Swamp Sparrow Surprise

Sparrows are back!

Birding friend, and excellent photographer, Paul Hueber emailed me about a small flock of Swamp Sparrows and a Song Sparrow he found at Lake Lotus yesterday. The Song Sparrow is an excellent bird for Florida.

This morning, I added myself to the Swamp Sparrow list.

I headed out to fill feeders just as the Sun was trying to fight through the clouds being spun our way by Tropical system Noel. Sometime overnight, the winds felled a frond from the palm in the back so I decided to move it off of the deck and onto the palm frond resting place in teh backyard.

On the way out I noticed a small bird making an escape through the 4 O' Clocks along the back fence. I stopped where I was and figured I would try to pish it up. Once. Twice. Then movement as the bird came back to check out the sound.

I could see the branches of plants shaking, indicating an advancing bird, and waited a few seconds. Out popped the bird. A Swamp Sparrow!

I figured that was all the action I was going to see but it decided to drop down into the yard and began picking at seed heads provided by some new weeds under the sunflower feeder. It made it's way from plant to plant and eventually just about 6 feet in front of where I was standing.

I guess it figured I was just a harmless bit of flora as I was still holding the frond in front of me. I wanted to see how close it would get but had the kids waiting to go off to school. This would have to be my only view. For now.

This is not THE bird, but rather a Swamp Sparrow from earlier in the year.



Time to hone those Sparrow ID skills again. Finally!

Wekiva banding could prove a little more interesting this weekend now that a front is pushing down and will also provide some cooler temperatures.

Phoebes and Pine Warblers

Some new captures for the Fall season today along with the expected lot. Ruby-crowned Kinglets continue to flow in but we are still waiting for the cooler temperatures. Today was VERY humid.

We actually were able to end the day by observing many butterflies and other insects.

I have been trying to nail down a sighting of a Bay-breasted Warbler this season as they have been reported all over the state this year. Just not having much luck. Most are out near the coasts and some nearby but I just can't get out to see them.

Work, work, work. Scouts, Scouts, Scouts.

When we first opened one particular bag, I thought I might be close to the Bay-breasted I was looking for but it ended up being a the first in a series of Pine Warblers. First of the season for us even though they live in and around the park. Here is the first, a youngster.



If I would have had information that this bird and 2 others were captured together in the same net, I wouldn't have been so hopeful as they turned out to be a family. Jr. just happened to be first out. Luck of the draw. Here is Momma:



...and Poppa...



Still, a nice round of netting.

Just as we were getting ready to leave for the day, 2 more bags were brought in. Both contained our first Eastern Phoebes. They have been heard in the park for a couple of weeks but these were the first we were able to band.



On the way out, we enjoyed the butterflies including a Queen...



...a Tiger Swallowtail...



...and even a Lynx Spider I found before heading home.

First Palms banded for Fall 2007

After finding the Palm Warblers at home, we finally banded our first Palms of the Fall 2007 season. We actually had both varieties.

First up was the Western Palm right after dawn.



Even after some thought it might be a Yellow (Eastern) Palm due to a little yellow on the breast, an actual Yellow Palm dropped in later in the day.



Note the overall yellow including into the supercilium.

One other notable catch was a beautiful Black and White Warbler.



Topped off a nice mix to a good day.

Palms Arrive

Having read reports online about Palm Warblers being seen along both coasts of Florida I was still wondering why we hadn't netted any at Wekiva. I heard one a couple of weeks ago but they were still not showing themselves to me anywhere.

Just before leaving work today a little bird dropped into a pine tree outside my window at work. Finally, a Palm Warbler appeared. It was pumping it's tail in proper Palm fashion as it moved along the pine needles and then dropped down into the low shrubs at ground level.

I noticed I was smiling as I sat at my desk.



This shot was taken four years ago on the Cady Way trail on a bike ride with my oldest son. One of my favorite Palm shots.

Maybe we can band some next week.

Catbirds Still Rule

Still getting a usual mix of birds but the color of the recent weeks is still dominated by gray.



Look familiar? It does to us! Still a limited number of Warbler and Thrush species but it appears many of them are keeping to the West or diving over the Gulf of Mexico after arriving near the Florida Panhandle.

