After a slow weekend things finally picked up on Tuesday, and the migration activity continued through today. A complex series of weather fronts is moving through Florida, and many of the migrating birds got out ahead of the tailwinds into the humid southwesterlies we have down here right now. Perhaps this is why a majority of the captures of the last two days had no fat; they may have burned it up flying into a headwind at our latitude after being encouraged to leave by a tailwind at their starting points. Still, they were able to land and find shelter at BBCFSP.
This girl was a highlight; she is only the second Wilson’s warbler banded at CFBS in 12 years. This diminutive bird is extremely common in the western US, breeding in Alaska and Canada and pouring through desert riparian habitats (among others) in migration. We caught her near some willows, which is their preferred habitat in the West. The male has a shiny black cap. This is one of the first warblers I saw as a little kid growing up in California. It was out the window of my grandmother’s house and I was probably about 10 years old. An obsession with birds can strike at any age!
We banded our first ever Brown thrasher yesterday. This is a common resident and short-distance migrant across the eastern US, but it is uncommon in south Florida and very rare at Cape Florida. Notice the huge bill and the beautiful white-and-black trim on the warm brown wings. These are closely related to the Northern mockingbird and Gray catbird, and all sing complex, beautiful songs that use phrases mimicked from other species.
We banded our second Rose-breasted grosbeak of the season. This one is a young male who is hiding some rose under his wings. Marty saw it, and she is in love yet again with another cute boy.
This little brown guy is our first of the season Indigo Bunting. Adult males in spring are an incredible turquoise color, but we usually see brown immatures and winter males in south Florida. Adult males in fall have a touch of blue in their wings, and all Indigos are much browner than the common wintering Painted buntings.
Total captures:
74 new 3 recaptures of 15 species on Oct 22
72 new 5 recaptures of 16 species on Oct 23
New banded, Oct 22/ Oct 23:
Black-throated blue warbler: 47/30
Gray catbird: 9/16
Ovenbird: 5/6
Western palm warbler: 2/1
Northern parula: 1/2
Prairie warbler: 1/0
American redstart: 1/2
Black and white warbler: 1/0
Common yellowthroat: 1/3
White-eyed vireo: 1/1
Painted bunting: 1/2
Northern cardinal: 1/0
Rose-breasted grosbeak: 1/0
Brown thrasher: 1/0
Chuck-will’s-widow: 1/0
Wilson’s warbler: 0/1
Magnolia warbler: 0/1
Indigo bunting: 0/2
Worm-eating warbler: 0/1
Gray-cheeked thrush: 0/3
Swainson’s thrush: 0/1