Wide spread and hours-long rains last night brought us cooler weather but very wet and drippy conditions as we began our 18th banding session. Damp mornings lead to a quiet few hours before birds want to move around. It gave us some time to spruce up the needed net lane fixes and some trimming. Thanks to the rangers for mowing and removing certain blockages before we got back in business.
We only caught migrants today (not complaining) but the first 'capture' of the morning was a shock. And one of our nightmere thoughts.
Connie called in to report a Great Blue Heron was in the net at the end of the lanes. BTW, that was Net 24. The rains got the river so high, we could not get out to Nets 21 and 26. Might be weeks before we can get out there.
The heron was trapped by its bill. Connie did not want to get too close, opting for a photo before calling for help.
Andrew arrived soon afterward and as he an Connie advanced toward the bird, it began to get aggitated and freed itself and headed for the swamp uninjured. Whew. Can't think of dealing with that deadly bill close up. Great Blues are a formitable predator, eating everything they can catch. Fish, snakes, rats, and even baby alligators. Glad we didn't have to try getting it all the way out.
Soon, we began to get some migrants as the day dried a bit. The most captured species were Ovenbirds. We caught 3 new birds and one recapture.
Our one other migrant was a Northern Waterthrush.
More Fall-like weather is moving in and we hope to get a lot more migrants next week. Thankfully, we have no hurricanes on the horizon during the peak season. Lets get more fun birds from here on out!
Today's Totals
| Birds Processed | New | Recaptured | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Waterthrush | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Ovenbird | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Totals | 4 | 1 | 5 |
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, September 14th.
All nets will be opened by 6:50 A.M.