	70
# of Recaptures	7	7	14
# of Species	12	9	16
Effort (net-hours)	163.2	124.8	288
Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours)	28.8	29.65	29.2
# of Nets	32	26	58

2024 Fall Cumulative Banding Stats	Captain Sams	Little Bear	TOTAL
# Birds Banded	4,839	3,129	7,968
# of Recaptures	1,050	872	1,922
# of Species	86	85	101
Effort (net-hours)	12,807.9	8,152.45	20,960.35
Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours)	46.0	49.1	45.9
# of Days	78	68

Banding Staff

Michael Gamble (CS)

Kristin Attinger (LB)

Natalie Miller (LB)

Nancy Raginski (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.

FOS Clay-colored Sparrow

 CAPTAIN SAMS

It was another hot day at Captain Sams with little migration activity. We managed to catch 21 new birds and 6 recaptures. The bulk of our catch continue to be wintering Yellow-rumped Warblers. Their calls can be heard frequently throughout the day whether we are at the banding table or walking between nets during our net checks. In the last few days we have recaptured multiple Yellow-rumped Warblers that were banded at Captain Sams in previous years. One of which was banded all the way back on November 14th of 2021 as a hatch year female. That would now make this individual a four year old female that has returned back to Kiawah Island for the winter! One of the most interesting aspects of banding is getting lucky enough to recapture birds like this.

-Noah Nei

LITTLE BEAR

Today was a slow but high diversity day at Little Bear. We caught 33 individuals of 11 different species, the highlights of which being a Winter Wren and our first Clay-colored Sparrow of the season! Winter Wrens are an uncommon catch for both stations. They often occur more inland, and the ones that do pass through here are just small and crafty enough to slip through our nets. Clay-colored Sparrows are a bit more frequent of an occurrence; Historically, KIBS has caught one or two each fall season. We have had a good season for species diversity so far, as the season wraps up we hope to get a few more!

Clay-colored Sparrow (Hatch Year, unknown sex)

-Lisa Viviano

Species	Captain Sam's		Little Bear
	New	Recaps	New	Recaps
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	-	-	1	-
Winter Wren	-	-	1	-
House Wren	-	-	1	1
Carolina Wren	-	-	-	2
Gray Catbird	2	5	-	7
Hermit Thrush	1	-	-	-
Clay-colored Sparrow	-	-	1	-
Song Sparrow	-	-	2	-
Swamp Sparrow	-	-	5	2
Common Yellowthroat	1	-	-	-
Orange-crowned Warbler	-	-	1	-
Yellow-rumped Warbler (myrtle)	16	1	7	-
Palm Warbler (western)	1	-	-	-
Indigo Bunting	-	-	1	-
Painted Bunting	-	-	-	1

Today's Banding Stats	Captain Sams	Little Bear	TOTAL
# Birds Banded	21	20	41
# of Recaptures	6	13	19
# of Species	5	11	60
Effort (net-hours)	168.0	114.55	282.55
Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours)	16.1	28.8	21.2
# of Nets	32	26	58

2024 Fall Cumulative Banding Stats	Captain Sams	Little Bear	TOTAL
# Birds Banded	4,799	3,099	7,898
# of Recaptures	1,043	865	1,908
# of Species	85	84	101
Effort (net-hours)	12,644.7	8,028.7	20,673.4
Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours)	46.2	49.4	47.4
# of Days	77	67

Banding Staff

Michael Gamble (CS)

Kristin Attinger (LB)

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.