Illinois Raptor Center Bird Banding Station

Travis is a visiting instructor at the Sun Foundation’s Art and Science in the Woods camp this week, banding birds with campers in the morning each day this week.

Today we operated 8 nets from 730-1130

We captured 29 birds from 16 species

4 Northern Cardinal
3 Yellow-breasted Chat
3 Common Yellowthroat
3 Field Sparrow
3 Downy Woodpecker
2 Eastern Phoebe
2 Black-capped Chickadee
1 Baltimore Oriole
1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak
1 Wood Thrush
1 Brown Thrasher
1 White-breasted Nuthatch
1 Indigo Bunting
1 Northern House Wren
1 Gray Catbird
1 Brown-headed Cowbird

Travis led a banding demonstration as part of a BioBlitz at Prairie Hills Wetland Reserve today (near his hometown). This property is part of the Prairie Land Conservancy land trust system.

https://www.prairielandconservancy.org/prairie-hills-wetland-reserve.html

We operated 7 nets from 730-1100

11 birds of 6 species were captured, banded, and released. Travis documented 48 bird species overall via sight and/or sound.

3 Downy Woodpecker
3 Indigo Bunting
2 Wood Thrush
1 Gray Catbird
1 Red-bellied Woodpecker
1 Northern Cardinal

Spring 2026 Banding Summary

Banding days: 21

Total species captured: 78

Total captures: 839

New bands issued: 617

Recaptures (birds previously encountered > 90 days prior): 78

The other 144 birds were repeats (birds banded that season but ended up in a net again), escapees before banding, or species we don’t band (like house sparrows and hummingbirds)

Top 5 species issued new bands:

White-throated Sparrow 82
Gray Catbird. 57
Swainson’s Thrush. 48
Indigo Bunting. 34
Ovenbird. 25

New species banded this season:

#111 Prairie Warbler
#112 Blackpoll Warbler
#113 Orchard Oriole

Huge thanks to all who helped with banding, especially Mark Sadler who was there almost every day to help with banding and taking down nets.

We had an extremely strange occurrence today.

In the first round of net checks, we found an American Toad in a net.

Now, the bottom of the nets sometimes touch the ground, so you could imagine a toad getting caught there.

This toad was 5 feet off the ground in the net.

Toads can’t jump.

So…..how?

We suspect that a raptor, such as a Barred Owl or Red-shouldered Hawk, grabbed the toad and, in an attempt to avoid the net, or upon bouncing out of the net, dropped the toad and it landed there.

And that’s a wrap on the Spring 2026 banding season.

Today’s banding report

We operated 18 nets from 600-1030

We captured 26 birds from 9 species

8 Indigo Bunting
6 White-breasted Nuthatch
4 Northern Cardinal
2 Common Yellowthroat
2 Tufted Titmouse
1 Prothonotary Warbler
1 Magnolia Warbler
1 Mourning Dove
1 Red-bellied Woodpecker

Today’s banding report

We had forgotten what a really slow day felt like. We remember now.

We operated 18 nets from 600-1030

We captured 29 birds from 11 species

9 Red-winged Blackbird
5 Brown-headed Cowbird
3 Indigo Bunting
2 White-breasted Nuthatch
2 Downy Woodpecker
2 Tufted Titmouse
2 Northern Cardinal
1 Song Sparrow
1 Gray Catbird
1 Least Flycatcher
1 Swainson’s Thrush

The two nuthatches were our first hatch-year birds of 2026.

Today’s banding report

We operated 17 nets from 600-1030

We captured 44 birds of 16 species

14 Indigo Bunting
8 Downy Woodpecker
4 Brown-headed Cowbird
3 White-breasted Nuthatch
2 Northern Cardinal
2 Red-winged Blackbird
1 Orchard Oriole
1 Yellow-breasted Chat
1 Magnolia Warbler
1 Swainson’s Thrush
1 Gray-cheeked Thrush
1 Eastern Bluebird
1 Least Flycatcher
1 Traill’s Flycatcher
1 Tufted Titmouse
1 House Sparrow

The Orchard Oriole was a first for the station, and is the 113th species we have banded here.

Today’s banding report

We operated 17 nets from 600-1030

We captured 55 birds from 21 species

13 Indigo Bunting
10 Swainson’s Thrush
3 Downy Woodpecker
3 Northern Cardinal
3 American Goldfinch
3 Ruby-throated Hummingbird
2 Blackpoll Warbler
2 Veery
2 Least Flycatcher
2 Gray Catbird
2 Gray-cheeked Thrush
1 Connecticut Warbler
1 Mourning Warbler
1 Ovenbird
1 Tennessee Warbler
1 Scarlet Tanager
1 Great-crested Flycatcher
1 Acadian Flycatcher
1 Traill’s Flycatcher
1 Blue Jay
1 Northern House Wren

Today’s banding report.

We operated 14 nets from 600-1100

We captured 57 birds from 25 species

9 Swainson’s Thrush
7 Indigo Bunting
5 Gray Catbird
5 Downy Woodpecker
3 Red-bellied Woodpecker
3 Traill’s Flycatcher
2 Nashville Warbler
2 Red-eyed Vireo
2 White-breasted Nuthatch
2 Northern Cardinal
2 Brown-headed Cowbird
2 Ruby-throated Hummingbird
1 Red-shouldered Hawk
1 Summer Tanager
1 Black-and-white Warbler
1 Canada Warbler
1 Wilson’s Warbler
1 Magnolia Warbler
1 Tennessee Warbler
1 Ovenbird
1 Gray-cheeked Thrush
1 American Robin
1 Black-capped Chickadee
1 Tufted Titmouse
1 American Goldfinch