Slow Start, Strong Finish.

It was an odd sort of day but full of surprises as we got later into the morning. Conditions were ripe for any migrants to be passing through but it took a while to get any in the nets. We did start the morning with our first migrant: an Ovenbird.



We recaptured 2 Northern Cardinals during the day. One was a male banded last year and the other was a female we banded about 4 years ago. Both were in the same areas that they were originally caught so they seem to have their territories secure.



We took trips down the nets lanes and as we waited for new captures we watched the baby Barred Owl which is still hanging out in the middle of the property.



Later on, it did its best vampire impression.



Nearby, the Blackberry bushes that Richard planted last year bloomed and have started to produce a lot of fruit.



Caterpillars started coming out after the sun broke through the clouds.



The Painted Leaf plants are showing more color and appear to spread near Net 14. Fine by us.



Gray Catbirds are still around but not for much longer. They should be leaving for slightly more Northern climes where they breed.



Another nest along the river is now full of Red-shouldered Hawks testing their wings.



It is hard to get a clear view through the branches but we could see that there are two fledglings up there. The adults have been quietly searching for food during the day.



We finally got a Northern Waterthrush that Alease found in Net 21. They tend to head South along a point farther up the river but come back North by the mouth of the river at Lake Lotus.



Momma Barred Owl was not seen for most of the morning but she eventually flew in to snuggle with her offspring.



One of our best surprises of the morning was seeing the male Swallow-tailed Kite perching across the river in full view. Hopefully, we will continue to get more great shots as they continue to tend the nest and raise their brood.



Just a bit later, a Tricolored Heron was fishing along the bank just below the same location. They tend to stick to the lake so it was nice to see one near the banding table.



Before Lynn left, she brought back a couple of good birds. We don't catch Mourning Doves too often so it was another nice surprise for the day.



She also had a male Northern Parula. They breed here in the park but typically stay high in the treetops.



Our last run produced three birds. One was the female Cardinal shown above. the next net held a female Downy Woodpecker. Last week we caught a male. Pileated and Red-bellied Woodpeckers also are breeding in the park.



Two nets further revealed a male Black-throated Blue Warbler. This is the last push for this species and males come through first. Maybe we can net a female before migration ends.



Not a bad day. Average for this time of year. The month of May should see us catching hatched Carolina Wrens and Northern Cardinals before we shut down for June and July.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, May 4th.
All nets will be opened by 6:15 A.M.

An Interesting Mix

An average day today as the skies slowly cleared and occasionally misted early on. It seems that the Ovenbirds are making their move back North and rising early.



We captured out second Worm-eating Warbler in as many weeks. Always a treat to see and hold.



Woodpeckers are actively nesting in several locations and a male Downy Woodpecker found himself in Net 4 as the clouds tried to burn off.



Two Black-throated Blue Warblers were caught today, both males. There are two sub-species of this bird and we caught both. The first one was the Appalachian variety, showing dark streaks on the back.



The other was a Northern Black-throated Blue Warbler, lacking the black markings.



Baby Barred Owl is now well out of the nest and moving through the treetops. Momma sat nearby and they but took a long snooze by mid-morning but we closed the nets near them just to avoid any possible temptation if a bird happened to become trapped below the owls.



Danny arrived with his parents to show them the banding process. Along their travels, Danny found a Dragonfly in one of the nets.



A splash of color came later on as we caught an adult male Common Yellowthroat.



Gray Catbirds should still last a couple more weeks before heading home to breed. We have friends at other banding sites noting differently colored under-tail coverts and we usually only have birds with a solid rufus color. Today we had one with a mix of rufus and gray.



Danny's father got to release one of the Catbirds after his mother got to release a bird earlier in the morning.



Peering through the swaying pines, we could just make out the female Swallow-tailed Kite up on the nest.

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Andrew got a message to see if he could band some American Kestrels out at the Avian Reconditioning Center before they are released back into the wild. Friday he headed over in the morning to do just that. This is one of the birds that cannot be rehabed for release and is used as a 'show' bird at events in various locations of Central Florida.



A newly fledged American Kestrel was banded first and then the staff headed out to gather the older birds from their enclosure.



Allison was allowed to band the last two Kestrels and they were replaced into their enclosure until they are rounded up for release very soon.



An interesting week and mix of birds. What will next week bring?
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, April 27th.
All nets will be opened by 6:20 A.M.

Another Bird of the Year

Another week and another special bird captured at the banding site. We will get to that before we leave you, but first, we actually started the morning with a surprise as Charles rejoined us and soon had an Indigo Bunting in his grasp.



Several Northern Cardinals were captured today, including a new male and a few recaptures.



Down in the growth near Net 4, Christine discovered a spider. Though the photos were not that great, we could determine that it was a Silver-backed Argiope (AR-GEE-OH-PEE). Typically we find larger Black and Yellow Argiopes along the lanes.



The water has risen after last week's rains making the marsh wetter than before but several attempts to get out near the lake were made during the morning. The ever-present Limpkins made an appearance as the sunlight broke through the clouds.



Our male Swallow-tailed Kite suddenly soared in from behind the trees and we watched as it circled and dipped. The thought was that it was feeding on air-bourne prey along the edge of the lake.



That may have been the case but this shot also shows another clue. The trailing blur behind this bird is moss being gathered, most likely for the nest behind the banding table.



