Latest Bandings at the Rehab Center

Andrew has been out to band some raptors before their release back into the wild a couple of times lately for our friends at the Avian Reconditioning Center and now they were ready to release some more. During this time, we have been helping to train Allison Miller in the hopes that she can be qualified to band them on their own.

We love heading out there but it is a good distance away and it would be more convenient if someone was able to do it whenever they are ready to set a bird free which can sometimes be at a moment's notice.

We had several species to band today and the first up was one of the last American Kestrel still on hand. We banded a bunch of them last month.



Next up was a species we have not banded here in a while. Eastern Screech Owls. We occasionally catch them in the wild at the banding station. Today we had four adorable young birds ready for jewelry. Most were waiting by the door to their enclosure.



Allison brought out the first Eastern Screech Owl. Notice the thick gloves they wear to grab the birds to avoid any injury. Raptor talons and beaks are super sharp and strong.



Once she retrieved a bird, she would hand it over to Andrew (no gloves for him!) so she can do the actual banding procedure.



After being banded and the data recorded, the Eastern Screech Owls just want us to go away.



On to the largest birds of the day. Great-horned Owls. Here, Allison applies the band to the first subject.



Scott brought in the next Great-horned Owl. Andrew's son, Patrick, had the photography duties for these big guys, all juveniles.



Great-horned Owl have extremely strong claws to grab their prey. Also a deadly set of talons you don't want to be caught up in!



The last Great-horned Owl is brought...



...and Allison applied another band while we check that everything is secured properly.



You can see the band on this bird's leg and now we have a lot of birds about ready to be released.



Allison is doing a great job with the banding so we now just wait for the paperwork to clear and she will be on her way to taking over. We are now discussing the possibility of doing a banding demo for their next Owl Fest in November. We would only be catching our typical small bird species but it would give the public a chance to see the banding process in action.

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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, August 3rd.
All nets will be opened by 6:20 A.M.

An Interesting Mix

An average day today as the skies slowly cleared and occasionally misted early on. It seems that the Ovenbirds are making their move back North and rising early.



We captured out second Worm-eating Warbler in as many weeks. Always a treat to see and hold.



Woodpeckers are actively nesting in several locations and a male Downy Woodpecker found himself in Net 4 as the clouds tried to burn off.



Two Black-throated Blue Warblers were caught today, both males. There are two sub-species of this bird and we caught both. The first one was the Appalachian variety, showing dark streaks on the back.



The other was a Northern Black-throated Blue Warbler, lacking the black markings.



Baby Barred Owl is now well out of the nest and moving through the treetops. Momma sat nearby and they but took a long snooze by mid-morning but we closed the nets near them just to avoid any possible temptation if a bird happened to become trapped below the owls.



Danny arrived with his parents to show them the banding process. Along their travels, Danny found a Dragonfly in one of the nets.



A splash of color came later on as we caught an adult male Common Yellowthroat.



Gray Catbirds should still last a couple more weeks before heading home to breed. We have friends at other banding sites noting differently colored under-tail coverts and we usually only have birds with a solid rufus color. Today we had one with a mix of rufus and gray.



Danny's father got to release one of the Catbirds after his mother got to release a bird earlier in the morning.



Peering through the swaying pines, we could just make out the female Swallow-tailed Kite up on the nest.

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Andrew got a message to see if he could band some American Kestrels out at the Avian Reconditioning Center before they are released back into the wild. Friday he headed over in the morning to do just that. This is one of the birds that cannot be rehabed for release and is used as a 'show' bird at events in various locations of Central Florida.



A newly fledged American Kestrel was banded first and then the staff headed out to gather the older birds from their enclosure.



Allison was allowed to band the last two Kestrels and they were replaced into their enclosure until they are rounded up for release very soon.



An interesting week and mix of birds. What will next week bring?
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, April 27th.
All nets will be opened by 6:20 A.M.

Raptor Banding at ARC

Following our quick couple of hours at the banding site on Saturday we had to make our appointment over at the Avian Reconditioning Center (ARC) where Allison has been wanting to get some raptors banded before they are released back into the wild. An American Kestrel and Barred Owl were brought into the facility, have been healed, are healthy enough to be set free. We would soon learn there were a couple other surprises ahead.

