Cape Florida Banding Station

The Fall 2025 banding season came to a close last weekend with a Painted bunting for our final bird. 1500 birds were newly banded with 17 returns from other years, most notably a Prairie warbler banded in 2019.

Kimberley, Miriam and Eddie with the last bird banded of 2025, a Painted bunting. (photo by Miriam Avello)

Part of what sets the mood of each season is who is there and who is missing. Persistent winds out of the east may have contributed to a quieter season than usual as migrating birds were shifted away from Cape Florida during their trip down the Florida peninsula. We had two big days on Oct 3 and Oct 11 when rainy weather combined with northerly winds brought lots of birds to the Cape. The rest of October was unusually slow, and we never had the big day of Black-throated blue warblers that we have come to expect around Oct 17 or 18. However, we banded 7 Eastern phoebes in the days around Halloween, the most in years. Unusual species included a Black-whiskered vireo on Sept 13; we band more in spring as the local breeders are arriving. No new species were added to our overall list.

Left: Returning Prairie warbler originally banded in Fall 2019. Right: Returning Yellow-throated vireo originally banded in Fall 2024 (photos by Steffanie Munguía)

We were able to resume daily banding operations in Fall 2025, and this may have been the only year in the last two decades with no complete days closed due to weather. An amazing team of new and returning volunteers continued to build their skills in extracting birds from the nets and in identifying them to species, age and sex and collecting other data during the banding process.

Cooper’s hawk banded on Nov 1 (photo by Steffanie Munguía)

We are participating in Give Miami Day this year again as an affiliate of the Friends of Cape Florida. Early giving begins on Nov 15 and Give Miami Day is Nov 20. All money raised will go towards equipment (especially new nets), training new banders and other operational needs in 2026.

Cape Florida Banding Station | Give Miami Day.

Thank you so much for your generous support over the years!

Post by Michelle Davis

Fall 2025 Totals (Aug 15-Nov 9)

Charlie Muise shows the crew how to use the detailed and complicated banding manual, aka ‘Pyle’. (Photo by Steffanie Munguía)

Eddy bands his first Yellow-billed Cuckoo on Oct 11  (Photo by Steffanie Munguía)

Charlie Muise visited us for a week from Gainesville and tried to band some Chuck-will’s widows before dawn and ahead of our regular net hours, but the birds were not very cooperative, probably because they just weren’t there. He is an excellent teacher and has run banding stations for years in Georgia, so our crew enjoyed learning new things from him. It’s good to have cross-fertilization, whether from our folks going to other banding stations or other banders visiting us here. Unfortunately, he came during a slow week for bird migration. Persistent and sometimes strong easterly winds have dominated for most of October, which usually is our peak month.

I came down to visit and see old friends (people as well as birds) and meet new volunteers, and I got luckier with the weather. A slow-moving band of rain and light northwest winds delivered a nice surge of birds on Oct 10, when 98 new birds of 11 species were banded. 34 of these were American redstarts, and we are still waiting for a wave of Black-throated blue warblers and Gray catbirds. Things quickly dropped back to the usual 15 to 30 birds a day, which seems to be the norm for this fall.

American redstart (photo by Miriam Avello)

Philadelphia vireo banded on Oct 11  (Photo by Steffanie Munguía)

Painted bunting (Photo by Steffanie Munguía)

Northern parula (photo by Miriam Avello)

We are trying to decide if migration is delayed or if birds have passed by without stopping at Cape Florida due to the easterly winds, which shift birds inland as they fly down the Florida peninsula. There is evidence going both ways, so we may stay open for an extra week in November to see.

Post by Michelle Davis

Fall 2025 Totals (Aug 15-Oct 25)

I mentioned in the last post that we hadn’t yet had a big movement of birds through Cape Florida this fall; they had been trickling through in low but steady numbers. Well, that all changed on Friday Oct 3!

