Quiet. Yet, the New Normal.

Colder temps came and went since last week. We were waking to the upper 30s during the week but are back to the mid-80s today. Such is Florida weather. We will dip again some next week and then finally settle into seasonal temperatures for the foreseeable future. We will welcome highs in the 70s for a bit.

Bird-wise, it was slow. Not many birds heard or seen for most of the day. Early on, we did start the morning with an adult male Common Yellowthroat. Many others were heard out in the marsh and near the lake.



Then we spent quite a while waiting for other birds to fly through. The entire Titmouse family had been hanging up below the banding table all morning. Finally, we got one of the recaptured members at Net 15. He was an angry little guy, constantly pecking at Andrew's finger tips.



While watching a Barred Owl, we found a pair of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers tapping away on their favorite wintering trees.



Along the neighbor's fence, there is still a lot of green popping up unlike the fungus we featured last week. All of those structures have declined, nearly completely.



Christine and Andrew were wandering the lanes and Christine found a new bloom near Net 13. It took them a couple minutes to recall that is was a Mistflower, seen here occasionally over the years.



As the day was winding down, we got our last bird of the day. A Northern Cardinal first banded earlier in the year.



Andrew went home on the search of Hooded Mergansers but only found a few Sandhill Cranes resting at Maitland Center. Two were resting on the lawn but the other was standing on point next to them.



The Sandhill Cranes were right next to the lot and made for nice, close shots. The last shots was more of a "Don't even think about it!" kind of look.



On the way out of the Center, a couple of birds flew up in front of the car. Seems a small flock of American Goldfinch were taking advantage of the puddles to grab a drink before heading off for more feeding opportunities.



We wrapped the day with three birds in hand. Looking at the past data, that is the norm for the past few years. 2015 had 7 birds on this date. Seems the numbers keep going downward. Hmmm...

And, one more thing...KNIGHTS WIN! Orlando's Hometown Team has gone two straight years undefeated and AAC Champions!!! Where is the love, NCAA?



NOTE: No banding this weekend. Forecasts are looking bleak. Going to give them the benefit of the doubt this time. Could be strong at anytime. We will try for the 16th and then take a break for the holidays.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, December 16th.
All nets will be opened by 6:40 A.M.

Typical February. Except the Heat.

Feels like the heat is already on. Projected high is in the low 80. In mid-February... The morning, however, was a bit chilly but pleasant. Except for the fact that the rangers changed the combination lock without letting us know. Time to wake up the lead ranger at 5:30 AM.

Once we were in and set up a bit late we started our morning with a Hermit Thrush.



Gray Catbirds are still active and the first one we got was one we first banded just last week.



Colleen is now more empowered at extracting birds and even took on a Northern Cardinal today. It was a new female.



The puffy fungus we discovered last week is now spreading out and getting lighter. It even looks like something has been munching on the lower portions.



Out near the lake, the rising sunlight set the grasses and flower aglow.



American Goldfinches out in the willows nibbling flower buds.



Back near the table we recaptured a House Wren first banded a few years ago.



Last week we were capturing female Ruby-crowned Kinglets and today we got a nice adult male.



Overall, a very nice and typical February morning. Birds are beginning to start their turn back North and capture rates should increase as we head towards Spring.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, February 19th.
All nets will be opened by 6:30 A.M.

Quick Note

Happy Valentine's Day! Banding knows few holidays. We can celebrate later in the evening.



We had a couple of visitors today and one got to release one of our banded Gray Catbirds.



We didn't get a lot of birds today but it was a pleasure to capture one of our local Brown Thrashers.



More birds could be heard our by the marsh but they weren't coming as close to Net 18 as we would have liked.



Across from Net 21, an American Goldfinch was feeding on the willows.



Hard to see but the white specks over the far side of the lake are Forster's Terns. They sometimes fish closer to this side but not that often.



Just before heading back to the table, a small flock of Cedar Waxwings sped over the lake. Not too many Waxwings or Robins this year for some reason.



Saturday, February 20th, We will be at the Orlando Wetlands Festival and probably not banding Sunday after a long day there. Gets kind of exhausting after setting poles and nets, banding all day, and then packing up all the gear again. We should be back on schedule on the 28th.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Saturday, February 20th.
All nets will be opened by 7:00 A.M. Festival starts at 9 AM.

