Another New Species in the Sauna

As much as we love banding, August is almost always rough. Especially after it rains for a few days before the weekend. Everything is wet and it is already in the 80s and our shirts are soaked with sweat after setting nets well before dawn. Still we soldier on...



The suana was not too kind to our cameras which were constantly fogging while trying to take shots of captured birds like our first of the day, a recaptured male Northern Cardinal.



Next up was a pair of recaptured juvenile Carolina Wrens in Net 2 that we banded just a couple of weeks ago.



We usually start catching juveniles in May but they missed the nets a few months ago. Getting them all accounted for now.



The moisture often brings the Manatee Tree Snails out this time of year.



Sensitive Briar is exploding in different spots along the net lanes this year and their pink flowers punctuate the surrounding green throughout the area.



The water has receded quiet a bit despite the recent additional rains and we could reach Net 21 today. Lynn got a photo of one of the baby American Alligators not long before Susan nearly stepped on it or another. At least Mom is not around. Or is she...?



Did we mention it was wet? Even the Damselflies were dripping with moisture.



The wet is also encouraging the fungus that begins to break down the logs in the woods.



The Air Potato Beetles are still quite busy. They are seen mating, eating, and hovering through the vegetation once the sunlight breaks through the morning.



Their was not a lot of bird activity besides the locals for a lot of the morning but we eventually got our first migrant, a feisty Northern Waterthrush. Others were heard during the day but they stayed on the park side.



Butterfies were actually coming out pretty early today. Swallowtails were drifting past and Lynn found some Skippers here and there.



She has a new magnifying lens attachment and is getting some great shots using it.



Ike brought another Carolina Wren back to the table (we had 6 today) and then Lynn returned soon afterward with a 'yellow' bird. Hmmm... Andrew reached into the bag and took a peak before revealing it to the others, put it back and looked up at Lynn. "Really?"

Over the past couple of years we have spotted a desired species in the area and even heard it calling last week. Today we caught it. Our first-ever Prothonotary Warbler banded at Lake Lotus.



It was captured right where it should have been. Down among the Cypress trees at the edge of the marsh.



Dr. Deborah Green stopped by this morning and got to release several birds, including the Prothonotary Warbler which darted off into the woods just after this shot. Love Deborah's look of awe just before it took off.



We took another run down the lanes and found a female Downy Woodpecker in Net 16 where several snags offer nesting areas for these birds.



Down at Net 21, a female Black-and-White Warbler was resting in one of the net panels adding to our migrant count for the morning.



We closed nets around 10:30 and were able to bring back yet another recaptured Carolina Wren before heading home.



We headed home to get out of wet clothing and dream of late September when things should get more comfortable. Still, there is rain in the forecast down the road. Storms are trying to make it across the Atlantic and peak season for storms is still 3 weeks away. Onward.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, August 30th.
All nets will be opened by 6:30 A.M.

Session 6 Ends

Our final Sunday of Session 6 (which began last August) was a hot, humid, and sweaty exercise of waiting and exploring. We made some discoveries but only had two birds as all the smaller local birds are nesting and not flying about so much.

Our first bird of the day was a recaptured Carolina Wren that we also recaptured two weeks ago.



Most of us were excited to check out the Swallow-tailed Kite nest to see if we could spot the babies. Overcast skies and growing pine needles made it a bit difficult but we did the best we could and could see them moving about in the nest.



One interesting observation was a pair of Mallards spotted on the bank of the river. A while later the female walked across the net lane and under Net 13 and continued into the woods. The male soon followed but but stopped not far behind the net and stopped to face the net lane.

There he sat for well over an hour as we walked past to check nets. Eventually, he female came out and they flew off toward the lake.



The Manatee Tree Snails are still around and Susan found one in the vegetation.



As the sunlight began to break through the clouds we checked the Swallow-tailed Kite again to find an adult back at the scene.



When the nets were first set up before dawn Andrew thought he heard some rustling between nets 5 and 11 (close to each other) but dismissed it as probably just a rabbit and moved on. Later in the morning he walked through the area to find Charles saying he was watching bears. Seems that as Andrew came around the back of the area it caused a pair of Black Bears to head toward the river and cross into the park. Charles got a quick shot from his phone.



Guess we will pay more attention to the sounds in the dark! Great-crested Flycatchers were calling near the lake but stayed too high in the tree tops. The only thing that was lower to the ground were a pair of Green Herons.



Back near the table, Susan spotted an insect digging a hole in the pathway. Turns out to be a Great Golden Digger Wasp (Sphex ichneumoneus).



