The same pace continues of about 12 to 14 new captures a day as we move into September. Highlights from today include a relatively late Louisiana waterthrush; these start moving through our area in July and are mostly past us when we open in mid-August. Note the white throat, ‘blurrier’ streaking and larger supercilium stripe on the Louisiana waterthrush (below, right). The Northern waterthrush (below, left) also has a strong yellow cast to the underparts. The yellow is variable on the Northerns, with this bird being on the brighter side, but Louisiana waterthrush are always white below. The Louisiana is also a larger bird; the difference can be hard to see in the field but is quite obvious in the hand.
We also banded two Swainson’s warblers today. This species is sought after by birders because they aren’t very common anywhere and tend to skulk in thick brush. Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park is a great location to see them during spring and fall migration, and we usually catch around 25 to 35 individuals a fall. Notice the distinctive sloped forehead and huge beak that recalls a Red-winged blackbird more than a warbler.
| SPECIES | NEW | RETURN | RECAP |
| Blue-gray gnatcatcher | 1 | – | 1 |
| Northern parula | 1 | – | – |
| Prairie warbler | 1 | – | – |
| American redstart | – | – | 1 |
| Worm-eating warbler | 2 | – | – |
| Swainson’s warbler | 2 | – | – |
| Louisiana waterthrush | 1 | – | – |
| Ovenbird | 6 | – | 1 |
| # BIRDS CAPTURED | # SPECIES | # NETS | NET HOURS | CAPTURE RATE (BIRDS/100NH) | |
| DAILY TOTAL | 14 | 7 | 23 | 124 | 13.71 |
| SEASON TOTAL | 217 | 17 | 23 | 2053.75 | 11.98 |