CAPTAIN SAMS
It was another hot and muggy day at Captain Sams and we ended the morning with a total of 20 birds, 10 newly banded and 10 recaptures. 7 out of those 10 recaptured birds were Northern Cardinals, a resident bird that breeds on Kiawah Island. These birds are known for being pretty feisty in the hand and banders must take some precaution as to not get bitten by their sizable bills. All of the Northern Cardinals captured today were in heavy molt, replacing all their feathers as part of the annual molt cycle songbirds undergo in the fall. Cardinals are resident birds in South Carolina, meaning they don't fly south for the winter and will instead spend their winter days foraging on seeds and will commonly visit bird feeders. Most cardinals will spend their entire lives within a few miles of where they were hatched. In fact, 2 of our cardinals from today were banded in previous years at Captain Sams, one in 2020 and one in 2023.
Half the crew spent the morning finishing setting up nets at Little Bear where we will begin banding soon. We are excited to see what the first days at Little Bear will bring.
Olivia
| Species | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New | Recaps | New | Recaps | |
Downy Woodpecker | 1 | - | - | - |
Ovenbird | - | 1 | - | - |
Northern Waterthrush | 4 | - | - | - |
Prothonotary Warbler | 1 | - | - | - |
Common Yellowthroat | 1 | - | - | - |
American Redstart | 1 | - | - | - |
Prairie Warbler | 2 | - | - | - |
Northern Cardinal | - | 7 | - | - |
Painted Bunting | - | 2 | - | - |
| Today's Banding Stats | Captain Sams | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 10 | - | - |
| # of Recaptures | 10 | - | - |
| # of Species | 9 | - | - |
| Effort (net-hours) | 124.6 | - | - |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 16.1 | - | - |
| # of Nets | 33 | - | - |
| 2026 Fall Cumulative Banding Stats | Captain Sams | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 146 | - | - |
| # of Recaptures | 54 | - | - |
| # of Species | 22 | - | - |
| Effort (net-hours) | 836.9 | - | - |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 23.9 | - | - |
| # of Days | 6 | - |
Banding Staff
