The last week of banding for the Spring 2021 season followed a similar pattern to the previous week. Banding was slow at the beginning of the week and picked up a little towards the end due to a brief wind shift to the west and then north. As has been the case all spring, the north and west winds didn’t last long so our biggest day was 42 birds. We had only one 100+ bird day the whole season, back on April 22. The biggest fruit crop we have seen in years from the native trees and shrubs largely fell to the ground uneaten.
Where were the migrating birds this spring? Passing by our region to the west most likely, based on overnight weather radar images. Large numbers of spring migrants generally don’t put down in our area unless the winds are out of the west or north, causing them to pause their journey. Winds were east or southerly for the majority of the spring season, providing a tailwind for the birds. The bulk of spring migration generally is over the Gulf or around the western edge through Mexico and Texas. Fall migration is shifted east enabling us to catch more birds of a greater number of species and this is the main reason we have put our effort into maintaining a continuous fall banding presence since 2002.
In spite of the lower numbers, we caught all of the species we expect to see more in spring than in fall. This last week added Bicknell’s thrush and Connecticut warbler to the roster, bringing the total to 963 birds banded of 33 species. 26 of these birds were banded in other seasons and were recaptured in 2021 either because they are residents (Northern cardinals) or wintering individuals that are using the restored habitat at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park year after year. The oldest of these was an Ovenbird that has been returning to spend the winter since 2012.
Thanks to all of our fantastic volunteers new and returning! This project would not be possible without you.
SEASON TOTALS, MAR 14 TO MAY 16 2021
| SPECIES | NEW | RETURN |
| Yellow-billed cuckoo | 1 | – |
| Chuck-will’s widow | 3 | – |
| Blue-headed vireo | 1 | – |
| Black-whiskered vireo | 1 | – |
| Gray catbird | 95 | 4 |
| Gray-cheeked thrush | 1 | – |
| Bicknell’s thrush | 1 | – |
| Hermit thrush | 1 | – |
| Golden-winged warbler | 1 | – |
| Northern parula | 15 | – |
| Magnolia warbler | 1 | – |
| Cape May warbler | 2 | – |
| Black-throated blue warbler | 145 | – |
| Western palm warbler | 7 | – |
| Blackpoll warbler | 9 | – |
| Black and white warbler | 63 | 4 |
| American redstart | 217 | – |
| Prothonotary warbler | 1 | – |
| Prairie warbler | 44 | 2 |
| Worm-eating warbler | 36 | – |
| Swainson’s warbler | 4 | – |
| Ovenbird | 58 | 4 |
| Louisiana waterthrush | 2 | – |
| Northern waterthrush | 76 | – |
| Mourning warbler | 1 | – |
| Connecticut warbler | 1 | – |
| Common yellowthroat | 136 | 1 |
| Hooded warbler | 1 | – |
| Summer tanager | 1 | – |
| Northern cardinal | 3 | 11 |
| Indigo bunting | 3 | – |
| Painted bunting | 5 | – |
| Common grackle | 1 | – |
| TOTAL | 937 | 26 |
| # BIRDS CAPTURED | # SPECIES | # NETS | NET HOURS | CAPTURE RATE (BIRDS/100NH) | |
| SEASON TOTAL | 963 | 33 | 23 | 7818 | 13.02 |
Birds are smart. They know where to winter in South Florida.
Congratulations on a successful spring banding season!
Three cheers to all the volunteers and staff that worked tirelessly to capture 963 birds this spring! Thank you to Tropical Audubon for their support. And big hug to Michelle Davis for keeping this long-term banding project running for two decades!
This was an awesome experience, and I’m so glad that I was given the opportunity to participate as a volunteer. Thank you, Michelle, Natalie and Evelyn for sharing your vast knowledge, and showing me the ropes!