What a Difference a Week Makes

Last week was full of birds in the nets and flitting about like it should have been at the beginning of the month. This morning? Completely different. Very little birds moving around and only a smattering of captures. We can look forward to the fact that the remaining species of Winter will be arriving soon.

The first bird capture of the morning was an Eastern Screech Owl which we decided to release at the net, unbanded. Shortly thereafter, we captured a new, juvenile Gray Catbird.



Even before sunrise we spotted a clump of fungus growing this the middle of the net lanes under the oak canopy. Somehow we all managed to avoid stepping on it all day. Beck tracked down the ID later on. Armillaria tabescens. Seems its sweet aroma was attracting fruit flies by mid-morning.



We managed to capture yet another new Northern Cardinal but all other birds today were recaptures. The Ovenbird was actually first banded here over two years ago!



We still saw or heard over 30 species today but most were birds we would never catch or staying high in the treetops. Next weekend is forecast to be a lot more chilly as a strong cold front arrives. Yellow-rumped Warblers and Kinglets should be on the way.

NOTE: Eastern Daylight Saving Time occurs Sunday morning. Set those clocks back one hour!
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, November 2nd.
All nets will be opened by 6:10 A.M.

Indigos Return and Variety Spices Up the Day

This is how we like to start a morning. Birds are finally in full migration mode and our first run was not a disappointment! Susan, Charles, Eddie, and Avery pose as we get back to the banding table just after sunrise.



Radar from the past few days showed large amounts of birds in the air and we were hoping some would stop to feed today. Weather was perfect and stop they did. Our first bird of the morning was our second Wood Thrush of the season (and at this site) just beyond the banding table.



While some of us were out at the end of the lanes, Susan and Avery got a female Black-throated Blue Warbler at Net 2.



Our newest volunteer, Eddie, and Andrew set most nets in the dark and then set Net 21 at first light. A few birds were collected on the way down but on the way back they found many Indigo Buntings at Net 22. Just where we usually catch them this time of year. Some years we catch only females but we are getting some males this year, too.



Male Indigo Buntings still show the blue that gives them their name as seen above, but the females are typically plain brown with just a touch of blue sometimes seen on the shoulders.



Eddie is getting used to the 'photographer's hold' with one of the male Indigo Buntings.



Indigo Buntings were out most captured species today but we were not expecting the shear variety that we had throughout the morning. One of our other first birds was a Western Palm Warbler. In years past, we never caught them as they stayed out by the lake and were always teasing us by feeding about 50 yards from the nets. Today we caught two.



Of course, from October to April, we do expect Gray Catbirds. Two more juveniles hit the nets and more could be heard along the river.



Next to the first Palm Warbler was our first House Wren of the day. They are flowing in in good numbers now.



On that first run our hands were nearly full with bags and we were getting another House Wren out of the nets when a Brown Thrasher flew in just to our right.



While we were banding the first group of birds Charles walked to Net 2 and came back with a recaptured Ovenbird.



Things got a little quite and then Christine and Susan came back from Net 17 with three Common Yellowthroats, all juvenile males.



By the end of the day we also captured a couple of adult males.



We were wondering where all the local birds were but we did catch a new Northern Cardinal. Later, we also recaptured one we banded two years ago.



Lately, we start hearing Eastern Phoebe calls just after dawn but most are staying out around the marsh. We did get one, though, today.



At Net 10 we recaptured an Indigo Bunting that was banded not long ago. As Andrew inspected the feathers he noticed something that was not seen when it was first banded. A single all-white feather at the start of the secondaries. Interesting.



When Andrew walked back down to Net 21 he heard a lot of bird sounds and decided to pish a bit to see what would respond. Almost immediately, a bird emerged from the marsh and then flew into the net. From a distance, in the shadows, it looked like a Carolina Wren, However, it turned out to be a Northern Waterthrush.



On the way back to the table, he found a Swainson's Thrush in Net 5.



Charles was repairing a net string at Net 10 and got an American Redstart there as he worked. Turned out to be a juvenile male. We haven't have a male that young in several years. Always seems hard to believe that this bird will be all black and orange by next year!



Next up, a White-eyed Vireo was captured. We had begun to hear a few as the sunlight cleared the treetops and glad we had another of these feisty birds to band.



Net 21 was still active with a Phoebe and Common Yellowthroat escaping as we approached but we did get one of the elusive Blue-gray Gnatcatchers soon afterwards.



Last bird of the morning was a male Downy Woodpecker. Eddie had earlier said that he had spotted a banded one near that area. Could have been the same one but we have also banded a number of females over the years.



Hard to go home with all of the birds in the morning but the bug calls were telling us that our day was over. Here's hoping for an equally exciting day awaiting us next Sunday.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, October 26th.
All nets will be opened by 7:05 A.M.

A Silver Lining and a New Bird

The rain has spared us for most of the week but the temperatures have begun to rise after our excellent cool Sunday last week. We may have gotten a bit more sweaty but it was well worth the time as we had a couple of very special surprises in store for us as we headed out into this new day.

The winds had shifted and were now coming in from the East. A quick recon nearby at Mead Botanical Garden Saturday revealed that bird numbers were down compared to last week. However, we are not out of the peak of migration yet so we were prepared for any promising captures throughout the morning. But, an interesting fact that still holds true: If you have a ton of volunteers and visitors present you probably won't get large numbers of birds in the nets. Just seems to be that way. Today we had 14 people on hand.



Still, we had a nice array of species to keep things interesting. It is time for more Indigo Buntings to arrive but we only captured one female today.



If you have been following along the past couple of weeks, the water has been very high for weeks. We had not been able to get out to several nets for two weeks and still could not reach Net 21 last week. We have been fearing that this spot was a complete loss since it was still 2 feet under water last week.

