Enjoy the rollercoaster weather for the next couple of weeks and we hope to see everyone in the fun Spring migration month.
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, April 2nd.
All nets will be opened by 6:45 A.M.
Saturday, March 18, 2023
No More Banding Until April
Andrew here. I finally get to have a proper vacation in the first time in nearly a decade! Therefore, we will not be banding until the first Sunday of April. Could be raining this weekend, anyway, and the storm front moving through tonight and tomorrow will keep bird movement low.
Enjoy the rollercoaster weather for the next couple of weeks and we hope to see everyone in the fun Spring migration month.
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, April 2nd.
All nets will be opened by 6:45 A.M.
Enjoy the rollercoaster weather for the next couple of weeks and we hope to see everyone in the fun Spring migration month.
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, April 2nd.
All nets will be opened by 6:45 A.M.
Thursday, March 16, 2023
Dawn Chorus was strong, yet it lead to very little in captures this morning. We were sure we would catch a bunch of Cardinals. Alas. A very slow day. Second week of almost no migrant warblers. We did get one fun one, though.
First up was a Gray Catbird.
The UCF Knighthawks were in force today and one of the participants got to release our first bird.
Then things went quiet. We walked lanes and did some hard to find bird watching. Then we had a nice capture. Connie brought in a Swainson's Warbler.
We usually get one in April, so this is a little early. Avery was here as a new member of the UCF Knighthawks. He first came to our banding demo at the Orlando Wetlads Festival in 2014 and is now 3 feet taller. Glad to have him back and releasing the Swainson's Warbler.
Our last capture of the day was another Gray Catbird.
Another Knighthawk got to release that bird.
April should bring us the push of warblers, unless they have already bolted with our warm weather this year. Seems like they are doing it. Waterfowl and many warblers seem to be on the move early.
Keep a close watch on the weather this weekend. Some runs are looking at rain from Saturday through Monday. Be sure to check the blog before you head out Sunday. Feeling it may be canceled already.
Today's Totals
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, March 19th.
All nets will be opened by 7:10 A.M.
First up was a Gray Catbird.
The UCF Knighthawks were in force today and one of the participants got to release our first bird.
Then things went quiet. We walked lanes and did some hard to find bird watching. Then we had a nice capture. Connie brought in a Swainson's Warbler.
We usually get one in April, so this is a little early. Avery was here as a new member of the UCF Knighthawks. He first came to our banding demo at the Orlando Wetlads Festival in 2014 and is now 3 feet taller. Glad to have him back and releasing the Swainson's Warbler.
Our last capture of the day was another Gray Catbird.
Another Knighthawk got to release that bird.
April should bring us the push of warblers, unless they have already bolted with our warm weather this year. Seems like they are doing it. Waterfowl and many warblers seem to be on the move early.
Keep a close watch on the weather this weekend. Some runs are looking at rain from Saturday through Monday. Be sure to check the blog before you head out Sunday. Feeling it may be canceled already.
Today's Totals
| Birds Processed | New | Recaptured | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swainson's Wren | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Gray Catbird | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Totals | 3 | 0 | 3 |
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, March 19th.
All nets will be opened by 7:10 A.M.
Thursday, March 9, 2023
A Long Stretch
Wow. Where did that humidity come from out of nowhere? This was the first day we have begun to sweat while setting nets and throughout the day. But, here we are. And it seemed like a long time in between birds today. Did not see a single migrant Warbler but did see Goldfinches and Cedar Waxwings.
Our first bird was a Carolina Wren.
We have been catching this particular House Wren over and over for the past month and it was first banded a couple years ago. It loves it here.
Gray Catbirds are getting restless and finally finding the nets.
Connie's Sister-in-law got to release our second Gray Catbird.
One of our two Northern Cardinals was captured and this female was a new bird.
Our final Gray Catbird of the morning.
While setting nets, Andrew saw a large eye-shine in the marsh. American Alligators are starting to be active with the unusally warm weather of late. Later, they began to bask up on the sandy banks leftover from the hurricanes of last year. If you look closely, you can see the smaller alligator Andrew almost stepped on while trying to get a shot of the older gator at the bottom center.
That American Alligator jumped out of the way and settled in to the shallow waters just below him.
Our last bird was a new Hermit Thrush. Looked like an Ovenbird from a distance but was a very pretty Thrush.
Hopefully, warblers might return. They are not suppose to leave until next month. However, the weather has been so warm here this year they might already be dispursing early. We shall see.
Note: Daylight Savings Time begins next Sunday at midnight.
Remember to Spring Forward!
Today's Totals
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, March 12th.
All nets will be opened by 7:10 A.M.
