A Little Windy with a Splash of New

Another good dawn chorus, but the winds were too good to pass up for many migrating birds. Not too many birds dropped down today. We waited for a while before we even had our first bird.

Some of us sat at the table and chatted while others walked the lanes. Eventually, Andrew got up to check Net 2 and found a recaptured juvenile Hermit Thrush there.



Though quiet in the area, Gray Catbirds are getting ready to head North. We banded two new ones this morning.



As usual, when things get quiet, we begin to explore everything else around us. Out near the lake, Andrew found a Green Tree Frog in Net 21. It seemed particularly attracted to his neck gaiter and jumped on to it just after this blurry photo and was quickly tranfered to a nearby tree.



A bit closer to the lake there is now a forest of Golden Aster.



The Willow trees are blooming like crazy and sending flax all over the property. Catbird and other migrants are feasting on bits of blossoms. Mnay more warblers should be arriving soon to clean up insects on the trees. A few American Goldfinches were spotted today.



Connie found some interesting insects on her travels. First up was a female Rainbow Dung Beetle, (Phanaeus vindex).



Next up was a Leaf-footed Bug, (Acanthocephala terminalis). Haven't seen them in a while but now is the time they emerge.



Our Bird-of-the-Day was a species often seen and heard down near the lake. However, it was the first we have captured in 3 years. A Swamp Sparrow! It will not be long before they head North.



Our last cold front will be moving through this week and, hopefully, the Spring Migration will bring us more birds for the next few weeks. Fingers crossed.

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Gray Catbird	2	0	2
Hermit Thrush	0	1	1
Swamp Sparrow	1	0	1
Totals	3	1	4

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.

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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, April 4th.
All nets will be opened by 6:40 A.M.

Another Bird-of-the-Decade?

Today was fairly slow but steady all morning and we had a lot of visitors stop by throughout the proceedings. By the end of the day we had a chance to band a bird we haven't banded since 2006. More on that later, of course.

Our first bird of the day was a young female Northern Cardinal most likely born on property this year.



Gray Catbirds are back in full swing and mewing up and down the river.



Painted Buntings are definitely back, too, and we caught another adult male.



No one can resist taking as many photos as possible of Painted Buntings. Our new visitors got to release many of our banded birds.



Common Yellowthroats are still moving through in good numbers.



One of our other young visitors learns how to release a bird, after a family photo.



It is great to have the whole range of Common Yellowthroats so that we can point out the differences between the females (above) and the adult males.



Connie is always scanning the nets to bring birds back to the table.



We were just wondering where the House Wrens were when she brought one in!



Everyone is fixated on the banding process.



We typically begin catching Northern Waterthrush in August. Since the storms ruined most of our early banding season it was nice to have one in October.



See this dude? That look? This Carolina Wren was born here this Spring. Since then, it has been banded and recaptured 3 more times. Thus, the look of dejection. "Not again..."



A new male Northern Cardinal joined us along the way.



It is always a joy to get an American Redstart, especially the adult males.



The perfect color scheme leading toward Halloween.



We bring out all of our bird guides every weekend so there is always something to do between birds at the table.



Ovenbirds are still creeping through the underbrush and will stay with us through the Winter.



Then the second Bird-of-the-Decade in two weeks. We knew when we saw Chris thrusting both arms in the air down the lane that something special was coming back. It was a Yellow-billed Cuckoo.



Like we said at the beginning of this post, it has been 11 years since we have banded a Yellow-billed Cuckoo and that was at Wekiwa Springs. Checking on past records, we always seem to have caught them in October.



Too bad there wasn't anyone there to witness our special guest...



We wrapped up with another Common Yellowthroat and closed up in time to beat the rain.



Christine found this little Green-tree-frog as we gathered nets. It was actually right next to Net 1 where it was resting on the pole when we set nets in the dark, hours earlier.



Yet another exciting day in the woods. What might next Sunday bring?
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, October 22nd.
All nets will be opened by 7:00 A.M.

Overcast, Windy, but Some Color

Migrants finally started hitting the peninsula last week so we were hoping for some better activity at the banding site. Alas, the overcast skies didn't deliver as hoped and the winds picked up and reduced capture chances even more. One sign that migration is ramping up was the flocks of Cedar Waxwings scarfing down wild cherries near the banding table. When they hit that tree it is usually the last time we see them until they return near the end of the year.



At one point later in the day, the Sun broke through the clouds briefly as the birds settled on a snag for a break.



We eventually captured our first bird which was a female Downy Woodpecker. It was a recapture and was first banded almost the same day six years ago.



Next up was a new female Northern Cardinal. It has been a while since we have banded a new female. Typically it is males that are moving in.



The one notable migrant species on the property were American Redstarts. Males were feeding low in the shrubs and calling like crazy. One male kept feeding around Net 1 and eventually it flew straight in the net as we watched.



Nick spotted 4 Swallow-tailed Kites circling overhead near the pines where they nested a few years ago. We only got one shot but it appears this bird is holding a clump of moss which they use to build their nest. Fingers are crossed that they pick the nearby trees again. Just before this photo was snapped we had a quick fly over of a Roseate Spoonbill! Never had that before.



Christine and Susan were checking the nets and found a Green Treefrog, (Hyla cinerea), clinging to the pole at Net 21. Nice to find the native species instead of the Cuban invasives.



Our final bird of the day was a male Northern Parula. The males are super busy feeding the chicks which are begging all over the place.



Later in the day, Andrew checked the SD card from our trail cam. No Coyote or bear this week. Mostly is was Raccoons...



...and many Opossum.



Most of the shots triggered during the day were made as the wind tossed the shadows around but we did get a nice shot of a Raccoon strolling by.



But a couple of shots that caused and audible gasp were that of the critter we were hoping to get last week. Our Bobcat, (Lynx rufus). we have long surmised that this what was using the spot as its restroom for a couple of years and now we have our definitive proof.



Photos from the following day were even more awe inspiring. The Bobcat in the daylight! What a lovely creature. So amazing that all of this wildlife lives on the property and you never see them in person.



According to our records over the years, the next two weeks should yield some fun birds as the last of the migrants head North to their breeding locations. You never know what will show up but last year we captured several Connecticut Warblers. We shall see.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, May 7th.
All nets will be opened by 6:10 A.M.