The Wekiva banding group was asked to participate, again, and I got to the park about 6:45 AM as the Sun was just beginning to color the East. Richard and Christine were soon to follow and we set about deciding the best spot for the nets.
Results from the previous banding "demos" had been reported as fairly disappointing and we had to think of a new strategy for netting some birds. The main problem with this situation is that the nets have to be pretty close to the entrance of the event and a lot of the birds in this area are scattered throughout a large expanse of marshland and lakes.
We needed to be close to the event action so that the attendees could wander over to witness any banding going on.
I suggested setting up near the marsh edge since all of my previous visits to OWP seemed to suggest that the birds travel across the roads and dive down toward the trees and marsh plants nearby. We set 7 nets, 2 near the road side of the berms and 5 near the marsh side. It proved to be the best banding the Wekiva group had seen in this location.
Plenty of White Ibis flew over as dawn broke. Myrtle Warblers, House Wrens, Northern Cardinals, and Gray Catbirds flew and called from all of the nearby bushes and trees. A White-eyed Vireo called off in the distance. Good luck getting it to venture our way.
Things started well with several Myrtle "Yellow-rumped" Warblers hitting the nets first. I believe this was our most common species banded all day with at least 6 or 7 for a total.
A bit later, a female Common Yellow-throat blundered into the nets. As I approached it to get her in the bag, two Sparrows looked on at her plight. In the lower light I figured them to be Chipping Sparrows even though I wanted to make them Lincoln's as one was reported a couple days before. Oh, well. Nice to see some yellow in the morning.
Next, we got two male Northern Cardinals. Tree Swallows began emerging from the skies but they are too savvy to get caught up in the nets with their great sense of surroundings. A Downy Woodpecker made a teasing appearance near the edge of the nets along with an Eastern Phoebe.
The problem with banding demos for events is that most birds hit the nets before any planned start times. Most of our birds hit the nets from sunrise to a couple hours in. The event wasn't officially open until 9 AM so much of the action is over by the time the public starts to trickle in.
However, a small group did make it by for a Yellow-rump and then another group, including my family, made it in time for some Catbirds which became the next biggest total for the day as the morning warmed up and the Vultures took to the thermals. A Double-crested Cormorant and Wood Stork flew over as the Gnatcatchers joined the breakfast bonanza.
We closed out the morning with another Yellow-rump as the last visitors stopped by. Temperatures in the 70s forced the air to quiet as expected and the winds picked up, making the nets more visible to any remaining birds.
I closed out the day by joining the family in a quick tour around the event and over to the Maitland Birds of Prey station which had some birds which are either in rehab or are in permanent residence there, injured to the point of never being able to survive on their own in the wild.
American Kestrals are fairly common in Florida in the Winter but they are hard to get close pictures since they are so skittish to human presence. Fortunately, the Birds of Prey folks had one on display. My youngest actually pulled me close along with him so he could get a good look.
His next interest was this magnificent Bald Eagle. Very encouraging to hear the reports of their comeback in the wild.
Overall, a nice morning. We were pleased to get 12-13 birds, most ever at this spot, and look forward to modifying our layout for the next year's event.
Now, to get out and see if I can add the Snow Goose and more Bald Eagles to the GBBC for Day 3!
No comments:
Post a Comment