Nicole Flooded Half the Site

Hurricane Nicole rolled through last week and we were interested in how the flooding would occure and how it would hinder our efforts today. Most of the storm was to the East and it was not as bad as Ian. However, all of the rain that hits our area flows down into the Wekiwa Basin from Orlando and our way. It turns out that half of the banding nets were washed out by high waters, again. More on that later in the post.

Gray Catbirds are calling and finally hitting the nets again.



We had a little flurry of Hermit Thrushes right after.



Another view of the second Hermit Thrush.



House Wrens were skittering about. We caught 3 today.



As mentioned in the title, Hurricane Nicole moved through and flooded half of the lanes. This view is from Net 17 but we could not get nets up from 13 through 21.



Time for Lynn's Micro Corner! The Cassias are bringing in the Sulfer butterflies and we found a caterpillar there today.



Closer inspections finds a Leaf Hopper on the same plant.



The stuggle of Life finds a larger fly caught by a spider which can feast upon it.



A young Cuban treefrog rests among the branches. They are invasive but we are kind, to a point.



A juvenille female Northern Cardinal was next in the bag.



A group of students from UCF with the Conservation Leadership and Climate Initiatives (CLI) joined us today and got to witness banding and were able to release a couple of birds.



Everyone gathers around the banding table for a demonstration.



After banding the Western Palm Warbler, Jenny holds it up for others to get photographs.



A lucky CLI member gets to release the Western Palm Warbler.



The final bird of the day was another Hermit Thrush. Always notice the rufus tail feathers to distinguish from a Swainson's Thrush.



Another guest got to release the Hermit Thrush.



Looking forward to next week, though we are keeping an eye on the weather as a front is moving through. Maybe rain will chase us away? Check this spot before heading out.

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Gray Catbird	2	0	2
Northern Cardinal	1	0	1
Western Palm Wabler	1	0	1
Hermit Thrush	3	0	3
House Wren	2	1	3
Totals	9	1	10

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

New Bird After a Damp Week

The rains continued most afternoons last week and the water level was even higher this Sunday morning. Last week, the water was just below the bridge. This week the water was flowing over the bridge. At least this structure has withstood the surge more than any of our past pallet bridges. Still can't get to Net 21.



We usually save the Bird-of-the-Day for the end of the post. However, it was the very first bird captured today.

Funny thing is, most of us were at the table recalling how it has been so long since we have heard Nightjars in the area. Then a call comes in asking if certain birds bite or claw. Or first bird of the day was our first ever Chuck-wills-Widow! We have banded a few Whip-poor-wills, but never a Chuck. Until now...



Our next bird was a Northern Waterthrush. Most head through in August (which we are now taking off) so it was nice to have one in September.



We caught several Northern Cardinals throughout the morning. Susan, her daughter, Anna, and sister. Karen, joined us today. At first, Anna was indifferent being there. Then she got to release the Waterthrush. A bit later she was all in and wanted to release one of most 'bitey' birds we get. Brave and fully into it now!



Common Yellowthroats are fewer than normal right now. We did manage a single female. Nalida released this new bird.



Along the way today, Lynn found a number of insect observations. Like this Metallic Sweat Bee. If we could get near the lake, they would be all over the willows right now.



She also found a Mantis missing much of its arms. Odd. Unless this is some type never seen before...



Brazilian Skippers wrap themselves in leaves for cocoons. They are using the planted Cannas for now.



Hiding behind Net 1 near the river, a Redfemured Orb Weaver, Neoscona domiciliorum, sits on a battered web.



A female Black-and-White Warbler was caught near the end of the day in Net 6.



As we wound down and began to close the nets, a White-eyed Vireo flew in. This was a new juvenile.



Migration is well underway. Hoping for many more birds this Sunday and maybe we can get to Net 21 after to some clipping.

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Northern Cardinal	4	1	5
Ovenbird	1	0	1
Chuck-wills-widow	1	0	1
Black-and-White Warbler	1	0	1
Common Yellowthroat	1	0	1
Northern Waterthrush	1	0	1
White-eyed Vireo	1	0	1
Totals	10	1	11

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NOTE: Due to the new CDC recommendations, if you are fully vaccinated you are not required to wear masks, esp. at outdoor events such as ours. Get your shots and come on out. Otherwise, bring a mask. All current members at Lake Lotus are fully Vac'ed.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, September 18th.
All nets will be opened by 6:40 A.M.

