Big Birds and Migrants

The morning began with a few twists, the biggest was a new fallen tree across the lanes halfway down after storms over the past week. We could still climb over it all day after breaking away branches so we soldiered on.

Things were quiet for a while before Jenny yelled, "Bird of the Day, Y'all!", as she extracted a male Pileated Woodpecker from Net 24. The female was there, too, but managed to escape. This is only the 2nd Pileated Woodpecker we have banded at Lake Lotus.



Next bird we had was a recaptured Ovenbird. Forgive the blood on Andrew's fingers. Woodpeckers have very sharp talons.



We captured 3 Gray Catbirds today. Two new ones and one recapture. Migration is begining to stir.



A female Northern Cardinal was brought in later in the morning. They are also getting restless as nesting season is approaching.



Our final bird of the day was a juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk in Net 3, just below the table. We released it at the table.



Many visitors are expected next weekend and we hope we can cature enough migrating birds to show our new guests. But, birds go where they go. Fresh air is always nice no matter what.

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Gray Catbird	2	1	3
Northern Cardinal	0	1	1
Ovenbird	0	1	1
Pileated Woodpecker	1	0	1
Red-shouldered Hawk	1	0	1
Totals	4	3	7

______________________________________
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.
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, March 27th.
All nets will be opened by 6:50 A.M.

Entertaining for a Little While...

A very, very quiet day today. Beautiful start to the morning but the winds kicked up early, around 9. Birds were heard all over, but just like last week, none of the birds are really flying through the lanes.

Mid-morning, we did capture a recap House Wren but it managed to escape the bag on the way to the table for processing. If a wren can see a little daylight, it goes for it. If you haven't seen one before, they all look the same, here is one from December.



We all walked the lanes all day and were just not getting anything in the nets. Eventually, Susan and Connie returned to the table and we had a small flock of Titmice feeding overhead. One came down right next to the table on a snag. It quickly flew off and was soon followed by a Pine Warbler in the same spot. It grabbed a discarded feather from the Titmouse and then did some remarkable things.

It then flew down toward us at the table, feet away, and searched the entire area for more items. Feather still in bill, it looked around and grabbed other bits of fluff and scraps until fully loaded. Then it flew to the top of a nearby tree. Definitely grabbing nesting material.

The Pine Warbler then returned several times right next to us to grab more things to bring back to the nest. Right at Susan and Connie's feet! Andrew finally got to the camera and tried to get a few snaps. Here is the best one. A very entertaining watch for nearly 15 minutes. We always hear the Pine Warblers calling just before we leave for the day.



Last bird of the morning was a recaptured male Northern Cardinal.



We will be taking next week off, but remember that is Spring Forward for those manual clocks. See everyone on the 20th, weather permitting.

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Gray Catbird	0	1	1
Northern Cardinal	0	1	1
Totals	0	2	2

______________________________________
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.
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, March 20th.
All nets will be opened by 7:00 A.M.

Recaps Only

Another quiet day at the site. Some flyovers newly arrived warblers, mostly Northern Parulas, but very quite.

First bird up was a Gray Catbird.



Next up was a recap Carolina Wren first banded not too long ago.



Our newest volunteer, Jeffery, got to release the Carolina Wren.



Last bird of the morning was a female Northern Cardinal. Jeffery and Andrew managed to get bitten as she was released.



Spring migration is right around the corner but it might take a few more weeks to see bigger results. Fingers crossed as this late season has been so slow.

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Gray Catbird	0	1	1
Carolina Wren	0	1	1
Northern Cardinal	0	1	1
Totals	0	3	3

______________________________________
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.
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, March 6th.
All nets will be opened by 6:15 A.M.

Locals Only But New Arrivals

A quiet day with light fog began our day, but all things were still. We had hopes for an interesting day. However, only locals were captured today. Waiting on the begining of the Spring turn.

First bird brought up was a new Carolina Wren.



Connie's brother, Fred, was in town and got to release the newly banded bird.



Brown Thrashers were heard calling all along the property today and we did manage to get a couple. Both were first banded in 2019.



