April 7, 8, and 9, 2018

The end of Painted Bunting Season 5 approaches and we have gone all out to finish it.  Three days of Painted Bunting banding and then Possum Long (next entry). 

On April 7 we went to a new host site, PB76.  We didn't have many new hosts this season but we still did well.  At this site we banded six new Painted Buntings as well as a Northern Cardinal and a Common Grackle.  After leaving, our host sent a photo to show there were still unbanded birds around.  Having unbanded birds is still data as now we know there were really more birds than the host initially reported. 

unbanded Painted Bunting at feeder at new host site

Photo by host

On April 8 we made our last visit back to PB 46.  We have banded so many buntings and other incidental captures here.  It is such a wonderful place to be.  We banded 9 more Painted Buntings and recaptured 3 from past seasons.  One Painted had a very blue cast, the colors have not been enhanced here.  There was also one with a bit of body molt.  You can see how replacing incidentally lost feathers might create some of the odd color patches we see. 

Painted Bunting with odd blue color look to the feathers

Painted Bunting growing in some replacement feathers

Incidental captures included a Prairie Warbler, 5 Indigo Buntings, 3 Northern Cardinals, 1 Gray Catbird, 6 Blue Jays, and a recently fledged Mourning Dove.  You can see the edged feathers on the wing of the dove.

Prairie Warbler

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Mourning Dove - hatch year

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

On April 9 we returned to PB70 where there was a caged feeder that was new this season.  These large feeders wrapped in 1 x 2 fencing allow us to use traps to capture more.  We banded 13 new Painted Buntings and recaptured 1 from last season.  We also banded an Indigo Bunting, a Northern Parula, and a Northern Cardinal.  We thoroughly enjoyed 7 students who we introduced to our project.  We were impressed with their knowledge, interest, and participation.  

Indigo Bunting

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Now on to the finish of Season 5 and migration banding.

March 30, April 2 and 3, 2018

Painted Bunting banding is progressing and we are nearing the end of Season 5.  Even Possum Long was pretty much about Painted Buntings.

On March 30 we returned to PB 37.  We are very thankful that this host was willing to let us come on short notice when someone else had to cancel.  It was a very good session and we banded 10 buntings.  Our host is a wonderful photographer (award winning!) and I am including her photos below!

Painted Bunting - male

Photo by Susan Faulkner Davis

Though we banded those 10 and recaptured one, this one was not caught but was sighted later at the bath!  More good data!

resighting of a male Painted Bunting

Photo by Susan Faulkner Davis

We also banded incidental captures including 3 Common Grackles, a Red-bellied Woodpecker, and a surprise recently fledged Northern Mockingbird.  Note the spotted breast and the fleshy gape where the upper and lower bill are joined.  Its tail was still growing in.

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Northern Mockingbird

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

On April 2, we returned to PB 3.  This site is very close to Possum Long as the bird flies and it is one of several locations where we have shown that Painted Buntings will use feeders over 1/2 mile away from each other.  We recaptured a bird that was banded at Possum Long this past fall.  We also banded 5 new buntings. and recaptured another from a previous season.  

At our regular session at Possum Long on April 3 we banded two new Gray Catbirds.  They will be leaving very soon.

Gray Catbird wing

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

We also recaptured 3 Painted Buntings.  Two had been banded on February 19, 2017.  Always nice to prove that these birds return.  One was originally ID'd as a female and of course it still is, but she was developing a redder color on the underside which we sometimes see.  We have been told this likely indicates and older female.

older female Painted Bunting

The third one had been banded at PB 3 during Season ONE, February 19, 2014!  It was young and green at the time and now shows its male colors.  It had not ever been resighted by us at Possum Long or by the host at PB 3.  A lot of people are skeptical when birds don't "return" and it is hard to say whether they keep moving, feed elsewhere, or are are just not observed.  Here's a bird that is now 5 years old that has been "rediscovered"!