In the past 2 weeks we have banded 157 Gray Catbirds.
Still awaiting Palms and Yellow-rumped Warblers.

Catbirds are Here!

Boy, are they! Out of the 89 birds captured today (the highest total this year) 64 of those were Gray Catbirds.

They began to hit the nets even before I got the triple nets set up, flying in on both sides of me as I struggled to set the final pole. Luckily, the figure of Lorne Malow emerged in the pre-dawn dark to assist in removing them with me.

Back at the banding table, Lane arrived just in time to begin banding as I headed over to net 10 to find several more Catbirds waiting for extraction. Shout indicating the other volunteers were running out of bags came from down the net lanes indicating that they, too, were being kept busy with more Catbirds.

The flood gates of migration for these birds were flung wide open.



I was able to make a dash to the 'loop' with all of the remaining bags, passing other banders with hands full of birds heading the other way, and found even more hitting every net we had open.

Rounding the inside of the loop at net 15 I saw a different color scheme flapping near the edge of the net pole. Our 1st Wood Thrush of the season! It nearly made its way to an escape as I approached and quickly sealed off the exit.



We also managed to capture another new arriving species of Thrush, a Swainson's Thrush. Nice to see they have made it. The Gray-cheeks will not be far behind.



During my forays back and forth I was sure I was hearing another familiar Fall sound. The scolding of a House Wren. It took a bit longer before my suspicions were confirmed as we were able to band one before the end of the morning.



We finally were able to throw some more color into the mix as, near the end of the nearly endless procession of bird bags was reached, Lane removed a beautiful female Hooded Warbler from it's holding place.



There will be little rest for the next few weeks, if the weather holds, for all of us anxious Wekiva banders.

Fine by me.

Swainson's Warbler

It is always nice to have a surprise pop up during a typical banding day. Sure, Cardinals, Towhees, Vireos and such are all nice to see up close but variety is needed to keep you going through a humid bug-filled morning sometimes.

The surprise this morning was a rarely seen visitor to the Wekiva Springs banding station: A Swainson's Warbler.

I was out seeing if we should close down for the day when Maria called out to me and mentioned that they had a 'Swanson's' at teh table for me to get a picture of. For some reason, Maria has always had a hard time saying "Swainson's". It always turns into a TV dinner.

The only Swainson's I was waiting for were the thrushes and figured that was what it was. I continued my walk at a steady pace. Finally arriving at the table, I got a better look. Lane held up the gorgeous, slightly large, warbler.



"What do you think? Swainson's Warbler?", She asked.

Indeed. I forget how much larger they are than other warblers, such as the tiny Prairie Warblers.



I first saw a Swainson's Warbler here at this very spot about 2 years earlier. These birds stay well down in the thickets and are also found in flooded swampland. This is only the 4th such warbler banded at Wekiva in all of its years of operation.

Check out those fresh, crisp feathers!



Can't wait for the next surprise.

Blue and Gold Migrants

My mantra of late has been "blue and gold" since I have been hoping to get something exotic at the site like a Cerulean Warbler or Golden-winged Warbler. No luck on those. However, we did get those colors today at Wekiva!

Another welcome sight was the first male American Redstart of the Fall season. We have been banding females for a couple of weeks. This male had interesting orange edges to all of its black feathers.



Then came the blue! A Black-throated Blue Warbler, actually.
A lovely male.



Bring on the yellow! My first ever Hooded Warbler was seen at Wekiva last year. We even banded a few females. This year, I was stunned to see this adult male as it we got it out of the bag.



We later caught a younger male Hooded but the colors were nowhere as striking.

The same cannot be said of the Prothonotary Warbler that greeted us late in the morning. To me, it fairly radiated gold as I brought it out of the bag. The first I have ever gotten to hold.



A nice range of color for the day which also brought us the brown of Verrys and the black and white of Chickadees. That should change in the next few weeks as we get the full onslaught of gray. Catbirds are right around the corner!

New Birds at Wekiva

Birds continue their southern run and we had a few new birds for the season out at Wekiva today.

I was bringing in a Veery when I heard some noise over at net 10. I strode over to see a Chickadee in the net about midway down. I was hanging the bag containing the Verry when it up an bolted straight back out again! Dang.

Don't fear, though, as our day ended with a return visit.

