Had another very busy morning on July 5. We wrapped up banding for period 7 at Miller Pond, despite intense heat and pretty high winds. The first net run of the morning, at 0620, I brought back 15 birds- 10 were in one net! 3 Carolina Chickadees, 3 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, a Downy Woodpecker, Red-eyed Vireo, Indigo Bunting, and another BEWICK'S WREN, many of which were young birds, were all in net 5. Overall we ended up with 36 birds, including another Yellow-billed Cuckoo. There was also an adult male Orchard Oriole that was dangerously close to one of our nets, but he evaded capture. Also of interest was a Worm-eating Warbler that we banded; we've caught a handful at other sites so far this summer, but this is the first for Miller Pond. We haven't even detected them here thus far; the habitat does not seem particularly appealing for them. It must have been a wandering, post-breeding bird (it was an adult).

36 Individuals, 17 Species
Bunting, Indigo 5
Cardinal, Northern 2
Chat, Yellow-breasted 4
Chickadee, Carolina 3
Cuckoo, Yellow-billed 1
Gnatcatcher, Blue-gray 3
Hummingbird, Ruby-throated 2
Parula, Northern 1
Phoebe, Eastern 2
Sparrow, Field 3
Vireo, Red-eyed 1
Warbler, Blue-winged 1
Warbler, Worm-eating 1
Woodpecker, Downy 1
Wren, Bewick's 1
Wren, Carolina 1
Yellowthroat, Common 4

After banding we went tubing on the Big Piney River again, picking a section of river which we anticipated would be a 3 to 4 hour float. Instead, it took us a good six hours to get through, and we pulled out just as darkness was falling. Saw some good birds along the river though- 3 Great Blue Herons, 2 Belted Kingfishers, many American Redstarts, several Louisiana Waterthrushes, Prothonotary Warblers, and Yellow-billed Cuckoos, a couple Yellow-throated Warblers, and a flock of Northern Rough-winged Swallows that were feeding within ten feet of us.

Today is our second of four days off before we begin period 8. Unfortunately, the weather has been pretty dreary here these past two days, not reallly allowing for too much outdoor activity. We've been keeping ourselves occupied mainly by sitting on the back porch and observing the resident Five-lined Skink, which Karen dubbed "Professor Chaos". I'm hoping to get out birding either at Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area or White River Trace Conservation Area in the next two days.