Our other new visitor, Alex, got to record data and release one of the adult Brown Thrashers. We look forward to seeing her return next month!



Despite a slow morning, we did notice a number of species today. Other birds seen were a Swainson's Thrush, Orange-crowned Warbler, and more as we await the next round of returning migrants. Northern Parulas are back, too.

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Brown Thrasher	0	2	2
Carolina Wren	1	0	1
Totals	1	2	3

______________________________________
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.
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, February 27th.
All nets will be opened by 6:20 A.M.

No Banding February 13th

2022 is not the best for us so far. Rain projected all morning. Not risking bird safety and volunteer happiness. Maybe next week.

Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, February 20th.
All nets will be opened by 6:30 A.M.

No Banding February 6th

Wishy washy. Not taking a chance. Sleep is good.

Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, February 13th.
All nets will be opened by 6:35 A.M.

Waves

Back to the grind with winds predicted. Fortunately, they did not pick up too hard until a bit later in the day but the lake side was very tough to band as winds poured in from the East. So, we had waves of birds all morning.

We started our day with a Gray Catbird.



Second up, Connie found a Common Yellowthroat and she and Andrew extracted it fairly quickly. They sometimes twirl in as they fly but this male adult was not too difficult to bring in.



We had a recap Carolina Wren and then had a new Western Palm Warbler.



We were glad to have Lynn come back into the fold for the day. She was one of our best volunteers and does a great job of finding all kinds of bugs during the net checks. Today she found some dragonflies hunkering down during a chilly morning and then spotted a new caterpillar for us amoung the leaves. A Unicorn Caterpillar.



The day had become very quite so we decided to close up a bit early. As we were beginning to close the nets, Jenny returned with a smile and 2 bags. She had two Blue-gray Gnatcatchers. Jenny and Thomas sat down to record the new birds.



Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are very rare to capture. They can see the nets very easily and avoid them for the most part. For some reason we got 4 today!



Another Western Palm Warbler was captured between the Gnatcatchers.



A pretty good day for chilly and windy conditions. A good start to the 2022 season.

Watching the weather for next Sunday. Please make sure to check the blog before you head to the site as rains are scheduled in weird forecasts through the weekend.

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Gray Catbird	1	0	1
Common Yellowthroat	1	0	1
Carolina Wren	0	1	1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher	4	0	4
Western Palm Warbler	2	0	2
Totals	8	1	9

______________________________________
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.
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, February 6th.
All nets will be opened by 6:50 A.M.

No Banding January 16th

This storm will not change course or timing. We sleep in. Maybe next Sunday.

Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, January 23rd.
All nets will be opened by 6:50 A.M.

Let the New Year Begin

A quiet start to 2022. Fog couldn't decide what to do and the day was cool and later breezy. We did manage a few birds captured but all were recaptures. We had two birds that escaped as we went in to extract them, but most birds were feeding up in the sunshine through the morning.

Connie and Andrew got a Common Yellowthroat out of Net 22 just after dawn.



During the rest of the day we did have our hands on a couple of Carolina Wrens. Both were young recaptures.



Technically 5 birds if you count the escapes. Hoping for a better result next weekend if the rain that is predicted doesn't happen. Please check the blog before you head out in case we have to cancel.

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Common Yellowthroat	0	1	1
Carolina Wren	0	2	2
Totals	0	3	3

______________________________________
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.
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, January 16th.
All nets will be opened by 6:50 A.M.

One More for the End of the Year. Literally...

No real fun today. Only one bird. 26 species heard or seen, but real quiet.

Our bird today was a recaptured Hermit Thrush first banded almost exactly a year ago. That is info we do like, though. Means this bird is using this patch of ground to hang out for the Winter. Glad to be a safe haven for another life to continue the line.



We will plan on starting the New Year off on a better foot after a slight break. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Hermit Thrush	0	1	1
Totals	0	1	1

______________________________________
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.
______________________________________
Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, January 9th.
All nets will be opened by 6:50 A.M.