A Couple of Interesting Catches

A cool morning. Still wearing light jackets as we set up. We were hoping for a wave of Indigo Bunting, but that never really turnded up. We did get 2 feamles and they were calling up and down the river. Maybe next week.

Gray Catbirds were still present in good numbers, yeilding 7 of them.

We finally caught a late arrival of a Black-throated Blue Warbler. Usually get them a bit earlier.



A couple of House Wrens were caught today.



Finally, a new Swainson's Thrush arrived a bit later than usual.



Several Common Yellowthroats were caught. One adult and two juvenile males.



Northern Cardinals have been very vocal but evading nets. Until this ragged male was caught in Net 7.



A few other birds were processed. An Ovenbird and an Eastern Phoebe that was calling all morning and finally hit a net.

We were closing up for the day and got our best bird right at the end. An adult Red-bellied Woodpecker! We usually catch juvenile woodpeckers out of the nests in the Spring, so this was a nice surprise to get an adult here in the Fall.



Birds are going to move back and forth through the country as a high closes in. At least it should push Melissa back away from us. How many new birds show up in Orlando? We shall see.

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Swainson's Thrush	1	0	1
Ovenbird	1	0	1
Gray Catbird	6	1	7
House Wren	2	0	2
Northern Waterthrush	1	0	1
House Wren	2	0	2
Black-throated Blue Warbler	1	0	1
Northern Cardinal	0	1	1
Common Yellowthroat	3	0	3
Indigo Bunting	2	0	2
Eastern Phoebe	1	0	1
Red-bellid Woodpecker	1	0	1
Totals	19	1	20

______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, October 26th.
All nets will be opened by 7:15 A.M.

Peak Happening Late

Peak Migration is happening a couple weeks late. Climate Change? I am no expert. Catbirds used to hit in force on Octoboer 1st. Now we are back to the 12th. A few were coming through in small numbers, but today was as if they were everywhere. They joined other migrants and locals as you will see below.

We had a nice cool blast to start the morning. Low 60s. We started the day with our first Indigo Bunting of the season. A young female. We also caught another adult female later.



Gray Catbirds ruled the count today with 9 birds. They typically hit on the 1st. We have been hearing a couple hear and there, but this is the first big rush through the area. One new volunteer showed up to release one of them.



House Wrens are showing up in bigger numbers, too.



It has been quite a while since we captured a Belted Kingfisher. This lady found Net 18 early on. Warning: they bite. HARD.



One of our 2 recaps was a female Northern Cardinal.



The second recap was a Common Yellowthroat and another new one.



We thought all of the Northern Waterthrushes were gone. Still got one and heard several during the day.



It is always nice to get a Gray-cheeked Thrush. This is the brief time in the season to find them here as they migrate through quickly



Ovenbirds are always a cute addition to the day.



Finally, we caught a recap Carolina Wren. They have been calling like crazy, but not moving through the lanes much.



Looks like the fronts are shifting. The bigger flow of birds might head down Texas instead of the East coast. We shall see what happens next Sunday.

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Gray-Cheeked Thrush	1	0	1
Ovenbird	2	0	2
Gray Catbird	9	0	9
Carolina Wren	0	1	1
Northern Waterthrush	1	0	1
House Wren	2	0	2
Belted Kingfisher	1	0	1
Northern Cardinal	0	1	1
Common Yellowthroat	2	0	2
Indigo Bunting	2	0	2
Totals	21	2	23

______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, October 19th.
All nets will be opened by 7:15 A.M.

A Quiet (but interesting) Start to November

We hit a slow spot after the great run through October. Now we wait for the next wave. There was still fun to be had.

Our first bird was a juvenile Gray Catbird. It posed nicely to dislay the inside of its bill. We use this to quickly age Catbirds. When they are young the lining is white-ish/pink and by the time they are adults it becomes completely black.



A lone female Indigo Bunting was up next.