The Veerys were increasing in numbers. I was very pleased with this shot. Make it look so soft and fluffy.



The first real surprise of the day was our first of the season Worm-eating Warbler. I think we may have had only 1 last year but it could have been zero.



That was good enough but the best was yet to come. The guys making a net run showed up all excited and announcing they had retreived an Acadian Flycatcher. Excellent! However, when it was brought out of the bag it looked a bit more suspicious to me.

More like a Traill's Flycatcher. Different feather coloration than an Acadian. Different shape to me, too.

We took measurements to eliminate certain species but I kept seeing that open mouth every other time I turned around. Very yellow-orange. Not pinkish. That screamed Alder (one of the two types of Traill's) in the back of my head.

We took a ton of photos from every possible angle and I sent some off to be double-checked. The reply came back: Probable Alder. Definitely not Acadian. Alder it stall be.



Had a growing count for the day but that missed Chickadee still bugged me hours later. I ran the net lanes one more time to determine if we should stay open or go home. I figured it was time to go. On the way back I was told there was a bird waiting for me to take a picture of.



Ain't he cute? Caught in the same net as the bird I lost earlier. I will pretend it is the exact same one.

We had one more surprise before we left. A pair of Eastern Kingbirds flew into the tree above net 9 right next to the banding table before continuing on their journey.



That's what I call a good day.

First Yellow Warbler Photo

I have seen a number of Yellow Warblers over the years but it always seems that I either don't have the camera with me or the birds are so high in the trees that it renders the camera useless.

I started the morning by swinging past the local lakes to see if the Ring-necked Ducks had decided to show up a little early. There were a couple of shapes out on Lake Cherokee so I slowed and began to scan the water's surface. Turned out to be a couple of non-breeding male Wood Ducks.

However, something else caught my eye. A bright flash of yellow.

Adjusting my eyes closer to the cypress trees in front of me I could tell there was a swarm of warblers bouncing from limb to limb, mostly on the interior section of the bright green foliage. Other colors began to to emerge as I got out of the car, camera in hand.

Turned out there were a few different species in there. Usually they stayed on the lake side of the trees but every now and then one would chase a bug on my side of the tree.

There was a lot of Yellow Warblers in there. Finally, they were almost all at eye level! Easy photo op, right? Nope. Seems Yellow Warbler prefer to keep their heads behind any branch they can place between you and them. Dang.

I was giving up an heading to the car and hear a call note in an oak. I stepped over and found a lone Yellow Warbler. It was pretty high up but at least it decided to preen. Meaning it was almost still. See it?



It isn't much but I find that after I get a shot of a bird, no matter how bad, I soon will follow it up with better and better shots down the line.

So this is step one. I'll take it.

Thrushes Return

I know I mentioned that migration was upon us but, to me, it really gets going once the Thrushes start arriving.
Today at Wekiva we got our first Veery.



They arrive first and then come the Swainson's, Grey-cheeked, and Wood Thrushes. A welcome sight.

Also, we had a few more migrating Warblers. Leading the charge was a gorgeous female American Redstart.



Next up was a Northern Waterthrush. Not a Thrush at all, despite the name.



Finally, we are still seeing a large number of Prairie Warblers. Prairies are one of the earliest migrants to kick off the season.



Things begin to heat up now. Weather thinks about cooling down, too. We hope. Very humid mornings still in the scrub.

Backyard Banding

I have been given the task of taking the reigns of the Wekiva banding site for a couple of weeks while Richard and Cristine are on a well deserved vacation in Alaska. If only I could be there...

So, with nets in possession, I have decided to gather some of my backyard birds and band as many as possible. Too bad the swarm of Blue Jays have waned. However, we do still have several generations of Northern Cardinals this year so I thought I might try to see how many I could band before the real migration heats up at Wekiva.

Here is our first downtown Orlando banded Cardinal.



Caught this one on the side of the house while trying to see how I could set the nets around the yards. Recording info on the back of the car proved to be interesting but everything else went smoothly.


Now I am off to gather up as many others as possible. We have a bumper crop of Cardinals this year.

Bathing Parula

The heat continues and the bird levels are still low. Out at Wekiva we managed to only capture 3 birds! My theory is that the weather was perfect for flying and most birds flew on south and didn't need to stop for a while.