Our first bird was a Carolina Wren.
We have been catching this particular House Wren over and over for the past month and it was first banded a couple years ago. It loves it here.
Gray Catbirds are getting restless and finally finding the nets.
Connie's Sister-in-law got to release our second Gray Catbird.
One of our two Northern Cardinals was captured and this female was a new bird.
Our final Gray Catbird of the morning.
While setting nets, Andrew saw a large eye-shine in the marsh. American Alligators are starting to be active with the unusally warm weather of late. Later, they began to bask up on the sandy banks leftover from the hurricanes of last year. If you look closely, you can see the smaller alligator Andrew almost stepped on while trying to get a shot of the older gator at the bottom center.
That American Alligator jumped out of the way and settled in to the shallow waters just below him.
Our last bird was a new Hermit Thrush. Looked like an Ovenbird from a distance but was a very pretty Thrush.
Hopefully, warblers might return. They are not suppose to leave until next month. However, the weather has been so warm here this year they might already be dispursing early. We shall see.
Note: Daylight Savings Time begins next Sunday at midnight.
Remember to Spring Forward!
Today's Totals
| Birds Processed | New | Recaptured | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina Wren | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| House Wren | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Northern Cardinal | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Hermit Thrush | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Gray Catbird | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Totals | 5 | 3 | 8 |
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, March 12th.
All nets will be opened by 7:10 A.M.
Monday, March 6, 2023
Orlando Wetlands Back in Action
The Orlando Wetlands Festival returned after 3 years and we were there to represent. Winds were NOT on our side and gusting steadily all day. We did get 15 birds by the end of the festival, which was not too bad given the conditions. It did seem like all of our visitors had a great experience and our newly printed shirts, brochures, and stickers played a big part in the overall public outreach positive reaction.
Sit back. It is going to be a long post but worth it.
We have been working on tshirt plans for years and we got our designs ready and printed just in time for the demonstrations. Later in the day we gathered to show our new shirts as a group.
Should have taken a photo with us all turned around to show the back design. Here it is in case you missed it.
We arrive before dawn to set rebar and poles for the nets and then begin to capture and process birds long before the fest starts. We caught a couple of Gray Catbirds right after sunrise.
The next bird was a total surpise. A Prairie Warbler! We have never captured one here iover all these years.
Since the festival was not yet open, we let one of the volunteers release the bird.
Everyone milled about between checking nets and waited near the table before the official 9 am start.
Next up was a Carolina Wren.
One of the first visitors got to release it.
Then, what do you know? Our old friend is still here for another Winter. Yes, THE Yellow-breasted Chat! We have now caught this bird 3 times over 5 years during the last three festivals.
Our next visitor was here among a good-sized group and she was given the opportunity to hold and release the Chat.
Time for a tour of the new boardwalk and things found while walking through the first leg of it.
Black-bellied Whistling Ducks have exploded in numbers since we were first here. They are everywhere!
A few Blue-winged Teal were feeding in small spots here and there.
Roseate Spoonbills are gathered more near a hammock up the way, but one was here closer to the walk.
A cluster of Purple Aster was wrapped around a tree in the water.
Patches of Bur Marigold lit up the green from time to time.
Out of nowhere, a Marsh Wren popped out of the vegetation, as they tend to do, and posed for a pretty photo.
Rafts of American Coot cluck and feed all over.
There is another leg of the boardwalk but we had to head back toward the banding table. Just up the path, a young American Alligator crawled out of the pond to catch some sunlight.
At the end of that pond, a Glossy Ibis probed around for a snack.
Around the corner, a Little Blue Heron was on its morning hunt.
A shock of Tick Seed blooms in the cattails as we alost reached the net lanes.
Oof. The wind is still here...
Still catching birds, though. One of our next guests got to release a newly banded Gray Catbird.
Our next Carolina Wren was a bit of an oddity.
Can't recall ever catching a bird missing an eye. Otherwise, the bird seemed to be in great health and even returned near the table later flicking up leaves in search of food.
Ruby-crowned Kinglets were heard most of the morning but they are difficult to catch even on calm days.
There is that smile ew never tire of when folks get more in touch with Nature.
Andrew was extracting our next bird at the end of the lane.
It was a Western Palm Warbler
See, almost always a big smile.
When Andrew comes silently to the table there must be something special in the bag. He never lets out the surprise until the last second.
We captured a Downy Woodpecker! After the band is on and the other information is recorded, our next lucky child gets instructions on holding technique.
After a quick photo, she released it back into the woods.
Then a bit of a catastrophe occured. For the first time ever, one of the tour busses snagged one of our nets. The driver veared to far to the right. Tom and the driver spent some time removing the net from the rearview mirror. The net was ripped and was a total loss. The City of Orlando did reemburse us for a new one.
