Sullivan's Island Bird Banding Station Fall 2020 Season Recap

 I would like to start by thanking all of our volunteers for devoting many hours of their time this Fall season! We operated from August 31st to November 20th and were open a total of 58 banding days.  865 birds were banded from 45 species. Please take a look at our Fall 2020 Totals for the Sullivan's Island Bird Banding Station!

Table 1. Neotropical Migrant Species Totals for Fall 2020

Neotropical Migrant Species	Scientific Name	Total
American Redstart	Setophaga ruticilla	40
Blue Grosbeak	Passerina caerulea	1
Blackpoll Warbler	Setophaga striata	1
Black-throated Blue Warbler	Setophaga caerulescens	11
Cape May Warbler	Setophaga tigrina	1
Common Yellowthroat*	Geothlypis trichas	55
Gray Catbird*	Dumetella carolinensis	323
Hooded Warbler	Setophaga citrina	1
Indigo Bunting	Passerina cyanea	7
Northern Parula	Setophaga americana	8
Northern Waterthrush	Parkesia novaboracensis	26
Ovenbird	Seiurus aurocapilla	5
Painted Bunting	Passerina ciris	16
Prairie Warbler	Setophaga discolor	8
Red-eyed Vireo	Vireo olivaceus	40
Swainson’s Thrush	Catharus ustulatus	3
Swainson’s Warbler	Limnothlypis swainsonii	1
Traill’s Flycatcher	Empidonax traillii/alnorum	3
Veery	Catharus fuscescens	1
White-eyed Vireo*	Vireo griseus	36
Worm-eating Warbler	Helmitheros vermivorum	1
Yellow Warbler	Setophaga petechia	6
Total		594

  Table 1. Neotropical migrants banded during the Fall 2020 migration season.

*Some individuals do overwinter in coastal SC. The majority of birds banded from this species had substantial fat stores, indicating that they were most likely using the area as a stopover location. Subsequent recaptures in Spring 2021 may provide evidence of overwintering individuals.

 
                    

 A male Hooded Warbler banded this Fall. Due to its ample fat stores, this bird was likely using the Protected Land as  migration stopover location. Take a look at the range map of the Hooded Warbler:

•  Year-round
•  Migration

•  Breeding
•  Non-Breeding

Distribution of the Hooded Warbler (Setophaga citrina) 

Image Source: Birds of the World        

                                       

 Table 2. Winter Resident Species Totals for Fall 2020

Winter Resident Species	Scientific Name		Total
Black-and-white Warbler	Mniotilta varia	4
Blue-headed Vireo	Vireo solitarius	1
Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	2
Golden-crowned Kinglet	Regulus satrapa	1
Hermit Thrush	Catharus guttatis	4
House Wren	Troglodytes aedon	12
Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	119
Orange-crowned Warbler	Oreothlypis celata	6
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Regulus calendula	6
Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	9
Swamp Sparrow	Melospiza georgiana	2
Western Palm Warbler	Setophaga Palmarum	57
White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	3
Total		226

Table 2. Species within their wintering range banded in Fall 2020.

Male Yellow-rumped Warbler, Setophaga coronata (Myrtle subspecies) banded this Fall.

 

Table 3. Non-migratory Resident Species Fall 2020

Non-migratory Resident Species	Scientific Name	Total
Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	3
Brown Thrasher	Toxostoma rufum	13
Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	3
Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	7
Cooper’s Hawk	Accipiter cooperii	2
Downy Woodpecker	Picoides pubescens	1
Eastern Towhee	Pipilo erthrophthalmus	4
Field Sparrow	Spizella pusilla	2
Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	9
Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	1
Total		45

 

    Table 11. Non-migratory Residents banded in Fall 2020.

 
Juvenile Cooper's Hawk banded this Fall.

