Birds starting to move again

Banding at Cape Florida picked up a little today and the 26 new birds captured felt busy after only 9 yesterday. Some new species were seen around such as Common yellowthroat and Eastern wood pewee. Robin Diaz brought her Tropical Audubon Society birdwalk group by the station, and they got to see several species up close including a Traill’s flycatcher.

Mario brought in his seven year old son today to see the birds. Here is Lucas Porcelli learning about banding and how to hold birds from Martina Hillbrand.

Red-eyed vireos were fairly abundant today, lurking quietly in the treetops. This one actually has a brown eye because he is a young bird, and is quite feisty. His eye will be red by next summer. Notice the blue feet!

The bird on the right is an Eastern wood pewee, a common resident of forests across the eastern US. They pass through south Florida on their way to wintering grounds in northern South America. This was our first pewee of the season.

Thanks to Mario Porcelli for the above photos.

A large thunderstorm swept in around 1130 but we had closed the nets just in time. We banded five birds while 40mph gusts tried to blow rain into the tent.  Branches were crashing down around us but we felt safe since this type of tent has withstood much worse:

Banding tent the day after Hurricane Wilma, Oct. 24 2005. It blew in the low 100’s on Key Biscayne and the tent rode it out OK, although a little crooked.

Today’s captures: 26 birds of 11 species

Worm-eating warbler-7

Ovenbird-5

Northern waterthrush-4

Red-eyed vireo-2

Black-throated blue warbler-2

Northern parula-1

American redstart-1

Eastern wood-pewee-1

Black and white warbler-1

Traill’s flycatcher-1

Common ground-dove (resident species)-1