Two Firsts of the Season

Higher wind than usual today. We figured that we wouldn't catch too many birds but we did have a couple of surprises along the way. We even had two new bird species for the season. More on that later, but our Gray Catbirds were up before dawn with two of them in the brighting morning.



Down at Net 14, a Hermit Thrush was comfortably resting in a net panel.



On the next run, Andrew found Richard extracting our first Eastern Phoebe of the season. They have been very vocal and visible and often have been seen perching on the net poles lately so it was nice to actually catch one.



A Great Egret flew to the sandbar across from the peir out at the lake and it was soon reproached by a Limpkin. Rangers say the Limpkins are preparing to nest nearby so probably a bit if a territory dispute brought them together.



Just across from the sandbar, a small flock of American Goldfinches dropped in to feed in the Primrose Willow.



Heading back to the nets away from the lake, a Western Palm Warbler teased us just across the river.



Becki and Killian brought in the Ruby-crowned Kinglet of the day, also in Net 21 by the lake.



A male Pileated Woodpecker flew to the snag next to the banding table in search of food before flying off again.



Most of the birds seen today were flying far overhead. Robins, ducks, and warblers were definitely on the move through the area but most failed to drop lower to Earth. At one point a flock of American Crows paused long enough to call loudly from the treetops near the table.



As Andrew cleared a stand of Primrose Willow next to Net 21, a female Painted Bunting was trapped next to the river. This is our first of the season for this species and it has been quiet a while since we have captured one.



So, not as disappointing as was anticipated but we would like to see more Yellow-rumps in the area. We did hear a couple of Cedar Waxwings fly past so maybe we can up the totals for next week. Less wind would certainly help us out.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, December 13th.
All nets will be opened by 6:35 A.M.

Quiet But Fun

Well, another slow day added to an already overall slow season. Just doesn't seem to be as many birds around this year. Even off-site we aren't seeing big numbers of...anything. Data is data, though.

Even before the light was up we could see that the dock, which was tumbled during the last flood, had been been righted as of last week. Now they just have to get some post holes made to secure it again.



As we were setting nets it crossed our minds that we have yet to catch a Ruby-crowned Kinglet this season. Right on cue, we got our first. An adult female, which lacks the ruby crown.



Checking on Net 21 just after sunrise, Andrew heard an Eastern Phoebe passing close by, calling along the way. If not for that sound he wouldn't have looked to the left to find a Great Blue Heron standing atop a branch just across the river.



40 yards to the right, an American Goldfinch swooped in to survey the surroundings. Will this be the year we finally catch one?



Two months ago the September flooding gave us a treat by depositing a lot of sediment to give us a new beach along the area for Net 21. It was a welcome sight and made for easier potential bird extractions by the riverside.



This latest flood had the opposite effect. Large sections of the river bank have been washed away. Now we have to consider a way to shore up the lane or move out of a very productive net placement.



While we ponder that situation there is always time to check out what is happening above us. The most obvious was the cry of a Red-shouldered Hawk. It landed in a pine tree by the road and began to add to the nest. So soon?



High overhead, a flock of Double-crested Cormorants headed toward the lake. Later we would go out in the muck toward the lake to have a look around. 100's of those cormorants weren't first to the party!!



Flying in the opposite direction, an American Robin zoomed along toward the East.





As the Cypress trees head toward hibernation they continue to shine bright in the early morning sunshine.



Below the canopy, Becki discovered a Ladybug pupa clinging to a tree trunk.

A few wading birds were moving upstream today. First was a Snowy Egret that got spooked by us walking by before noticing it. Later, a Limpkin was found reflecting nicely against the water.



It is not too rare to have the Limpkins this far up-river but they usually stick to the lake and the reeds.



One last bird for the day (after our recaptured Northern Cardinal) was a Carolina Wren. Another one for the books.



The sunlight was increasing and Ranger Frank spotted an adult American Alligator in the marsh before the lake. Didn't have the camera for that but by the time we got to the banding table Frank spotted another Alligator sunning above the river.



6 to 8 feet above the river! This American Alligator had to get up there somehow. There is a gentle slope to the right but who knows. Interestingly, Andrew was down by the river at this spot an our ago with no gator sightings.



We wrapped up for the day with a lot of species sightings but the existing birds had no interest in flying low. On the way home, Andrew decided to check on the Hooded Mergansers again in Maitland Center. Several male and female birds were spotted in one of the retention ponds.



One more week before Christmas and we decide on banding around the holidays. Stay tuned!
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, December 21st.
All nets will be opened by 6:45 A.M.