Screech Rules the Windy Day

We finally had a Sunday that we could band during, finally. It was a slow day as the wind picked steadily. We also had a feeling we would have to do some repairs after leaving the area to the bear for 3 weeks. Sure enough, there were 5 poles compromised.

Later in the morning, we found a Bear Bed. Looks like it was used multiple times. We haven't run into the bear itself. We can keep it that way...



Just at dawn we heard Catbirds sounding a little weird near the table. THey were headed toward Net2 so Andrew headed up to se if we would have a Catbird in the net. Nope. But we did have a new Eastern Screech Owl!

It has been just over 5 year since we last had an Eastern Screech Owl.



Next up was a male Northern Cardinal and on the way back to the table, Jenny and Alex also picked up a Carolina Wren.

Andrew decided it was dry enough finally to try for a trip to the lake. It was more difficult in the past do to overgrowth and some fallen willows. Along the way he found a new bloom. iNaturalist calls it a Southern Swamp Crinum.



Eventually the edge of the lake was reached with an open view to the Window-on-the-Lake. This is the only way to see it since the boardwalk is still closed.



A quiet day. At least we did manage to get a Sunday in for February. However, it is forecast to rain ALL weekend so we have to skip the 18th.

A shame since that is part of the Great Backyard Bird Count that runs from the 16th through the 19th. If you can, get out and count some birds and report them! All the information to participate is at: https://www.birdcount.org.

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Northern Cardinal	0	1	1
Brown Thrasher	0	1	1
Eastern Screech Owl	1	0	1
Totals	1	2	3

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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, February 25th.
All nets will be opened by 6:25 A.M.

Son of Super Fog

Last weekend of 2018 and we have another week of heavy fog greeting us as we set nets in the dark. That means fewer birds for the day, in our observations, mainly due to moistures keeping insects down and sunlight making birds stay up in the treetops to grab caterpillars. Overall, though, bird numbers seems way down this year in general.

While setting the last nets of the morning, Andrew was met by a new visitor, Mary, who was asked to hold the first bag of the day which contained an Eastern Screech Owl as he got the remaining nets in place. Back at the table, Mary was tasked with holding the owl's foot as Andrew applied the lock-on band.



Eastern Screech Owls have two different feather colors: Red and gray. This one seems to be more reddish.



Things quickly grew quiet, as expected. Here are our Florida Winter woods.



Nearly 4 hours later, while we were getting ready to head out, we did catch a previously banded Gray Catbird



Mary waited all morning with us and got to release our Gray Catbird. At least there was that.



It has been quite awhile since we have seem many American Alligators in the river. One spot we used to see them was just beneath the table where there used to be a sand bar. That has been taken over by a lot of grasses and there is not much sand there anymore. Still, Christine found Pat, one of our frequent gators, perched just out of the river today.



We are still wondering where all of the birds are this year. Definitely not around here. Very few butter-butts. Very few warblers at all. Cedar Waxwings are only being heard singularly. This is the first week we saw larger flocks of American Robins. Too quiet. Maybe next week?
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, January 6th.
All nets will be opened by 6:50 A.M.

A Nice Variety Before the Wind

A good chance that anything could happen today so we set out as usual to get what we could before the wind kicked up as the day broke. Our first bird of the day was an Eastern Screech Owl. It was a recaptured bird that we first banded nearly a year ago. They always look so sleepy when in the hand but it quickly flew off after the data was collected.



As we were discussing how the House Wrens were occasionally being heard but not caught, we did manage to get one.



We did get two Northern Cardinals today. One male was a recaptured (photo not worth the while) and a female that was showing a brood patch.



We are getting near the end of Thrush captures so it was nice to had a Hermit Thrush today.



Despite knowing that it is the start of gator breeding season, Andrew took one more trip out toward the lake since it was a bit cool. The most interesting find was that a flock of Cedar Waxwings were out in the willows picking at all sorts of items.



It was difficult to get some good shots as the wind was picking up but we were lucky to catch a flight shot showing the wax tips on the tail feathers.



