Migrants in the House

The end of August usually brings in our first real migrants so we strode into the woods with high hopes. Humidity ramped up by 7 and we first caught a pair of Carolina Wrens. One was a new juvenile and the other was recaptured juvenile.



Most of the day was fairly quiet so the crew took a bit of time to add to Olivia's Garden. As we headed down there, we were shocked to find that some Garden Fairies have been around since last week!. Dozens of new plantings are all over the place from the garden to Net 18. Hmmmm... We are thankful to our mysterious benefactors.



Noticed along the lanes was an emerging Cicada next to Net 1. We hear them more and more with the high temperatures and humidity but this was the first photo of one this season.



Back in Olivia's Garden, Sector 2, we discovered a juvenile Assassin Bug laying in wait for a meal.



Migrants were starting to be heard as the morning progressed. Loud chipping led Andrew to a Northern Waterthrush at Net 18 but it would not fly toward the nets. Fortunately, he soon found a Worm-eating Warbler in Net 17.



Our newest volunteer, Shannen, got to release the Worm-eating Warbler after processing. Migration is definitely in progress.



As we began to close up for the morning, Andrew spotted that a bird was in Net 22 as he approached. Oddly, a Northern Cardinal flew over and hovered over the bird before retreating to the trees. The new capture was a Red-eyed Vireo. They have been heard all over for weeks but they rarely drop low enough to hit the nets.



The crowd gathered around to marvel at the bright red eyes of one of our local breeding birds.



Our other new visitor, Corey, got to release the adult Red-Eyed Vireo.



Down at Net 17, the crew found an Ovenbird as we wrapped the morning. They were being heard earlier and the directive was given to get one before the day was out. Mission complete!



More migrants should be on the way into September. You never know where the patterns will lead us.

NOTE: Hurricane Dorian is lurking out there. Final path is not set as of this posting, but we will update if we are heading out on Sunday or not by Saturday. He will either shift right or plow through the banding site. Fingers are crossed for it to miss us.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, September 1st.
All nets will be opened by 6:30 A.M.

Quiet. Real Quiet...

Well, at least it was not a sauna this week. However, it was very slow, as are most mid-August outings. The day was mostly overcast and extremely quiet. Very few birds were seen or heard throughout the morning, including locals, other than Cardinals and Titmice.

Speaking of Cardinals, our only bird captured and banded today was a male captured in the newly reinstated Net 6. Many males in the area are showing signs of extensive molt around the head which has been associated with mites. The birds shed all of their head feathers to rid themselves of the pests and then grow out a nice crest again in short order.



Just previous to the Cardinal, Christine found a Leopard Frog in the nets. This happens once every couple of years. It was released easily and safely.



On our rounds, the crew spotted a blob up in the Cypress trees. Closer inspection revealed it to be a dark-morph Red-tailed Hawk! These birds show up very rarely and Andrew found one not far away 10 years ago.



Skippers have been enjoying the new Porterweed in the garden. We are still looking to ID this species, but they all seem to be the same variety.



While we were wrapping up the day, sharp eyes found a caterpillar on some Beautyberry leaves. It was a Sphinx Moth caterpillar and we are not sure that we have seen a more nightmarish set of chompers!



Records show that the most consistent migrant arrivals arrive next week. Low pressure systems are forming East and West but we are hoping for the North to be clear enough to allow birds to flow this direction.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, August 25th.
All nets will be opened by 6:30 A.M.

Welcome Back to the Sauna

How quickly we forget. August is super humid. So humid that we start sweating hard before dawn. And then for the rest of the entire morning. Water or other hydrates are highly recommend when hanging out in the woods this time of year.

That said, we set nets and waited for the yields of the banding day. Oddly, it was very quiet today. Last week we were treated by many juvenile Carolina Wrens. They were seen and heard all morning but none crossed the trails. We had to wait over an hour to catch our first bird, a juvenile Northern Cardinal.



