End of the Session

The end of this season is upon us. Kinda slow but a decent end.

First bird of the day was a recaptured Brown Thrasher.



Second bird was a new male Cardinal. Have we not banded all of the locals, already? Sure we have, but now there a few new birds. Perhaps grown up juveniles.



Our latest visitor got to experience the banding process and got to release the Cardinal. It was so engaged with its new band that when she opened her hand to release it it stayed in her hand for a good 30 seconds.



Out of the blue we recaptured a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.



Another recapture was a Tufted Titmouse. Both of those birds were unexpected and showing us that migration is over. All birds processed today were locals.



The final bird of the Session was a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird, captured and released was as we took down nets. We are not permitted to band Hummers, so we enjy their company for a moment and then send them back into the trees.



Time to sleep in during the heat for a few months and then we pick up again in September. Thanks to everyone this past year! Looking forward to more interesting finds starting in the Fall. Enjoy your adventures for the next few months. We will be trying to set up an Instragram page to highlight some videos and photos that slip through the cracks on the blog. Stay tuned!

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Northern Cardinal	1	0	1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher	0	1	1
Brown Thrasher	0	1	1
Tufted Titmouse	0	1	1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird	1	0	1
Totals	2	3	5

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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 4th.
All nets will be opened by 6:30 A.M.

Ahhhh...No Humidity.

The forecast was for a beautiful morning with winds increasing later into the morning. However, winds were starting up well before dawn. Could this knock down our count today? Actually, no. A nice surprising set of birds before we left.

We started getting birds early and usually we would have a ton of photos. Except, some dum dum forgot his point and shoot on the charger. So, there were no photos of the early birds. We did catch a lot of Common Yellowthoats and House Wrens, but our first photo was a nice Swainson's Thrush.



Other birds were brought in before Connie got a Ruby-throated Hummingbird. We tried to get a photo before we released it (we do not have a permit to band them) but it took off as sson as she opened her hands. Oh, well. Search the sidebar for Hummingbird photos in the past.

We captured a few Catbirds and then had a nice migrant.
A female Black-and-White Warbler.



Kate was returning with a bird and reported a bird in Net 7. She did not want to try to extract it (do it, Kate!) and it turned out to be a Northern Waterthrush.



We got a new Ovenbird just as time was running down for the session. Then we began to take down nets. Reaching Net 14, we found a new male Downy Woodpecker waiting for some new jewlery.



Just down the lane, Connie was closing Net 17 and discovered a new Black-throated Blue Warbler.



Weather is getting drier for a bit. Maybe a little more moisture by next weekend, but it does not look like any kind of a washout. Mayby more Buntings? Stay tuned.

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Common Yellowthroat	5	0	5
Painted Bunting	1	0	1
Northern Waterthrush	1	0	1
Downy Woodpecker	1	0	1
Gray Catbird	3	0	3
Carolina Wren	0	2	2
House Wren	4	1	5
Swainson's Thrush	1	0	1
Ovenbird	1	0	1
Black-throated Blue Warbler	1	0	1
Totals	19	3	22

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, October 24th.
All nets will be opened by 7:00 A.M.

Welcome Back to the Sauna

How quickly we forget. August is super humid. So humid that we start sweating hard before dawn. And then for the rest of the entire morning. Water or other hydrates are highly recommend when hanging out in the woods this time of year.

That said, we set nets and waited for the yields of the banding day. Oddly, it was very quiet today. Last week we were treated by many juvenile Carolina Wrens. They were seen and heard all morning but none crossed the trails. We had to wait over an hour to catch our first bird, a juvenile Northern Cardinal.



So, when birds are taking care to stay out of the heat more than us, we get to tending to the trails. Andrew ridded our Holly trees of Muscadine Grape vines and Jenny and Richard worked on prepping the area behind Net 19 for future plantings of Wax Myrtles.



