I have decided to not band on the 27th. Temps are scheduled to be in the mid-30s with winds chilling things down around freezing most of the early morning. For the brids safety, and my wimp-factor, we will wait until next week. Plus, I have not gotten to sleep in for a few days in a row in several years...
Happy New Year, in the meantime.
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Saturday, January 2ndd.
All nets will be opened by 6:45 A.M.
Saturday, December 26, 2020
Sunday, December 20, 2020
A Nice Winter Mix
A bit of fog was settling in but the morning was not too uncomfortable as we set nets this morning.
First bird up was a recaptured Hermit Thrush.
We then caught a couple of recaptured Northern Cardinals. They have been stuck in the wood s for the past few weeks and are now getting stirred up again. We had one adult male and this juvenile female.
Next up, a recaptured House Wren. A lot of recaps today but this one was ready to get back to breakfast.
Suddenly, the other visiting warblers began moving about. We got one recaptur and 2 new Western Palm Warblers.
A new visitor, Tracy, got to release one of our captured Western Palm Warblers. The photo shows the bird in hand a split second before a return to the wild.
Orange-crowned Warblers are few and far between these past few years. It seems like an eternity since we last banded one but it seems Covid made us forget last January when we did get one. Nice to have another thanks to reestablishing Net 21 this season.
Orange-crowned Warblers are rather drab and hard to ID in the field. In the hand, an adult male easily shows the orange crown that gives it its name.
The real tell for ID in the wild is the very pointy, needle-like bill which is often seen as Orange-crowned Warblers snag insects from the foliage.
Our other visitor, Jerry, got to release our Bird-of-the-Day.
Several of us had been wondering where all of the Ovenbirds had gone when, suddenly, a new one arrived out of the shadows.
Our final Western Palm Warbler of the day.
To wrap things up, we got a new Carolina Wren.
Freezing temps are forecast for next week but we will keep an eye on the weather. Check back to see if we head out into the cold or sleep in.
Today's Totals
NOTE: To ensure the safety of our volunteers and the general public, new visitors are discouraged from attending banding at this time. The few of us who remain will update the blog as long as we can and hope to see new faces in the future. Thank you for your understanding during this unprecedented time.
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, December 20th.
All nets will be opened by 6:45 A.M.
First bird up was a recaptured Hermit Thrush.
We then caught a couple of recaptured Northern Cardinals. They have been stuck in the wood s for the past few weeks and are now getting stirred up again. We had one adult male and this juvenile female.
Next up, a recaptured House Wren. A lot of recaps today but this one was ready to get back to breakfast.
Suddenly, the other visiting warblers began moving about. We got one recaptur and 2 new Western Palm Warblers.
A new visitor, Tracy, got to release one of our captured Western Palm Warblers. The photo shows the bird in hand a split second before a return to the wild.
Orange-crowned Warblers are few and far between these past few years. It seems like an eternity since we last banded one but it seems Covid made us forget last January when we did get one. Nice to have another thanks to reestablishing Net 21 this season.
Orange-crowned Warblers are rather drab and hard to ID in the field. In the hand, an adult male easily shows the orange crown that gives it its name.
The real tell for ID in the wild is the very pointy, needle-like bill which is often seen as Orange-crowned Warblers snag insects from the foliage.
Our other visitor, Jerry, got to release our Bird-of-the-Day.
Several of us had been wondering where all of the Ovenbirds had gone when, suddenly, a new one arrived out of the shadows.
Our final Western Palm Warbler of the day.
To wrap things up, we got a new Carolina Wren.
Freezing temps are forecast for next week but we will keep an eye on the weather. Check back to see if we head out into the cold or sleep in.
Today's Totals
| Birds Processed | New | Recaptured | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina Wren | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| House Wren | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Northern Cardinal | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Western_Palm_Warbler | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Orange-crowned_Warbler | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Ovenbird | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Hermit Thrush | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Gray Catbird | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Totals | 6 | 5 | 11 |
NOTE: To ensure the safety of our volunteers and the general public, new visitors are discouraged from attending banding at this time. The few of us who remain will update the blog as long as we can and hope to see new faces in the future. Thank you for your understanding during this unprecedented time.
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, December 20th.
All nets will be opened by 6:45 A.M.
Sunday, December 13, 2020
Typical Mid-December
Temperatures have been up and down this past week and they dropped toward sunrise and brought in early fog for the beginning of the day. Florida late Fall.
Our first bird of the day was a recaptured Carolina Wren. They are one of the first risers every morning but have been secretive as of late. Until today.
