We were able to band most of the morning today under cloudy and drizzly conditions, and started the season with 9 birds of 6 species! Our first capture was an adult male American Redstart and # 2 was a Louisiana Waterthrush, a very early migrant that first arrives in our region in July. Migration seems to be well underway at this time, and interesting birds are being reported around South Florida. The pace of migration will accelerate, slowly at first and with more momentum in September, reaching a peak in numbers and diversity between late September and mid-October.
It is always so exciting at the start of a new banding season, wondering what we will catch this year. The weather, proportions of regular species caught, any rare birds and the energy of the volunteer teams combine to make each banding season have its own ‘atmosphere’.
Today
| SPECIES | NEW | RETURN | RECAP |
| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | 2 | – | – |
| Prairie Warbler | 1 | – | – |
| American Redstart | 2 | – | – |
| Ovenbird | 1 | – | – |
| Louisiana Waterthrush | 1 | – | – |
| Black-and-white Warbler | 2 | – | – |
Fall Season Total
| SPECIES | NEW | RETURN | RECAP |
| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | 2 | – | – |
| Prairie Warbler | 1 | – | – |
| American Redstart | 2 | – | – |
| Ovenbird | 1 | – | – |
| Louisiana Waterthrush | 1 | – | – |
| Black-and-white Warbler | 2 | – | – |
| # BIRDS CAPTURED | # SPECIES | # NETS | NET HOURS | CAPTURE RATE (BIRDS/100NH) | |
| DAILY TOTAL | 9 | 6 | 22 | 115.5 | 7.79 |
| SEASON TOTAL | 9 | 6 | 22 | 115.5 | 7.79 |
Alright. Alright. Alright! It’s the start of the Fall 2021 banding season! Yay! Good Luck to y’all!
Whoo hoo! Have a fantastic season and thanks for keeping up the great work for so many years!
Great start! Love the photos! Best wishes for an awesome season!