Indigo Buntings Rule

A very interesting day. We installed many native trees today up and down the net lanes in hopes of turning our little patch of nature back into a Florida friendly spot instead of the once infested with invasives plot it was just a couple of years ago. Species introduced today included Walter's Viburnum, Red Cedar, Wax Myrtle, another Red Mulberry, Simpson's Stopper, Yaupon Holly, and Wild Coffee.

We have placed species together in front of different net sites and hope to monitor how each species might bring in different birds to different areas. We shall see.

This day began like the past couple of weeks with a Brown Thrasher being caught right around dawn. Seems that they head out as one of the first species of the morning to get going.



Also continuing the trend of late, this was yet another younger bird as witnessed by the duller yellow eye. Once these birds become adults their eyes are brilliant yellow.



As usual, a majority of our captures happen very early in the morning. Here, Maria gets one of our Indigo Buntings (more on them later) into a bag with help from William, one of our occasional young volunteers.



Missing from last week were the Gray Catbirds. Not that they were missing from the area but we did not catch any last week which was odd. This time of year they are numerous in the bushes and at the table. This young bird was a welcome sight.



A little later we caught another and Abe got chance to band this one.



Carolina Wrens are most sparse this time of year. All of the hatchlings are well on their way like this recapture which was born earlier in the year and is just now achieving its adult feathers. 2 Weeks ago it still retained younger plumage.



It is always nice to hear the Phoebes back in the area. Even better when you hear them and then they hit the net soon afterwards!



We find no fat deposits on this bird. Probably just settling in from a very long flight to join us for the Winter.



Common Yellowthroats are still around but not in the large numbers as a few weeks ago. The males always bring out the oohs and ahs.



Tufted Titmice are not uncommon at all around the river. We even see the previously banded birds still feeding along with the families every now and then. However, it seems to be a difficult task catching them in the first place. Today we got one of the unbanded family members.



One of our favorite birds to handle and watch as we go about our weekly routine.



We often come back to the observation of clues to evolution when handling birds. We can not resist making the comparison to dinosaurs when staring at some species' feet. Very dino-like.



You should see young birds in the nest. One might swear they are looking at a young dinosaur begging for food. Like this image Andrew took in his yard 6 years ago of a Cardinal chick next to his kitchen window.



As for the Indigo Buntings, they made up 85% of our captures today! We saw William helping load one into a bag earlier and once back at the table he and the others band one of our first of the day.



More odd was the fact that all of the Indigos we caught today were females. Not a male in the bunch.



Even more unexpected was this very young hatch year bird. Note the yellow gape at the base of the bill.



No matter how young, many birds like to take a nip at the banders before being released back into the wild.



With so many buntings to process we get a chance to let some volunteers release some of the more calm birds. William got a chance to release a few buntings this morning.



Other views of note were Maria's usual finding of a dragonfly in one of the nets. They take a lot of gentle care to remove and set free.



Maria also discovered some berries along the trail. We use to see these out at Wekiva State Park but never tracked down the species. With our trusty help from Randy and Mary we learned that they belong to Smilax pumila. Great to have an ID after all these years.



Time to go home. Apparently Andrew needs to keep a close watch on his chair. Seems young William wants to take over. Keep up the interest, William! One day this could be all yours. Someone needs to carry the flag.



We look forward to a visit from members of the OASis (Orange Audubon) next Sunday. Hopefully we can show them some interesting birds as we give them a tour of our always improving site.
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Next Banding Day: Sunday, October 24th.

All nets will be opened by 7:00 A.M.

A Bunting Kind of Day

Not a blockbuster day but definitely not a disappointment. The most interesting result of the day was that the majority of our captured birds were buntings, Indigo and Painted. Perhaps these grasses are paying off.

We get an early start. All of our nets are opened at least 30 minutes before sunrise every Sunday. Most of our birds are then captured from sunrise to a couple hours afterward and then things go quiet. With migration upon us we start getting birds in the dark. Today, the first bird captured was a Brown Thrasher and we had to utilize our headlamps just to read the band numbers.



Captured in the same net as the Thrasher was our first Cardinal of the day. This male was near another in the net but the other male escaped before we could get to it. Happens sometimes.



Later in the day we captured a female Cardinal. You might notice that both Cardinals are gripping twigs. We do this to keep them occupied so they don't clamp down on our tender flesh.



