2016 Orlando Wetlands Festival, Pt. 2

We continue our hike where we left off in Part 1. At this part of the walk we had a lot of LBJs (Little Brown Jobs) fluttering past near the shore. They would disappear into the grasses. Every now and then one would hop out into the open like this lovely Savannah Sparrow.



Ankle deep in the water were a few Glossy Ibis.



A few yards away, a Great Egret prepares to snag a snack.



The Snowy Egrets were using the vegetation to skip across the water in search of a quick meal.



There was a nice surprise near our destination (searching for a Flycatcher) at the far side of the park. Shifting near the opposite shore was a nice, pink Roseate Spoonbill.



We could not find the flycatcher but there was a perfectly posed Wood Stork up in a Pine Tree.



Did we mention that Purple Gallinules were all over the place today?



This American Alligator was practically asking for its picture to be taken. OK.



Another nice surprise today were many American White Pelicans on the property. One flock of juveniles was right along the berm scooping out fish left and right.



They would often form a line and herd the fish toward the shallower waters.



Spring must be closer than it seems. This Palm Warbler was molting into breeding plumage already.



This is a blurry photo but an ID shot was in order since we don't see too many Caspian Terns this far inland. It was flying almost as fast as the Tree Swallows!



Back in the reeds, a tiny bird was flitting about just out of sight. Eventually we got some good views of a male Common Yellowthroat.



As we got closer to the banding table Maria spotted something moving near the reeds. Turns out it was an American Bittern! Usually, these birds stay hidden in the reeds and can often be mistaken for them. Oddly, this bird was in the open and moving towards us...



We took 60 photos of this beautiful American Bittern and helped a birding hike group spot it as they passed by. Might never get this opportunity again.



By the time we got back to the banding table we could tell the day was shifting. The wind had picked up so our chances of getting many more birds had now dropped.



The hiking group we helped spot the Bittern paid us back by alerting us to a bird in the nets. An Ovenbird. A common bird during migration but not out here at this time of year.



A very elated visitor got to release the Ovenbird.



Even if the catch rates were down we had birds at the right time most of the time when groups stopped by.



Another visitor gets to release a Gray Catbird.



Our nets this years stretched just around the corner but is was a good thing we checked all the way around. At the very end of the net we had a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Probably the same one that had been flying back and forth around the banding table all morning. Andrew was asked to go onto a passing tour bus to explain banding and to let visitors get some photos.



Another Myrtle Warbler is added to the day's tally.



Our final capture of the day was a Palm Warbler. The earlier photo out on the berms was a Western Palm but this was an Eastern, or Yellow Palm, also molting into its Spring plumage.



One more happy child gets to release our Palm Warbler.



Lynn captured a perfectly posed Gray Catbird that avoided our nets but it is a good representative photo since we heard so many today.



Overall, all reports were very positive about the day and the overall event. This was our 3rd best catch rate at the Orlando Wetlands Festival and we all had a great time. Back to home next Sunday. Might be a little chilly, but not too bad.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, February 28th.
All nets will be opened by 6:20 A.M.

2014 Orlando Wetlands Festival

Oh, Fickle February. We never know what you will bring.

Since the Orlando Wetlands Festival was moved to February several years ago the weather has been unpredictable every year. One year it was freezing with frost coating everything until mid-morning. Another year it rained so hard they had to cancel the event. Yet another was quite pleasant and we captured dozens of birds. This year we would have gusty winds all day long. At least we could enjoy the Moon setting as we set poles and nets.



As dawn broke so did the silence. Sandhill Cranes began flying in from across the road and headed to the main wetlands ponds.



We were pleased that we actually caught 3 Yellow-rumped Warblers as we were setting up nets. Maybe it would be a productive day after all.



Danny brought Brandy for the experience and some bird watching and she got to release one of our 'early birds'.



Across from the banding table a Northern Cardinal asks a good question. "Where is all the bird seed?" Usually full, the feeders were empty. A shame. We always count on watching Goldfinches there every year.



It was suppose to be windy but sunny all day. So where did this storm come from? Part of a trailing cold front threw a batch of, thankfully, light rain and we had to close the nets for a hour or so. Gave some of us a chance to head to the main part of the event and get our yearly T-shirts.



The rain was letting up so we re-opened the nets. Soon, we captured a female Northern Cardinal. We actually banded her at last year's event. Glad to see her still doing fine.



One of the event guests was allowed to release the Northern Cardinal. Pretty brave. Cardinals can often give a nasty bite.



Some of ponds nearby were full of birds and many of us took shifts to have a look. Blue-winged and Green-winged Teal were some of the most abundant species close to the shore as the storm tried to blow through.



Out by some of the Sandhill Cranes a White-faced Ibis stood around while a Glossy Ibis continued to feed in the shallows.



The tranquil scene was suddenly a raucous frenzy as American Coots began to squawk and rush about sending of a ripple through the flocks. What could cause such a panic attack? A Bald Eagle quickly arrived overhead looking for breakfast. Yep. That will do it.



Back at the nets, Becki, Lynn, and Stacie extract a Gray Catbird for banding.



A very intent boy was here doing bird watching and was very excited about the banding station. The wind was keeping birds out of the nets more often than not so when we brought the Catbird to the table he noticed and rushed over with his Dad in tow. We let him release the now banded bird.



Think it left an impression?



Up on the roadside, Richard dispensed knowledge on migrating birds, native plants, and sold some nest boxes along the way.



Did we mention wind? The gusts were literally throwing birds out of the nets as we watched helplessly. Fortunately, a House Wren kept a tight grip on the net as Andrew got to it. One of the Nature hikes walked by at the same time. The visitors got to the see the extraction and a close-up of the wren before we banded it.

Note the wind blowing the nets in both directions at once! It was a brutal day, wind-wise.



Lynn's turn for a walk and she quickly found a Palm Warbler feeding along the shore of the ponds.



Black Skimmers were coming in to rest on a shore not far from the berm roads. Other birds normally seen miles away on the Atlantic beaches like Royal and Foster's Tern joined the Skimmers while Dowitchers fed around them.



A Long-tailed Skipper sits on a leaf as the sunlight finally comes out for good.



White Pelicans drift by in the ponds. Later in the day, a huge flock of them wheeled overhead.



Purple Gallinule breed here but it is still a thrill to see one out in the open.



More Yellow-rumped Warblers were slowly being captured during the day. A guest who wants to go into Nature Studies gets to release this warbler. Andrew is not attempting to give Becki rabbit ears but is, instead, demonstrating how to begin to hold the bird.



Crowds drift by at times and hopefully we have a bird in hand when they do.



Look who is back to see bird banding in action.



Another youngster gets to release this Yellow-rumped Warbler. One of our recaptured Yellow-rumps was actually banded three years ago at this event. Given the poor conditions, this was an excellent piece of data for the day.



This Eastern Phoebe was taunting us for the 2nd half of the day. It had no problem getting around the nets and was seen flying directly to them to grab insects before quickly retreating to the bushes.



The wind gusts were getting strong as the day wore on. Almost time to close up. A group of hikers alerted us to our final warbler of the day.



Jason, a guest of Becki's, got the opportunity to hold the Yellow-rumped Warbler.



Off it goes back to the vegetation. Time for us to head out a little early. Little chance of catching more birds in this windy mess.



Despite the high winds we had a pretty good day educating guests and taking in the sites. All we ask for next year is a calm day.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, February 23th.
All nets will be opened by 6:30 A.M.