So, when birds are taking care to stay out of the heat more than us, we get to tending to the trails. Andrew ridded our Holly trees of Muscadine Grape vines and Jenny and Richard worked on prepping the area behind Net 19 for future plantings of Wax Myrtles.



Over at Oliva's Garden, Connie set about clearing the overgrowth that occurred in the past 2 months. Plants set in last May seem to be adapting quite well and pollinators are showing up in good numbers.



Our little patch of Rhexia is still blooming strong between Nets 10 and 22.



While checking Net 2, we noticed that the sunlight was illuminating Leather Flower seeds hanging next to the path.



Everyone loved the discovery of Winged Sumac in full bloom by Net 19. Tony Bees were in full force and all of them were sporting legs full of pollen. This seems to be the first time this tree has been in bloom and is a good source of pollen in the area.



One Cardinal escaped at Net 10 earlier and shortly afterward Christine got to remove a Ruby-throated Hummingbird from the newly resumed Net 6. Again, we cannot band Hummingbirds as it requires a special license so she was safely released immediately. Other hummers were seen during the morning.



Other sightings of the day were American Redstarts and a family of Pileated Woodpeckers, one adult and two juveniles. Red-eyed Vireos were heard in several spots today.

Hopefully more migrants begin to arrive next week. Records show we should see Waterthrushes, Ovenbirds, and other Warblers moving into the area soon depending on the weather patterns.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, August 18th.
All nets will be opened by 6:25 A.M.

Session 12 Begins

Time to get ready for Session...12. I know our hand-made calendars say Session 11, but triple checking the years, this makes our 12th start. Time flies!

Regardless, we set out the week before to deploy all 10 new nets graciously purchased by Christine and Richard at the beginning of the Summer break.



The previous week, Andrew stopped by to check out the status of the site and found all of the Guinea Grass mowed down last Spring had grown by leaps and bounds.



Thankfully, the rangers found some time in their schedule to swing by and mow the property back to a clearer status.



Oddly, the only thing they did not mow over was a patch of Rhexia, noticed last week, that is blooming between Nets 22 and 10. There has only been one sighting of this flower in the years past that was one flower next to Net 17 just up the rise.



Richard and the crew spent most of the morning clearing Net 4 which is off the main trail and has been overgrown by vines between the Gallberry trees and the pines.



Net 13 has been in a woeful condition for years and Andrew replaced it with Christine's help.



Down at the new end of the lanes, Connie and Phyllis hand clipped the spots that the rangers mower can't reach. Looking forward to some Waterthrushes heading through there in the next week or so.



The opening day of the banding season resumed the following week and, as is typical, found local birds in the nets. Our most common birds for the beginning of August are Carolina Wren and Northern Cardinal. Oddly, Cardinals were rarely heard of seen today. Wrens? We had those, for sure. Our first bird of the day was the first of 4, this one a juvenile.



Our 2nd Carolina Wren was also a juvenile but it was so tangled that we extracted and released it. But it was soon followed by yet another at Net 2.



Connie discovered and Sphinx Moth in Net 22 and had to take care to remove it back into the wild.



Then our 4th Carolina Wren. Another juvenile.



Suddenly, we had a break in the action for an hour or so. Rains had been wide spread this past week and all of the runoff goes right through the property. A week ago the river was at a typical level but today it was creeping higher along the banks.



Good news, as noted on earlier stops over the Summer, is that the Air Potato Beetles are doing quite well all over the property. Most of the potato vines are either skeletal or still being feasted upon. Breeding pairs are all over the place.



Many butterflies are around and Christine got a shot of one of the White Peacocks hanging out by the river.



We ended the morning with the Bird-of-the-Day: a Prothonotary Warbler. Records show we only catch them in either Aug/Sept or April. Migration is on.



Other migrants were seen today, such as American Redstarts. We always forget that they are already on the move. Now we power through the heat and move toward the Fall.

Seems like we have shifted to our usual Florida Summer for once in a long while. Everyone seems to think it is hotter than ever, but if you look back...this is Florida in August. Bring your water and get home before the afternoon!
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, August 11th.
All nets will be opened by 6:20 A.M.