Closing Out 2019

We drove through the fog to the site before this dawn wondering how the day would play out. Not too cold, but fog keeps things quiet for most of the mornings as insects are not moving so birds are staying at the tops of the trees as the light kisses the treetops.

Our first bird just after dawn was a recaptured Carolina Wren.



Odd thing about this Carolina Wren. It appeared to be a juvenile based on all plumage signs. Buffy eyebrows. No white spots on the wings. But it was a recaptured bird so we know that we first banded it 2 years ago! It should have bright white eyebrows and bright white spots on the wings as an adult. Hmmm... Let the investigation begin.



The next net run was also interesting. Andrew headed down the lanes and stopped short at Net 19 as bird activity was evident. A Tufted Titmouse and an an Orange-crowned Warbler were dropping to the ground just behind the net and we were hoping they might fly in for capture. Instead, they suddenly headed toward the river.

Moments later, a larger shape flew in from the river toward the net and hit and bounced out. It was a Cooper's Hawk that escaped. We were disappointed but noticed that we weren't even seeing an Eastern Phoebe already in the net. A new one for the site.



There are not a lot of new blooms along the lanes these days but there is a single Stokes Aster planted by Rollins students earlier in the year that was showing nicely.



Our newly discovered Rouge Plant across from Net 13 has freshly ripened fruits to make a nice holiday scene along the river.



A chunk of tree feel behind Net 13 awhile ago and now there are many fungus feeding on the decaying wood.



Kate discovered another fungus on the tree felled by Hurricane Matthew and we are trying to ID it. The crew followed up with inspections and found an entire ecosystem thriving along the still living trunk. Perhaps we need a whole new post for that science.



Once the fog burned off enough, the light made it toward the river and Pat, one of our local American Alligators, crept back up the river to warm up.



Our final bird of the day was a Gray Catbird first banded nearly 2 years ago.



The take away from this Fall might be that we caught fewer birds but we did notice that numerous birds were recaptures returning for many years. We will tally them up by the end of the Session.

With Christmas falling in mid-week this year, we will take off this next Sunday in case people are traveling all over and then skip the following Sunday since Andrew is out of town for a late holiday break.

We look forward to starting 2020 just after the New Year. Happy Christmas and New Year to everyone!
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, January 5th.
All nets will be opened by 6:50 A.M.

Super Quiet

Cardinals were really loud during the Dawn Chorus, as were a few other species, but not many birds were flying in the morning gloom.

Our first bird was a recaptured Hermit Thrush. However, it was probably the Bird-of-the-Day since it was noted that it was first banded here as a juvenile 4 years ago and first caught about 80 yards away then in a different net. Shows that many birds try to return for the Winter in the same spot year after year.



Soon afterward, Angela walked down from Net 2 to ask for assistance getting a new bird out of the net. Christine instructed her on extracting a male Black and White Warbler for banding.



The day quickly grew quiet for most of the morning. American Robins few over and migrant and local birds called from different locations but nothing was flying low enough for capture. Back in the pine woods, Andrew found a patch of Wild Coffee growing and baring fruit. We have also planted this native plant in different spots along the lanes. Birds are spreading the plants where they can.



As we were closing nets for the morning, Ranger Corey noticed that something in the net was not a leaf. It was a House Wren being folded up as we closed. It was extracted and recorded and then safely released before we headed home.



One more Sunday before the Christmas break. Migration radars and predictions are looking slow for new arrivals, but you never know.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, December 15th.
All nets will be opened by 6:40 A.M.

Well...It Looked Good.

A chilly start and we hoped for some good numbers today. Not to be. Our first bird was a Gray Catbird just after the Dawn Chorus.



Next up was a ragged Hermit Thrush which was another new migrant for the day.



Bowl and Doily Spiders are making themselves noticeable as the weather cools. The larger web on top brings in insects while the the actual spider waiting for food waits in the second web beneath to grab their meal.



We were always open to transfer Rouge Plants growing on the opposite of the river to our side. Seems like the birds are doing it for us as the first one just popped up next to Net 9.jpg



We are training new banders as we head into the end of the year. Today, Andrew asks Angela to step up to the table to process a recaptured Hermit Thrush.



This was an adult Hermit Thrush captured earlier in the year.



We had hoped to get others involved with banding training but the birds did not cooperate. Angela seemed happy enough with her first bird handled at the table.



Swamp Maples are the most common in the state but sometimes we have other varieties in the area. This one glows bright red every Fall on the opposite side of the river.



As Andrew checked out Area 21, he spotted a mangey Raccoon creeping through the vegetation along the river. We later spotted it close to the table as we closed nets for the morning.



Birds seem few and far between, again, but we always hope for more activity as the weather warms going into the next weekend.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, December 8th.
All nets will be opened by 6:35 A.M.

Gray, Misty, Cold, Windy.

Need more descriptors than that? We were convinced that the fog and clouds were going to be burned off after the sunrise. Not to be. Temps were supposed to be in the mid-60s, but the morning started at 51 degrees and stayed there all morning with gusting winds. No one warmed up. Not even the birds.

Our first American Robins flew over mid-morning (a week late), so there was that.

Not long after dawn, Andrew had a House Wren pop out of the grass a few yards away by Net 19. He managed to direct it around the nets in the area and back into Net 19 for our first bird of the day.



Our only other capture of the day was a Gray Catbird.



In the gloom, Wood Storks were gathering on the neighbors lawn near the marsh. Eventually, 6 juvenile birds had gathered together and trolled the shallow waters from time to time.



Most of us got closer for images as the birds stayed around all morning. This Stork seemed to be more in control of the others. More importantly, do you notice anything different? A band! We do not have a permit to band waterfowl or waders so we have sent info to the FWC to see if they know where this bird was first banded. Stay tuned.



