Sunday, April 9, 2017

Gray Catbirds are Getting Restless...

It must be April when all of the Gray Catbirds get so busy all over the area. They were our most numerous species captured today and all were unbanded. They are so full of energy that we couldn't even get an in-focus shot today...

Gray Catbird

Other migrants are moving through like this female Common Yellowthroat.

Common Yellowthroat

A recaptured Carolina Wren was extra wriggly. We first banded it last year.

Carolina Wren

For the 2nd week in a row, a Red-shouldered Hawk posted up on a snag above the river to search for a meal. The pale coloring shows that it is a sub-species found in Florida.

Red-shouldered Hawk

Kate was searching for things to photograph and found herself along the edge of the river with a willing subject. One of the adult Barred Owls was down in the river just below Kate.

Barred Owl

Seems that the Barred Owl was taking a bath not long after breakfast.

Barred Owl

Once the washing was over, it hopped up to a branch to dry off before flying back toward the nest tree.

Barred Owl

Activity down at Net 21 has been extremely slow of late. However, we finally captured the female Northern Cardinal that has been flying past the net for weeks.

Northern Cardinal

During the final net checks, Andrew spots a streak of yellow up in the oaks. In the sunlight, Prothonotary Warbler give off a glow. On the way back to the table he found that the a pair of the warblers were still in the tree and he called the others down for a look. A few moments after everyone arrive, the male dropped directly to the river and soon began to take a bath just like the owl did earlier!

Prothonotary Warbler

A nice end to the day as Spring migration ramps up. The weather is forecast to be excellent for the next week but hopefully it won't be too nice for birds pass us by.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, April 16th.
All nets will be opened by 6:30 A.M.

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