While half of us were spread out through the property it seems like there was a bit of excitement back by the table. There was a pair of Bald Eagles having a disagreement and one of them hit Net 3! Jenny tried to keep it in but it soon extracted itself and flew off, leaving us a little net repair. Loads of Eagles are arriving to nest and fighting for territory is fierce.

Then things grew quiet for a while so we busied ourselves with some vine trimming and bird watching. Eventually, we caught a Swamp Sparrow. For the last couple of years this species and stayed right at the lake's edge. This bird came up the river to join us.



Our new visitor, David, got to release the Swamp Sparrow.



George has been here several times and finally mustered the courage to release his first bird. It was a Common Yellowthroat. (Psssst! He liked it!)



As we were closing up, we could hear Lynn yelling at Net 7. It soon became apparent it was because a bird was biting her as she was attempting to extract it. The angry bird? A recaptured Tufted Titmouse. They like to bite.



But Tufted Titmice are very cute when they want to be.



Hopefully, next Sunday will pick up more. We are still waiting for several species to arrive.

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Common Yellowthroat	1	0	1
Gray Catbird	1	0	1
Tufted Titmouse	0	1	1
Indigo Bunting	1	0	1
Swamp Sparrow	1	1	2
Totals	5	2	7

______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, November 12th.
All nets will be opened by 6:15 A.M.

Nice Mix at the End of October

The humidity was up again today but that did not deter us. The mosquitoes, though, were happy and very aggresive all morning. Cooler weather should be here soon.

First bird just after dawn was a female Indigo Bunting.



Soon after that, a very angry recaptured Carolina Wren.



Common Yellowthroats ruled the day. and we had all ages and both sexes. This is a juvenile male.



We got a couple of Gray Catbirds. They were staying mainly back in the woods.



We primarily catch Western Palm Warblers but today we got a rarer, more yellow, Eastern Palm Warbler.



Next up, a handsome Swainson's Thrush.



It has been a while since we have captured a female Black-throated Blue Warbler. A nice surprise.



White-eyed Vireos that migrate through the area are usually adults and full of fat. Today was a juvenile also loaded with fat.



Most people consider this male Painted Bunting to be Bird-of-the-Day. What do you think.



An unbanded Northern Cardinal turned out to be a juvenile most likely hatched here in the Spring.



Our final capture was another candidate for Bird-of-the-Day. A Wood Thrush.



A nice end to a busy month. Hope we can keep the numbers up through November.

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Common Yellowthroat	5	0	5
Carolina Wren	0	1	1
Gray Catbird	2	0	2
Wood Thrush	1	0	1
Swainson's Thrush	1	0	1
Indigo Bunting	1	0	1
Painted Bunting	1	0	1
Eastern Palm Warbler	1	0	1
Black-throated Blue Warbler	1	0	1
White-eyed Vireo	1	0	1
Northern Cardinal	1	0	1
Totals	15	1	16

______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, November 5th.
Remember it is time to FALL BACK!
All nets will be opened by 6:10 A.M.

House Wren Party

A busy day at the banding site today. Many volunteers and visiters with a steady stream of birds all morning.

Not going to detail everything from today as most of our birds were House Wrens. But we did start the day with a Gray Catbird.



Our newest volunteer, Rachael, got to release the Gray Catbird and others throughout the morning and plans to be a steady volunteer working towrds toward starting her own banding project in the future at the Orlando Airport.



Then the House Wrens began and did not let up across our time here this morning. We ended up with 12 today. This is the most House Wren activity we have seen in years. Typically we have a couple a day into Spring, but they are everywhere so far this season. We won't give you a ton of them in photos. They all look alike.



Next up, Common Yellowthroats started hitting nets. The adult males and females are arriving and we had 5 today.



We then caught a new Swainson's Thrush.



Grasses are in full bloom and we are beging to see, and catch, Indigo Buntings. Just two females today. Many were seen feeding along the lanes and we hope to get a lot more in the coming weeks.



