Catbirds Arrive Early

Signs in the weather felt like things were going to pick up early this year. Last year was a bust, but, this week did not dissapoint! Many migrants arrived early. Catbirds usually do not get here until the first of October. Here they were. We were also hearing a few Vireos and woodpeckers. A House Wren escaped the nets right after dawn.

We had some nice birds, including Gray-cheeked Thrush, Swainson's Thrush, and a rare capture of our second Cooper's Hawk in nearly 20 years. A female Redstart added to the fun, as did an adult Brown Thrasher.

Visit the Facebook page for images of today's captures here.

Next week could be even busier.

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Carolina Wren	6	2	8
Swainson's Thrush	1	0	1
Gray-cheeked Thrush	1	0	1
American Redstart	1	0	1
Brown Trasher	1	0	1
Cooper's Hawk	1	0	1
Gray Catbird	5	0	5
Common Yellowthroat	6	0	6
Totals	22	2	24

______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, October 4th.
All nets will be opened by 7:00 A.M.

Lots of Visitors, Few Birds

Weather patterns have shifted a bit, but it was still quiet. We defintely did not the influx of at least 30 folks showing up for a very calm day. All visitors are always welocme, though.

Our first bird of the day was an adult Brown Thrasher.



Laura was taksed with releasing it, but it felt safe in her hand for almost two minutes before it flew off.



Next up was a recap Carolina Wren.



House Wrens have actually been signing lately. Weird. Not flying around much, but we did get one today.



Duncan got to release that House Wren on his first visit out.



As thing wound down, we did two Gray Catbirds for the crowd to watch get extracted and banded.



Cold front is pushing through but we do't epect much of a change. Just chilly weather and some wind. We shall see what shows up!

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Brown Thrasher	1	0	1
Gray Catbird	2	0	2
House Wren	0	1	1
Carolina Wren	1	1	1
Totals	4	1	5

______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, November 30th.
All nets will be opened by 6:40 A.M.

Peak? Maybe not.

Rain was supposed to happen then it fell apart. So, we headed out to see what the situation was. It was a steady day. Not spectacular. Ranger Julian finnaly made it out with a couple of friends and we got to show them the workings of banding through the day. Only one Catbird on peak Catbird day. Oh, well. Climate is definitely changing migration, no matter what some are saying. Should have 20 Catbirds on the first week of October.

Still some action. Mostly Yellowthroats, but some nice surpizes. We did start with a female Common Yellowthroat

.

Through the day we caught others. Like an adult male Common Yellowthroat



And close out witha juvenile male Common Yellowthroat



White-eyed Vireos are local but they also come through as migrants. When they do, they are full of stored fat and keep moving down to the Carribian. This was the case for this brid and another we will show in a bit.



Gray Catbirds are usually very common this time of year. It used to signal the peak of migration for us. However, we only caught one today. Next week looks better for migration.



Another White-eyed Vireo, again, loaded up with fat to make the journey to the South.



Got an Ovenbird along the way.



Julian made it over today with a couple of friends and they got to release few birds during the morning.



We caught our first returning House Wren of the season, This bird was first banded in the Spring of this year. Coming back to stay for the Winter.



American Redstarts are calling in the upper story of the trees and we caught a beautiful feamle today.



An unexpected Brown Thrasher was caught at Net 24. They usually stay near the table, but this juvenile was down by the marsh.



A nice day with 18 birds. Next week looks to be the big day, accordinging to the projections. Let's do it!

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Brown Thrasher	1	0	1
Ovenbird	1	0	1
Gray Catbird	1	0	1
White-eyed Vireo	2	0	2
American Restart	1	0	1
House Wren	0	1	1
Common Yellowthroat	10	1	11
Totals	17	1	18

______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, October 12th.
All nets will be opened by 7:10 A.M.

Catbirds are Restless and We Wait for Other Migrants

It was a warm but exciting day as we head into Sping Migration. Birds are getting busy, either preparing to leave or preparing for chicks.

Gray Catbirds beginning to feast on local berries as seen by this captured bird covered in stains from fruits. We caught 8 today.



Northern Cardinals are preparing nests and getting active as well. This female is ready to get back to her activities after getting new band.



Jenny likes to take shots in what she calls thier 'Muppet face'. This time from an adult male.



Our second most captures were Carolina Wrens.



Carolina Wrens are showing signs of chicks about to arrive. This one has an egg just to be layed as seen in the belly ready to be dropped.



Tussock Moth caterpillars are active, as well. They are feeding and dropping on nets and tables.



