“A light broke in upon my soul
it was the carol of a bird
it ceased and then it came again
the sweetest song ear ever heard ”
Lord Byron
other hand, birds that exhibit large fat stores are ready to leave their temporary way-station for
their next destination. High-quality stopover habitat is important to migrating birds because it
provides them with both shelter and the food sources required to rapidly replenish the fat reserves
necessary to continue migration.
An extraordinary example of this was observed during the 2013 fall season with
the capture and banding of a Red-eyed Vireo. At the time, the bird exhibited no fat and was
extremely lean weighing only 13.7 grams (an average weight for a lean red-eyed vireo is around
16 grams). The bird had depleted all of its fat reserves and had started to metabolize its own
muscle. Apparently, the bird had just arrived after a very long flight or perhaps it had used up all
its fat reserves after encountering poor flying conditions. Amazingly, the bird was recaptured six
days later and it weighed in at 22.1 grams – an increase in more than 60% of its body weight in
only six days.
This bird was lucky to have found the “Kiawah Island Oasis.” Without the high-quality
stopover habitat that Kiawah provides, this Red-eyed Vireo may not have been able to continue
its journey.
To date, more than 13,000 birds have been banded at the Kiawah Island Banding Station
during fall migration. For more information on bird monitoring and research, visit www.
kiawahislandbanding.blogspot.com. n
Photographs courtesy of Pamela Cohen
Kiawah’s Social Sites
Keep informed on Kiawah Island’s wildlife, habitats and programs through social media.
Kiawah Conservancy
Kiawah Island Nature Program
KiawahConserv
Kiawah Recreation
The Turtle Nest
Welcome to Kiawah
Kiawah Island
Kiawah Conservancy
www.kiawahconservancy.org
www.wildlifeatkiawah.com
www.kiawahwildlife.com
www.kiawahturtles.com
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