Then the buntings began to wake up. Andrew banded the first female Painted Bunting as Grace and her Dad, Bill, looked on. Though we caught many Painted Buntings, all of them were females. Everyone was hoping for a bright male. Oh, well.



Grace was reluctant to release one of the early birds but soon was willing to give it a go. Andrew points in the direction the bird should be released as Grace prepares to let it go. This bird was a female Indigo Bunting.



After the first rush of the morning captures, Susan and Grace head out to look for more birds.



Speaking of Indigo Buntings, they were plentiful and calling all over the riverside. Here, a female is lit up by the morning's golden glow.



We have captured Fall Indigo males before but none so bright as this one banded today.



It was still retaining a lot of indigo feathers on its breast and belly. Soon, the males will be much more dull brown.



As mentioned, we got no male Painted Buntings but we find the females just as gorgeous.



We also captured a number of Common Yellowthroats, mostly adult males. Love these birds even though they can cause us a difficult time getting them out of the nets. They tend to spin and get more tangled than other birds.



One male had a bent toe. It was rigid and was probably injured when the bird was younger. Otherwise, the bird was totally healthy and was a mature bird so the toe abnormality does not seem to cause any problems for this bird.



Another interesting adult male showed up a bit later. This male had black feathers going into the breast area and even had black feathers on the belly. Loads of black feathers! Compare where the black feathers normally stop on the bird two pictures above.



We had a nice visit with Frank, one of the rangers from the park (standing between Susan and Charles). He got to see several of the birds that were being banded and also was there to check up on a problem encountered earlier in the week.



The problem? While Frank was clearing some brush to try and get access to spray some of the Skunk Vine he was stung by a Yellow Jacket and got all swollen in the neck for a few days. Ironically, we knew nothing of this but right before Frank arrived Andrew was pulling out some Skunk Vine and was unknowingly standing right over the insect's nest before he knew it. He was stung 3 times and had to tear his shirt off to dislodge the rest of the attacking bugs.



Near the scene of the crime, Susan prays for the Skunk Vine to release our orange tree. That or she was just waiting for another bird to bring back...



One of our other favorite birds (O.K., they are all our favorites) was captured today. A White-eyed Vireo.



Sure, it looks real pretty but it was very feisty. It kept nipping at Andrew throughout the entire banding process.



We just wanted another nice photo so it had to be...controlled a bit more.



One last pet is given to this Yellowthroat before being released. A great end to a beautiful morning.



Next week we install a lot of native plants along with the banding. The transformation of the environment continues in earnest and we can't wait until the results start paying off in the future.
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Next Banding Day: Sunday, October 17th.

All nets will be opened by 7:00 A.M.

A Little Slower

A great day yesterday but what would today bring? Winds were still pushing in from the North and the radar showed that most birds already moving farther South. We hoped for a pretty good catch rate, at least close to our high totals from Saturday.

It was a little slower today but we were still getting the expected migrants, such as the Gray Catbirds. Here, Grayson watches while Andrew bands our first Catbird of the morning.



Maggie got a really pretty photo of the Catbird. We enjoy them now but for how long? Soon they will be so common that we will become disinterested. At least from overexposure. We will miss them when they depart.



Common Yellowthroats were again the main species today. All ranges of plumage again and the males are always so brilliant in color.



We enjoy looking at the color changes from bill to crown of these adult males.



At times we forget how attractive the females are, too. When you stop to look at them they really are more olive on their backs. In flight they seem just a brown blur.



Thrushes are fewer this year so it is always exciting to band one in between the more common birds right now.



Most warblers stay higher up this time of year so it is great to get a specimen like this female Black-throated Blue Warbler.



Sometimes confusing in the field, Black-throated Blue Warblers are quickly identified by their 'window' on their wings.



Continuing our catches from yesterday were more House Wrens. They can now be heard in the bushes around the banding area, as well.



A first of the season bird was caught today. We were just talking about Eastern Phoebes and here we got the first one to arrive for the Winter. They will increase in numbers soon.



As things were winding down and the winds were picking up the gang found a surprise in the trees besides some birds. A Black Racer was hanging in the branches next to Net 5! An awesome sight.



Winds are continuing to head in from the North. Could reduce the number of birds for next week since they are being ushered out very easily right now. Wintering birds should arrive shortly.

We also have more plants to install provided from our ranger friends across the river. Always something to do!
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Next Banding Day: Sunday, October 10th.

All nets will be opened by 6:50 A.M.