Nice End to the Latest Session

You never know what the final day of our Session will bring. We know it will be made up of local birds, but which ones? They vary every year. This year would be no exception.

Right at sunrise, we caught our first Northern Cardinal, a new juvenile.



Next young bird was a recently fledged Carolina Wren.



We recaptured a Brown Thrasher down at Net 9 at the same time.



A new Brown Thrasher was soon to follow. Two Thrashers in a day is pretty rare.



Another juvenile Northern Cardinal was brought up to the table at the same time.



Two Brown Thrashers in one day is rare? How about three! That makes a record for one day in all these years.



Alyssa brought her parents and girlfriend out and they looked on as the Thrasher was processed.



Nissy got to release the Brown Thrasher before we tended to the lanes and watched for more captured birds.



It didn't take long before we caught our second juvenile Carolina Wren of the day.



Our Marsh Rabbit is still munching away on the grasses toward the lake.



It was nice get an adult female Northern Cardinal out foraging for her young.



Surprisingly, we caught a new male Northern Cardinal. We are chock full of Cardinals all over the property these days.



Another recently fledged Carolina Wren kept our totals rising for our last day.



An adult Carolina Wren was almost a surprise as our final bird of the Session.



So, all of our local birds are doing quite well and bringing new generations into the area. Northern Parula are also doing well, but staying up in the tree tops. Other locals are being heard and seen near the lake and overhead.

Now, we take two months off to let the young birds grow up undisturbed and we sleep in and avoid the heat until August (where it will still be HOT!) and begin the next banding Session. Time to crunch some numbers to see the trends over the past decade and prepare for the future.

Enjoy your Summer!
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, August 4th.
All nets will be opened by 6:20 A.M.

Week 2 of Session 8

We began the latest Session last week and were at least pleased that we caught some local birds and a migrant and had relatively nice weather until the rain blew in early. Today was a reminder of the sauna that truly is August. Once your shirt is soaked with sweat before dawn and mosquitoes begin to find you you remember we are still a bit far away from Fall. Still we push on and see what we can find through this breezeless morning.

The first run was quiet but on the next pass we recaptured one of the juvenile Carolina Wrens we banded last week. This was the one that was molting in a new set of tail feathers and was caught much farther down the lane than when it was first caught near the banding table.



Nearby, one of the Northern Cardinals we banded last week was caught in the same net as last week.



Christine removed the other Wren we banded last week and then rescued a beetle from Net 3.



Another recaptured Carolina Wren soon followed. More were heard but only a few were flying about. In fact, most of the morning found the birds as lethargic as we were in the heat.



We then recaptured another female Northern Cardinal and a new male down at Net 9.



With the rains comes new growth of fungus including these mushrooms sprouting on the edge of a log. Interesting to note that even as diminutive as these bunches are that there are an even smaller version located at the lower bottom left of the photo.



We made a large dent in the push of Caesar Weed while we still gave thanks to the Air Potato Beetles for making their own dent in their food.



There has been a Marsh Rabbit hanging around Net 13 for weeks and Christine found it wandering around and resting, briefly, on a log. Can you spot it?



She also found what we think is an Orange Barred Sulphur hanging in the Guinea Grass which have returned in force despite the efforts of folks to kill it off. You can't really get rid of this stuff and we don't really mind. Buntings love the seeds and we are looking forward to October to bring in the Indigos.



The water level is dropping and the baby American Alligators were found moved over to the small pond on the neighbor's property just across the Lake Lotus property line.



While checking Net 21, Andrew noticed a flash of color across the river in the willows. Prothonotary? Nope. A male Yellow Warbler! The first any of us has witnessed in the park. Later, a female was also seen. A clear sign that migration is in full swing.



We checked for views of our usual alligators in the river but did not find them. Instead, a Raccoon clambered through the scrub and shimmied up a Cypress across the river, stirring up the Tufted Titmice resting up in the tree tops.



Octavia, the Golden Silk Spider who has taken up residence behind the banding table, was spotted trapping a Bottle Fly and wrapping it up before devouring it. Her web is now taking over most of our rope that we hang bird bags on and we are trying to be respectful of her space.



Today, we noticed 3 males in the web. They are easy to tell apart. The female Golden Silk Spider can grow to huge sizes but the males are usually a very smaller version and often overlooked.



We trudged out at the end of the morning and hope for the return of new migrants soon. Ovenbirds should begin to show up any time and them the needles keeps rising into September. For now, we have to cool down.

On a sad note, our visitor for the past two weeks, Carol, sent us a photo she took after leaving us for the day. Out at the Window by the Lake on the Lotus boardwalk she spotted a dead bird in the water below. It was a Belted Kingfisher which would be the first of the season for this area. Hopefully it wasn't one that we banded last year but collision with windows is very common for birds all over the world.



