Oct 12, 2021
By Michelle Davis
Our fortunes changed over the weekend as thousands of migrating birds moved through South Florida, giving us several interesting days at the banding station. Saturday was quiet and hot, but Sunday dawned much cooler with a light northwest wind blowing. And the birds arrived!
It is always interesting how each consecutive day during a rush of migrants can have such different species compositions. Sunday October 10 was the most diverse of the last 3 days, with 78 birds banded of 18 species and four new species for the season. Today had twice the numbers, but with only 16 species. American Redstarts were dominant on Oct 10, and the Black-throated Blue Warblers arrived in force today with 65 banded! The 1,000th bird banded of the Fall 2021 season was a Swainson’s Warbler, of all things.
The most surprising capture of the week is this Ruby-crowned Kinglet, a short-distance migrant that is rare in extreme South Florida and usually is encountered much later in the year. Photo by Miriam Avello
This adult Broad-winged Hawk is only the second raptor we have banded this fall. Photo by Miriam Avello
The 1,000th bird banded this season; a Swainson’s Warbler. Photo by Miriam Avello
An infrequent migrant along the southeast Florida coast, most Tennessee Warblers spend the winter in Central America. Photo by Miriam Avello
Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Photo by Michelle Davis
White-eyed Vireo (photo by Miriam Avello) This bird was originally banded during the Spring season and has returned to spend the winter at Cape Florida.
Wilson’s Warbler. Photo by Miriam Avello