Migration Still On

With the OK from the park rangers, we headed back out for another round of banding and got things set at the appropriate time. However, with a County-wide curfew in effect until 5 AM, that early start up might have to slip in the coming weeks. The Sun does not care about start times. If the curfew continues it may be that we start opening closer to sunrise than we usually do. But, we will do our best.

This week we started with a nice beginning with the first bird being rather unexpected. A Louisiana Waterthrush at dawn. Odd, really. Could it be an interesting morning?



Then we captured a couple of Carolina Wrens during our next run.



Gray Catbirds are still getting anxious and moving about. We caught 5 today. Some were new and some were recaptures..



Lisa played a great role today by helping to get more practice and processing birds throughout the day.



Probably our Bird-of-the-Day, a first-year male American Redstart was caught and brought back by Connie. Typically, Redstarts are seen here in their familiar plumage easily defining females from males. First year males start off looking like females and then begin to show signs of transition easily noticed by black splotches around their eyes and throat. A great find and the second banded here.



On her travels up and down the lanes, Connie found a couple of interesting fauna. First was a Bagworm Moth cocoon.



Next, she noticed a Giant Swallowtail caterpillar floating down from the trees. Knowing that their host plant is citrus, she asked where she could place it. Oranges do reside here and we searched until finding one behind Net 9 and placed it gingerly on an appropriate leaf.



Ovenbirds are still active in the area and we captured and saw/heard more as the day progressed.



We have caught a single female Northern Parula over the past couple of weeks so it was nice to get a male this morning.



We were watching a male Black-throated Blue Warbler near the table for quite a while and wished for it to hit the nets but continued on with our chores. Soon, a first Spring Black-throated Blue Warbler was brought in from a net at the far end of the lanes. First spring males are indicated by a few white feathers on their throats.



Our final bird was an adult Black-throated Blue Warbler in Net 5. We think this is the bird we were watching early in the day.



Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Gray Catbird	2	3	5
Black-throated Blue Warbler	2	0	2
Carolina Wren	0	2	2
Ovenbird	2	0	2
Northern Cardinal	1	0	1
American Redstart	1	0	1
Louisiana Waterthrush	1	0	1
Northern Parula	1	0	1
Totals	10	5	15

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.

Stay clean and safe!
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, April 26th.
All nets will be opened by 6:30 A.M.

Windy But Productive

We got to the banding site before dawn and were greeted by gusting winds almost immediately. Things looked bleak for a day for any birds of note. We soldier on, regardless, as we always do. Trainees and guests are alway showing up to see what is happening every Sunday.

Thinking that the winds might favor the birds the chase bugs on the fly it was not a surprise to have our first bird be an Eastern Phoebe just after dawn.



Our next bird was a nice surprise. Right on time, we had our first Hermit Thrush of the season. We stress one creed here about Thrushes: "Tail, tail, tail!" Hermits are very similar to Swainson's Thrushes but are definitely sorted out by a rufus set of tail feathers.



Jenny brought out her husband today to observe banding and he got the opportunity to release our first Hermit Thrush of the season.



That Hermit Thrush was quickly followed up by our second of the season.



Then we captured our 6th Eastern Phoebe in two weekends, a nice record.



Gray Catbirds are back in force and we banded the first of four next.



Ella brought her parents to join the morning proceedings. Too bad no one was there to see it...



Male Black-throated Blue Warblers should have been banded in late September. They have been following along with the females we banded last weekend but this was the first male of the season captured.



The next Catbird was added to the tally.



Ella got to witness the recording process and released several birds today.



A more biting bird was brought in. A female Northern Cardinal recapture.



We often give them something to hold onto while banding them but Jenny did get a nice pinch before the Cardinal eventually safely flew off again.



We did observe that the Cannas planted by college students earlier in the year have begun to bloom and seed around Net 18. They seem to be doing quite well.



We captured a second male Black-throated Blue Warbler. This bird sported specks of white through its black throat indicating it was juvenile.



Another Northern Cardinal recapture, this time a male.



Our final Gray Catbird of the day got us well over double-digit captures on a very windy day. Better than expected.



As we thought about closing up for the day, Andrew noticed something in the river below the table. A young American Alligator. We have not seen any adults up in the river this whole year. Water has ben high so maybe the adults are sticking to the lake this year.



Our final bird of the day echoed last week. A Western Palm Warbler in the same area as last week. Palms are being seen all over the are right now and we still await their counterparts, the Yellow-rumps.



The next cold front is on the way, bringing ducks and the next wave of the remaining migrants for the Winter. Hoping for cooler temperatures and many more birds to band.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, November 10th.
All nets will be opened by 6:15 A.M.