We almost missed someone hiding in the cattails. A Green Treefrog was huddled up tight by the mouth of the river.



Then a call came in. The next Bird-of-the-Year was being kept at the table for banding. Last week we had our first-ever Hooded Warbler. Today, it was our first-ever Worm-eating Warbler! Two new species in one Spring.



In its usual spot, one of the Barred Owls rested across from Net 20.



Richard got to process one of our Gray Catbirds for the day .



Soon, the male Swallow-tailed Kite flew in from its gathering and headed past us. We made sure to follow its flight and saw it land on the spot where we suspected the nest to be. We did finally manage to pick it out through the swaying pines and could see it placing the moss in the nest. Andrew plotted a course and tried to find the nest tree, a difficult task as the way through the woods is tangled in briar and grape vines.



Back at the table, the gang kept a watch on the nest as much as they could.



Three attempts later, success! The tree was found!! High above was the Swallow-tailed Kite nest made mostly of Spanish Moss.



It was hard to get any good angles on the nest from the woods. Leaves are now filling in the canopy and it made no difference which direction you move that can provide any good views of the spot. Not from the entry lane or from our parking area. It is placed directly in a non-photogenic place. Good for them.

However, you can see the female on the nest if you look carefully enough.



Here is an outline of the tail and wing feathers just to point it out. Richard found out some info on nesting for the Swallow-tailed Kite. "Mating occurs from March to May, with the female laying 2 to 4 eggs. Incubation lasts 28 days, and 36 to 42 days to fledge." Which means it may be until the first week of June before we can see any young. Just when we are closing down for the hot months.



Winds were on the rise and birds were quiet so we headed home. Along the way, as we gathered nets, Andrew and Becki discovered one of the Red-shouldered Hawks scanning the marsh edge near Net 18. Their chicks are hatched and should be fledged soon.



As we neared the gate on the way out, Becki spotted a caterpillar racing across the path. We are still trying to nail down the species but one thing is sure. It can really move!



Next week is Earth Day and now that Ranger Cindy has left we will not have an event in the park this year. We will carry on at our usual spot and hope to get some interesting migrants as they continue to move through.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, April 20th.
All nets will be opened by 6:25 A.M.

Quiet...Until the Bird of the Year

NEXRAD radars were looking promising at 4 AM with birds on the move. Of course, a lot of those birds might have been shorebirds and waterfowl instead of the Passerines we were after. Turned out that the day would be pretty slow, capture-wise, with mainly local birds and Catbirds. So we did some other exploring as we checked nets and were finally rewarded with what Andrew deemed the Bird-of-the-Year. More on that later.

Gray Catbirds were one of the most common birds captured today and were all adults getting ready to head back North.



Making up most of the other captures were Northern Cardinals. This male was first banded 2 years ago. Cardinals are calling up and down the river as breeding kicks into gear.



Recent rains have accelerated the growth of many species of fungus and these shelf-types stood out as the morning grew brighter.



Our net checks were interrupted briefly as we had a return sighting of a Swallow-tailed Kite swooping in to land on the same branch as she did two weeks ago by the banding table.



She did not stay long this morning and soon headed out to forage off to the East.



Our patch of Spider Wort, (Tradescantia), has sprung back into bloom between Nets 19 and 6 and are always pleasing to witness.



Spider Wort is not just pretty, it attracts a lot of insects such as beetles and bees.



We also have noticed that the new growths of Poison Ivy along the net lanes is doing quite well, too.



Speaking of bees, it seems that a colony of Honey Bees has taken up residence in Nest Box 6 by Net 12. Guess we will not have any birds nesting in that box but wonder if the bears will find the stash at some point.



Various species of Warblers are moving in and out now as Spring migration is in full swing. A few Yellow-rumps are still here and the remaining Western Palm Warblers are content with sipping nectar from the neighbor's Bottle Brush tree just over the Lake Lotus property line. Pine Warblers are calling and Prairie Warblers are being seen now.



While Andrew was setting Net 21 at dawn he heard an interesting sound from just across the river. Close to an Alligator croak but definitely with a more 'birdy' throat. It moved back and forth but was not seen then. Speculation was that it was some sort of Heron. Later in the day we were able to confirm it was a Green Heron calling. In fact, two birds were found and must be in breeding mode as they were chasing one another through the Willows.



Our last Northern Cardinal of the day was a female which we first banded four years ago. She seems to be doing well in her established territory.



The winds were increasing and birds calls were subsiding and we were deciding if it was time to close up for the day. Andrew stopped to verify a Ruby-crowned Kinglet and then began to hear a chip call from the area by Net 12. Further investigation led to the sight of a patch of yellow at the bottom of the net. Seconds later, it was clear that this was our Bird-of-the-Year. A male Hooded Warbler was captured. Our first of this species at Lake Lotus.



Net 2 was specifically placed in hopes of catching Hooded and Kentucky Warblers if they ever moved through their preferred habitat. Net 12 is also set next to the woods so it made sense to get one here where they forage near the ground. Only took us 5 1/2 years to catch one! During Spring migration, Hooded Warblers tend to stick to the West Coast of Florida so this was a great addition of our captures.



We have no Earth Day event this year so we are fully concentrated on the next couple of weeks of migration here at the site. Maybe we can get some more interesting species along the way.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, April 13th.
All nets will be opened by 6:30 A.M.