"I'll be in Seminole County, Officer..."

Some of us, including the Master Bander Andrew, live in Orange County which is currently under a Stay at Home order. This means that residents are encouraged to stay in their homes as much as possible unless they have an essential need such as food, gas, medical, or required to go to work. Lake Lotus Park is in Seminole County just across the line and do not share those rules, yet. We decided to head to the banding site while we can.

Glad we did. Gave the few of us that will be attending some fresh air and we got to collect some more data. Practicing Social Distancing, of course. This Sunday showed that Gray Catbirds are getting restless as they represented the most captured species of the day.



Our first bird of the morning, however, was a juvenile Brown Thrasher born last year on property.



The 2nd new Gray Catbird of the day.



That was soon followed by a recaptured Hermit Thrush.



Gray Catbird number three. All three of the first Catbirds were new. We actually recaptured all of them as they headed, each after banding, through the brush and into Net 2. Silly Catbirds.



We recaptured a juvenile Carolina Wren to keep the totals going up.



Connie and Christine found a Coral Snake slithering through the grasses near our native planting gardens. Red next to yellow says 'stay back'!



Our fourth Gray Catbird was a recapture. They are also being seen at local bird feeders more frequently as they fuel up for trips north.



Right as we were finishing processing the Catbird we heard the pit-ti-tuck call of a bird we had to think about. Ah! A Summer Tanager returning home!! It was a First Spring male by plumage which is a mix of reds and yellow before it turns a brilliant red by the time it molts into its adult feathers.



Once it found a convenient spot high in the trees the Summer Tanager began singing its heart out.



It moved around to a few trees by the table, singing and preening, until it began chasing of a pair of Northern Cardinals back into the woods. It was a great addition to the day. Great-crested Flycatchers have also returned and are 'wheep!'-ing all over the property.



Connie found another local bounding around the lanes. A Leopard Frog.



A second juvenile Brown Thrasher was banded today. It was in Net 16 just like the first bird. Must be near the original nest area as they were hanging out there often.



Two male Northern Cardinals were brought in and Lisa got to process them. The first was a recapture.



The second was a new bird and got its band before release.



As we closed up for the morning a House Wren was found in Net 21 near the lake. They will be headed North soon.



While we wrapped up at the table, Christine noticed an American Alligator down in the basking spot. It seemed smaller than Pat, who hangs out here the most. Perhaps it is Dana?



We will monitor the orders for Seminole County through the week and check in with the rangers to see if the park remains open. If so, we will hope to be out next weekend as migration ramps up. If not, the blog will be updated accordingly.

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.

Stay clean and safe!
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, April 5th.
All nets will be opened by 6:40 A.M.