Lots of Humans, a Few Birds

We knew there would be a LOT of visitors today and hoped for a good number of birds. Visitors showed, birds were scarce, as they have been all season.

Our first bird of the morning was a Gray Catbird. The interesting fact about this bird was that it was first banded as a juvenile 7 and a half years ago. Still going strong and still loving this spot for a Wintering ground. Great site fidelity data.



Jim and Karen bid on a tour from Jenny and Karen got to release our first bird. A Gray Catbird. Glad they got to enjoy a nice experince with a wonderful tour guide.



Our other visitors were from the Young Birders Club that consisted of young birders and parents from Orange Audubon led by Kathy Rigling. Final results were said to be very favorable. They got to see the other birds captured today. See below.



The group got to see the next bird, a recaptured Northern Cardinal.



The next bird up was a species we have not caught in a year. A Swamp Sparrow.



Kathy's grandson got to release the Sparrow after processing.



Soon afterward, Connie came up with the Bird-of-the-Day. This is only the 5th Hooded Warbler captured and banded at Lake Lotus. A great end to the day.



Check the blog often by the end of the week into Saturday. Current forecast is for rains as of this typing and we might not band next Sunday. Stay tuned.

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Gray Catbird	0	1	1
Northern Cardinal	0	1	1
Hooded Warbler	1	0	1
Swamp Sparrow	1	0	1
Totals	3	1	4

______________________________________
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, April 3rd.
All nets will be opened by 6:45 A.M.

Big Birds and Migrants

The morning began with a few twists, the biggest was a new fallen tree across the lanes halfway down after storms over the past week. We could still climb over it all day after breaking away branches so we soldiered on.

Things were quiet for a while before Jenny yelled, "Bird of the Day, Y'all!", as she extracted a male Pileated Woodpecker from Net 24. The female was there, too, but managed to escape. This is only the 2nd Pileated Woodpecker we have banded at Lake Lotus.



Next bird we had was a recaptured Ovenbird. Forgive the blood on Andrew's fingers. Woodpeckers have very sharp talons.



We captured 3 Gray Catbirds today. Two new ones and one recapture. Migration is begining to stir.



A female Northern Cardinal was brought in later in the morning. They are also getting restless as nesting season is approaching.



Our final bird of the day was a juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk in Net 3, just below the table. We released it at the table.



Many visitors are expected next weekend and we hope we can cature enough migrating birds to show our new guests. But, birds go where they go. Fresh air is always nice no matter what.

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Gray Catbird	2	1	3
Northern Cardinal	0	1	1
Ovenbird	0	1	1
Pileated Woodpecker	1	0	1
Red-shouldered Hawk	1	0	1
Totals	4	3	7

______________________________________
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.
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, March 27th.
All nets will be opened by 6:50 A.M.

Entertaining for a Little While...

A very, very quiet day today. Beautiful start to the morning but the winds kicked up early, around 9. Birds were heard all over, but just like last week, none of the birds are really flying through the lanes.

Mid-morning, we did capture a recap House Wren but it managed to escape the bag on the way to the table for processing. If a wren can see a little daylight, it goes for it. If you haven't seen one before, they all look the same, here is one from December.



We all walked the lanes all day and were just not getting anything in the nets. Eventually, Susan and Connie returned to the table and we had a small flock of Titmice feeding overhead. One came down right next to the table on a snag. It quickly flew off and was soon followed by a Pine Warbler in the same spot. It grabbed a discarded feather from the Titmouse and then did some remarkable things.

It then flew down toward us at the table, feet away, and searched the entire area for more items. Feather still in bill, it looked around and grabbed other bits of fluff and scraps until fully loaded. Then it flew to the top of a nearby tree. Definitely grabbing nesting material.

The Pine Warbler then returned several times right next to us to grab more things to bring back to the nest. Right at Susan and Connie's feet! Andrew finally got to the camera and tried to get a few snaps. Here is the best one. A very entertaining watch for nearly 15 minutes. We always hear the Pine Warblers calling just before we leave for the day.



Last bird of the morning was a recaptured male Northern Cardinal.



We will be taking next week off, but remember that is Spring Forward for those manual clocks. See everyone on the 20th, weather permitting.

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Gray Catbird	0	1	1
Northern Cardinal	0	1	1
Totals	0	2	2

______________________________________
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.
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, March 20th.
All nets will be opened by 7:00 A.M.