We did manage to recapture a Carolina Wren along the way.



Just before the end of the day we got our Bird-of-the-day. The first Swamp Sparrow we have had in a long time. Previous years have reshaped the landscape and kept the sparrows out by the lake. Now they might be moving closer with new grasses springing up.



Still have some time to bring in new migrants next Sunday. Waiting on hearing Kinglets and Robins soon and then we wait for Yellow-rumps. Stay tuned!

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Common Yellowthroat	5	0	5
Carolina Wren	0	1	1
Gray Catbird	4	0	4
Swainson's Thrush	1	0	1
Indigo Bunting	2	0	2
House Wren	10	2	12
Swamp Sparrow	1	0	1
Totals	23	3	26

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

Whoa, Baby! 69!

The rain canceled our first week of October and probably held off migrants ahead of the front clearing us. But, as Andrew told the crew, "Brace yourself for the rush!" as the latest BirdCast foresaw a huge surge for this weekend. The dam broke this weekend! Our biggest one day total for the Fall at Lake Lotus. Other flyway spots have big numbers in October, but we are in a local, urban region and don't usually have huge numbers.

Our biggest count in the past was just under 50 birds. Today was crazy good with nice temperatures to boot. A nice mix of sepecies was tallied, too.

Our first bird of the morning was an Ovenbird. We ended up with 5 by the end of the day.



We usually only get a couple of House Wrens on any given day. Today they were flowing through like mad. We ended up with 12.



One of our visitors learns how to release a wriggly wren.



Jenny photographed a Common Yellowthroat with the growing number of bags in the background.



Then the Gray Catbirds began to flow in. Another of our visitors got to release one of the first. 27 Catbirds today with more bouncing out of the nets.



Susan gets ready to settle in for data recording with Andrew at the table.



We ended up with 11 Common Yellowthroats covering all ages and both sexes. This was our sole female.



Of our 4 Carolina Wrens, 3 were recaptures and a surprising unbanded one. Thought we had them all by now.



Our next visitor got to release one of the recaptured Carolina Wrens.



Always nice to catch one of our local Brown Thrashers.



Migrant White-eyed Vireos are making their way through. They all have a fat score of 3 which is the highest.



Nelida's husband and youngest stopped by and got to release some birds. This was one of our many Catbirds.



A male Black-throated Blue Warbler always brings gasps.



Nelida returned from a trip down the lanes with 4 more birds.



Her son releases one of our House Wrens.



A welcome surprise arrived a little early in this season. A male Indigo Bunting! They typically come through closer to November.



Our 3rd Acadian Flycatcher of the Session was next.



Another of our visitors got to release some birds, including this Ovenbird.



We could hear one of our volunteers yelling in pain at Net 2 so we thought a Cardinal was going to be brought down. Instead, it was a Tufted Titmouse. They bite almost as hard.



We were secretly wishing for a Swainson's Thrush and it manifested!



Susan got to release this gorgeous Swainson's Thrush.



As the morning was winding down, we captured a pair of American Redstarts. This is the female.



Right next to her was the male American Redstart. Both birds were loaded with fat. Fuel for their long journey.



As we were closing nets we got bird 69 which turned out to be a recaptured Ovenbird. Its recapture made it the first and last bird of this very busy, rewarding day.



Whew! This is the day we wait for all year and it was worth it. Next week is forecast for rain most of the days. Hope it clears in time for next Sunday.

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Common Yellowthroat	10	1	11
Carolina Wren	1	3	4
Gray Catbird	27	0	27
Swainson's Thrush	1	0	1
White-Eyed Vireo	2	0	2
American Redstart	2	0	2
House Wren	11	1	12
Black-throated Blue Warbler	1	0	1
Brown Thrasher	1	0	1
Ovenbird	4	1	5
Tufted Titmouse	1	0	1
Acadian Flycatcher	1	0	1
Indigo Bunting	1	0	1
Totals	63	6	69

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