Our final Gray Catbird was captured and banded. Before release, Jenny took the bird up to the visitors that couldn't make it down the small hill to the table. Think they appreciated it?
Then our next guest gets instructions on holding the Gray Catbird.
A quick spread of the fingers and the bird is away!
With that we began to pack the gear and head out for this year. It was an overall great day and we can't wait to get back out next time. Will it be next year or two? We don't know at this time. The City of Orlando will let us know when they are ready.
Note: Daylight Savings Time begins next Sunday at midnight.
Remember to Spring Forward!
Today's Totals
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, March 12th.
All nets will be opened by 7:10 A.M.
Sit back. It is going to be a long post but worth it.
We have been working on tshirt plans for years and we got our designs ready and printed just in time for the demonstrations. Later in the day we gathered to show our new shirts as a group.
Should have taken a photo with us all turned around to show the back design. Here it is in case you missed it.
We arrive before dawn to set rebar and poles for the nets and then begin to capture and process birds long before the fest starts. We caught a couple of Gray Catbirds right after sunrise.
The next bird was a total surpise. A Prairie Warbler! We have never captured one here iover all these years.
Since the festival was not yet open, we let one of the volunteers release the bird.
Everyone milled about between checking nets and waited near the table before the official 9 am start.
Next up was a Carolina Wren.
One of the first visitors got to release it.
Then, what do you know? Our old friend is still here for another Winter. Yes, THE Yellow-breasted Chat! We have now caught this bird 3 times over 5 years during the last three festivals.
Our next visitor was here among a good-sized group and she was given the opportunity to hold and release the Chat.
Time for a tour of the new boardwalk and things found while walking through the first leg of it.
Black-bellied Whistling Ducks have exploded in numbers since we were first here. They are everywhere!
A few Blue-winged Teal were feeding in small spots here and there.
Roseate Spoonbills are gathered more near a hammock up the way, but one was here closer to the walk.
A cluster of Purple Aster was wrapped around a tree in the water.
Patches of Bur Marigold lit up the green from time to time.
Out of nowhere, a Marsh Wren popped out of the vegetation, as they tend to do, and posed for a pretty photo.
Rafts of American Coot cluck and feed all over.
There is another leg of the boardwalk but we had to head back toward the banding table. Just up the path, a young American Alligator crawled out of the pond to catch some sunlight.
At the end of that pond, a Glossy Ibis probed around for a snack.
Around the corner, a Little Blue Heron was on its morning hunt.
A shock of Tick Seed blooms in the cattails as we alost reached the net lanes.
Oof. The wind is still here...
Still catching birds, though. One of our next guests got to release a newly banded Gray Catbird.
Our next Carolina Wren was a bit of an oddity.
Can't recall ever catching a bird missing an eye. Otherwise, the bird seemed to be in great health and even returned near the table later flicking up leaves in search of food.
Ruby-crowned Kinglets were heard most of the morning but they are difficult to catch even on calm days.
There is that smile ew never tire of when folks get more in touch with Nature.
Andrew was extracting our next bird at the end of the lane.
It was a Western Palm Warbler
See, almost always a big smile.
When Andrew comes silently to the table there must be something special in the bag. He never lets out the surprise until the last second.
We captured a Downy Woodpecker! After the band is on and the other information is recorded, our next lucky child gets instructions on holding technique.
After a quick photo, she released it back into the woods.
Then a bit of a catastrophe occured. For the first time ever, one of the tour busses snagged one of our nets. The driver veared to far to the right. Tom and the driver spent some time removing the net from the rearview mirror. The net was ripped and was a total loss. The City of Orlando did reemburse us for a new one.
Our final Gray Catbird was captured and banded. Before release, Jenny took the bird up to the visitors that couldn't make it down the small hill to the table. Think they appreciated it?
Then our next guest gets instructions on holding the Gray Catbird.
A quick spread of the fingers and the bird is away!
With that we began to pack the gear and head out for this year. It was an overall great day and we can't wait to get back out next time. Will it be next year or two? We don't know at this time. The City of Orlando will let us know when they are ready.
Note: Daylight Savings Time begins next Sunday at midnight.
Remember to Spring Forward!
Today's Totals
| Birds Processed | New | Recaptured | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carilina Wren | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Prairie Watbler | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Downy Woodpecker | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Gray Catbird | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Yellow-breasted Chat | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Myrtle Warbler | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Western Palm Warbler | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Totals | 14 | 1 | 15 |
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, March 12th.
All nets will be opened by 7:10 A.M.
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