Over at Oliva's Garden, Connie set about clearing the overgrowth that occurred in the past 2 months. Plants set in last May seem to be adapting quite well and pollinators are showing up in good numbers.



Our little patch of Rhexia is still blooming strong between Nets 10 and 22.



While checking Net 2, we noticed that the sunlight was illuminating Leather Flower seeds hanging next to the path.



Everyone loved the discovery of Winged Sumac in full bloom by Net 19. Tony Bees were in full force and all of them were sporting legs full of pollen. This seems to be the first time this tree has been in bloom and is a good source of pollen in the area.



One Cardinal escaped at Net 10 earlier and shortly afterward Christine got to remove a Ruby-throated Hummingbird from the newly resumed Net 6. Again, we cannot band Hummingbirds as it requires a special license so she was safely released immediately. Other hummers were seen during the morning.



Other sightings of the day were American Redstarts and a family of Pileated Woodpeckers, one adult and two juveniles. Red-eyed Vireos were heard in several spots today.

Hopefully more migrants begin to arrive next week. Records show we should see Waterthrushes, Ovenbirds, and other Warblers moving into the area soon depending on the weather patterns.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, August 18th.
All nets will be opened by 6:25 A.M.

Another Random Day

No big migrant movements here today but it ended up a little interesting. We got to install a few new plants and made some other changes along the way.

First bird of the day was a new adult Gray Catbird. No fat yet. Staying or late or readying to bulk up?



Next up, a recaptured Northern Cardinal, first banded last Summer.



Andrew got tired of fighting the constant growth of a Holly Richard planted years ago by Net 15 so he shifted it to the opposite side of the lane just a few feet down. We will not rename this spot as it is only mere feet away.



Connie spied a small Spider down in the area she in placing new plants. Susan later did some sleuthing and discovered it is a Humpbacked Orb Weaver, Eustala anastera. New find here.



Not too long afterward, the crew found an Indigo Bunting flirting with the nets of 13 and 9 but managed to stay in the upper story of the oaks before flying toward the park proper. A hopeful sign for next week at Earth Day, though.



Jenny then brought back the Bird of the Day. A Prothonotary Warbler. It was down in the marsh area ringed by Cypress trees. Right where you would expect them.



In Net 2, we caught another Gray Catbird. This one was loaded with growths on its legs. Research suggests that is is caused by mites. Since the growths were so large, we did not band it as not to do any further damage.



A close up of the leg irritation on the Gray Catbird.



While checking nets, we noticed that one of the Red Cedars planted by Net 14 is fruiting. Big time! Guess we know which one is a female.



As we began to close up for the morning, Connie called to say that there was a Ruby-throated Hummingbird in Net 20. It was a male.



Ruby-throated Hummingbirds tend to get stressed after getting released from the nets so we took it back to the table and tried to coax it to have a sip of water. It soon flew off back into the woods. Always interesting to see how the gorget changed colors based of the angle of the light.



We always check to see if any American Alligators are heading in to sun. Pat was heading in not long before we wrapped up and found a spot in the sun before long.



NOTE: Saturday is Earth Day in the Lake Lotus Park where we do demos throughout the day. The park will be open for Earth Day from 10 until 3. Then we will band as usual on Sunday on 'our' side of the river.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Saturday for Earth Day in the park and Sunday, April 21st in our usual spot.
All nets will be opened by 6:25 A.M.

Session 8 Ends

It was a nice day to be out on our final morning of Session 8. As expected, we only captured local birds. Completely typical this time of year and why we stop for June and July. The first Carolina Wren of the day escaped before getting into a bag but we got a second soon afterwards. A juvenile.



Next up was a new female Northern Cardinal. Where are all of these new birds coming from?



Things are a bit drier around as Tropical Storm Bonnie cruised up to South Carolina and pulled most other moisture away from us. Still, it was plenty wet out by the lake and prevented us from reaching the shore. Not much out on the lake, anyway.



Cicadas started calling early and though the mosquitoes were not too bad, there were plenty of dragonflies around to hunt them.



