Session 14 Begins

Session 14 began today and it went pretty well. Filled with September migrants and some local birds. The morning was surprisingly pleasent with low humidity and a barely there breeze. We got nets set before 7 AM and proceded to walk the lanes. The rangers did a great job of clearing the lanes a few days ago, though we did have to replace seveal pole lines. Better that than have to clear brush. No complaints.

We found our first bird soon after 7 and it was a Veery, right on time for this time of year. Veery are the first thrushes that move through the South in this early migration period before Fall.



A decision was made to forego August this year (and maybe for the upcoming years) but we feared we might have missed Waterthushes in thier early passes through the area. Luckily, we caught a Northern Waterthrush for our second bird of the morning.



It is also the time for Common Yellowthroats to increase, and we did get one adult female today. Males will follow soon.



Next up was a new male Northern Cardinal. Still getting a few new Cardinals but we also captured another recaptured male local later on.



Several Ovenbirds were banded today and many more were seen and heard all over the property.



A Brown Thrasher was watched feeding on the ground for a while and it eventually hit the nets for a new band. It was a new juvenile bird. Later on, we had an adult hit Net 3, too.



Bird of the Day was a Worm-eating Warbler. We don't get them too often, but the encounters are growing in the past few years.



Several Carolina Wrens were processed this morning. Two adults and a juvenile.



Connie had a Red-shouldered Hawk hit Net 24. She almost decided to bring it in...until she worried more about the talons. It was tossed out of the net and released without banding.

We headed out to the warming morning with some good birds under out belts and felt great about the upcoming season. Fall is right over there and we cannot wait for the finds as we head into the future.

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Carolina Wren	2	1	3
Northern Cardinal	1	1	2
Northern Waterthrush	1	0	1
Ovenbird	3	0	3
Common Yellowthroat	1	0	1
Veery	1	0	1
Brown Thrasher	1	1	2
Worm-eating Warbler	1	0	1
Red-shouldered Hawk	1	0	1
Totals	12	3	15

NOTE: Due to the new CDC recommendations, if you are fully vaccinated you are not required to wear masks, esp. at outdoor events such as ours. Get your shots and come on out. Otherwise, bring a mask. All current members at Lake Lotus are fully Vac'ed.

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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, September 12th.
All nets will be opened by 6:40 A.M.

Checking in at the Site

Andrew here. I headed to the banding site to get a feel as to how much clean-up we might be doing next month especially after we had a couple of big storms roll through that could have felled some of the dead snags. Surprisingly, there was not a lot of damage and the water level was lower than I had expected. Some tree parts have fallen near Net 3 but it looks like the rangers may have moved them out of the main path.



I also went to see if we had any beneficial beetles emerging but all of the Air Potato leaves near the banding table appear to be untouched. Just below the table in the river I spotted a few very large Armored Catfish apparently digging out a burrow in preparations for starting a new family. Not good. These non-natives can be very destructive.



By the time I got to Net 6 I did start to see some encouraging signs. The Air Potato leaves higher up are showing some wear and tear.



A bit farther down the lane at Net 12 I noticed a lot of damaged leaves and a bright red beetle floated past me as I walked deeper into the ground cover. Under another leaf I found a pair mating. Bring on the larvae!



Behind Net 22 I found several Silver Argiopes (AR-GEE-OH_PEE) on their squiggly webs in the shade.



There was not a lot of bird activity out here today. I did spot a couple of our banded Northern Cardinals along the way and Titmice and Carolina Wrens were calling back in the woods but not much else. As I neared Net 21, a female Downy Woodpecker flew by at shoulder level, lit upon a tree trunk, and quickly faded back into the shadows. Just then, a Great-crested Flycatcher flew in across the river.



It silently followed me as I headed to the end of the net lanes but soon vanished in the direction of the woodpecker.



Most turtles dive back into the water when approached but this Red-bellied Cooter was pretty defiant as I walked the Net 21 bank. It never flinched.



The only other thing stirring in the breeze were scores of Dragonflies.



I was hoping to catch a glimpse of Swallow-tailed Kites but the only bird riding the thermals was a very distant Black Vulture.



On the way out I did some more exploring around Net 12 and found more and more Air Potato Beetles.



