Banding Minus Some Good Nets, Pt. 1

OK. Time for the first day of banding after Matthew. The end of the nets lanes are still under water and a tree rests in Net 15's spot but we will see what we can manage to catch and release. All 13 volunteers that showed to help were anxious for the return of some Fall migrants.

Seems we have waited too long but we finally began to see the return of Gray Catbirds right at dawn.



For some reason, we were surprised to see the return of House Wrens, too. Forgot about them for a bit but we captured three right off the bat.



Substantially larger, a Swainson's Thrush soon followed.



Maria, Christine, and Susan pause for a moment before the next run in front of Net 15 and The Tree. Hopefully, the rangers will be able to remove it soon.



Using the dock as a guide, we can tell that the water has subsided about a foot overnight. The water you can see behind the dock is the pathway to the dock.



One foot of flood retreat still will not us to advance past Net 14. Andrew did manage to shift Net 9 onto drier land to add to the net totals.



Lynn ventured out into the water on the lanes to get some of our pictures. She stopped at shin-deep.



Rebecca counts butterflies and dragonflies as well as birds and she found a Three-spotted Skipper in the grasses.



She likes this shot the best showing the interesting white patch on the inner wing.



She alos got a shot of one of the several Indigo Buntings in the area. We typically catch them where the flooded areas are right now so we are still waiting for our first capture of the season. Perhaps next week will allow us to open in the prime area for them before they head farther South.



We caught a few Black-throated Blue Warblers during the morning. Still stunningly beautiful every time.



It was a busy crowd out today!



Another House Wren receives a band.



Avery enjoyed a short climb on our downed tree as he searched for critters.



Despite their abundant numbers on the property, this is the first Northern Cardinal we have captured in several weeks. They are staying higher in the trees and back in the woods.



Common Yellowthroats are still flowing through but also staying in the flooded areas for the most part.



Several volunteers had an exciting end to the morning. A Short-tailed Hawk zipped by overhead!



Still one more day to post about when we can get to it. We are planning one more full weekend so we can make up for some missed birds. If the water allows...

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Next (planned) Banding Day: Saturday, October 15th.
All nets will be opened by 7:00 A.M.