Locals Captured, Migrants Seen.

More quiet than expected. Checking on the records, things start to ramp up next week. Always seems like it should be earlier. Sometimes it is, actually. Some migrants are showing up in different parts of the state, but we caught none today. All locals.

We got a real bad cell phone shot of caterpillars that Susan discovered by Net 14. Searching around the web seems to suggest that they are Io Moth caterpillars all clumped together.



It was very quiet through much of the morning and then we finally had Net 16 holding 3 birds. The Cardinal escaped before we could get there but the other two were Carolina Wrens. One was a juvenile that was first banded in the Spring.



The second was and new adult and we can't believe it hadn't been captured earlier. It was getting rid of its brood path heading into Fall.



One of our new rangers, Corey is documenting things around the park, including our banding site, and he got to release both of the Carolina Wrens this morning. We are looking forward to seeing and helping his documentation as an upgrade to the park's information.



While the nets were being checked, the ladies found a juvenile Opossum up in the trees next to Net 18. All sorts of mammals roam about the site morning, noon, and night.



Kate found one of our migrants seen today. A Yellow Warbler out in the marsh. While we were extracting the Wrens, we had a Black and White Warbler drop low, and we saw a few Redstarts, too.



More first of Fall migrants should arrive next week (knock nets) and then we get more and more busy through October. Just keep the storms away!
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, August 26th.
All nets will be opened by 6:30 A.M.

More Spring Migrants

There was a fair amount of rain on Saturday so the area was soaked by morning and overcast all day. Our first bird of the morning was an Ovenbird. It was just last week that we were wondering when they would turn North. This was a very bright adult.



Lynn, a new visitor, got to release several birds through out the day, including the Ovenbird.



Several Gray Catbirds were heard on the property but we only captured a new one for banding.



Down by the marsh, a Carolina Wren hatched and banded last May stopped by for a visit.



Baby Barred Owl was very vocal today. At one point Mama stopped by to feed it.



It took us a bit of time to figure out what the meal was. Later on we found the remains of a frog beneath the limb.



We had hoped that the Barred Owls were done looking for food. Turns out they were still hungry and took advantage when a Brown Thrasher flew toward Net 12. Poor thing had no chance against such a skilled hunter. Time to post Owl Watch again...



A strong song was rising out near the lake. It took a couple of minutes to locate the singing bird. It was even more difficult to get a photo of our first male American Redstart of Spring.



A little farther on we found a large blooming of this little yellow flower on some sort of ground cover. Anyone have an ID?



Speaking of yellow, a Prairie Warbler was feeding in the willows but would not stay still for a focused portrait.



Nearby, a female Black and White Warbler was more cooperative.



Meanwhile, Mama Barred Owl was looking sleepy after her 2nd breakfast of the morning.



We captured 2 Northern Cardinals today. One was a new bird and the other was banded a couple of years ago. Males were chasing one another all around the table sites.



As most of the crew was roaming the net lanes, Bob, Lynn, and Richard processed another Ovenbird.



Our final bird of the day was the first Northern Waterthrush of the season. A Louisiana Waterthrush was also seen close to the lake.



As for the trail cam, last week was nearly all Raccoons. This week it was strictly Opossum.



More cool air and rain coming. Wonder what will show up next Sunday.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, April 15th.
All nets will be opened by 6:30 A.M.

Migrants Beginning To Move

Happy April! This is the time the migrants start getting restless and start feeding and gradually start on their way North. Even though we had to deal with some wind, again, it was an interesting mix of birds today, all of them migrants

The first bird of the day was a recaptured Hermit Thrush.



Eric and Hannah were our new visitors today and they both got to release a bird or two.



We should be catching northbound Gray Catbirds for the rest of the month.



Last week we wondered where the Ovenbirds were and this week we got one.



Our bird of the day was a Swainson's Warbler. Several were banded during our stint at Wekiwa Springs but this is the first we have banded here at Lake Lotus.



Out where Net 21 used to be, Golden Aster is now moving in to reclaim some of the area after Hurricane Irma scoured everything out last Fall.



Checking on the trail cam shows that last week was a busy time for the Raccoons. They were the dominate capture whether at night...



...or during the day.



Opossums were also wandering back and forth.



This area also sees and large gathering of Squirrels from Net 10 down toward the lake.



Our final bird of the morning was a Louisiana Waterthrush. With Net 21 out of play it was feared that we would miss them in the Spring but they are traveling up and down the river this year.



Numbers typically ramp up from here into early May. Only a couple weeks from Earth Day!
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, April 8th.
All nets will be opened by 6:35 A.M.

A Nice Variety Before the Wind

A good chance that anything could happen today so we set out as usual to get what we could before the wind kicked up as the day broke. Our first bird of the day was an Eastern Screech Owl. It was a recaptured bird that we first banded nearly a year ago. They always look so sleepy when in the hand but it quickly flew off after the data was collected.



As we were discussing how the House Wrens were occasionally being heard but not caught, we did manage to get one.



We did get two Northern Cardinals today. One male was a recaptured (photo not worth the while) and a female that was showing a brood patch.



We are getting near the end of Thrush captures so it was nice to had a Hermit Thrush today.



Despite knowing that it is the start of gator breeding season, Andrew took one more trip out toward the lake since it was a bit cool. The most interesting find was that a flock of Cedar Waxwings were out in the willows picking at all sorts of items.



It was difficult to get some good shots as the wind was picking up but we were lucky to catch a flight shot showing the wax tips on the tail feathers.



Seeing some scat on the make-shift walkway where the lane floods made us wonder as to the animal that left a present. Time to check the trail cam. We know Andrew as he sets nets before dawn...



...but who is this dude showing up the day before walking the trail on a closed property on a Saturday?



An earlier night found the raccoon family parading toward the lake.



Possums was beginning to increase their activity in the middle of the night.



The thought that the scat animal was a Bobcat was later confirmed. Many shots in the daylight and night showed our cat strolling through the area in the next 2 days.



What this is...we are not sure. Shot seems to not be a possum. Too bulky. Thoughts?



We did get a couple more birds before the winds shut us down. Always nice to get a Ruby-crowned Kinglet recapture. We might be getting more as we head toward Spring migration.



Connie had a bird at Net 20. She thought it was possibly a Thrush species. Well, she was close. At least by name. She had returned with a Louisiana Waterthrush (actually a warbler) that make a rare appearance in early August and moving back through in the Spring. A nice end to the day!



Weather forecasts are all over the place. Next Sunday is Easter and April Fools Day. Interesting...
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Easter Sunday, April 1st. No foolin'...
All nets will be opened by 6:45 A.M.

Trail Cam in May

As we left for the end of Session 9 we grabbed the card from the trail cam an headed home to see if we captured anything of interest. One of the few daytime shots was one of the numerous Raccoons.



However, most of the action happens at night. Mammals come out in search of prey. They are always a mix, like this Coyote we have captured a shot of a few times already. We knew it was around because of scat findings and it is nice to have actual documentation.



Opossum are a little harder to catch as they sprint through the site lines of the camera. It could be a potential food item for that Coyote seen earlier in the night.



We are always excited to see our Bobcat wandering by on its jaunts around the property.



The strangest capture of the month was something more common. A domestic House Cat. What? Could be a feral stray or a pet of the neighbors just over the fence.



We also had a couple of backs of humans that shouldn't be there. Definitely not rangers, but someone who made it over to this side. We will let the camera 'soak' for June and see what strolls by during the month while we are away.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, August 6th.
All nets will be opened by 6:20 A.M.