Cool Morning, Nice Mix

A late cold front pushed through Friday night leaving us with morning temperatures in the upper 50's to begin our day. Only a few more weeks to get some migrants and it was a very pleasant surprise to find a Prothonotary Warbler in a net just after sunrise.



We caught a pair of Northern Cardinals in the same net. Nesting is in full swing!



Also just off the nest is a foraging Carolina Wren.



This is probably the last of the House Wrens for the season. They come down in the Fall and stay all through the Winter. Last week they were singing.



Not much out on the lake today. Didn't even hear a Common Gallinule. Must be busy. Something did make a quick appearance out near the Window on the Lake. An American Bittern. Seconds after this shot it simply vanished back into the vegetation.



For some reason it has been pretty quiet around Net 21 since we moved it into the Willow and Maples. Just not much feeding down there. However, today we had two birds caught at the same time. First was a male Common Yellowthroat.



The best surprise was the bird right next to it. An Indigo Bunting! Seems like we manage to catch one around Earth Day which is next Friday.



Nick got to hold and release the Indigo Bunting for its remaining journey to the North.



Great-crested Flycatchers have been back for weeks but they are staying high in the trees so far.



Our final bird of the day was another species we see around Earth Day. A Black-throated Blue Warbler. We will have to wait for next Fall to see anymore of them.



A rather interesting day until the wind picked up again.
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, April 24th.
All nets will be opened by 6:30 A.M.

2016 Orlando Wetlands Festival, Pt. 2

We continue our hike where we left off in Part 1. At this part of the walk we had a lot of LBJs (Little Brown Jobs) fluttering past near the shore. They would disappear into the grasses. Every now and then one would hop out into the open like this lovely Savannah Sparrow.



Ankle deep in the water were a few Glossy Ibis.



A few yards away, a Great Egret prepares to snag a snack.



The Snowy Egrets were using the vegetation to skip across the water in search of a quick meal.



There was a nice surprise near our destination (searching for a Flycatcher) at the far side of the park. Shifting near the opposite shore was a nice, pink Roseate Spoonbill.



We could not find the flycatcher but there was a perfectly posed Wood Stork up in a Pine Tree.



Did we mention that Purple Gallinules were all over the place today?



This American Alligator was practically asking for its picture to be taken. OK.



Another nice surprise today were many American White Pelicans on the property. One flock of juveniles was right along the berm scooping out fish left and right.



They would often form a line and herd the fish toward the shallower waters.



Spring must be closer than it seems. This Palm Warbler was molting into breeding plumage already.



This is a blurry photo but an ID shot was in order since we don't see too many Caspian Terns this far inland. It was flying almost as fast as the Tree Swallows!



Back in the reeds, a tiny bird was flitting about just out of sight. Eventually we got some good views of a male Common Yellowthroat.



As we got closer to the banding table Maria spotted something moving near the reeds. Turns out it was an American Bittern! Usually, these birds stay hidden in the reeds and can often be mistaken for them. Oddly, this bird was in the open and moving towards us...



We took 60 photos of this beautiful American Bittern and helped a birding hike group spot it as they passed by. Might never get this opportunity again.



By the time we got back to the banding table we could tell the day was shifting. The wind had picked up so our chances of getting many more birds had now dropped.



The hiking group we helped spot the Bittern paid us back by alerting us to a bird in the nets. An Ovenbird. A common bird during migration but not out here at this time of year.



A very elated visitor got to release the Ovenbird.



Even if the catch rates were down we had birds at the right time most of the time when groups stopped by.



Another visitor gets to release a Gray Catbird.



Our nets this years stretched just around the corner but is was a good thing we checked all the way around. At the very end of the net we had a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Probably the same one that had been flying back and forth around the banding table all morning. Andrew was asked to go onto a passing tour bus to explain banding and to let visitors get some photos.



Another Myrtle Warbler is added to the day's tally.



Our final capture of the day was a Palm Warbler. The earlier photo out on the berms was a Western Palm but this was an Eastern, or Yellow Palm, also molting into its Spring plumage.