We could hear them all over and see many flying by. Just nothing flying into the nets.

Yesterday, we had the monthly count at Mead Garden and found a similar situation. The woodpeckers were everywhere but the numbers of other birds were pretty low. New migrants were a couple of American Redstarts.

The most fun part of the morning was a Northern Parula that decided to stop and have a bath on the remaining dew on the leaves next to the boardwalk.



A few Red-eyed Vireos rounded out the migrant list but I can't wait until the season is back in full swing.

Where there are Doves...

...there are eventually raptors!

I stepped out of the car at work this morning to be greeted by the sound of nearly a dozen Blue Jays raising quite the alarm. It only took a few seconds for me to locate the cause.



The Cooper's Hawk was bobbing and weaving as best it could, the Jays coming within inches of its head. Once it realized that I was watching as well it flew over to another oak. I tried to get a better shot from that spot but it took flight again, soaring out of the tree and just a few feet in front of me. It then headed toward the more dense stand of trees near the highway.

I had been told a hawk was haunting the parking lot. I would too with all the nice, plump Mourning and Eurasian-collared Doves that hang out just outside my window.

New Hummers and a Late Visitor

Almost as hot as the previous week and mainly the same species of birds hitting the nets. However, we did have a nice surprise early in the morning when a Great-creasted Flycatcher showed up. Must be taking its time heading south this year.



While we were hanging out near the banding table I could hear a new sound in the air. It wasn't the far overhead Chimney Swifts. I could swear I was hearing Hummingbirds.

Moments later, one of the visiting children started shouting, "Mommy! Mommy! There is a bird in the net!". I quickly started over and noticed not one but two Ruby-throated Hummingbirds in the same part of the net. Probably chasing one another and weren't paying attention to their surroundings too closely.

One managed to free itself as I was extracting the other but the one we got was a young male just beginning to add the namesake color to its throat.



As with other Hummingbirds we capture, he was released as we cannot band these wonderful little powerhouses.

If we are lucky, we can get some more variety starting next week. I am ready for some blue and orange mixed in with the yellow.

First Fall Migrants

The usual suspects today but we were surprised by a couple of 'early' migrants. The season is underway! Unfortunately, we are also in the midst of a lovely heat wave. Sweating commenced at 6:20 AM and increased with every movement.

I was hoping for some Yellow Warblers today. They always seem to get captured when I am NOT there if at all. I had to settle for a different yellow: Prairie Warblers. At least there were 15 of them.

Other birds we banded were Eastern Towhees, Brown Thrasher, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and Red-eyed Vireos. The real surprise was what seemed like a very early Ovenbird. Then another.



Later, checks of the records showed a slightly earlier account. August 3rd. Ten years ago.

As we took the nets down to end our agony of sweating I got to net 4 which was holding another Prairie Warbler and a female Black and White Warbler. Nice end to the count.



We were going to take next week off but with the Ovenbirds and Warblers in evidence we decided to start the full banding season now.

Yippee!

A Jewel in the Hand

I decided to take a stroll around the net lanes to take photos that represented the area as is was that morning. Talk is that there might be a prescribed burn at some point to maintain the scrub environment and I want to have a before/after set of shots if it does happen.

The action was slowing down for the morning so I figured it would be an uneventful walk but at least I could get the series of photos done if the fire was set when I wasn't there.

I was pleasently surprised to find a bird in net 14. From a distace it could have been a migrating Warbler. Once I got closer, however, it was something even more exciting. A Ruby-throated Hummingbird!



There have been several caught in the nets in the last few weeks but I was not fortunate enough to be around when they flew in. A year and a half ago there was one in a net right near me while I was extracting another bird nearby. By the time I made my way to the Hummingbird it was partially through the net and was able to have its wings free enough to assume a kind of proper flight.

As I was reaching for the bird it powered itself at full speed, pulling the net taught and managed to pull free just before I could close the net around it. It was a sight I will never forget.

Now I had another in the net but this time she was perfectly aligned in in the folds so she could not get through the small openings of the mesh.



Since this was the first Hummingbird I had ever held it was a little difficult to figure out a proper grip. You can't grab them by the legs like other land birds. They are too small to hold without injuring them. Even if you can find their legs through the feathers!