Next Possum Long regularly scheduled banding will be on April 10.  Nets go up at or just before sunrise.  

March 17, 2018

On Saturday we took a long distance drive to return to PB 61.  It was a great trip!  We banded 14 new Painted Buntings which is a great total for additional visits.  This location has been very good for incidental species and this time was no different.

We banded a Northern Parula that had lost its tail.  It was growing in and all of the feathers were in sheath.  The parula had been feeding at some type of flower as it had pollen on its head.  Birds can be  important pollinators.  You can see the tiny bit of yellow at the base of the bill.

Northern Parulas

Photos by Bill LaFramboise

We also banded a Blue Jay, a Common Grackle, an Indigo Bunting (only second one the hosts had ever observed in their yard), and a Palm Warbler.

One other fun incidental was a female Summer Tanager.  We suspect that this bird was feeding on bees that were in a nest box in the yard.

Summer Tanager

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Next Possum Long session will be on Tuesday, March 27.  Nets go up at 6:45 am.

March 5, 2018

My how time flies and I have four more updates to catch up on.  On March 5 we went to a new location,  our 75th!  I must say that all of our hosts have been so fun to meet.  This time was no different.  The habitat of this yard supported many buntings as well as so many butterflies.  It is good to meet kindhearted folks like here.

This location is within a half mile of another site as the bird flies but a bit farther by road.  There is a little water separating the two but it will be great to see if these two locations share birds!

We banded 12 Painted Buntings and had 7 incidentals.  A Northern Parula was first catch and was a treat as always.

Northern Parula

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Painted Bunting (male)

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Other incidentals included a Gray Catbird, a Northern Cardinal, 2 Blue Jays and 2 Common Grackles.

On our way home we went to Loxahatchee NWR to check on a Vermilion Flycatcher that has over wintered.  It was nice to see how much more red it has than it did in November.

Vermilion Flycatcher

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

This is a catch-up post.  Next Possum Long Banding will be listed on the March 13th entry.

March 1, 2018

On Thursday we returned to PB 6.  We had not really planned this but timing worked out and we chose to go.  There were many birds at the feeders and we banded a lot of them.  We would have gotten more Painted Buntings but the Common Grackles frequented the nets and kept the buntings hidden.

We banded 5 Painted Buntings and recaptured one.  The recaptured one was from Season One.  It was an adult male at the time it was banded so it is at least 7 years old.

Painted Bunting

One of our original banded males

We also banded 2 Chipping Sparrows, 4 Indigo Buntings, 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker, 3 Common Ground-Doves, 3 Common Grackles (and released many more unbanded).

We recaptured an Indigo Bunting we had banded exactly 1 year prior (3/1/17) and an Ovenbird that was the next band in that sequence but was banded on March 16, 2017.  

Ovenbird

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Chipping Sparrow

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Common Grackle

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Next Possum Long session will be on Tuesday, March 6.  Nets go up at 6:45.  

Note:  Banding will NOT occur on Tuesday, March 20.  However it will be on Monday, March 19.

January 26 & February 7; February 6

Since the last post we have made 2 visits to PB 73 where we had loaned the host a caged feeder.  (Nets were unproductive on our first visit.)  It took a while for the buntings to trust the feeder but it was worth the wait.  We banded a total of 11 Painted Buntings, plus an incidental Common Grackle, 1 Red-winged Blackbird, and 2 Northern Cardinals. 

Common Grackle

Photo by Suzanne Zuckerman

Painted Bunting (male with some yellow coloring on the undertail)

Photo by Suzanne Zuckerman

Red-winged Blackbird

Photo by Suzanne Zuckerman

The Red-winged Blackbird was a female with a lot of reddish coloring on the face and throat.  This indicates it is likely an older female.  Other data supported the adult classification.  

Many thanks to this gracious and dedicated host.

