2013 Kiawah Conservancy Annual Report 2013 | Page 15

sea-level rise and loss of salt marsh habitat in their wintering grounds along the southeast United States. Banding occurred from January - April at 11 sites in the salt marsh around Kiawah. Each site was visited twice, with two additional sites visited only once. We banded 323 new birds and had 149 recaptures. Three species are targeted for this project: Nelson’s sparrow, saltmarsh sparrow and seaside sparrow. Incredibly, we recaptured three saltmarsh sparrows that were originally banded on their breeding grounds - one from Massachusetts, one from New York and one from Rhode Island. We have also learned that these sparrows have extremely high site fidelity to their wintering grounds here on Kiawah Island. To learn more about the Marsh Sparrow Banding project, please visit: www.wildlifeatkiawah. com/sparrowbanding.html Painted Bunting Banding: The eastern population of painted buntings has shown steady, long-term declines over the past several decades. Much of these declines can be attributed to the loss of coastal habitat for development. Banding can provide important information on their movements, distribution and site fidelity. Banding took place sporadically in June and