"W" is for...

...Wet.

Apparently, it rained hard overnight in the Lake Lotus area. Morning skies were completely clear before dawn but the property was saturated and did not really dry out all morning. Not a good situation for banding in our experience. Birds tend to stay tucked away, unless they are rubbing against the soaked leaves to bathe like Hummingbirds were doing. Otherwise, we were soggy.



We did not hear many birds throughout the morning. Our one (!) banded bird was a super worn molting female Northern Cardinal. She has seen better dresses but is coming out of Mommy mode so she will be much prettier soon.



Then things got quiet. We did catch a juvenile Carolina Wren, but it escaped the bag on the way back to the table. However, it flew up to a snag nearby and made Andrew notice something up in the vegetation above. A large Air Potato vine was reaching up about 40 feet high and it seemed to be trailing something underneath. Andrew hauled it out of the tree and was surprised to find it was flowers hanging there.

We have observed Air Potato in the area for more than a decade and none of us have ever seen one blooming. Seemed they only spread by tubers, which is mainly true, but those had to start from somewhere, right. Chicken and egg thing. Potatoes come from somewhere and the ones you get in the store do bloom.

Time for research! According to the IFAS Extension of the University of Florida: "Although air potato rarely flowers in Florida, the plant can produce small, fragrant flowers that arise from the leaf axils and grow in loose clusters up to four inches long. Male and female flowers are found on separate plants. No fruits or male flowers have ever been observed in Florida."

Interesting.



The Air Potato Beetles are appearing in larger numbers in many areas of the property. They need to catch up!



One of our resident Limpkin was near the marsh just across the fence and wandering to and fro. No calling this morning.



There were many Grasshoppers hanging out on the wet grasses waiting to dry out, like this brown one. So many species, so little time for research this week...



The wooded area behind the net lanes have undergone big changes over the Summer. Grape vines have covered vast swathes of the forest floor and many old snags and branches have fallen during the many storms in the past few months. Where you find downed tree material, you soon find fungus feeding on it.



Nearby, an Orb weaver (probably a Tropical Orb weaver) was enjoying a late morning meal. Closer inspection revealed it to be the last of some dragonfly species.



There are several patches of Sensitive Briar spreading throughout the lanes and back in the pine flat woods. This one was being visited by a metallic green bee.



We are going to end with a great collection of Kate's macro work this morning among the grasses. Not a ton of time to track down exact species, so if anyone knows then we can update later.

We do recognize Earwigs. Don't see them all the time as they shuffle around in the leaf litter, but we remember being terrified by them as children while exploring in the woods. Not dangerous. So they say...



Another spider for the morning. Looks related to Long-jawed Orb-weavers but hard to tell from this angle. Nice droplet web, though.



A two-fer! A Grasshopper and Leaf Hopper having a chat. Possibly a Rosemary Grasshopper?



Beetle time! There are a lot of beetles in the state in all colors and shapes. Most of them are overlooked. Kate did not miss them. We could take insect portraits all day, if we chose to.



Ok, maybe a hopper? Too cute to pass up despite those spines!



Beetles have to start somewhere. This one is in the larval stage which looks a lot like Ladybugs before they form their round, spotted carapace.



So...not skunked, but perplexed. Migrants should be in the nets by now. Winds are odd to the North and the Pacific is super stormy while the Atlantic sleeps. Just need one more big gust to shift toward the southeast. Hoping tomorrow starts the more interesting part of the early season.
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, August 19th.
All nets will be opened by 6:25 A.M.

Checking the Site

I went to the banding site to see how much work we will need to do before beginning the next Session. Looks like we are gonna need a bigger mower. Net 9 is just about engulfed.



Most of the other net poles are being overtaken by Air Potato.



There is minimal signs that the Air Potato Beetles have been around this year. There are only a couple of leaves that were chewed on and it looks like that was quite some time ago.



In fact, I saw NO beetles today but a lot of healthy Air Potato vines.



Down by Net 22, the Guinea Grass is just as healthy.