This is also a day to get Allison some extra banding practice so that she can do it on her own in the future. The American Kestrel was brought in for its band and we couldn't resist a couple shots. We have to band indoors just in case the birds try to escape so the lighting is not the best.



American Kestrels are very skittish in the while so getting a shot of them in their natural setting can be difficult. The colors on these birds is amazing.



We thought the owl would be next but our surprise was that there were also a couple of Cooper's Hawks waiting in the wings. Since Allison was doing the banding, Andrew had to turn the camera over to Christine so he could hold the raptors.



First, one Cooper's Hawk...



...then the other.



Finally, the Barred Owl was brought in. Andrew measures the bird's tarsus to make sure the proper band size is used.



Bands for Barred Owls are sometimes a difficult task. Instead of a simple band, they are lock-ons and take more skill. This turned into a 3-person chore but in the end the banding was successful and the owl was taken back to the mew and will be released soon.



A well-rounded banding day. We began by getting the smaller birds in the area as the Common Yellowthroats returned and then we end by getting much larger birds banded at ARC. Time to get a little rest before we head back to the banding site Sunday.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, September 15th.
All nets will be opened by 6:35 A.M.

Lake Apopka Wildlife and Birdapalooza Festival

Today was the 1st annual Lake Apopka Wildlife and Birdapalooza festival held at Magnolia Park on the shore of Lake Apopka. We were asked to put on a banding demonstration by the Orange County Audubon recently and decided it would be a good thing to join in on. Overall, it was a good day. Tweaks will be made to increase our captures for the next event. Reports are that around 4.400 vistors made it out for this first happening.



We began setting nets just after 7 AM and had everything in oder by 8 AM. The crew relaxed for a few moments to enjoy muffins and prepare for the crowds. Andrew, Bob, Richard, and Susan were on hand to man the event.



Our friend, Paul Hueber, was there to take a tally of birds seen in the park and reports from tour goers.



Our first bird of the day was a Carolina Wren with a very prominent brood patch. She must have a nest started nearby.



Down near the lake, an Eastern Phoebe flitted through the trees.



Flying in directly toward us, a pair of Mottled Ducks landed near the shore.



Myrtle (Yellow-rumped) Warblers gathered and scooped up insects among the reeds, as well.



Back at the table, we captured a couple of Northern Cardinals. Many birds of this species were around today and we ended up banding several of them. It will be interesting to see if we recapture any of them next year. Cardinals give a good bite, thus the stick to give them something else to focus on.



Back at the lake, Forster's Terns cruise the shoreline.



Despite their name, Moon Glorys begin to bloom in the early morning and brighten up the paths along the lake.



Our friend Carol McCorkle from the Avian Reconditioning Center in Apopka gave a presentation on stage. She brought out one of their Bald Eagles to start the show.



One of the birds out in the crowd was a Red-shouldered Hawk which suffered an injured eye and will remain in the ARC facilities for care.



Next up was a Barn Owl. One of our most interesting, and secretive, owls in Florida.



The last bird in Carol's presentation was an American Kestrel. Tiny bird. Big appetite.



We caught another Yellow-rumped Warbler and had some guests around to watch the banding process.



We allowed on of the guests to release the bird.



Soon, a male Northern Cardinal to add to the list. They were hiding in the brush all day.



The last hiking tour of the day stopped by just in time to see a banding demo.



After the bird was banded and released, Susan provided more information about tracking banding birds.



Up by the fence, Palm Warblers were beginning to feed in the grass. Always impressive to see these birds transitioning into their Spring plumage.



Andrew was making one last check of the nets when he heard something drop into the branches overhead. Squirrel? Nope.



A Yellow Rat Snake was 'hanging out' it the tree searching for food. Finally, it showed its face from behind the leaves.



All in all a great day for the 1st annual event. We will make some tweaks by next year and look forward to our involvement in 2014.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, March 17th.
All nets will be opened by 7:00 A.M.