It was on Saturday that the Limb Reaper was first seen. Alessandra caught a glimpse of it creeping furtively through the upper branches of the Black Walnut trees, returning life to the dead yellowing leaves. Ripped from their perches by the blades comprising its long fingers, the leaves jumped to life and rode the wind down, down seeking out the gossamer webs of the mist nets. Net after net began to fill with their long-dead bodies, now imbued with evil intent – yes, they were trying to piss me off. Their filling the nets is not just chance. And they were succeeding! Each and every one had to be picked painstakingly out of the net and dropped to the ground so it could return to its mouldering state and become one with the Earth….and allow us to close the nets successfully.

Since the sighting on Saturday, which allowed Alessandra to make the only known drawing of this nefarious villain, the Limb Reaper, always cryptic, has virtually disappeared. But it’s easy to see that it has been hard at work as more and more living dead descend from the treetops heading for the nets. It will be an aggravating month ahead of us. Curse you Limb Reaper!

The heat and sun continued today. Do you remember that scene from Lawrence of Arabia where the Arab army crosses the Nefud Desert, taking about 40 days, in order to attack the Turks in Aqaba from behind? That desert was referred to as the “Sun’s Anvil”. And that’s what it felt like sitting at the picnic table throughout the morning. Due to the intense heat and sunshine, we closed about an hour early.

There was not a lot of bird action today. A few small pockets of warblers and vireos but nothing close to the nets.
Banded 23:
1 Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
1 Black-capped Chickadee
2 House Wrens
1 Swainson’s Thrush
1 Wood Thrush
2 Gray Catbirds
1 Warbling Vireo
4 Red-eyed Vireos
1 Magnolia Warbler
3 Bay-breasted Warblers
1 American Redstart
1 Ovenbird
1 Common Yellowthroat
1 Scarlet Tanager
1 Northern Cardinal
1 Song Sparrow

ET’s: 47 spp.

Gallery:

Rick