Recaptures

Table 15. Recaptures of the Fall 2020 Season

Species	Scientific Name	Number of Recaps
American Redstart	Setophaga ruticilla	1
Brown Thrasher	Toxostoma rufum	1
Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	1
Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	6
Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas	1
Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	8
Hermit Thrush	Catharus guttatus	5
House Wren	Troglodytes aedon	1
Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	2
Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	1
White-eyed Vireo	Vireo griseus	4
Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	3
Total:		34

Table 15: Recaptures originally banded in 2020. 

Table 16. Recaptured individuals of Fall 2020 banded in prior banding seasons

Species	Band Number	Original Banding Date	Recapture date
Northern Cardinal	2451-39138	Spring 2016*	9/18/2020 and 11/1/2020
Eastern Towhee	2701-65730	11/3/2016	10/15/2020

 Table 16. Recaptured individuals banded in prior banding seasons at SIBBS. *Some Spring 2016 data is missing from the SIBBS historic data file. This NOCA was originally banded at SIBBS during Spring 2016 season.

 

     Thanks for taking a look at our Fall 2020 species totals! Long-term monitoring during Spring and Fall banding seasons provides important information on the migratory and breeding habits of Neotropical migrant species present in the Protected Land on Sullivan’s Island. In addition, breeding as well as longevity data will be collected over subsequent seasons for non-migratory resident species. Common Grackle, Northern Cardinal, and Eastern Towhee are three examples of non-migratory resident species recaptured in 2020 that were originally banded Between Fall 2015 and Fall 2016. Recaptures of migratory species, although less likely, are still possible, as evidenced by the recapture of a gray catbird originally banded in Fall 2015.

    It cannot go without mention that the Sullivan’s Island Town Council voted on October 2nd to allow extensive cutting in a large portion of the Sullivan’s Island Bird Banding Station as well as the bulk of the remaining conservation easement referred to as the Protected Land. The Management Plan was approved as part of a settlement to end a ten-years-long lawsuit against the Town of Sullivan’s Island.    According to the plan, 50% of wax myrtles can be removed and the remainder can be cut to 5 feet throughout the easement. In Zone 1 (includes 6 out of 10 of our Fall net lanes and 7 out of 10 of our Spring net lanes) all cedars, pines, and hackberry under 12”DBH can be removed and all other trees and bushes under 6” DBH can be removed. Live oaks, palmettos, and magnolias will be spared. Considering that the eastern side of the banding station is located in early-successional habitat categorized as shrubland, almost all of the vegetation can be removed due to the low diameter base height of the shrub species. Similarly, the shrubland habitat across the 110-acre easement would be decimated and the maritime forest would be effectively gutted, leaving only a small number of larger trees. The date of mass vegetation removal has not yet been established, since the permitting process has not begun. DHEC and Army Corps have not yet reviewed the management plan, but they are expected to do so in the next couple of months (after which, the permitting process will begin).

For more information on the history of the Protected Land and how you as a member of the public can get involved, visit  https://www.coastalconservationleague.org/projects/sullivans-island-maritime-forest/ and sign up to receive updates from the Coastal Conservation League by clicking the get updates link. 

    It is ever more important to continue to collect data in the yet undisturbed habitat. Data collected after removal of vegetation can be compared to data from 2015, 2016, and 2020. Trends in species diversity and abundance can be analyzed. Importantly, degraded habitat will likely become a less-suitable stopover location for Neotropical migrants as well as sub-par habitat for breeding birds. Long-term monitoring at the Sullivan’s Island Bird Banding Station will be a vital tool in analyzing the effects of harsh land management practices on bird populations in a conservation easement. It is a nightmare scenario that I am hoping we will somehow be able to avoid, but I am acknowledging will likely occur soon.

     The Sullivan's Island Bird Banding Station will reopen for the Spring banding season in early-2021. Start date TBD. You can contact Sarah Díaz at sullivansislandbirds@gmail.com for additional information about volunteering or visiting the station. 

I hope you all have a safe and happy holiday season!

Sincerely,

Sarah Díaz