While everyone was settling into the new season and getting their banding and extracting skills up to speed we quietly passed a huge milestone with this Black & white warbler: the 50,000th bird to be banded at CFBS since it was founded in the fall of 2002. This includes both spring and fall, with a grand total of 119 species.
Adult male Black-and-white warbler banded on 8/26/25, the 50,000th Bird banded at CFBS! Photo by Steffanie Munguía
While CFBS may not have the diversity of some of the larger stations farther north, we band a unique cross-section of birds. Our top three species year after year are Black-throated blue warbler, American redstart and Ovenbird. We are too far south to get swarms of Myrtle warblers and White-throated sparrows, but we have banded many Caribbean species over the years.
A local specialty is the Black-whiskered vireo. We actually band more of these than the similar Red-eyed vireo in spring as the Black-whiskereds are arriving in the area to breed in nearby mangrove forest. By the time we open for fall, most of the Black-whiskered vireos have already left for the season. Occasionally there is a lingerer to add some excitement to the day and remind banders to check their Red-eyed vireos carefully.
Black-whiskered vireo banded Sept 13 2025 |
Red-eyed vireo banded August 31 2025 |
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This one is only the fifth Black-whiskered to be banded in the fall, with others in 2004, 2016, 2018 and 2020. They can be separated from Red-eyed vireos by a slightly different song and some structural and plumage differences. Black-whiskereds are browner overall with a longer bill and the namesake whisker, although that field mark can be hard to see. If you are in Miami in June or July and you hear a vireo singing, it will be the Black-whiskered as Red-eyeds do not breed in the immediate area.
The pace continued to be brisk by early-season standards, with a nice variety of species. 32 birds of 9 species were banded on Sept 11, and most of the other days have also been double-digits. Common yellowthroats are picking up in numbers. Our most diverse days usually fall in late September and early October.
Common yellowthroat, hatch-year male banded Sept 13 2025. Photo by Miriam Avello
A pack of 10 to 15 Girl Scouts visited the station on Sept 13 and were treated to an up-close look at the banding process and the data we collect. They were excited to be so intimate with wild birds and asked a lot of good questions.
Girl Scouts learn about a Prairie warbler. Photo by Marice Band
Scouts study the many different species of warblers. Photo by Marice Band