Pretty Quiet, but a Couple of Birds of Note

A very quiet morning. Nothing but locals calling for a while. Did all the migrants fly right past us? Feels like it.

As we waited for sunrise, several people wondered about the next bird to arrive. On schedule, it did.

Our first Hermit Thrush of the season was captured a bit later. "Tail, tail, tail." The rufus tail feather confirm this bird.



Only a couple of Gray Catbirds were calling and we only ended up with two.



Two House Wrens, also. Some are still singing.



Two Common Yellowthroats, an adult male and an adult female.



We haven't caught Swamp Sparrows since we first set up Net 26 since last December. We caught two today in Net 14, much farther up the river than usual.



Weather and migration has been weird this year. Who knows what we catch next week as cold fronts shift in and out for a while.

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Hermit Thrush	1	0	1
Swamp Sparrow	2	0	2
House Wren	2	0	2
Common Yellowthroat	2	0	2
Gray Catbird	2	0	2
Totals	9	0	9

______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, November 9th.
All nets will be opened by 6:20 A.M.

Understaffed and Less Time

We had our time change and Sprung Forward. Unfortunately, only Andrew and Connie showed up. Others had other planned outtings or had previous plans. Also, since the time changed, we were only out a shorter time. Although, being shourt-handed, it did time out to 3 hours which is about what we usually end up doing during Standard time.

Our first birds were a couple recaptured Hermit Thrushes. Migration is gearing up as migrants start to get ready to head North.



Gray Catbirds are still being secretive, but we did get one today.



Next we caught a Carolina Wren and a Yellow-rumped Warbler that is quickly transitioning to its Spring plumage.



House Wrens are getting ready to leave but not without some jewelry.



We got two Northern Cardinals this morning.



Down at Net 13, we found a nice set of captures. Two Northern Parula males were side by side, maybe 4 inches apart. Probably chasing one another defending territory. Nesting is in full-swing for them. One was a recapture and the other new.



Finally, we caught one more Yellow-rumped Warbler.



Next week will see a cold front arriving bringing high winds and rain so we are skipping the 16th. Hoping to get back out on the 23rd.

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Northern Cardinal	1	1	2
Hermit Thrush	0	2	2
Gray Catbird	1	0	1
House Wren	1	0	1
Carolina Wren	1	0	1
Northern Parula	1	1	2
Yellow-rumped (Myrtle Warbler)	2	0	2
Totals	7	4	11

______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, March 23rd.
All nets will be opened by 7:20 A.M.

Happy New Year!

Our fisrt Sunday of 2025 was greeted by chilly temperatures and a bunch of recaptures. The sounds of American Robins filled the air until they were briefly replaced by a huge flock of American and Fish Crows.

Our first bird of the morning was a Hermit Thrush. A second one was brought in later in the day.



Gray Catbirds are pretty scarce right now so it was nice to get a recaptured one that was first banded a couple years ago.



Surprisingly, our only new bird was a male Northern Cardinal. Thought we caught them all already!



Checking the nets by the lake got us a nice sighting of a family of Otters. They were very curious of us and played around in the river for a while.



The day also got us a couple recaptured Carolina Wrens.



Next Sunday is suppose to be cold as well. We may just sleep in. Stay tuned.

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Carolina Wren	0	2	2
Gray Catbird	0	1	1
Northern Cardinal	1	0	1
Hermit Thrush	0	2	2
Totals	4	8	12

______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, December 29th.
All nets will be opened by 7:00 A.M.

Odd Day

There can be mornings where we will catch birds all in the first couple of hours or have them spread out throughout the morning. Today was odd as we had half our birds right at dawn and then the other half as we were preparing to close up.

The other odd thing was that the first half of birds were all recaptures, like the 3 Carolina Wrens we processed.



Two recap Northern Cardinals joined the tally.



Then a recaptured Hermit Thrush.



The juvenile White-eyed Vireo that we first banded last week decided to drop in for another visit.



Then things grew way too quiet for the next 2 plus hours until, out at the newly placed Net 26 near the lake, a female Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler joined the crew.



Next, we got a female Ruby-crowned Kinglet.



Just as we were preparing to close up, a family of Tufted Titmice swarmed Net 15 and 3 were brought in. There was one recaptured and two new birds.