A little more research reveals that this insect eats other insects like Katydids. So we were not surprised to find Katydid Eggs on a blade of grass in the area.



It has been awhile since we have seen a good Web Bow, a rainbow in a spider's web. Once the Sun is higher and shining through the branches you might be lucky enough to find one. This Web Bow is in the web of a Spiny orb-weaver (Gasteracantha cancriformis), one of our most common spiders who conveniently make large webs that we walk through here and there.



A close-up shows more detail.



Finally, we caught another bird! A male Downy Woodpecker. The last bird of Session 6. Now to add up the totals for the next report.



The Swallow-tailed Kite chicks were back on their own again and moving about the nest and flexing their tiny wings.



Back near the lake, the Green Herons were still on the hunt.



30 feet away, a Limpkin appeared in the river to dig for snails and clams.



Next to Net 18, we have been watching the growth of a Wild Coffee (Psychotria nervosa) which just sprouted one day. We did plant some much farther up the net lanes and they did not too too well so we have no idea where it came from. Besides the droppings of a bird or mammal, of course.



A native plant, birds like the fruit so we are hoping for this plant to survive and fruit by the Fall migration. Here is a closer look at the small flowers.



One last look at the Swallow-tailed Kite nest find the chicks staring down toward us. You can even make out the tawny coloring on one of the chicks which they keep until their molt into adult feathers of pure white in their place.



Now we let the heat take over and let the local birds raise their young in peace. And we get to sleep in on Sunday's! We will make a couple checks on the site during the Summer and we will raise nets for Session 7 in the first week of August.

Have a great Summer and thanks for reading!!
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, August 3rd.
All nets will be opened by 6:20 A.M.

A Typical Late Fall Mix

An arriving cold front on Saturday left us with a little rain over the weekend but cleared in time to allow Sunday banding. The remaining clouds were clearing out as sunrise greeted us out at Net 21, the last net in our lanes down at the mouth of the river as it enters Lake Lotus.



Next to Net 10, a White Peacock (Anartia jatrophae) butterfly was sleeping before the sunlight warmed it for the day.



Next to Net 18, in the marsh zone, a Manatee Tree Snail (Drymaeus dormani) snuggled up inside a tree trunk.



Then the birds began to move. It started with a pretty good flow of early risers and our first bird was the first Hermit Thrush of the season. A week late according to our past years here. This was an adult bird and we caught a juvenile later in the morning.



As we like to remind folks every year, we have a simple mantra to remember Hermit Thrushes. "Tail, tail, tail!". It is easiest way to ID Hermits from Swainson's Thrushes by seeing that contrasting red coloring of the tail feathers.



Lynn was extracting the Hermit Thrush when a Gray Catbird flew into the net next to it which Andrew retrieved.



Gray Catbirds are now one of the most heard birds during the dawn chorus but they seem to stay across the river most of the day.



While walking back to the table we noticed our other volunteers at Net 14 where Alease was extracting a Swamp Sparrow.



Swamp Sparrows are back in force for the Winter. With this nice early rush we thought we might have a really busy day. However, it got pretty quiet really soon.



Which leaves time to explore the area for other things in Nature. One of the most seen spiders in the area are Spiny Orb Weavers (Gasteracantha). Typically, we have to work our way around the webs so it was interesting to see one hanging out on a blade of grass today.



A short time later Charles saw what he thought were a couple of leaves falling into Net 22. Instead, they were actually Ruby-crowned Kinglets.



Both Ruby-crowned Kinglets were new females for us. Last week we had a new male which sports the namesake Ruby head feathers.



While at the banding table we heard some rustling through the wooded areas around us. It turned out to be a few Raccoons roaming about. A mother and a couple of kids.



We recaptured a couple of wrens, House and Carolina, before capturing another Northern Cardinal. Twigs at the ready when ever they are in hand. Lynn finally braved the extraction and was rewarded by not getting pinched.



We are still finding Lubber Grasshoppers (Romalea guttata) among the vegetation and this one appears to have reached its final transformation. Note the short flight wings which are incapable of any real flight. Lubbers hop and climb.



Our final bird of the morning was an Ovenbird. Nice to end the day with a warbler.



Another strong front will push through this week and we shall see what shows up for next Sunday. An added plus to this morning was the return of a couple dozen American Robins passing overhead through the day. Waxwings and Goldfinches can't be far behind.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, November 17th.
All nets will be opened by 6:20 A.M.