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2025 BIRD BANDING RESULTS:

AN EXCEPTION, OR THE NORM?

#27: 25-31 December 2025

In February 2024 we moved our long-term bird banding studies from South Carolina's Piedmont to upper Ashe County NC and the Blue Ridge Mountains, not knowing what to expect. We began trapping and mist netting at Hilton Pond North in early March 2024 and were honestly astounded to band 2,012 birds of 67 species by year's end. There was no way of knowing whether our first-year results were high, low, or the norm, so we eagerly anticipated beginning Year Two on 1 January 2025. In twelve months that followed we banded far fewer birds, ending with scarcely more than half the previous year's total: 1,166 birds of 51 species, including three new ones.

Like last year, our most common species in 2025 was American Goldfinch (AMGO, top photo, adult female in breeding plumage) with 533 banded, compared to almost twice that many (953) in Year One; their two-year total was 1,486—about 47% of 3,178 total for all birds banded during two calendar years at Hilton Pond North. We should note the vast majority of AMGO are likely non-residents that show up in fall migration and depart come spring. Thus, during the "winter" of 2024-25 (July through June) we banded 798 goldfinches—a better indicator of how many we hosted during the non-breeding season. (In Fall 2025 we captured only 19—a vast difference from 284 in Fall 2024. We expect more wintering AMGO to trickle in from January through March 2026.)

Below are photos of the remaining species among our "Top Seven," each with greater than 30 banded. Also refer to Chart 1 at the end of the photo essay showing all bandings at Hilton Pond North the past two years.

Although people often ask what was the "best" or "favorite" or "rarest" bird we've banded, we're never quite sure how to answer. Despite capturing "only" 1,166 individuals in 2025, each was significant in adding to a database of knowledge about that species. That said, below are birds we found of particular interest during the just finished banding year; three were species we caught for the first time ever in 2025. These brought our two-year total of species banded at Hilton Pond North to 70.

Our fifth most commonly banded species was Mourning Dove (MODO, above) with 37 individuals. This species, which appeared this year in flocks of up to a dozen, seems to be gradually increasing at Hilton Pond North—even though there's little open area on the wooded 35-acre property. Last year we banded 25, for a two-year tally of 62.

Carolina Chickadees (CACH, above) took the sixth spot with 33 bandings in 2025, barely half of last year's 65; we have 98 CACH in two years at Hilton Pond North. We thought the 2024 total was remarkable and were surprised by this year's inexplicable drop.

Chart 1: Hilton Pond North Bandings by Species: 2024 & 2025, with Two-year Totals

Chart 2: Recaptures/Returns in 2025 of Hilton Pond North Bandings from 2024, by Species

We derive lots of information from capturing, banding, and measuring wild birds, but even more valuable data comes when those birds are recaptured locally. In particular, later year returns tell is about avian site fidelity and longevity—two attributes not easily derived without banding. In 2025 at Hilton Pond North we recaptured more than 40 birds of 10 species banded during our first year of work in 2024. Some of those—especially resident Carolina Chickadees and Tufted Titmice—were recaptured multiple times. American Goldfinches were primarily migrants that departed in spring migration and returned in late 2025, although those banded May through September were likely year-round residents; no AMGO among the recaptures fledged locally last year. Refer to Chart 2 (below) for a list of all 2025 recaptures/returns.

Common Yellowthroat (male with black mask lacking in female)

Carolina Wren (recent fledgling with soft yellow gape that will fade)

Worm-eating Warbler (ground-dweller that seldom eats worms)

Black-throated Green Warbler (immature male)

Blackburnian Warbler (immature; triangular cheek patch is the key)

Black-and-white Warbler (male with darker cheek patch than female)

Blue-headed Vireo (huge eye ring; formerly called Solitary Vireo)

Red-eyed Vireo (2nd-year bird with eye not completely red )

Wood Thrush (breast marked with rounded spots, not streaks)

Scarlet Tanager (female with yellow-green body, grayish black wings)

Pine Siskin (a goldfinch relative, but note needle-sharp bill)

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (young male; head & chin will be all red)

Northern Saw-what Owl (one banded in 2025; two last year)

In response to that frequent query about the "rarest" bird(s) we band at Hilton Pond North we offer the following portfolio. Like the House Sparrow mentioned above we banded just one of each in 2025.

House Sparrows (HOSP), aka English Sparrows, were originally introduced from Eurasia to North America in the mid-19th century. Here they proliferated but have shown steady decline in recent decades. They're often found in cities, so we're happy to have few in Hilton Pond North's woodlands, especially because they're known to attack and kill Eastern Bluebird adults, nestlings, and eggs in a box. This year we banded our first and only immature HOSP (above).

We put up a variety of nest boxes shortly after moving to Hilton Pond North in February 2024. Last year chickadees were the only takers, but in 2025 we finally had a clutch of eggs from a pair of Eastern Bluebirds (EABL, male above). The two adults were our first EABL banded locally. We were disappointed when a Black Bear destroyed the nest before fledging date. (It's hard to make a nest box baffle that deters bears!)

During 43 years of research at our former South Carolina study site we often observed American Crows (AMCR) on or over the property, but they never came close to our residence or mist nets or traps used to catch birds for banding. Thus, we were surprised here at Hilton Pond North to have unwary crows descending to feed on seed spillage right outside our residence. Some days eight at a time would forage through the grass, looking for tasty morsels. On 19 April we deployed nets within the bird feeding area and watched as a crow winged straight toward one of them. That net's small mesh was designed to capture hummingbirds and sparrow-sized songbirds, so we figured the crow would just bounce out. After it didn't we hurried toward the net and found the big bird had snared both feet in the mesh. We extracted it carefully, avoiding the crow's substantial bill and strong, clawed toes (see photo above) and took it to our banding office for measurements and to determine it was an adult. (That bird became the first American Crow we've ever banded anywhere and might be our "favorite" of 2025.) Four months later on 9 July we caught our second AMCR, this time an immature with pale bluish eyes.

The final entry in our "Top Seven" list was 32 Dark-eyed Juncos (SCJU, above) banded in 2025, a number that significantly exceeded nine last year and brought the two-year total to 41. It's interesting that 30 of this year's "snowbirds" were captured 20 January through 29 March, a relatively narrow window that preceded their departure in spring migration.

After our "Top Seven" banded species described above, the remaining 44 each had less than 30 bandings in 2025. Please view Table 1 at the end of this account for a list of all species banded at Hilton Pond North during the just-finished calendar year.