By May our migrants are pretty much gone and we prepare for locals to breed and unleash thier young upon us by the end of the month. At least the wind left us alone.
Our first bird of the day was an adult Carolina Wren, with a brood patch. We first banded this bird as a juvenile last year.
Next up, we caught a male Northern Parula. He was busy gathering food for their chicks and can be heard up and down the lanes. This was a newly banded bird.
You can easily tell a male Northern Parula from the female by the 'necklace' on their breast.
Northern Parulas are typically seen from below. If you do see them from above you notice the yellow-green on their backs.
In the same net, another male Northern Parula was captured. This one was a recapture, first banded in March.
We were wondering where all the birds have gone from the marsh. Net 21 has been fairly quiet this year. But, on the last net check we found an adult male Downy Woodpecker in the net.
With just a few weeks in the season we will probably get some babies and usually more reckless adults trying to feed them and not paying attention. They will all be treated with great care as the bird population at Lake Lotus continues to thrive.
Today's Totals
| Birds Processed |
New |
Recaptured |
Total |
| Carolina Wren |
1 |
1 |
2 |
Northern Parula |
1 |
1 |
2 |
| Downey Woodpecker |
1 |
0 |
1 |
| Totals |
3 |
2 |
5 |
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, May 12th.
All nets will be opened by 6:15 A.M.