We got two more as the day wore on. Another recap and a new surprise bird. Always think we have banded every Carolina Wren in the area, but I guess they just keep breeding and making new ones. A good thing.
Next up, a recaptured female Northern Cardinal.
Eastern Phoebes are heard all over the property this time of year. Sometimes we get luckly and catch one or two. This one hit Net 21 out by the lake.
Western Palm Warbler are here, as usual in season and we are actually catching more than usual over the past few years.
We had 2 recaptures today. Most of then hang out near the marsh before the lake but this recap was caught just below the table at Net 15!
Our final bird of the day was a new Western Palm Warbler. Now if we could get the number of Yellow-rumps back in the South. It has been a long time since we have seen or captured any of that species. Why the decline? Not sure.
Since the holidays are falling on odd days this year and many folks are not traveling out of state, we will be banding through the end of the month for the first time in our history here. we will band, as usual next week. Next up will be just after Christmas. Maybe Santa will deliver some interesting birds to us in a couple of weeks?
Today's Totals
NOTE: To ensure the safety of our volunteers and the general public, new visitors are discouraged from attending banding at this time. The few of us who remain will update the blog as long as we can and hope to see new faces in the future. Thank you for your understanding during this unprecedented time.
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, December 20th.
All nets will be opened by 6:45 A.M.
Our first bird of the day was a recaptured Carolina Wren. They are one of the first risers every morning but have been secretive as of late. Until today.
We got two more as the day wore on. Another recap and a new surprise bird. Always think we have banded every Carolina Wren in the area, but I guess they just keep breeding and making new ones. A good thing.
Next up, a recaptured female Northern Cardinal.
Eastern Phoebes are heard all over the property this time of year. Sometimes we get luckly and catch one or two. This one hit Net 21 out by the lake.
Western Palm Warbler are here, as usual in season and we are actually catching more than usual over the past few years.
We had 2 recaptures today. Most of then hang out near the marsh before the lake but this recap was caught just below the table at Net 15!
Our final bird of the day was a new Western Palm Warbler. Now if we could get the number of Yellow-rumps back in the South. It has been a long time since we have seen or captured any of that species. Why the decline? Not sure.
Since the holidays are falling on odd days this year and many folks are not traveling out of state, we will be banding through the end of the month for the first time in our history here. we will band, as usual next week. Next up will be just after Christmas. Maybe Santa will deliver some interesting birds to us in a couple of weeks?
Today's Totals
| Birds Processed | New | Recaptured | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina Wren | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Eastern Phoebe | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Northern Cardinal | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Western_Palm_Warbler | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Totals | 3 | 5 | 8 |
NOTE: To ensure the safety of our volunteers and the general public, new visitors are discouraged from attending banding at this time. The few of us who remain will update the blog as long as we can and hope to see new faces in the future. Thank you for your understanding during this unprecedented time.
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, December 20th.
All nets will be opened by 6:45 A.M.
Sunday, December 6, 2020
North Shore Birding Festival Visitors Stop By
We welcomed visitors from the rescheduled North Shore Birding Festival this week as had a pretty good day for an early December when birds are typically low, banding-wise. Those that wanted to got to release birds after banding and we may have ended up with a couple new volunteers.
Andrew forgot his point-and-shoot in the kitchen so we had bad photo ops for the day since we only had to rely on cell phones. Sigh. Good photos of our early caught Gray Catbirds and Hermit Thrush were missed. Forgive the poor images.
We did recapture and couple of Carolina Wrens.
Once the sun broke through the fog, Western Palm Warblers emerged all around in different open spaces and moved toward Net 21. We ended up with 4 of them today.
Ruby-crowned Kinglets were calling early after dawn and we were hoping to finally get one since nearly a year ago. We banded two new females today.
The Festival group departed to explore other areas nearby and we continued on for another hour or so and eventually caught the Eastern Phoebe that was teasing us all morning by Net 10.
Glad to be a participant in the festival again this year and it seemed that all folks that showed up had a good time. Nice to have an early steady stream of birds to demonstrate the banding process and give some information about our site and the overall procedures.
Warmer weather is back on the way for a bit next weekend and, hopfully, we can net some new species next week. Still some late arrivals to show up.
Today's Totals
NOTE: To ensure the safety of our volunteers and the general public, new visitors are discouraged from attending banding at this time. The few of us who remain will update the blog as long as we can and hope to see new faces in the future. Thank you for your understanding during this unprecedented time.