So, fun then boring then fun. Never know how these Winter weekends will go. We do plan to be out next Sunday but there is a chance we could get rained out. Be sure to check the blog before you decide to join us on the 29th.

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Carolina Wren	0	3	3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	1	0	1
Tufted Titmouse	2	1	3
Northern Cardinal	0	2	2
Hermit Thrush	0	1	1
Yellow-rump (Myrtle) Warbler	1	0	1
White-eyed Vireo	0	1	1
Totals	4	8	12

______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, December 29th.
All nets will be opened by 7:00 A.M.

Picked up Before Christmas.

A little busier today. Hope it stays that way since this is going to be the first December we can band all Sundays since the holidays happen in the middle of the week.

Our first bird was a recaptured Northern Cardinal. In the poor light it was difficult to read the band numbers. We all need new glasses...



We caught a couple of Hermit Thrushes today.



Eastern Phoebes were very active this morning. We ended up with three of them.



A fiesty male Common Yellowthroat was next. He kept nipping at fingers and trying to get the camera lenses.



It has been a while since we have had a White-eyed Vireo. This one is a juvenile. You can tell because the iris is not white yet.



House Wrens are moving around a little more right now.



We caught Carolina Wrens, too.



Two Yellow-rumped Warblers were chasing one another near the lake and both were caught. One was a bird we banded just last week.



Andrew decided to set a new net closer to the lake along the river. It was not long before we caught a Swamp Sparrow. A bit later we also had one of the 3 Phoebes.



Now that the new net will be up the same time as the others at dawn, hopefully we can get even more birds out by the lake.

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Carolina Wren	1	1	2
House Wren	1	0	1
Eastern Phoebe	3	0	3
Northern Cardinal	0	1	1
Hermit Thrush	2	0	2
Yellow-rump (Myrtle) Warbler	1	1	2
White-eyed Vireo	1	0	1
Swamp Sparrow	1	0	1
Common Yellow-throat	1	0	1
Totals	11	3	14

______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, December 15th.
All nets will be opened by 7:00 A.M.

Back After Our Unexpected Delay

We were finally able to get back out and band again. This time of year is fairly quiet and instead of getting most of our birds right after dawn, they were spread out until the end.

Our first bird of the day was a recaptured Carolina Wren. We caught another unbaded one later in the morning.



Then we got our first migrant, a new Hermit Thrush.



Next, a female Northern Cardinal



Mid-morning, we captured a House Wren.



The ladies were checking nets and saw what they thought was a leaf in one. Nope. A female Ruby-crowned Kinglet.



As we were closing nets, we captured two more migrants. A male Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle sub-species)...



...and a Western Palm Warbler.



Hearing other species around the property so perhaps next Sunday we can get some of them. Flicker would be nice...

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Carolina Wren	1	1	2
House Wren	1	0	1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	1	0	1
Northern Cardinal	1	0	1
Hermit Thrush	1	0	1
Yellow-rump (Myrtle)Warbler	1	0	1
Western Palm Warbler	1	0	1
Totals	7	1	8

______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, December 15th.
All nets will be opened by 7:00 A.M.

Waiting For the Next Wave

Things are settling in for the season and still a little quiet.

Our first bird right after dawn was our 2nd Swamp Sparrow in two weeks. Odd thing is that is was in Net 8 which is right next to the woods. Why is a Swamp Sparrow coming out of the woods? Should be out by the the water. Strange.



Next up, a Hermit Thrush recapture banded exactly one year ago in the same spot it was first caught. We are very interested in this kind of data showing birds show site fidelity over the years.



Juvenile Carolina Wrens are out and about. Like this recaptured bird.



A recaptured female Northern Cardinal arrived soon afterwards.



House Wrens have been laying low and we only got one today.



Hermit Thrushes should have been here a few weeks ago. Our second was a recapture from 3 years ago, also in a net where it was first captured.



Then, a male Northern Cardinal recapture hit the nets.



Finally, another juvenile Carolina Wren, first banded this Spring, was processed.



We hope this front clears in time for next weekend and brings more migrants our way. It should be a nice day, weather-wise, regardless.

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
House Wren	1	0	1
Hermit Thrush	0	2	2
Northern Cardinal	0	2	2
Carolina Wren	0	2	2
Swamp Sparrow	1	0	1
Totals	2	6	8

______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, November 19th.
All nets will be opened by 6:20 A.M.