A Lovely Lady Surrounded by a Bunch of Cats.

The rangers gave us the OK to head out to band today just after the entire state went under Stay at Home orders. According to Section 3, recreational activities are still considered 'essential' and there are under 10 of us. 5 in fact. Out we go...

Today was Gray Catbird day. We doubled our numbers of them from last week. They are definitely on the move back North.



Through the Fall and Winter a majority of the Gray Catbirds captured were juveniles. All but one of ours today were adults.



You can tell the juvenile by its attitude alone.



An interesting note: we never caught a Catbird today in the same net. They were scattered pretty evenly across the property.



For each Gray Catbird we did catch, several more were in every patch of trees and shrubs. Surprised we didn't catch many more. They were around wherever you turned.



We discovered a pilfered turtle nest along the lanes. This time of year, turtles are laying eggs and Raccoons are trying to find them.



Finally a break from the grey, except for the light sprinkles we had all morning. Connie brought back a female Northern Parula that dropped in while she was watering some of her plantings.



Northern Parula arrive early in the migration cycle and breed all over the property. Mom must have been out getting breakfast for her newly hatched babies. It was evident by her very visible brood patch that she has a nest very close by. When incubating their eggs, bird shed some feathers to give a direct transfer of heat from their bodies. The feathers will return not long after the eggs have hatched.



A nice break in the morning, but back to Gray Catbirds!



As Connie got the next one out of Net 12, she felt a presence. Several in fact. The Barred Owl family was just overhead. We have been trying to listen for a baby screeching in the morning but it seems they nested farther away the baby is a baby no more.



One more Gray Catbird. We missed getting a photo of the last one but we are sure you have the ID down by now.



The river is the lowest it has been in a couple of years. Due to the lack of rain of late, the water that remains is very clear. Lets us easily see the bottom and some invasive Armored Catfish from time to time.



Speaking of Barred Owl babies, Christine received a photo from a friend who lives not too far away from the park showing that they have two new ones in their nest box at home.



A productive day, even though it was repetitive. And gray. We made it to the cars just before the real rain arrived and headed home to 'stay'. Unless the rules change, we will try to head out again next week which will be Easter.

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Since I have to Stay at Home, I might as well practice making tables again.

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Gray Catbird	8	0	8
Northern Parula	1	0	1
Totals	9	0	9

NOTE: To ensure the safety of our volunteers and the general public, new visitors are discouraged from attending banding at this time. The few of us who remain will update the blog as long as we can and hope to see new faces in the future. Thank you for your understanding during this unprecedented time.

Stay clean and safe!
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, April 12th.
All nets will be opened by 6:30 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.

Final Sprucing Up Before Sunday

Our last maintenance check on the nets lanes was performed today in the stifling heat and humidity. Sweat was unavoidable and copious. But we soldiered on for a few hours to reposition net poles (to fit the brand new nets) and to plant the first of our native trees that are ready to help meet our goals of improving the environment and, hopefully, make this a great place for the birds.

Ranger Gary showed up right as we did and began mowing the net lanes so we don't have to wade through high weeds. What a great sight to walk into.



We installed the new nets and enjoyed the clean cut views.



All the way down to the pier.



As for the new trees, we planted 3 Yaupon Holly in the area where that first net lane picture was taken above.



Wax Myrtles are going in near the pier. We planted 4 today and will install up to 17 more as the year progresses. Can't wait for them to mature and for us to get a chance to maintain them and bring in the birds, which love Wax Myrtles.



Many insects were in the area, of course, but this Viceroy was making its presence known by hanging out when not chasing away other butterflies. Fun to watch.



Down by Net 14, a grouping of Scarlet Mourning Glory is spreading over the last year and attracting much attention from Spicebush Butterflies.



Another great sight is that of the berries ripening throughout the area. Black Cherry, Beautyberry, Elderberry, and the Muscadine grapes are laying out the banquet table for the incoming birds.



A not so welcome sight, a large Armored Catfish is nesting up river near the banding table.



Everything is in place for the start of the new season. Might be hot but we hope the banding will be even hotter!
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Next Banding Day: Sunday, August 8th.

All nets will be opened by 6:20 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.