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, December 13th.
All nets will be opened by 6:40 A.M.
Andrew forgot his point-and-shoot in the kitchen so we had bad photo ops for the day since we only had to rely on cell phones. Sigh. Good photos of our early caught Gray Catbirds and Hermit Thrush were missed. Forgive the poor images.
We did recapture and couple of Carolina Wrens.
Once the sun broke through the fog, Western Palm Warblers emerged all around in different open spaces and moved toward Net 21. We ended up with 4 of them today.
Ruby-crowned Kinglets were calling early after dawn and we were hoping to finally get one since nearly a year ago. We banded two new females today.
The Festival group departed to explore other areas nearby and we continued on for another hour or so and eventually caught the Eastern Phoebe that was teasing us all morning by Net 10.
Glad to be a participant in the festival again this year and it seemed that all folks that showed up had a good time. Nice to have an early steady stream of birds to demonstrate the banding process and give some information about our site and the overall procedures.
Warmer weather is back on the way for a bit next weekend and, hopfully, we can net some new species next week. Still some late arrivals to show up.
Today's Totals
| Birds Processed | New | Recaptured | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina Wren | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Eastern Phoebe | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Hermit_Thrush | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Gray Catbird | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Western_Palm_Warbler | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Totals | 7 | 4 | 11 |
NOTE: To ensure the safety of our volunteers and the general public, new visitors are discouraged from attending banding at this time. The few of us who remain will update the blog as long as we can and hope to see new faces in the future. Thank you for your understanding during this unprecedented time.
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, December 13th.
All nets will be opened by 6:40 A.M.
Tuesday, December 1, 2020
Turn the Page
Before the day began, we learned that Richard and Christine have decided to leave our banding site as volunteers. They were our mentors since Weviwa Springs and had put in 22 years of banding in the local area. We wish them well in the future and thank them for all of their generosity in helping Lake Lotus becoming a great banding site in Central Florida.
The morning began with a strong Dawn Chorus and we were thinking it was going to be another Wren kind of day. However, it slowed fairly quickly as we watched for a rain system that ws slowly rising from the South. That rain never appeared until later in the day. Winds started to kick up but not too badly.
Our first bird was a recaptured Northern Cardinal first banded in January 2018.
Just after that, an adult female Common Yellowthroat was captured at Net 15.
Next up, a recaptured Hermit Thrush first banded in late November of 2018. It was a mainly recapture day. Data shows how these birds come back to the same place year after year, knowing they have a safe place to migrate to.
Yellow-rumped Warblers are finally being seen out near the lake, but we instead caught a new Western Palm Warbler.
White-eyed Vireos have been few and far betwen this season, so we were happily surprised with one that we first banded in February of this year.
Our final bird of the day was a recaptured House Wren. It was first banded almost exactly 5 years ago. More recorded proof of site fidelity!
Next week we have visitors fron the North Shore Birding Festival scheduled to arrive. We look forward to giving a demo for that group and hope for more birds in hand to demonstrate the banding process.
Today's Totals
NOTE: To ensure the safety of our volunteers and the general public, new visitors are discouraged from attending banding at this time. The few of us who remain will update the blog as long as we can and hope to see new faces in the future. Thank you for your understanding during this unprecedented time.
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, December 6th.
All nets will be opened by 6:35 A.M.
The morning began with a strong Dawn Chorus and we were thinking it was going to be another Wren kind of day. However, it slowed fairly quickly as we watched for a rain system that ws slowly rising from the South. That rain never appeared until later in the day. Winds started to kick up but not too badly.
Our first bird was a recaptured Northern Cardinal first banded in January 2018.
Just after that, an adult female Common Yellowthroat was captured at Net 15.
Next up, a recaptured Hermit Thrush first banded in late November of 2018. It was a mainly recapture day. Data shows how these birds come back to the same place year after year, knowing they have a safe place to migrate to.
Yellow-rumped Warblers are finally being seen out near the lake, but we instead caught a new Western Palm Warbler.
White-eyed Vireos have been few and far betwen this season, so we were happily surprised with one that we first banded in February of this year.
Our final bird of the day was a recaptured House Wren. It was first banded almost exactly 5 years ago. More recorded proof of site fidelity!
Next week we have visitors fron the North Shore Birding Festival scheduled to arrive. We look forward to giving a demo for that group and hope for more birds in hand to demonstrate the banding process.