One more happy child gets to release our Palm Warbler.



Lynn captured a perfectly posed Gray Catbird that avoided our nets but it is a good representative photo since we heard so many today.



Overall, all reports were very positive about the day and the overall event. This was our 3rd best catch rate at the Orlando Wetlands Festival and we all had a great time. Back to home next Sunday. Might be a little chilly, but not too bad.
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, February 28th.
All nets will be opened by 6:20 A.M.

Recaps and Surprises

A number of new (human) visitors made their way into the banding area today and we all had a great time watching birds and even catching a few. Weather is nice and warm, finally, and birds are preparing to feed as much as possible before heading out. However, most birds were keeping high in the treetops so we didn't catch a ton of birds.

Mostly, we had recaptures, including a Carolina Wren.



Soon, we were also getting a couple of Northern Cardinals, including this gorgeous female.



Drawing a lot of attention during the morning was the pair of Barred Owls who are preparing for the next brood. They were nuzzling on a branch near the nest tree and later shared a branch for resting.



Here is a cropped version of the male...



...and one of the female.



Andrew took a walk out toward the lake. Not much out there today. However, he did nearly step on a Rat Snake as he returned back to the net lanes.



A couple birds were witnessed bouncing or escaping from nets through the day. Black and White Warbler, Mourning Dove, and Brown Thrasher all were this close... But we did grab a Gray Catbird soon enough.



We enlisted Gail, a new visitor, to help record data on our Catbird and she was rewarded by being allowed to release the bird back into the wild.



Soon, friend Paul Hueber and Gail headed over to the Lake Lotus boardwalk and found an American Bittern in the lake.



Regardless of that great find, they missed our Bird-of-the-Day five minutes after they left us. A female Painted Bunting!



Maddie, our new recruit, got to release the Bunting.



While recording data, we discovered a Ground Skink hiding amongst the items on the storage table.



One more surprise awaited us before the day ended. We captured a male Myrtle (Yellow-rumped) Warbler down near the pier.



A nice addition and only the 2nd Myrtle banded here. We are improving the habitat to hopefully bring in more soon. William got to release this lovely male Myrtle Warbler.



Watching the weather for next Sunday. Some say 60% rain, some say 30%. Wind might also play a role. Stay tuned. We will update the plan mid-Saturday.
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, March 6th

All nets will be opened by 6:15 A.M.

Spring is Springing

Radar looked promising and the weather final was cooperating but there was not a lot of activity along the net lanes this day. Except for the 4 Cardinals we caught and one lingering Ruby-crowned Kinglet.

The Cardinals are getting very active now. Three of the birds we captured were recaptured residents. They are increasing their areas of activity but some are still being caught in the usual spot (Nets 9 and 13) like this male.



A little later, this female was observed feeding near Net 7. She even perched 2 feet from the net and stared right through the mesh. Then, she flew right into it!



Our recaptured Kinglet was banded back in November. A few Kinglets are still in the area but not for long.



One recaptured female Cardinal seems to be giving Maria a bit of a problem. They pack quite a bite!



Richard began to check the boxes we set up a while ago. No one has moved in yet but we will keep an eye out. A tree fell since our last visit narrowly missing this particular box near the end of the net lane.



Fingers are crossed that the weather has broken. This was a perfect morning and it certainly seems that Spring is here, finally. Wood Ducks fly up and down the river all morning long.



Many birds are singing Springtime songs like this Carolina Wren.




Since the water is lower now, Andrew jumped the river to see if there could be a verification of a possible Short-tailed Hawk sighting. None were found but there was an observance of this Osprey continuously gathering nesting material.



The most unexpected find of the morning was this American Bittern lurking along the shore by the fishing pier.



A more distressing find was also found nearby. A turtle settles in to a feast of an invasive critter. It appears that the Armored Catfish are spreading all over the Wekiva Basin. Not good.



On a happier note, the Barred Owls are usually found reliably near what is thought to be their nest site.




Next Banding Day: Sunday, March 15th.
We will open nets around 7:00 A.M.