Wet Morning Again

Looking at the past few months we realize that we have only had two dry mornings this Session. Two. Every other week has had rain on Saturday or the dew point was just right to leave us with wet feet. So, today was another wet one as the water on the Taro leaves attests even late in the morning.



We quickly captured two House Wrens around sunrise.



The Leopard Frogs were enjoying the wet conditions and we also saw a couple of Swamp Rabbits before dawn as we set the nets.



This recaptured Northern Cardinal was caught not far from where we first captured it a few months ago. Guess it has decided on a territory.



Our one Hermit Thrush of the day was interesting in that we first banded it nearly a year ago. It was caught in the exact same net again this year so it made the round trip safely and knew right where it was headed.



As the sunlight topped the trees some other wildlife began to emerge like this pair of White Peacock Butterflies.



An interesting insect braved the wet leaves nearby. Once the clouds began to break flocks of American Robins began flying overhead.

UPDATE: Lynn did a little digging and found an ID for our mystery bug. It is a type of Stilt-legged Fly, Taeniaptera trivittata. More info reveals that it is: "...a wasp mimicking fly! It lifts the white-tipped front legs and moves them around to mimic wasp antennae. These flies were really common yesterday in weedy vegetation around a pond. According to BugGuide, there is only one September record with most from spring, so this is a late record based on their reports." Cool!



Nearly hidden in the Guinea Grass (which has been zealously poisoned by city folks lately) was a red and yellow mushroom. We think it is a species of Bolete.



We got this recaptured adult Carolina Wren along the way and its colors were spectacular.



Two Eastern Phoebes were caught today. One early and the other as we began to close up for the day. Eastern Phoebes are all over the place in Florida this year and can be heard calling in urban and rural areas.



Before we ended the day, Andrew continued to reopen the path out to Lake Lotus. Conditions are still too damp to safely go too far. The eventual goal is to reach the edge of the lake like last year. It is a great vista to look for any birds using the lake as sanctuary or a feeding spot. Just have to watch out for alligators and Moccasins like the one flushed from the grass near the banding table.



Other rewards by the lake are close up views of water birds like the pair of Limpkin that breed here.



We end the day with the little hopper of some sort with really long antennae perfectly poised on a stalk of grass.



Here's hoping for a dry day next weekend. Current forecast calls for the coolest day yet this year. Can't wait!.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, November 24th.
All nets will be opened by 6:25 A.M.