Time to rejuvenate and prepare for another warm morning next week.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, August 16th.
All nets will be opened by 6:25 A.M.

July Property Check

Time for the July check to see where we stand before Session 8. Rains have spurred the grasses into life and we will have to do a little work to clear some of the net areas before August.



Fallen braches are expected from some of the snags, especially after some high winds. One big snag is next to Net 19 and a large branch did fall right across the area. Should be able to clear that with a bit of effort on the planned clean-up trip in a couple of weeks.



Last month we noticed the return of the Air Potato Beetles but they only were emerging in the heavier section of the lanes. Today, we found almost no leaf untouched. Larva are beginning their work all along the river.



In fact, many adult mating pairs were seen on many leaves.



There was not a lot of bird activity on this humid day but the dragonflies were enjoying the insect bounty and occasionally resting on the blades of grasses and dead stalks.



The Marsh Rabbits are also liking the high grass right now.



While most of the net lanes should be mowed by the rangers, they can't get down to Net 21. Looks like a lot of clearing will be focused there soon.



On the way out there were signs of Leather Flower gone to seed. The first time we ever saw them was when they were in these whirling shapes by the first table set-up and lead us to figure out what the heck it was as none of us had seen them before.



The next season we saw them blooming and there are still some blooms along the fence line near where we park.



Two weeks later we found that the Air Potato Beetles were in full tilt against the invasives. Less work for us before starting the next year.



Though it is our state bird, we do not usually see Northern Mockingbirds on property. Habitat is not best for them here. So it was nice to see one this morning in the snags.



Next week we begin Session 8. Can't wait for the new discoveries in the upcoming 10 months.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, August 2nd.
All nets will be opened by 6:15 A.M.

Foggy

Yet another Sunday after a Saturday rain event. Seems to be the norm this Session and might be again next week. Wet feet and no idea what we might find once we arrive on early Sunday mornings. Today, the operative word was Fog. Even late into the morning we had plenty to go around, especially out at the lakeside.



Oddly, even though we ended up with a fairly good amount of birds, we didn't take a lot of photos at the table. We did capture a couple of previously banded Carolina Wrens and even a new one that was rather more tawny than our usual local birds. Maybe a new male trying to establish a territory? It was very impressive in coloration and posed quite proudly.



One of the more spectacular sights as we walk the trails in this weather is the way the spider webs stand out in the misty conditions. They become so easy to see and are very detailed.



As you get closer to the lake, heading toward Net 21, the marsh area looked more like a northern woodland than some Central Florida river bank.



We captured several Ruby-crowned Kinglets today, including this younger male with only a scant amount of ruby feathers in its crown.



Earth Smoke (Fumaria officinalis) is in full bloom in its usual spots this year but is also being seen spreading all the way up to the main roads. In some spots it is now a couple of feet high.



This plant is widespread though out Florida and has been used medicinally by some but is also possibly poisonous. It is lovely to look at, however.



As we made the rounds and made bird captures we also took in some other wildlife as it appeared. Most of our attention was drawn toward the end of the lanes and out by the lake where our resident Marsh Rabbit is pretty easily found foraging beneath the Willows.



Wood Ducks were drifting by along the edge of the lake as Tree Swallows skimmed the water's surface over and over in large numbers.



We recaptured a White-eyed Vireo we first banded in October and then captured a new Gray Catbird to add to our tally.



Though pretty quite of late, Eastern Phoebes are still patrolling the marshes but they have not been in the vicinity of the nets for the past month or so.



Swamp Sparrows are also in good numbers down by the lake and in the marsh but have not ventured any closer.



Then, Lynn found a new bird for our species list. A Least Bittern was hiding along the edge of the lake in the reeds. It was watchful and made for a difficult subject. But it knew she was there.



When they could, others headed down to the spot to try their luck for a sighting. Danny got this shot from his cell phone as others jockied for position while trying not to get stuck in the muck.



Andrew battled swaying cattails and zoomed in for his shot. This secretive bird is probably around more than we know but is a first sighting for the banding crew in this area.



We also captured four Myrtle (Yellow-rumped) Warblers this morning ranging in different ages and sexes. The males are beginning their transformation into Spring plumage which is very different from the more dull version we in Florida get through the Winter.



Exploring the area and making new discoveries is alway a treat but we would love a few weeks of dry conditions found during the week. Makes for nice photo opportunities, though.



Yet another front is set to swing through the state by the end of the week and may even hamper our Sunday banding. Time will tell, as always.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, February 9th.
All nets will be opened by 6:40 A.M.