Red-winged Blackbird

Photo by Suzanne Zuckerman

On February 6 we returned to PB 67 just about a week later than when we went last year.  This yard and host is  a joy to visit - birds and enthusiasm.  Being 2 hours north gave us a little different variety.  Last year we caught our only Tufted Titmouse here.  Within seconds of putting up the nets we caught number 2.  

Tufted Titmouse

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

The rest of the day was consistently busy.  We beat last year's 21 birds by banding 22 plus we recaptured 2 from last year.  

young Painted Bunting

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

This particular bunting had undertail coverts with darker centers.  

Painted Bunting

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

In addition to the titmouse we had 12 additional incidentals.  Eight Northern Cardinals kept us watching out for our fingers.  A Common Grackle, 2 Blue Jays, and the surprise of the day rounded out the captures.

Our host had told us he had a different sparrow so we were hopeful that it would be caught.  It turned out to be a White-crowned Sparrow - a bird I had studied in Washington as part of a site fidelity study.  This was a different subspecies but it was nice to have "in-hand" again.  This subspecies has a dark lore (the area between the beak and eye) while the one in WA has no black there.  This is an immature bird as told by the reddish brown and tan crown stripes but it is starting to fill in the black and white stripes of adulthood.  

White-crowned Sparrow

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

We are starting our "spring" banding at Possum Long on Tuesday, February 13.  Net go up at 7 am.  Regular sessions will continue on Tuesdays.  We will see what shows up this early (likely still "winter" birds) but we can hope migrants appear soon.

April 8, 10, 11, 12, and 14, 2017

We have been going full speed ahead in hopes of getting a few migrant Painted Buntings as they pass through.  We have 6 more banding sessions to report plus an article that could prove to be interesting to our study.

On April 8 we visited a new site, PB 72.  Five Painted Buntings had been reported and we caught five only to see at least one more unbanded.  With a few changes this site will be a place to return to next fall.  Incidental captures included 2 Brown-headed Cowbirds, 2 Northern Cardinals, a Red-bellied Woodpecker, a Pine Warbler, a Blue Jay, 2 Red-winged Blackbirds, 3 Common Grackles, and a Mourning Dove.

Pine Warbler

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

This Painted Bunting was quite red and we had been told that this indicates an older female. However this one was just born last summer as told by covert feathers.  So, definitely unknown sex on this green one!  Painted Bunting colors are not reliable for aging and sexing until males show their full colors.

young Painted Bunting

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

On April 10 we made a quick trip back to DuPuis where we banded 2 more new Painted Buntings, had several recaptures , and banded 2 more Indigo Buntings.

On April 11, we had our regular Possum Long Banding station session.  We banded a new Gray Catbird and recaptured 3 Painted Buntings.  One was from this season but two were from older seasons and that gives us such good return data.

Gray Catbird

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

On April 12 we returned to PB 2 where the host reported a flock of buntings that had passed through her yard and may have stayed.  We banded 6 new Painted Buntings.

Bill checking for fat to assess readiness to migrate

Photo by Linda Wishney

On April 14 we returned to PB 1 where it all started!  The host reported at least 12 unbanded birds and we banded 21.  (No I did not transpose these numbers!).  We also had incidental captures of a Northern Cardinal and two Mourning Doves.  One of the doves was recently born - our first hatch-year bird of the season.

Painted Bunting with blue head feather

Any lost feather can be replaced with any color

wing of young Mourning Dove

note scalloped edging - those white tips will wear off as the bird ages

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Our next regularly scheduled Possum Long session will be Tuesday, April 18.  Nets go up at 6:45. When winds kept migrants from landing last year, this week and the next one were the best of the season.  We can hope.  Remember that when birds fly right over us, it is good for them but makes for quiet days for us.

And the article (link below):  I was sent this link and while it is a sad reminder that illegal trapping of our beautiful birds still occurs, it may reveal one of our banded birds.  I have contacted FWC in hopes of finding out if the banded bird mentioned could be one of our Painted Buntings.  I will update on this blog.