A quick flashback from a year ago. The river was slowly eroding part of the already narrow bank next to the net. Andrew had tried to fill in a zone where you see the pink tape but it would have taken too much effort so we left it. When we returned to the site for this year's banding the bank was even more compromised. If the flooding ate away at that spot much more then we would have no where to even stand out here.



Just after sunrise, Andrew and Christine headed toward the site. The river was now down about 3-4 feet since last week. More trees were falling to the river, their roots now exposed as they tilted into the water. As for Net 21?

Nature decided to fill in the gap envisioned a year ago and even left us with a new beach, clearing out the ground cover! We would have never expected such a silver lining after all the rain and floods. Net 21 is open for business again.



This spot is one of our most productive sites through the year as evidenced by a quick capture of a Gray Catbird and two Eastern Phoebes not long after we got the net open. One of the Phoebes was a recapture from almost two years ago.



Heading to Net 21 was still a bit treacherous due to muck so Andrew began to gather clippings to line the path. On the way back out he saw what appeared to be a Catbird in the shadows surrounding Net 18. Lynn approached and caught the moment that the bird was being finally extracted.



Not a Catbird. A female Belted Kingfisher! This bird has been on our 'wish list' ever since we set nets here 6 years ago. Every Fall through Spring they cruise the river at full speed, rattling all the way. We had one in a net next to the banding table a few years ago but it escaped before we could reach it in time.



The entire entourage was asked back to the table for the unveiling and everyone was awestruck to get to see this species up close. If you have ever tried to get close to Kingfishers in the wild you know how difficult it is to get in any pleasing distance. They are very skittish.

We quickly banded the bird and attempted to get a nice pose but she was ready to go. With a little help restraining her wings for a moment we got our shots and she was released back by the river.



The next trip to cover the muck delivered us a new female Painted Bunting where we caught a juvenile a couple weeks ago.



We were catching House Wrens most of the morning and this one was the last of the day as we closed up the nets. Photographed in mid-blink.



Angela will be moving away soon but she had an opportunity to band the House Wren and a Common Yellowthroat to wind up a very interesting day.



We didn't even mention our first captures of the day. A Leopard Frog and a Sphinx Moth before any birds. Can't band them, though. Here's hoping next week is just as interesting and that the Indigo Buntings get here in larger numbers.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, October 19th.
All nets will be opened by 6:55 A.M.

Fall is Truly Here

The strongest cold front of the season cleared Florida overnight and allowed birds to get down our way. Finally! Temps were around 60 degrees and the air was dry. You would think it was Winter by the way most of the volunteers were bundled up. No sweat for once and the mosquitoes were almost non-existant. Perfect day.



Just at sunrise, Andrew headed to the the end of the lanes and saw a bird in Net 9. In the dim light at a distance it appeared to be a Brown Thrasher. Once he got a close look, however, it turned out to be the Bird-of-the-Day. Our first-ever Wood Thrush captured at Lake Lotus!



We used to catch a couple of these at Wekiwa Springs back in the day but never at Lake Lotus. Lynn's photo with a colored background really shows off how beautiful these birds are.



When walking back to the table, Christine claimed she had the BOTD herself. We rarely have a close contest. Her bird would win second place, though. Our second Yellow-bellied Flycatcher banded here.



We got a few more Gray Catbirds during the morning and a couple of Common Yellowthroats.



A lot of Balsam Apple (Momordica charantia) vines are growing by Net 14. Never knew the Northern Cardinals ate the seeds.



Various fungi have been springing up after all of the rain. Most are brown but there are also different colors scattered around the woods.



Lynn also spotted one of our American Alligators lurking up river near the banding table.



Also near the banding table, in Net 2, we captured our first Swainson's Thrush of the season. We expect them this time of year and Hermit Thrushes should soon follow.



We recaptured a couple of resident Carolina Wrens through the morning.



Although we see them all the time, they are still a beautiful bird to behold.



Three White-eyed Vireos were caught, including one we banded in September. Still hanging around and has shed some fat.



Last week we had two Brown Thrashers escape as we approached them in the nets. Today we managed to get one before it could elude us. Thrashers are larger and more able to wriggle free from the fine mesh.



Our captured Northern Cardinals included one new bird and one recapture.



The new bird was molting into its more adult feathers.



Lynn found a very interesting moth on the vegetation half-way through the morning. Turns out to be a Red-Waisted Florella Moth Syngamia florella, also called an Orange Spotted Flower Moth.



Our second House Wren of the season was brought in by Charles. Both have been juveniles.



The first Black-throated Blue Warbler of the season was a female brought in from just above the banding table.



We have been very curious to check out the status of Net 21. Since the river breached the end on the trail heading to the lake, we have been unable to get out that far and this net spot has been out of commission for 3 weeks. This is one of our most productive nets and it would be a shame if we can no longer set up there. The highest portion of the trail eroded away. We placed a palette across the one spot that used to flood. It now sits a foot under water.



Now that the water has dropped a bit, we could jump the first breach and got to the second small bridge we made. It is also a foot under water and the river is now flowing up the path we used to use to get to the net poles. Through binoculars, we can spot the poles and they are still there but also partially under water. We will have to wait for further drying to see if we have any ground to use in the future.



We ended the day and caught a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher as we were folding the nets for the day. They are all over right now but difficult to catch. They either stay high in the trees but can also see the nets easier. We have often witnessed them fly full-speed toward a net, stop, and hover in front and then go over!



If the weather stays nice and the radar shows good bird movement we may band both days next week. However, things can change at anytime so we are just planning Sunday for now.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, October 12th.
All nets will be opened by 6:55 A.M.