Next, we had a recaptured Brown Thrasher first banded as a juvenile last year.



House Wrens have been very shy this year, but we did get one new one this morning.



As we began to wrap up, Andrew was clearing leaves from Net 21. When he turned around he found a Green Heron trapped in the net behind him. The heron was heard all morning in the marsh and flying back and forth and eventually ended up hitting the net.



This is only the 2nd Green Heron to be captured over the years. We cannot band waders nor waterfowl, so we released it back into the marsh nearby.



Jenny likes to smell the birds we get and says it smells like fish. That is what it eats. Makes sense.



As we closed nets we had one last bird. A female Northern Parula. They usualy have a lot of chicks at the end of April. The adults will be flying more and more in search of food for their hungry chick for the next few weeks.



Looking forward to next Sunday and hoping to see Spring Migrants making the way back North.

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Northern Cardinal	3	1	4
House Wren	1	0	1
Gray Catbird	7	1	8
Carolina Wren	1	3	4
Brown Thrasher	0	1	1
Green Heron	1	0	1
Northern Parula	1	0	1
Totals	12	8	20

______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, April 13th.
All nets will be opened by 7:00 A.M.

Session 16 Comes to an End

Our final Sunday of Session 16 is in the books! As expected, it was all locals.

We started up getting all of the Northern Cardinals. First up was a male adult.



Then, a female Northern Cardinal.



THEN, our first newly fledged Northern Cardinal.



Species switched over after that. Now we were catching mainly recaptured Carolina Wrens. We ended up with 6 today.



Our final bird of the day was a Brown Thrasher.



Thanks to all of our volunteers and visitors this past Session. We plan to be back the first Sunday of September.

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Carolina Wren	0	6	6
Northern Cardinal	2	1	3
Brown Thrasher	1	0	1
Totals	4	7	11

______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, September 22nd.
All nets will be opened by 7:00 A.M.

Gray Day

Our first trip back in the new year and it was a hit or miss for the rain. Very gray, but the wet stayed away for the entire day. So did most of the birds.

Andrew had his Spidy-senses tingling on the way in. Would it be a semi parked? Parking area closed? Sure enough, a new addition to our parking situation was there. Mattresses and sofas.



Our first bird of the New Year was a recaptured female Northern Cardinal first banded last May. Our Cardinals sport what the volunteers call a "tantrum stick" to keep them from biting the banders. It is featured in our new logo, too.



Second up was a recaptured Brown Thrasher. Then things got real quiet. Not a lot of birds were moving around today.



We did get a pair of female Ruby-crowned Kinglets in the nets next to each other half-way down the lanes.



Our new visitor, Megan, got to release one of the Ruby-crowned Kinglets.



Our last bird of the day was a new male Northern Cardinal. It was hatched here last Spring and is establishing his new territory.



The weather is on a major rollercoaster this month. Will we be able to band next Sunday? Perhaps. It might be too cold for some. We Floridians are not happy with temps in the 30s, nor do the birds. We shall see.

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Northern Cardinal	1	1	2
Brown Thrasher	0	1	1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	2	0	2
Totals	3	2	5

______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, January 21st.
All nets will be opened by 6:50 A.M.

A Couple of Bright Spots

We arrived after 4 1/2 days of rain. The river was nearly cresting the banks but did cut of Net 21. The whole area was still pretty wet. We still had a couple interesting birds join us today.

Our first bird was a recaptured Northern Cardinal who was processed and released before Connie brought in the Birds-of-the-Day. First up was a our first Orange-crowned Warbler in 3 years. Typically, they hang out in the Willows by Net 21 but this one was a hundred yards up the river in Net 14.



Not far from that, a Wood Thrush was in Net 12. We have had several this year which is rare.



A recaptured juvenile Carolina Wren was processed and then we recaptured a Brown Thrasher banded 4 years ago.



As we considered closing nets, Alex was heard calling that there was a bird in Net 15. It was a female Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. They are difficult to capture. They see the nets and often just stop and fly over them.



Robins are finally back and we await Waxwings, Goldfinches, and Yellow-rumped Warblers. The latter is the only speices we do catch in the Winter. Nets are always half-full!

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Carolina Wren	0	1	1
Wood Thrush	1	0	1
Northern Cardinal	0	1	1
Brown Thrasher	0	1	1
Orange-crowned Warbler	1	0	1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher	1	0	1
Totals	3	3	6

______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, November 26th.
All nets will be opened by 6:30 A.M.