Today's Totals
| Birds Processed | New | Recaptured | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| House Wren | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Northern_Cardinal | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Common_Yellowthroat | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Hermit_Thrush | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| White-eyed Vireo | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Western_Palm_Warbler | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals | 1 | 5 | 6 |
NOTE: To ensure the safety of our volunteers and the general public, new visitors are discouraged from attending banding at this time. The few of us who remain will update the blog as long as we can and hope to see new faces in the future. Thank you for your understanding during this unprecedented time.
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, December 6th.
All nets will be opened by 6:35 A.M.
Sunday, November 22, 2020
Washed Out
We will not be banding this Sunday. Weather trends are not drifting toward favorable conditions and better safe than sorry.
Going back to bed.
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, November 29th.
All nets will be opened by 6:30 A.M.
Going back to bed.
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, November 29th.
All nets will be opened by 6:30 A.M.
Sunday, November 15, 2020
Seminole Audubon Visits Us
A relatively slow day this morning as members of the Seminole Audubon were scheduled to meet up with us. Rains are hit and miss and migration rates are winding down.
We began the day with a new Brown Thrasher before the group arrived.
Some of the visitors showed up as we banded a new Gray Catbird. It was a juvenile that was very excited and showed its age by the interior of its mouth, which is pink before becomeing black as it ages. A good look down the mouth!
Then, it started to look as the day might be confined to a Wren kind of day. We had 4 House Wrens in succesion.
Only interuped by a recaptuered Carolina Wren.
By now, the Audubon group was in full force and got to see the banding process up close and got some photo ops.
Here, a small portion of the group posed for a quick portrait.
A rare capture at the site, a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. These birds are normally very aware of the nets and are seldom caught.
Then, a bird many of us were discussing showed up in the nets. A Black-throated Blue Warbler. This male caused a lot of oohs and ahs. One of our prettiest migrants throughout the migrating season into late Spring.
Black-throated Blue Warblers arrive in early Fall and can be found in Florida until April, feasting on Beauty Berry fruits and snatching insects while they are here. We love seeing their brilliant colors as they flit through the upper and lower stories of our area.
We wound down the day and as we closed the the nets noticed a new visitor. A Peninsula cooter turtle snuck in just after Andrew took down Net 2 and began making a hole to lay eggs! This is just feet from the banding table. Many turtle nests were found dug up by Racoons during the day along the lanes this morning. Maybe this one will remain untouched. Stay tuned.
Nice to have some new visitors along and to see the excitment on their faces while photograping and releasing birds today. Still some new migrants to flow in before December. Where are our Yellow-rumps?
Today's Totals
NOTE: To ensure the safety of our volunteers and the general public, new visitors are discouraged from attending banding at this time. The few of us who remain will update the blog as long as we can and hope to see new faces in the future. Thank you for your understanding during this unprecedented time.
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, November 22.
All nets will be opened by 6:30 A.M.
We began the day with a new Brown Thrasher before the group arrived.
Some of the visitors showed up as we banded a new Gray Catbird. It was a juvenile that was very excited and showed its age by the interior of its mouth, which is pink before becomeing black as it ages. A good look down the mouth!
Then, it started to look as the day might be confined to a Wren kind of day. We had 4 House Wrens in succesion.
Only interuped by a recaptuered Carolina Wren.
By now, the Audubon group was in full force and got to see the banding process up close and got some photo ops.
Here, a small portion of the group posed for a quick portrait.
A rare capture at the site, a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. These birds are normally very aware of the nets and are seldom caught.
Then, a bird many of us were discussing showed up in the nets. A Black-throated Blue Warbler. This male caused a lot of oohs and ahs. One of our prettiest migrants throughout the migrating season into late Spring.
Black-throated Blue Warblers arrive in early Fall and can be found in Florida until April, feasting on Beauty Berry fruits and snatching insects while they are here. We love seeing their brilliant colors as they flit through the upper and lower stories of our area.
We wound down the day and as we closed the the nets noticed a new visitor. A Peninsula cooter turtle snuck in just after Andrew took down Net 2 and began making a hole to lay eggs! This is just feet from the banding table. Many turtle nests were found dug up by Racoons during the day along the lanes this morning. Maybe this one will remain untouched. Stay tuned.
Nice to have some new visitors along and to see the excitment on their faces while photograping and releasing birds today. Still some new migrants to flow in before December. Where are our Yellow-rumps?
