We have had some excellent days banding this week, finally breaking into the 3 digits with 119 birds banded of 20 species on the 4th. It was a nice movement of assorted warblers with some thrushes mixed in, and the season’s first gray catbird. Birds were still moving through in decent numbers on the 5th, when we closed early and then broke down the site in preparation for major hurricane Matthew who is forecast to sideswipe most of the eastern Florida coast over the next couple of days. We will just ignore for now the model runs that show Matthew going in a big circle around past the Bahamas and coming to get us again next week.
Yesterday we were able to catch a long desired-for bird; a Bobolink! They fly over us by the hundreds every year, but they like open areas so we have never netted one. I suspect the reason we caught one yesterday has to do with the Peregrine falcons moving through right now. The bobolink probably dove to escape a raptor and ended up in one of our nets set in a relatively more open location.
This bird is a young female. Amazing to think she will use these wings to fly as far as Argentina and back this winter and spring!
Philadelphia vireos were seen over the nets this week but none were captured. Noah Frade, one of our volunteers, took this incredible photograph of one dropping off its branch to snap up an insect.
This year will likely be divided into pre-and post Matthew periods, although it is possible that the net locations will not need to be changed as dramatically as when Hurricane Wilma rearranged the study site in 2005. We shall see, but things look relatively good for Miami-Dade County at this time (230PM) as Matthew passes our latitude around 100 miles offshore. Interesting double eyewall on radar right now; don’t see that every day. Hard not to weather-geek out on this storm but really hoping for the best for everybody on the coast north of here.
Pre-Matthew totals: 1422 birds of 42 species
- Ovenbird: 307
- American redstart: 220
- Worm-eating warbler: 160
- Black-throated blue warbler: 140
- Black & white warbler: 119
- Northern waterthrush: 91
- Common yellowthroat: 66
- Swainson’s thrush: 50
- Blue-gray gnatcatcher: 44
- Swainson’s warbler: 37
- Prairie warbler: 29
- Red-eyed vireo: 27
- Northern parula: 18
- Gray-cheeked thrush: 11
- Northern cardinal: 11
- Common grackle: 10
- Veery: 9
- White-eyed vireo: 8
- Alder flycatcher: 7
- Great crested flycatcher: 5
- Western palm warbler: 5
- Traill’s flycatcher: 4
- Hooded warbler: 4
- Painted bunting: 4
- Magnolia warbler: 3
- Cape May warbler: 3
- Yellow-throated warbler: 3
- Prothonotary warbler: 3
- Louisiana waterthrush: 3
- White-crowned pigeon: 2
- Yellow-billed cuckoo: 2
- Yellow-throated vireo: 2
And singles of the following species:
Common ground-dove, Mangrove cuckoo, Chuck-will’s widow, Red-bellied woodpecker, Acadian flycatcher, Blue jay, Black-whiskered vireo, gray-cheeked/Bicknell’s thrush, Gray catbird, Blue-winged warbler, Yellow warbler, Chestnut-sided warbler, Bay-breasted warbler, Kentucky warbler and Bobolink.