A Bit of Migration

It was a beautifully cooler morning as we headed out to see what the winds would bring us. Birdcast predicted a large migration for the overnight, but you have to add in that a lot of birds on the move are probably waterfowl and not necessarily all of the land birds we look forward to. However, it was a pretty good migrant day today.

Things started well as Connie brought in a female Painted Bunting.



Next up was one of our first Common Yellowthroats today. This was an adult male.



We caught few House Wrens throughout the morning.



Despite the number of species, we only got one Ovenbird.



Indigo Buntings are arriving in larger numbers. We got 3 today.



Gray Catbirds were heard around the property but we only got one of them.



Next up was another adult male Common Yellowthroat.



Carolina Wrens are emerging from the brush again and we caught adults and juveniles banded earlier in the year.



A big suprise today was a fairly late juvenile Veery. Typically, this species is the first Thrushes to arrive a month or so earlier. This guy is moving through a little late.



An adult Carolina Wren was finally captured after a few juvenile recaps.



Bird of the Day was reserved for the first Belted Kingfisher we have caught since 2015. We also caught 4 the year before.



We did recapture a juvenile White-eyed Vireo as the morning began to wear down. It was a bird we first banded in September.



The rest of the day was filled with Northern Cardinals. First up was a juvenile, noted by the black still remaining on the bill.



The next two birds were unbanded adults. Like this male...



...and a female just after that. Where are these new birds from? Been around for a year or so or new residents?



Hoping we can keep these numbers up for a while. Of course, it depends on the weather. We are ready for any scenario.

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Common Yellowthroat	5	0	5
Painted Bunting	1	0	1
Northern Cardinal	2	1	3
White-eyed Vireo	0	1	1
Indigo Bunting	3	0	3
Gray Catbird	4	1	5
Carolina Wren	2	2	4
House Wren	4	0	4
Veery	1	0	1
Ovenbird	1	0	1
Belted Kingfisher	1	0	1
Totals	24	5	29

NOTE: Due to the new CDC recommendations, if you are fully vaccinated you are not required to wear masks, esp. at outdoor events such as ours. Get your shots and come on out. Otherwise, bring a mask. All current members at Lake Lotus are fully Vac'ed.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, October 17th.
All nets will be opened by 7:00 A.M.