Today's Totals
| Birds Processed | New | Recaptured | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| House Wren | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Black-throated Blue Warbler | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Carolina Wren | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Brown Thrasher | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Gray Catbird | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Totals | 7 | 2 | 9 |
NOTE: To ensure the safety of our volunteers and the general public, new visitors are discouraged from attending banding at this time. The few of us who remain will update the blog as long as we can and hope to see new faces in the future. Thank you for your understanding during this unprecedented time.
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, November 22.
All nets will be opened by 6:30 A.M.
Saturday, November 7, 2020
No Banding November 8th. ETA Winds.
We will not be banding this Sunday. Weather trends are not drifting toward favorable conditions and better safe than sorry.
Wind gusts are set for up to 30 MPH. Sleep in.
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, November 15th.
All nets will be opened by 6:20 A.M.
Wind gusts are set for up to 30 MPH. Sleep in.
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, November 15th.
All nets will be opened by 6:20 A.M.
Sunday, November 1, 2020
Slow to Breakneck
It was slow start to the day but we ended up at our normal start of the month numbers. Just had to wait a bit and got to do some lane maintenance done.
The day began with a couple of Common Yellowthroats. The first was a juvenile male and later we had a female.
We racked up 3 House Wrens during the day. The first was moved into Net 11 while checking the lanes and others followed.
We caught 2 Carolina Wrens, one recature and one new one.
Indigo Buntings were heard early as we set nets, but we only managed to net a female today.
The day began to turn as we were hit by a run of several Northern Cardinals. First up was a new male.
How do we have new male Northern Cardinals? Because is the new generation. You can tell by the remaining black on their bills which will turn completely orange once they are adults.
Andrew banded a female after he washed up the blood caused by pulling grasses (note the bandage).
She was another juvenile born here last Spring. Cardinals are doing very well this year.
Connie hit the table with a flurry of birds near the end of the morning. One we haven't captured in quiet a while. A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. They are typically very aware of the nets and are often seen flying directly toward them and stopping before flying right over them. Nice to have one today.
Tufted Titmice have been waking early for the last few weeks but typically stay higher in the canopy. Today we recaptured one that seems to prefer the lower stories..
As we were about to close up for the day, a Hermit Thrush flew in to Net 3 just beyond the table. Our first of the season and right on time according to our records.
Not a bad day. We shall see what next week brings.
Our latest storm, ETA, is swirling our there. Be sure to check in before heading out Sunday in case we have to cancel.
Today's Totals
NOTE: To ensure the safety of our volunteers and the general public, new visitors are discouraged from attending banding at this time. The few of us who remain will update the blog as long as we can and hope to see new faces in the future. Thank you for your understanding during this unprecedented time.
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, November 8th.
All nets will be opened by 6:15 A.M.
The day began with a couple of Common Yellowthroats. The first was a juvenile male and later we had a female.
We racked up 3 House Wrens during the day. The first was moved into Net 11 while checking the lanes and others followed.
We caught 2 Carolina Wrens, one recature and one new one.
Indigo Buntings were heard early as we set nets, but we only managed to net a female today.
The day began to turn as we were hit by a run of several Northern Cardinals. First up was a new male.
How do we have new male Northern Cardinals? Because is the new generation. You can tell by the remaining black on their bills which will turn completely orange once they are adults.
Andrew banded a female after he washed up the blood caused by pulling grasses (note the bandage).
She was another juvenile born here last Spring. Cardinals are doing very well this year.
Connie hit the table with a flurry of birds near the end of the morning. One we haven't captured in quiet a while. A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. They are typically very aware of the nets and are often seen flying directly toward them and stopping before flying right over them. Nice to have one today.
Tufted Titmice have been waking early for the last few weeks but typically stay higher in the canopy. Today we recaptured one that seems to prefer the lower stories..
As we were about to close up for the day, a Hermit Thrush flew in to Net 3 just beyond the table. Our first of the season and right on time according to our records.
Not a bad day. We shall see what next week brings.
Our latest storm, ETA, is swirling our there. Be sure to check in before heading out Sunday in case we have to cancel.
Today's Totals
| Birds Processed | New | Recaptured | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tufted Titmouse | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Common Yellowthroat | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Carolina Wren | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| House Wren | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Indigo Bunting | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Hermit Thrush | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Northern Cardinal | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Totals | 13 | 2 | 15 |
NOTE: To ensure the safety of our volunteers and the general public, new visitors are discouraged from attending banding at this time. The few of us who remain will update the blog as long as we can and hope to see new faces in the future. Thank you for your understanding during this unprecedented time.
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, November 8th.
All nets will be opened by 6:15 A.M.
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