But I did manage an awkward series of positions. At one point it even stuck its tongue out at me. "You shall never take me alive!"



I took it to a spot where it hopefully would not re-enter another net on release and let it go. With a slight buzzing sound of its wings it flew off back into the oak scrub and we wrapped up another morning at Wekiva.

Now we have a couple of weeks off. Time enough to rest up before the onslaught of Fall migration.

Cardinal Vices

One of the early lessons I learned when I began volunteering at the Wekiva Banding Station was to keep one's fingers away from any Cardinal's beak. Of all of the birds we net and band the Cardinal has one of the hardest and persistent bites of any of the local land birds.

Chickadees and Titmice will try to go for your cuticles, Vireos and Warbles will nip at anything they can snag, and Thrushes and Wrens will just stare at you and wait for any sense that you are relaxing the least bit to try and fly out of your hand but a Cardinal...? They hope to take some of you with them by the time they are released.

I heard a few chips out of net 10 and headed over to see if there was a bird there and we did have our Cardinal of the morning. After deciding which way the bird flew in the next step is to make sure you can get their head secured so you don't end up bleeding before it is even out of the net.

It was close, but I managed to only get a slight snap. This feisty female was all set to continue heading in the direction she was originally heading in. I got her back to the table and processed her.

I usually don't mind a good bite and my boys delight in seeing or hearing of some bird biting the heck out of Dad. However, the last Cardinal I banded a few weeks ago really made me step up my attention to how hard they can bite. That one was a young bird and it about tore me up.

Once they grab hold, they can sometimes apply a bite so fierce that you start to rethink this whole banding thing.

Take a needle-nose pliers and attach it to a nice soft portion of the skin just outside the edges of your fingernail. Now press down. Hard. Keep going. Harder. Until the tears start to well up.

That is a Cardinal bite.

Think you can just pull away? Give the pliers to your friend and ask them to do it and not to stop until you punch them to make them stop. Make sure it is a real friend. One who might actually fear the strike.

The only other defense you have while banding these amazing birds is to offer them an alternative in place of your tender flesh. Luckily, out in the scrub environment, there are a lot of small twigs from the surrounding oaks. When used successfully it should look thus:



Note the lack of blood. Plus the firm grip around the bird's neck to prevent movement to latch on to me.

This is one of my favorite shots of late. The same day, I got home to hear the calls of a new Cardinal chick at home calling for HIS mom to feed him.

Word to the wise. Towhees can bite almost as hard.

Almost.

Four Degrees of NOPA-ation

Now in the middle of Summer, the babies are to be found all over Wekiva. Most of our netted birds were recently fledged birds of several species. Species included Blue-grey Gnatcatchers, Northern Cardinal, and Tutfted Titmouse. We also managed to capture a Carolina Chickadee and a pair of Carolina Wrens. The Wrens were recaptured residents, one of which revealed a very evident brood patch.

The most interesting catches were a series of young Northern Parula. None of them had the same feather pattern and the last of the day had us stumped for a few minutes. It was definitely a Parula from the top side but it displayed no yellow on the throat or breast which is almost always referenced in the literature.

Here are the 4 birds we captured, in order. Note the different molt patterns.



None of us had ever seen a Parula with NO yellow on the breast. Time to ask an expert. I contacted a friend well versed in all things birdy in Florida, Bruce Anderson, co-author of "The Birdlife of Florida".

Part of his response: "It appears that molting occurs independently in two regions: the throat and the breast. So the bird with the creamy breast and white throat just hasn't begun the breast molt and is perhaps younger than the others and a female."

Mystery solved! We knew it WAS a Parula but wondered if it were some aberation. Nope. Just growing up a bit differently.

Reported sightings of Warblers entering the state are encouraging. Seems a slightly early migration push is on. Hoping next week's banding efforts bring us more yellow in the nets.

New Screech Owl

Took a quick walk outside after dark just to check for any activity.

Got lucky with an adult red-morph Eastern Screech Owl perched over the tray feeder. I got pretty close and it finally turned its head my way after a few seconds.

I rushed back inside to grab the boys so they could get a look but it had flown off before we got back out.

This is definitely a different bird than the one spotted June 20th. Hopefully we have a whole family roaming about and clearing away the rodents.

No picture this time.

