Summer Tanager (Provided)
We had a busy September at the Sullivan’s Island Bird Banding Station (SIBBS)! We have banded more than 150 birds from 20 different species. Frequent flyers this week include the white-eyed vireo, red-eyed vireo, yellow warbler, and American redstart.
We heard a summer tanager making its “pitick” call from the bushes, and, not long after, the tanager flew into one of our mist nets! The summer tanager in the photo is a young male. Adult males are about the same bright red color as the northern cardinals you see at your bird feeders.
Although we are technically within the summer tanager’s breeding range, this species prefers oak/pine woodland edges on the mainland for its breeding habitat. Patches of maritime forest and open scrubland habitat, such as the protected land on Sullivan’s Island, provide excellent stopover locations for migrating tanagers and other songbirds. This tanager had ample fat stores, showing that he is almost ready to depart for his wintering grounds in the tropics. They overwinter as far south as Peru and Bolivia.
Mid-September to mid-October is peak migration season for most of our songbirds. Early winter residents are starting to trickle in already, including the house wren and western palm warbler.
If you are interested in volunteering or visiting SIBBS this fall, contact Sarah at sullivansislandbirds@gmail.com.
