More Wind as Migration Looms

NOTE: No banding Sunday, March 20th due to rain. We will try again on the 27th.

The morning started nice enough but eventually grew quiet and windy like last week. Most of our captures, besides a lot of leaves, were recaptures. The first recapture of the day was a House Wren.



Gray Catbirds were the majority once more.



An early Hermit Thrush recapture was a surprise. We haven't seen a thrush in the area for a while.



Nick, our latest volunteer, got to release most of the morning birds and began to learn the ropes on managing the nets at the end of the day.



Bees are still busily tending to their large honeycomb high up in a snag.



Just below the tree, the Spiderwort are beginning to bloom in earnest.



It definitely is turning toward Spring evidenced by the return of spider webs to move out of the paths. Besides Garden Orb Weavers, Spiny Orb Weavers are spinning their webs out, too.



We have noticed signs of mammals around but they don't come out in the open too often. Becki found a Possum around mid-morning.



Our first unbanded capture today was another Hermit Thrush. A sure sign that migration is gearing up.



We found a young American Alligator as we set nets this morning and the unusually warm weather is bringing out the adults on the lake, also.



Swallow-tailed Kites eventually soared onto the scene and began feeding higher in the sky with a kettle of Black Vultures.



Joining them very high up was a lone Red-tailed Hawk.



Closer to the ground were a few Red-shouldered Hawks shrieking to one another throughout the park.



Along with Crane's bill and Earthsmoke flowers, the Thistles are beginning to bloom.



The Barred Owls met up before dawn and then found their usual spots to roost for the rest of the morning.



Nearby in the river, a Limpkin walked the banks and pulled up shelled snacks from the sand with ease.



Christine made a nice discovery toward Net 21. A Common Snapping Turtle.



Heading back up the net lanes Nets 13 and 9 were filling with more leaves. Suddenly, one of the 'leaves' began to strain against the mesh. Not a leaf at all but a male Ruby-throated Hummingbird! We got a few shots of the bird before releasing it. We don't have a license to band Hummingbirds.



It is always interesting to notice that to see the bright red in the feathers. One turn to the side and that ruby turned to black.



An Eastern Phoebe was found foraging in the area. We did not catch it today but there is definitely a band on this bird. Most likely one we banded here in the past.



We are keeping an eye on the weather for next weekend. Rain is in the forecast but fingers are crossed that it clears out for our next day out. If you plan on coming out make sure to check back here late Saturday to see if we have to cancel.

NOTE: No banding Sunday, March 20th due to rain. We will try again on the 27th.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, March 27th.
All nets will be opened by 7:00 A.M.

Myrtles Save the Day

Birds are back on territory and singing away like mad. Problem is, they are calling more than flying. We had a fairly slow morning until the very end. More on that as we proceed, but first, we thought we would share a discovery from the day before.

Andrew had to return the poles that were used at the Orlando Wetlands Festival (that long report in below) and once things were in place, he did a bit of birding. Down near the end of the net lanes he nearly walked into an impressive beast. A three foot long Snapping Turtle! It was sitting next to our small bridge and soon turned and headed back into the marsh.



We caught a new Gray Catbird to start the day. Becki got the pleasure of collecting data on our new capture.



Gray Catbirds should be here a month or so more before heading back out of Florida to breed.



Greg got a recaptured House Wren. Greg has accepted a position doing Grasshopper Sparrow monitoring farther south so this is his last weekly morning with us. We were hoping to get some new birds for him to band before leaving and we did by the end of the morning.



A close up look at the wintering House Wren.



Not a lot of Tent Caterpillars in the area so far but there is a pretty impressive colony next to Net 14.



Took a while but we finally got a recaptured Northern Cardinal. This bird has been recaptured many times after first being banded a couple of years ago.



Besides the birds, we get at least one dragonfly in the nets. Our friend Paul Hueber recognized it as a female Florida Cruiser Dragonfly. Fairly rare visitor, he adds.



Warblers were moving at last but they were staying up in the tree tops. We watched for a while as one warbler after another flew over Net 21. As their numbers increased, however, a few flew lower and we captured two Myrtle Warblers. As we brought them back to the table, a huge feeding flock came in over the river. Though most birds stayed high, a few dropped low and also hit the nets. Here, Becki shows Bob the best way to remove a bird.



We had a nice mix of Myrtle (Yellow-rumped) Warblers. A juvenile male, a couple of adult females and a male molting into adult plumage. They will look very different in a few short weeks before heading North.



We will be watching an approaching cold front which may cancel our next Sunday if the temperatures drop too low or if the winds get too high. Check back for any updates by Saturday evening.

Good luck to Greg and the Grasshopper Sparrows!
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, March 3rd.
All nets will be opened by 6:20 A.M.