The adults was flying back and forth and nibbling on tender shoots of the Air Potatoes. I expect to find a lot of skeletonized leaves which will mean we can skip pulling vines, at least.



Get to work, beetles! I will come back to check on your progress soon.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, August 2nd.
All nets will be opened by 6:15 A.M.

Slow With Early Migrants

Our third week of the new Session was again like being back in a sauna before dawn while setting nets. Bugs are buzzing most of the morning but it is always nice to watch the sunrise out in the woods. The Guinea Grass is making a strong comeback (as expected) even after the city knocked it back last year.



The morning dew clung to everything including our shoes.



The morning began well with a couple of recaptures including a Northern Cardinal and a Carolina Wren. A bit later we captured a new Wren molting into its new adult plumage.



Then the quiet. Nice having Lynn and Ike back to capture some wildlife around the area. As others walked the lanes and did a bit of weeding, Lynn found a bunch of interesting finds. This time of year we find a ton of spiders along the lanes and often walk into the webs while getting set up. One of the species that weaves the biggest webs are the Common Orb Spiders (Neoscona crucifera). Love the way it appears that it is making contrails in the dark.



Nearby, an Ichneumon Wasp hunts in the weeds.



Another favorite spider, especially after we learned how to pronounce it, is the Black and Yellow Argiope (Ar-Gee-Oh-Pee) wrapping breakfast for the morning.



A much smaller spider was a Goldenrod Crab Spider (Misumena vatia). These spiders can range from yellow to white and are found throughout the Eastern United States.



This caterpillar was new to us. Turns out to be a moth caterpillar known as an Oblique Heterocampa (Heterocampa obliqua). It feeds on the oaks that are prevalent in our area.



Mourning Doves are around in greater numbers lately. Seems they have avoided the hawks for a while. We occasionally capture a dove or two during the seasons but they are harder to stay put in the nets we use for smaller birds.



Back near Net 2, Lynn found a patch of Sensitive Briar (Mimosa nuttallii). This native plant tends to be a ground cover and is a member of the Mimosa family.



During our first year at this location we noticed a strange pinwheel near the original banding table. We had to track down the ID and finally discovered that they were the seeds of the Leather Flower (Clematis reticulata). They have very interesting, purple down-hanging flowers that transform into these bizarre seed heads.



We caught our first migrant about midway through the morning. A Northern Waterthrush. Records show that we usually start capturing them by the end of August so it was nice to have one a week early.



Larger Dragonflies are all over the riverside, including River Cruisers and Saddlesbags.



If you are in the area and spot a small tangle of twigs hanging from a branch or doorway, it is probably a Bagworm Moth (Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis). These interesting caterpillars carry their cocoons along with them until they are ready to mate and emerge as moths later on.



Of course, we were all curious to see how the Air Potato Leaf Beetles were doing in the week since we were gone. Seems they are doing quite well! Air Potato vines that were healthy last week are being consumed at a rapid rate more and more. We find the adults and larva in greater numbers up and down the net lanes.



Air Potato Leaf Beetle adults are pairing up and Charles even found newly laid eggs on one leaf. Scanning the opposite side of the river, we also see signs that they are spreading back there, too. Go beetles!.



As we were getting nets folded up for the day we caught yet another migrant. An immature male Black and White Warbler.



A nice end to the day and things will just get more intense from here. Just wish we could get rid of this humidity...
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, August 24th.
All nets will be opened by 6:30 A.M.

Last Clean-up Before Session 6

Net lanes are clear! All systems go for us to begin Session 6 next Sunday. We spent a few hours clearing the remaining vegetation from around the net placements after the rangers mowed through the main lanes.

In other good news, the rangers were OK'd to release beetles which feed on the invasive air potato. So far, they are enjoying what they have found and it should reduce our cleaning efforts in the future. If you see any orange and black beetles, let them be.



Up toward Net 2 a neat looking wasp browsed the trail.



Still trying to ID it. UPDATE: Found the insect ID book and we are pretty sure it is a Horntail Wasp (Urocerus gigas) species. It is harmless and lays eggs in tree trunks and any other wooden structures.



Near Net 14, a Black and Yellow Argiope (sometimes called a Writing Spider) sits in wait for a meal.



We are all looking forward to the new session. Last year was very productive and migrants are already on the move.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, August 4th.
All nets will be opened by 6:15 A.M.