White-winged Dove

Now that Summer is settling in, nothing to exciting is hanging around. However, the wife did ask about the description of White-winged Doves during the day.

Later, as I walked into the kitchen, I took a habitual glance out of the window and the White-winged was perched on top of one of the feeder pole.

"THERE is a White-winged Dove!", I remarked to her and never had to grab the books for a definitive, textbook description. The real thing outside the window teaches so much faster than fancy book readin'.

Backyard Flurry

We have had a pretty good year for young birds around the house this season though no nests were actually found on the property. In fact, there seems to have been a second clutch of Cardinal babies this year as I remember when the first were actively feeding at the feeders and for a few weeks now there are a couple of other youngsters fighting for space.

The count so far is the Cardinals, some Tufted Titmice, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Downey Woodpeckers, Mourning Dove (the all too approachable chick from a couple of months ago was taken by the Cooper's Hawk), and a new Blue Jay.

Today, there was a flurry of activty all through the backyard and the adjoining yard which featured many House Finches and a very curious Brown Thrasher. I have banded many Thrashers at Wekiva and this one seemed much younger than any I have previously held over the years. It foraged in several spots as I watched into the afternoon.

On one check on the side yard after I filled the kitchen-side feeder, this female Downey Woodpecker was too busy searching for food to care much about my wanderings.



At one point, around noon, we had Grackles, Mourning Doves, Cardinals, Blue Jays, Titmice, and House Finches all trying to claim a space on the three feeders there.

Just across the yard, Great Creasted Flycatchers worked the oaks and Turk's Turbans. One was definitely a newly fledged bird.

Not a bad way to end the month of June.

Smiling Bird Finally Photographed

A story from National Geographic. A bird that looks like it is smiling was rediscovered and finally photographed.

Read on.

Our Very Own Screech Owl

The day began with an interesting visitor. A rather larger rodent was inpecting the squirrel feeder. In broad daylight!

I headed out, grabbing a broom handle I keep just outside the backdoor that I use to move the squirrels along if they are hogging the feeders from the birds. The rodent bolted as soon as I hit the back deck and I could not relocate it.

I vowed to buy a trap on the way home and take care of the situation.

As night fell, I armed the trap and decided to set it up near the squirrel feeder. Just after I laid it down I stood up and glanced to ward the backyard. There was a shape sitting atop the tray feeder pole. It seemed about Mourning Dove size and color in the dim light. Doves? Awake at this hour?

I turned to head in for a camera just in case it was what I was starting to figure out. I pre-focused inside the house knowing my small digital wouldn't get a look in the near total darkness and headed back out out. I took one shot but it was horribly out of focus. I needed a flashlight to try and add to my chance of a shot. I headed back.

My wife had now gotten to the backdoor following my excited footsteps. When I tried to point out the bird behind me I turned and the shape was gone. I asked for a flashlight.

Moving down toward the tray feeder I could barely make out the shape now in the laurel tree just past the deck. Yep. A Screech Owl! I tried a couple of shots but the best I could manage was this.



Seems I might not need that trap after all. I had a much better one right here. This was the first time I have ever seen a Screech Owl in this area. Farthest south in town at all.

Let the hunting begin, little owl. Eat up!

Spoonbills Visit Orlando

Yesterday, I stopped by Lake Davis to snap some shots to combine to make a panorama-type composite to show the low lake level. Today we started to get some rain storms move through so on the way home I decided to swing around and see if I could notice any rise in the waters.

It was still raining lightly and nearly dark as I arrived at the lake but out on 'bird island' I could make out some larger shapes congregating there. I got the binoculars out and pulled closer.

Beside the black and white Woodstorks there was a slightly smaller bird and definitely PINK! Really?!?

By the time I was able to park just past a stand of cypress trees the bird had begun to forage. Indeed, it was a Roseatte Spoonbill right here in the backyard neighborhood!



Lake Davis continues to surprise this year.

Spoonbills generally hang out around the coasts and rarely make a stop this far inland. A nice addition to the color palette during this quiet beginning to Summer.

Let it rain...

NOTE: I am a bit behind on my posts, though I have a few drafts still waiting in the wings that date back to the start of June. Be sure to check back later and scroll down for any other June sighting I haven't entered yet. Hopefully, I can catch up before the end of the month!