Heading Into Migration

Nice to be back out after so many rainy Sundays. Dawn chorus was very loud but not too many birds were flying. Everything seems to be looking like breeding is on.

Connie called that she had a bird in Net 14 and thought it might be a Swamp Sparrow. Indeed it was! Usually they are lurking down by the lake's edge but this one ventured up the river.



Jenny always thinks that her bird photos make them look like Muppets. Because she makes them stare into the camera that way.



Our new volunteer, Alex, got to release our first bird of the day.



Soon afterwards we had a House Wren.



Northern Cardinals very loud right now as they set up house. We captured a male and later a female with a begining brood patch. Babies are on the way.



Gray Catbirds are heading out next month but we did hear them and got two today.



Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are also getting louder and busier. We usually don't catch them until they get distracted by chasing one another around. Today we got a nice adult male.



You can easily tell the adult males by that bold eyebrow. He was a great looking guy.



Caterpillars are dropping out of the trees. Food for all the migrating birds, but sometimes they fall on us banders. Like this Eastern Tent Caterpillar.



Time to head out and see if our luck holds out so that we can band again next Sunday. Should be a nice day and we look forward to arriving migrants.

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Northern Cardinal	1	1	2
Swamp Sparrow	1	0	1
House Wren	1	0	1
Ovenbird	1	0	1
Gray-catbird	2	0	2
Blue-grey Gantcatcher	1	0	1
Totals	7	1	8

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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, March 24th.
All nets will be opened by 7:10 A.M.

No Banding March 10th

Rain still forecast for the AM when we set up. Not going to chance it. Maybe we can get some fun birds for St. Patrick's Day.

BUT, remember to Spring Forward.

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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, March 17th.
All nets will be opened by 7:15 A.M.

No Banding March 3rd

More rain predicted all Sunday. Sleep in and hope for next week.

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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, March 10th.
All nets will be opened by 7:30 A.M.

Typical February with Visitors

When we arrive in the mornings we always wonder what we are going to find. This morning we discovered a large chunk of oak tree had fallen and missed the pole for Net 7 by less than an inch. We were still able to set the net and the rangers will have a little chore next week.



Spring has sprung a little early. At least thats what the Northern Parulas are telling us. They are back on their breeding grounds (here) in good numbers. But they stayed high in the trees today. Must trees are in bloom and attracting the most insects.

Lower to the ground was our first Northern Cardinal, a female.



Then our first House Wren in quite a while.



Eastern Tent Caterpillars are popping up in several spots along the net lanes.



Jenny came back from Net 21 with a recaptured Yellow-rumped Warbler. It was first banded 12/22 as a juvenile and is now molting into its breeding plumage.



The UCF Knighthawks joined us today to observe banding and do a little bird watching.



Next up, a male Northern Cardinal.



Another sign of Spring: Lobilia are begining to bloom all over.



Our final bird of the day was a Western Palm Warbler molting into his rusty crown.



It was a typical late February but things should pick up soon for Spring Migration.

Be sure to check back to the blog by Saturday to make sure we are banding. Rains are forecast from Saturday through next Friday.

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Northern Cardinal	2	0	2
House Wren	1	0	1
Western Palm Warbler	1	0	1
Yellow-rumped Warbler	0	1	1
Totals	4	1	5

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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, March 3rd.
All nets will be opened by 6:30 A.M.

Screech Rules the Windy Day

We finally had a Sunday that we could band during, finally. It was a slow day as the wind picked steadily. We also had a feeling we would have to do some repairs after leaving the area to the bear for 3 weeks. Sure enough, there were 5 poles compromised.

Later in the morning, we found a Bear Bed. Looks like it was used multiple times. We haven't run into the bear itself. We can keep it that way...



Just at dawn we heard Catbirds sounding a little weird near the table. THey were headed toward Net2 so Andrew headed up to se if we would have a Catbird in the net. Nope. But we did have a new Eastern Screech Owl!

It has been just over 5 year since we last had an Eastern Screech Owl.



Next up was a male Northern Cardinal and on the way back to the table, Jenny and Alex also picked up a Carolina Wren.

Andrew decided it was dry enough finally to try for a trip to the lake. It was more difficult in the past do to overgrowth and some fallen willows. Along the way he found a new bloom. iNaturalist calls it a Southern Swamp Crinum.



Eventually the edge of the lake was reached with an open view to the Window-on-the-Lake. This is the only way to see it since the boardwalk is still closed.



A quiet day. At least we did manage to get a Sunday in for February. However, it is forecast to rain ALL weekend so we have to skip the 18th.

A shame since that is part of the Great Backyard Bird Count that runs from the 16th through the 19th. If you can, get out and count some birds and report them! All the information to participate is at: https://www.birdcount.org.

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Northern Cardinal	0	1	1
Brown Thrasher	0	1	1
Eastern Screech Owl	1	0	1
Totals	1	2	3

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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, February 25th.
All nets will be opened by 6:25 A.M.

No Banding February 4th

More rain. So wet this year and always on Sunday. We will try to be back on the 11th. Hopefully.

February is always fickle, so who knows...

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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, February 11th.
All nets will be opened by 6:40 A.M.

No Banding January 28th

Can't catch a break this month. Rains are forcast at our time out this Sunday with winds increasing by the hour. Sleep in and maybe February will be more kind. Though, that is usually the month where we get some weird cold snaps and wild weather.

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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, February 4th.
All nets will be opened by 6:45 A.M.

No Banding January 21st

Forecast calls for near freezing temperatures for Sunday morning. With increasing winds the air will feel like freezing or below. For the safety of the birds and the comfort of our volunteers, we will be skipping this weekend.

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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, January 28th.
All nets will be opened by 6:45 A.M.

Gray Day

Our first trip back in the new year and it was a hit or miss for the rain. Very gray, but the wet stayed away for the entire day. So did most of the birds.

Andrew had his Spidy-senses tingling on the way in. Would it be a semi parked? Parking area closed? Sure enough, a new addition to our parking situation was there. Mattresses and sofas.



Our first bird of the New Year was a recaptured female Northern Cardinal first banded last May. Our Cardinals sport what the volunteers call a "tantrum stick" to keep them from biting the banders. It is featured in our new logo, too.



Second up was a recaptured Brown Thrasher. Then things got real quiet. Not a lot of birds were moving around today.



We did get a pair of female Ruby-crowned Kinglets in the nets next to each other half-way down the lanes.



Our new visitor, Megan, got to release one of the Ruby-crowned Kinglets.



Our last bird of the day was a new male Northern Cardinal. It was hatched here last Spring and is establishing his new territory.



The weather is on a major rollercoaster this month. Will we be able to band next Sunday? Perhaps. It might be too cold for some. We Floridians are not happy with temps in the 30s, nor do the birds. We shall see.

Today's Totals

Birds Processed	New	Recaptured	Total
Northern Cardinal	1	1	2
Brown Thrasher	0	1	1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	2	0	2
Totals	3	2	5

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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, January 21st.
All nets will be opened by 6:50 A.M.

No Banding January 7th

Storms are rolling in over the Gulf. Back to bed.

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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, January 14th.
All nets will be opened by 6:50 A.M.