Seeing some scat on the make-shift walkway where the lane floods made us wonder as to the animal that left a present. Time to check the trail cam. We know Andrew as he sets nets before dawn...



...but who is this dude showing up the day before walking the trail on a closed property on a Saturday?



An earlier night found the raccoon family parading toward the lake.



Possums was beginning to increase their activity in the middle of the night.



The thought that the scat animal was a Bobcat was later confirmed. Many shots in the daylight and night showed our cat strolling through the area in the next 2 days.



What this is...we are not sure. Shot seems to not be a possum. Too bulky. Thoughts?



We did get a couple more birds before the winds shut us down. Always nice to get a Ruby-crowned Kinglet recapture. We might be getting more as we head toward Spring migration.



Connie had a bird at Net 20. She thought it was possibly a Thrush species. Well, she was close. At least by name. She had returned with a Louisiana Waterthrush (actually a warbler) that make a rare appearance in early August and moving back through in the Spring. A nice end to the day!



Weather forecasts are all over the place. Next Sunday is Easter and April Fools Day. Interesting...
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Easter Sunday, April 1st. No foolin'...
All nets will be opened by 6:45 A.M.

Insert Foghorn Sound Here...

One of those days. Start with a meeting with a Sheriff's Deputy, talking to a Bobcat, and getting things ready in the heaviest fog probably ever in memory.

This shot was of the fog near 8:30 AM out by the lake. It did not clear until late in the morning and kept all bird activity at a bare minimum.



Just after Sunrise, Connie walked back to say there was an Eastern Screech Owl in Net 5. Typically, they are very docile, but this youngster was ready to rumble and tried to bite and scratch all the way through the data process. It flew off quickly soon after this shot.



We heard a few Gray Catbirds today but only caught one and got a blurry photo after the banding. Another juvenile moving through.



This shot was actually taken last week but we share it now as we checked on what might be around Net 21 since we moved that net and the water is dropping a bit. There are many footprints out there in the mud including Coyote and this large American Alligator print next to a tail print from when it moved back into the river.



Phyllis called to report a captured Ruby-crowned Kinglet. They have been around a few weeks and it is nice to have a male join us today.



Just when we mentioned that we weren't hearing or seeing Ovenbirds, one flew in.



Even better, as we got ready to head home, we caught a new juvenile Eastern Phoebe to round out the day.



Only one Indigo Bunting was heard today but it should be time to start catching them soon. Maybe the weather will hold out and bring us some of the later migrants along the way.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, November 12th.
All nets will be opened by 6:15 A.M.

Session 9 Ends

As expected, our final day was pretty slow. Migrants are gone and the days are getting back into the 90s. The day did get off to a bit of an exciting start when Susan spotted a larger bird in Net 21. It was our third Eastern Screech Owl of the year, all new birds.



All of this year's Eastern Screech Owls have been red morphs. This guy just wanted to find a place to sleep and didn't want to fly off right away. we placed him on the table for a while and kept watch to make sure he was OK. A few minutes later we decided to place him on more natural footing on the ground and he flew off a minute later. 20 minutes later, he had circled around and ended up in Net 4 where he was released to fly deeper into the woods.



A little later we recaptured a female Northern Cardinal. She was first banded two years ago while we were doing our banding demo for Earth Day on the other side of the river.



Then we captured our third juvenile Carolina Wren of Spring. The local population seems to be doing well this year.



We wrapped up Session 9 with another female Northern Parula like last week.



Now we take the next two months off to let the juveniles grow up and we escape the heat. We will have a couple of maintenance days in July before opening nets again the first Sunday in August when the first migrants begin to arrive. Time to total up the captures for what definitely seemed like a slower season for us. Once Hurricane Matthew flooded us last Fall we have sunk into a drought and bird numbers were down throughout the state. Most to the returning birds decided to head up Mexico and through Texas on their way North.

Until August, thanks to all of the great volunteers, visitors, and readers of the blog! Hard to believe that next time out will begin our 10th year at Lake Lotus. Take care!! ______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, August 6th.
All nets will be opened by 6:20 A.M.

