CAPTAIN SAMS
After a busy day yesterday, bird activity slow down today due to a wind shift from the north to south yesterday afternoon. Because of that we only caught 33 birds (26 new, 7 recaptures).
The slower day allowed us to focus on repairing a mist net to replace one that has become brittle from the sun. We have another four nets that we plan to replace tomorrow which are in a similar state of disrepair. The mist nets that we use are made of nylon. Because these nets are in the field from early August through the end of March, they endure a lot of UV radiation which eventually breaks down the nylon and the nets become brittle and start to tear. If I am lucky, I can get two years out a mist net. Nets that are in full sun may need to be replaced after a year.
-Aaron
LITTLE BEAR
Surprisingly busy day at Little Bear, especially when compared to Captain Sam's which makes it all the more unusual.
We had an especially exciting new bird species during our first run, a hatch-year male Sora!
Sora's are a small, beautiful species of rail with wide range and an adaptable nature that allows them to make their abodes in almost every sort of wetland from small patches of marsh to great expanses of cattail swamps.
Like other rails Sora's are well adapted to life in the dense marshes they love to inhabit. Their long legs and spindly toes give them an advantage in moving over soft mud and boggy ground and their bodies are laterally compressed to enable them to move through the slightest gap in vegetation. The phrase "thin as a rail" is actually in regard to this group of birds. It is remarkable how tall the are compared to their width, to me it reminds me of fish floating through the marsh grasses on skeletal legs.
Soras share much of their range with another small rail, the Virginia Rail. These are easily distinguished from each other at a glance as the Virginia Rail has a long, curved bill while the Sora has a short, yellow bill that is reminiscent of a giant kernel of corn. Interestingly these two species don't seem to compete with each other as the Sora is garnering 75% of its sustenance from wild plant seeds like the abundant foxtail grasses in our area. In contrast to the generally vegetarian Sora, the Virginia is more carnivorous with 60% of its diet being insects.
While generally loathe to fly, Soras cover great distances in migration flying between breeding grounds as far north as the Yukon and Northwest Territories to winter ranges as anywhere between Delmarva and Ecuador. The ability to cover such vast distances is surprising for a group of birds that are famous for their preference to run rather than fly, but Soras illustrate well why the islands of the Pacific are such a hotbed of rail endemism.
Soras are vocal birds and regardless of time of year their hoarse whinnies break through the silence of both night and day. Hopefully even if we don't see our secretive friend again, we will hear him in the marsh.
-Jeremiah
| Species | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New | Recaps | New | Recaps | |
Sora | - | - | 1 | - |
Downy Woodpecker | - | - | 1 | - |
White-eyed Vireo | - | 3 | 4 | - |
Red-eyed Vireo | 1 | - | 3 | - |
Carolina Wren | - | - | 1 | - |
Gray Catbird | - | - | 1 | - |
Yellow-breasted Chat | 1 | - | - | - |
Ovenbird | 1 | - | 1 | - |
Northern Waterthrush | 3 | - | 2 | 1 |
Common Yellowthroat | 10 | 1 | 29 | 2 |
American Redstart | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
Cape May Warbler | 1 | - | 3 | - |
Magnolia Warbler | - | - | 1 | - |
Black-throated Blue Warbler | 1 | - | 7 | - |
Western Palm Warbler | 2 | - | - | - |
Prairie Warbler | 2 | 1 | - | - |
Northern Cardinal | 1 | - | - | 3 |
Painted Bunting | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| - | - | - | - | |
| Today's Banding Stats | Captain Sams | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 26 | 60 | 86 |
| # of Recaptures | 7 | 9 | 16 |
| # of Species | 13 | 15 | 18 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 153.6 | 145.6 | 299.2 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 21.5 | 48.1 | 34.1 |
| # of Nets | 32 | 28 | 60 |
| 2025 Fall Cumulative Banding Stats | Captain Sams | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 1,232 | 762 | 1,999 |
| # of Recaptures | 204 | 167 | 371 |
| # of Species | 50 | 44 | 59 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 4,866.9 | 3,158.4 | 8,025.3 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 29.5 | 29.4 | 29.5 |
| # of Days | 33 | 26 |
Banding Staff
Aaron Given (CS)Michael Gamble (CS)
Liz Held (LB)
Camille Beckwith (LB)
Jeremiah Sullivan (LB)
Amy Nickerson (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.
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