Tropical Cyclone Blowing in Blackpolls

CAPTAIN SAMS

Despite Tropical Cyclone #8 spinning just off the coast of South Carolina, we were able to run Captain Sam's today, albeit at a limited capacity and for a shorter duration.  After about 3.5 hours, we banded 26 new birds (including two Blackpoll Warblers) and had 7 recaptures.  These were the first Blackpoll Warblers of the season.  In the fall, Blackpoll Warblers can be one of the more difficult warblers to identify based on their somewhat drab and unremarkable plumage characteristics.  They can also superficially look similar to Bay-breasted Warbler, Pine Warbler, and Tennessee Warbler especially hatch-year birds (or birds in their preformative plumage).  

Both of the birds today were adults, which allowed us to be able to determine the sex. Sex cannot be determined in most hatch-year birds. The key characteristics in separating adult male and female Blackpoll Warbler include the following:

1. Back feathers:  narrow indistinct black centers (female), large distinct black centers (male)
2.  Flanks:  indistinct graying streaking (female), distinct black streaking (male)
3.  Lower breast/belly:  Yellow (female), white (male)
4.  Rump color: greenish gray (female), graying (male)
5.  Throat: no black spotting (female), some black spotting (male)      

  

Blackpoll Warbler (After hatch-year, female)

Blackpoll Warbler (After hatch-year, male)

    

-Aaron

LITTLE BEAR

Due to high winds from Tropical Cyclone #8, we kept Little Bear closed today.  

Species	Captain Sams		Little Bear
	New	Recaps	New	Recaps
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher	-	1	-	-
"Traill's" Flycatcher	2	-	-	-
Common Yellowthroat	17	3	-	-
American Redstart	2	-	-	-
Blackpoll Warbler	2	-	-	-
Northern Cardinal	-	1	-	-
Painted Bunting	3	2	-	-

Today's Banding Stats	Captain Sams	Little Bear	TOTAL
# Birds Banded	26	-	-
# of Recaptures	7	-	-
# of Species	7	-	-
Effort (net-hours)	92.9	-	-
Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours)	35.5	-
# of Nets	27	26

2024 Fall Cumulative Banding Stats	Captain Sams	Little Bear	TOTAL
# Birds Banded	923	714	1,637
# of Recaptures	284	223	507
# of Species	40	45	55
Effort (net-hours)	4,928.4	2,618.9	7,547.3
Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours)	24.5	35.9	28.4
# of Days	32	24

Banding Staff

Aaron Given (CS)

Michael Gamble (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.