One of the other Wood Storks seemed a bit more refined with its fluffed feathers. Adult Wood Storks have black bills, by the way.



Almost hidden in clear view, a Limpkin was preening next to the storks.



A Great Egret flew in to search the marsh near the storks, too.



As a sign of Fall, a single Maple leaf dropped quietly into the water as we got photos of the birds. Look closely and you can spot a tiny water spider to the left of the leaf.



We closed up and headed home. Mentioning Robins earlier reminded us that typically when they arrive so do the first Hooded Mergansers. Andrew found the first pair just up the road in their Winter hangout in Maitland Center.



In the adjoining pond, a Pied-billed Grebe searched for similar grub. Both birds love crayfish, tadpoles, and small fish.



The next cold front is approaching and the forecast has stayed fairly steady. Could be rain early Sunday. If the rains are present from 5-7 AM then we will not be banding. Please check the blog before deciding to join us. The call will be made by no later than 5 AM.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, December 1st.
All nets will be opened by 6:30 A.M.

First Real Cold Front, Birds Must Be Headed South

The first real cold front rolled through overnight and left us with a bit of wind but not as bad as last week. It was just a little moist since the rains passed through the night before. Radar was picking up good movement of birds over the state but most were probably arriving waterfowl instead of smaller land birds. House Wrens were calling all over the property today but it took a while for one of them to find a net.



The morning grew quite quickly and we walked the lanes for the next 90 minutes before our next bird. Ovenbirds have been quiet for a bit but we eventually got one later in the day.



Luckily for our new visitors, we did catch that bird why they were there. They got to release the Ovenbird back into the woods.



Andrew ventured out to Area 21 (where Net 21 used to be) and found Swamp Sparrows and a flock of Western Palm Warblers. If you look closely, you can see a band on this bird. Was it one banded recently or in the past many years? We will never know, but it is still in the area.



An immature Red-shouldered Hawk was calling right at dawn and cruising the river all morning long. After preening across from Net 11 it flew over to Net 3 before heading off after something of interest farther South.



Once the sunlight made its way to the river, we discovered our first adult American Alligator. To our recollection, the first of the year. Water levels have been very high since last year but they have now dropped to reveal some bank to bask upon.



Retired Ranger Frank stopped by again this Sunday and quickly noticed something particular about this American Alligator. It was missing a right foot! He has memories of this female on a nest behind the tram lanes about 8 years ago. There are culverts and links to Bossy Lake nearby that allow gators to get to Lake Lotus so she probably made her way through there. Alligators often suffer injuries during territorial and other fights and mating among one another.



The day was winding down when we added a new Hermit Thrush to the tally. The rufus tail is the main tell for the ID on these birds to distinguish them from Swainson's Thrushes.



We began closing nets for the day when Connie began to walk back to the table with the final bird of the morning. A recaptured Tufted Titmouse we recently banded.



We expected to hear Robins this weekend. Nope. Perhaps this week. Bigger cold front on the way this week bringing much cooler air (why 40s are being brought up...?) and then we will see what gets here as we wrap up the arriving migrants of the year before Thanksgiving. We did see our first Myrtle (Yellow-rumped) Warbler of the season. Hoping they are going to be here in large numbers this year.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, November 17th.
All nets will be opened by 6:20 A.M.

Windy But Productive

We got to the banding site before dawn and were greeted by gusting winds almost immediately. Things looked bleak for a day for any birds of note. We soldier on, regardless, as we always do. Trainees and guests are alway showing up to see what is happening every Sunday.

Thinking that the winds might favor the birds the chase bugs on the fly it was not a surprise to have our first bird be an Eastern Phoebe just after dawn.



Our next bird was a nice surprise. Right on time, we had our first Hermit Thrush of the season. We stress one creed here about Thrushes: "Tail, tail, tail!" Hermits are very similar to Swainson's Thrushes but are definitely sorted out by a rufus set of tail feathers.



Jenny brought out her husband today to observe banding and he got the opportunity to release our first Hermit Thrush of the season.



That Hermit Thrush was quickly followed up by our second of the season.



Then we captured our 6th Eastern Phoebe in two weekends, a nice record.



Gray Catbirds are back in force and we banded the first of four next.



Ella brought her parents to join the morning proceedings. Too bad no one was there to see it...



Male Black-throated Blue Warblers should have been banded in late September. They have been following along with the females we banded last weekend but this was the first male of the season captured.



The next Catbird was added to the tally.



Ella got to witness the recording process and released several birds today.



A more biting bird was brought in. A female Northern Cardinal recapture.



We often give them something to hold onto while banding them but Jenny did get a nice pinch before the Cardinal eventually safely flew off again.



We did observe that the Cannas planted by college students earlier in the year have begun to bloom and seed around Net 18. They seem to be doing quite well.



We captured a second male Black-throated Blue Warbler. This bird sported specks of white through its black throat indicating it was juvenile.



Another Northern Cardinal recapture, this time a male.



Our final Gray Catbird of the day got us well over double-digit captures on a very windy day. Better than expected.



As we thought about closing up for the day, Andrew noticed something in the river below the table. A young American Alligator. We have not seen any adults up in the river this whole year. Water has ben high so maybe the adults are sticking to the lake this year.



Our final bird of the day echoed last week. A Western Palm Warbler in the same area as last week. Palms are being seen all over the are right now and we still await their counterparts, the Yellow-rumps.



The next cold front is on the way, bringing ducks and the next wave of the remaining migrants for the Winter. Hoping for cooler temperatures and many more birds to band.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, November 10th.
All nets will be opened by 6:15 A.M.