The only good sign was multiple families of birds. Juveniles of many species were seen all over, including Cardinals, Parula, Titmice, Carolina Wrens, and Downy Woodpeckers.



I only saw one early migrant, a Yellow-throated Warbler, but other early arrivers are being reported around the area.



So, a couple grueling weekends await us before we can get going in the sauna that is August.
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, August 14th.
All nets will be opened by 6:25 A.M.

July Property Check

Time for the July check to see where we stand before Session 8. Rains have spurred the grasses into life and we will have to do a little work to clear some of the net areas before August.



Fallen braches are expected from some of the snags, especially after some high winds. One big snag is next to Net 19 and a large branch did fall right across the area. Should be able to clear that with a bit of effort on the planned clean-up trip in a couple of weeks.



Last month we noticed the return of the Air Potato Beetles but they only were emerging in the heavier section of the lanes. Today, we found almost no leaf untouched. Larva are beginning their work all along the river.



In fact, many adult mating pairs were seen on many leaves.



There was not a lot of bird activity on this humid day but the dragonflies were enjoying the insect bounty and occasionally resting on the blades of grasses and dead stalks.



The Marsh Rabbits are also liking the high grass right now.



While most of the net lanes should be mowed by the rangers, they can't get down to Net 21. Looks like a lot of clearing will be focused there soon.



On the way out there were signs of Leather Flower gone to seed. The first time we ever saw them was when they were in these whirling shapes by the first table set-up and lead us to figure out what the heck it was as none of us had seen them before.



The next season we saw them blooming and there are still some blooms along the fence line near where we park.



Two weeks later we found that the Air Potato Beetles were in full tilt against the invasives. Less work for us before starting the next year.



Though it is our state bird, we do not usually see Northern Mockingbirds on property. Habitat is not best for them here. So it was nice to see one this morning in the snags.



Next week we begin Session 8. Can't wait for the new discoveries in the upcoming 10 months.
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, August 2nd.
All nets will be opened by 6:15 A.M.

Usual Suspects With a Nice Surprise

Yet another day setting nets in a sauna. Sweat started rolling at 5:50 AM like last week as the Barred Owls called from across the lake. We had the usual suspects in the nets today but we did find a very interesting find by mid-morning. More on that after the birds.

Our most abundant captures were recaptured adult Northern Cardinals including this male in heavy molt.



We also caught a couple of unbanded young Carolina Wrens. Unbanded no more.



Out at Net 16 we captured an adult female Northern Cardinal, also in heavy molt. She was first banded 3 1/2 years ago.



Later in the day, we also caught our first baby female Northern Cardinal. We can hear them around but they have not been caught before this year. Cardinals are born with black bills that change to orange as they mature.



During our Summer months we spend a lot of time pulling invasive plants, including Air Potato vine. At one point, Andrew took to pulling a large patch that was climbing a tree and then noticed something new. Some of the leaves were completely skeletonized! One thought quickly came to mind. Beetles.



Further inspection revealed the source. Air Potato Beetle Larva.



Earlier in the year the park rangers received a batch of Air Potato Beetles and released them on the park side of the river. In the past few weeks, Ranger Frank told us he could no longer locate them. Seems they have moved to 'our' side of the river. Frank came over today and he and Andrew headed down to investigate some more.

After looking around for a bit, they started finding more. And more, And more. Besides the larva, many mating pairs were scattered on the vines.



Nearby, a large Lubber Grasshopper watches the pair as they confirm more beetles in the area.



Air Potato Beetles only eat the Air Potato leaves and do not forage on any other native plants. Super helpful and they are being distributed around the state to contain the vines that can quickly overtake native flora.



We found the Air Potato Beetles in a stretch from the banding table and all the way down to the far end of the net lanes.



Odd that we were here to get all the birds banded that we could but were more excited by this discovery today.



This will change once the migrants begin to arrive in the next couple of weeks but having something else take the reigns of our invasive plant removal is a welcome reward. Eat up, beetles!
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, August 17th.
All nets will be opened by 6:30 A.M.