I also received a note from a Painted Bunting location (hope to band there some day).  She reported a single color band on a bird which is  not what we or any other permitted bander does.  It appears that possibly someone caught a bird and applied a band meant for caged birds.  Whether or not this bird was caged, we will never know.  It is really important that education happen to protect our native birds and to keep them from becoming pets.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/florida/fl-reg-trapping-birds-20170413-story.html

March 19, 20, and 21, 2017

March 19 was a super busy day as we visited two locations.  We returned to PB 64 in the morning and PB 13 in the afternoon.  Many thanks to Pat Marshall who worked at both sessions and the next day too!

At PB 64 we banded 9 new Painted Buntings as well as incidental captures of a Mourning Dove, a Palm Warbler, FIVE Northern Cardinals. and a Red-bellied Woodpecker.  Best news of all was recapturing all six of the birds we banded the previous year.  Some locations do get 100% returns!

Palm Warbler

Northern Cardinal - male

Painted Bunting - male

At PB 13 we were pretty hampered by the rising wind and a few grackles.  Despite that we banded 7 new buntings and recaptured one.  Incidental captures included another Northern Cardinal and 3 of the Common Grackles.  It is interesting to me that even though these 2 locations are fairly close, they do not seem to share birds.

Monday found us at PB 37.  We had last visited in Season Two and had banded 22 buntings then. This visit we banded 13 new buntings and recaptured 2.  The only incidental capture was a Blue Jay. Our host is an great photographer and she allowed us to share the release she caught!  We have two other great photos by her which will appear in presentations or maybe in a later blog.

Releasing the Painted Bunting after banding

Very colorful male Painted Bunting underside

Blue Jay holding his bands hostage

Our regular Possum Long session on March 21 went well but migrants are yet to show up in any numbers.  We banded a new Painted Bunting, a Yellow-rumped Warbler, and a Blue Jay.  We also recaptured another Painted Bunting, an Ovenbird, and a Northern Cardinal.

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Blue Jay - wing showing young feathers

Next regularly scheduled banding at Possum Long will be March 28.  Nets go up at 7:15.

February 24, 26, 28, and March 1, 2017, 2017

On March 24, we went back to PB 3 as they had a few unbanded birds plus one bird that had returned but was apparently not a combination from this location.  We did band 2 more here and we did recapture the suspect bird.  It turns out that it was banded at Possum Long in April, 2016.  The young lady of the household lent us her special bunting for company!

our bunting mascot

Painted Bunting

Photo by Pete Grannis

On the 26th we went to Sebastian and revisited PB 40.  It was a very birdy day - we saw our first Swallow-tailed Kite of the season.

We banded 8 new Painted Buntings and had 17 incidental birds:  Two American Goldfinch, 7 Indigo Buntings, 3 Brown-headed Cowbirds, 3 Northern Cardinals, 1 Common Ground-Dove, and a Common Grackle.  

Painted Bunting 

male

Indigo Bunting

molting and wearing into blue colors for spring

American Goldfinch

On February 28 we cancelled our regularly scheduled Possum Long banding due to rain.  Bird safety comes first and wet nets are not safe for birds.  

March 1 was a great session.  We banded at DuPuis (PB 6) which is one of our few sites with public access. This is a good location for observing buntings.  We only used a trap in the caged feeder that is there. It kept us quite busy.  We banded 5 new buntings and recaptured 6 more.  We saw quite a few strange colors including one green bunting with red feathers on its face.  These were not molting in. The cheek area is typically blue on a male so it is just that they got colored red as they grew in.  We recaptured a male that had been banded in Season 1.  This means the bird is a least 6 years old.  We also had 5 incidental captures of 3 Chipping Sparrows and 2 Indigo Buntings.  

Painted Bunting with strange red face feathers

Indigo Bunting 

molting and wearing into its blue colors for spring

Painted Bunting

older female with rosy breast

Next scheduled banding at Possum Long will be on Tuesday, March 6.  Nets go up at 6:30.