Sunday, June 14, 2009

Rain Spawns Spores

An interesting day. Not only for the birds but many other things around the area this morning.

We captured 10 Carolina Wrens today. Not remarkable in itself but that 8 of those were caught all at once! 6 birds in Net 14 and 2 in Net 13 nearby. Some owl feathers were found in Net 13 so maybe the owl flushed all of these birds into nets. Who knows.

More interesting, 2 adult wrens we caught in the rush were the very first birds banded across the river during Earth Day 2008! Maybe all of these chicks are theirs. This is the first time we have recaptured any birds on opposite sides of the river.

We also caught 3 Northern Cardinals today. One of these was the young male we banded last week.

Northern Cardinal

Down near Net 10, we found another indication that the Bob Cat is still around.

Bob Cat

Our eyes were quickly drawn to all of the new growth erupting along the net lanes. Primarily, different fungus varieties are showing a surprising diversity this week. Along one fallen log, we found these unknown fungi.

Fungus

Nearby, there was a species of shelf-looking fungus.

Fungus

Right next to Net 6 was an enormous fungus. An Oklahoma state quarter was placed on top of it for size comparison.

Fungus

Down the lane, more mushrooms spring up from the moist soil.

Fungus

Even the space beneath one of our tables was harboring hidden wonders.

Fungus

Before we packed up, a new visitor was found in one of our nest boxes. What bird? No bird. A treefrog.

Not sure the exact species yet but it sure seemed comfy up there.

Treefrog

NOTE: It was confirmed that it is an invasive Cuban Treefrog.

One more week to go before we take a break.
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Next Banding Day: Sunday, June 21th. This will also be our last banding session until August. Check back for details as the Summer wears on.

We will open nets just before 6:00 A.M.

1 comment:

  1. Even the space beneath one of our tables was harboring hidden wonders.
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    Julie
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