Many dry runs later Richard and Christine did catch something. A Leopard Frog. We have now caught two in the past two weeks. No, we can't band them...



As we were taking nets down for the Summer break, a male Northern Cardinal flew into Net 17. We first banded this bird just a few months ago. Sorry for the poor shots as we left the point and shoot at home. Doh!



On the way home, Andrew stopped over to the ranger's office to remind them we were done for a while. Frank mentioned a new visitor to the office. A Ruby-throated Hummingbird has set up a nest right outside their window.



She returned as they watched the nest with a bit of fluff to rest the eggs in a nice pillow. Hummingbird nests are primarily constructed of lichen and spider web and other fluffy, soft material.



Frank and Andrew retreated to the office for a while to give her space to get back to work and she finally returned to sit in the cup. This shot is from within the office.



They snuck outside to get a different angle but the light wasn't that great. It is still great to find this tiny bird on her tiny nest and young birds should be appearing in a couple of weeks.



The Moon followed us home. It was an interesting Session 8. Time to take final data and send it to the lab and compare this year's catches to all of the previous ones.



We will be back from time to time to do maintenance and then prepare for Session 9 on the first Sunday of August. This was a very wet Session from beginning to end. What will next year bring? Can't wait to find out.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, August 14th.
All nets will be opened by 6:21 A.M.

More Wind as Migration Looms

NOTE: No banding Sunday, March 20th due to rain. We will try again on the 27th.

The morning started nice enough but eventually grew quiet and windy like last week. Most of our captures, besides a lot of leaves, were recaptures. The first recapture of the day was a House Wren.



Gray Catbirds were the majority once more.



An early Hermit Thrush recapture was a surprise. We haven't seen a thrush in the area for a while.



Nick, our latest volunteer, got to release most of the morning birds and began to learn the ropes on managing the nets at the end of the day.



Bees are still busily tending to their large honeycomb high up in a snag.



Just below the tree, the Spiderwort are beginning to bloom in earnest.



It definitely is turning toward Spring evidenced by the return of spider webs to move out of the paths. Besides Garden Orb Weavers, Spiny Orb Weavers are spinning their webs out, too.



We have noticed signs of mammals around but they don't come out in the open too often. Becki found a Possum around mid-morning.



Our first unbanded capture today was another Hermit Thrush. A sure sign that migration is gearing up.



We found a young American Alligator as we set nets this morning and the unusually warm weather is bringing out the adults on the lake, also.



Swallow-tailed Kites eventually soared onto the scene and began feeding higher in the sky with a kettle of Black Vultures.



Joining them very high up was a lone Red-tailed Hawk.



Closer to the ground were a few Red-shouldered Hawks shrieking to one another throughout the park.



Along with Crane's bill and Earthsmoke flowers, the Thistles are beginning to bloom.



The Barred Owls met up before dawn and then found their usual spots to roost for the rest of the morning.



Nearby in the river, a Limpkin walked the banks and pulled up shelled snacks from the sand with ease.



Christine made a nice discovery toward Net 21. A Common Snapping Turtle.



Heading back up the net lanes Nets 13 and 9 were filling with more leaves. Suddenly, one of the 'leaves' began to strain against the mesh. Not a leaf at all but a male Ruby-throated Hummingbird! We got a few shots of the bird before releasing it. We don't have a license to band Hummingbirds.



It is always interesting to notice that to see the bright red in the feathers. One turn to the side and that ruby turned to black.



An Eastern Phoebe was found foraging in the area. We did not catch it today but there is definitely a band on this bird. Most likely one we banded here in the past.



We are keeping an eye on the weather for next weekend. Rain is in the forecast but fingers are crossed that it clears out for our next day out. If you plan on coming out make sure to check back here late Saturday to see if we have to cancel.

NOTE: No banding Sunday, March 20th due to rain. We will try again on the 27th.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, March 27th.
All nets will be opened by 7:00 A.M.