Getting More Migrant Sightings

It was a perfect morning to be out in the woods and the NEXRAD radar was showing a lot of migration in progress. As nets were being set there was a thought that there might be more owl activity for the day. It began when we heard the baby Barred Owl calling before dawn. Not hearing it at all last week had us wondering if it was OK but the hisses in the dark and the adults meeting up nearby confirmed things were going alright.

Typically, we set nets to the end of the lanes along the main path and then open the interior nets on the way back. Today, Andrew opened Nets 16 and 17 on a hunch. Once finishing the last nets he returned to find an Eastern Screech Owl in Net 17. It turned out to be the same bird we banded just last week. In the same net! Must be where it has decided to hang out for now. Unlike last week, we were able to get some better, dignified shots.



Gray Catbirds were not as noisy as last week but we did manage to capture a new one.



A recaptured House Wren found its way into Net 3 early on. They are still chatting up and down the river.



Once the sunlight topped the tree line, Red-shouldered Hawks began calling and prowling all over the property.



This trip to the lake's edge might be the last for the season. Just when we didn't see any activity, an American Alligator popped up from hiding near the shore. With rains being predicted next week and vegetation beginning to overgrow the paths it just makes sense to be safer than sorry as the weather gets warmer. Gators will be moving around a lot more freely.



Migrants are increasing with the return of Great-crested Flycatchers last week and several Prairie Warblers being seen today. Another returning species, a female Common Yellowthroat, added to our Spring captures. By the end of the month all of our Wintering birds should be out of Florida.



A recaptured Carolina Wren, first banded last Fall, was hanging upside down in Net 19. We have had a pretty good year of this species hatched last year, as usual.



As we were calling it a day, a Northern Parula was caught in Net 1. We quickly processed it before closing more nets as it had a brood patch and felt it would be better to let it get back to the nest asap.



A nice day compared to the last few weeks. Looking forward to the next few weeks heading toward Earth Day in the park. A series of cold fronts are on the way with rain and cool temperatures returning after today's 90 degree high.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, April 9th.
All nets will be opened by 6:35 A.M.

Less Wind, Few Birds

The winds finally backed off for a bit but the birds present were also down. However, it is nice to start the day with an Eastern Screech Owl. It was captured just at dawn.



Eastern Screech Owls always close their eyes or sometimes wink when they are being banded.



The silly owl did not want to release its grip on the holding bag through the entire banding process. All we could get were these undignified shots. Once we carefully removed those talons from the bag the owl quickly changed its posture and flew off into the woods.



Next up was a Gray Catbird. They are getting rather restless lately on the edge of homeward migration time.



Other critters are getting restless, too. More and more species of spider, like this Golden Silk Orb Weaver, are setting webs all over the property. The web this gal made in the woods is just over 6 feet across!



Honey Bees are busy collecting food through the Spider Wort patch between Nets 19 and 6.



Blue Jays were busy harassing the Barred Owls. Momma was found peeking through an oak branch.



We could finally navigate into a better angle to get some nicer photos.



A few Swamp Sparrows are still out in the marsh and along the lake shore.



Bald Eagles can usually be spotted on the far side of the lake where they have a nest. Sometimes they take a flight all the way to our side to hunt or try to steal fish from the Ospreys.



Several Green Herons were chasing one another out by the lake. This one decided to hide in the shade.



One of our Limpkin made its way far up river this morning probing for shelled meals.



It was fascinating to watch how easily the Limpkin could locate these snacks when we could not see any evidence that they existed just beneath the sand.



As the day wore down we caught a couple of House Wrens. The first one was first banded in December of 2015.



William, one of our latest volunteers, got to release the House Wren.



The second House Wren was just banded last November. House Wrens are not making their presence known so it was a little surprise to get these two before they head North to their breeding grounds.



As we were closing up nets, this turtle was sitting in the middle of the net lane. It soon decided to head into dense grass but we thought it would be more safe to take it directly to the river. One let to the edge of the water it swam away in a better direction.



April is the peak of Spring migration and hopefully we can take advantage of this next month.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, April 2nd.
All nets will be opened by 6:45 A.M.