Steffanie is grinning with excitement but she better get banding! And she did: 130 birds were banded that morning; 72 of them Ovenbirds. Six Cape May warblers were notable, and the balance was made up of American redstarts, Black-throated blue and Black-and-white warblers, Common yellowthroats, Worm-eating warblers and a Northern waterthrush. I don’t know if we’ve ever banded so many birds in one day and had them be entirely warblers.

Top: Young male American Redstart       Bottom: Female Black & white warbler

(photos by Miriam Avello)

Saturday Oct 4 was also a busy day and the crew was happy. This is a great opportunity for the volunteers to put their newly acquired extracting and banding skills to use and gain more experience. October is generally our busiest month, and I can personally confirm that there are more birds on the way from further north. The first ‘cold’ front of the fall is forecast to arrive this weekend; hopefully it will bring more birds and lower humidity. A plane will bring me for my first CFBS visit since I moved out of the area during the summer of 2023.

(Photo by Steffanie Munguía)

Post by Michelle Davis

Fall 2025 Totals (Aug 15-Oct 7)

Each season has a certain feel to it that separates it from the others and makes it unique. This comes from a combination of who’s volunteering, which birds are abundant, what unusual species show up, weather trends, etc. The Fall 2025 season started out steady, with very few completely quiet mornings. We are now in October and banders are starting to get antsy for bigger flights of birds; days when we can band 50 or 100 birds of a wider variety of species. The new volunteers have been honing their net extraction skills, and the banders-in-training are ready to go!

Some new species have been trickling in during the last two weeks of September, as is usually the case. Tennessee warblers are one of those species that is not very abundant at Cape Florida since the bulk of the population is heading to Central America for the winter. Species heading that way generally cross the Gulf of Mexico to the west of us during migration. Costa Rica, for example, is full of Tennessee, Chestnut-sided and Golden-winged warblers during the winter months while they are scarce in South Florida. Species that pass through Cape Florida are mostly heading to the Caribbean or northern South America. This subtle beauty was a treat, as we usually only band a couple of these a year.

Tennessee warbler banded on 24 September (photo by Liz Golden)

Hands down, the most bizarre bird we encounter is the Chuck-will’s widow. These birds are perfectly adapted for night-time aerial hunting with long wings supporting a light body. Their eyes are huge to take in a lot of light, but they are sensitive to the brightness of day so usually they are squinting, if their eyes are open at all. The Chuck-will’s widow’s camouflage plumage allows them to sleep on branches or on the ground during the day and not be disturbed. The giant Pac-man mouth readily scoops up whatever is flying around in the dark. True story-I took one out of a net early one morning about 15 years ago and it had a Northern waterthrush halfway down its throat. That’s a substantial meal! (Sorry-no pictures. It was dark and I had a cheap flip phone)

Chuck-will’s widow banded on 28 September (photo by Miriam Avello)

The weather the last few weeks has been conducive to bird migration, with the overnight pop-up showers common in South Florida helping to set the tone for the morning’s banding. Sometimes the storms interfere with keeping the nets open, and sometimes they are just north of Cape Florida and cause what we not-so-lovingly call the Broward Block. This is when overnight storms cause the birds to land just to the north of us, and they will leapfrog over our area during the following night. On a clear night with a tailwind, these small songbirds can easily fly from the Outer Banks of North Carolina straight through to Hispaniola or Puerto Rico. Great for the birds; less so for birders and banders on the ground.

While the vast majority of birds banded at Cape Florida are migrating through the region, a few birds are year-round residents here. Northern cardinals are the most common breeding bird in the hammock where we band, and we often recapture individuals banded in other years. The oldest bird recaptured this season so far is a cardinal from 2020. Our longevity record, in fact, is a male cardinal who was 12 years old when we last saw him in 2017. Red-bellied woodpeckers are another local species; this one is an immature female who likes to hammer and chomp hands that are messing with her. Plumage is one of the easiest ways to age birds, and the bander is looking for molt limits between juvenile and adult flight feathers. Eye color is also reliable for many species; adult red-bellied woodpeckers have ruby red eyes. Woodpeckers of any age are almost always feisty!

Red-bellied woodpecker female banded on 15 September (photo by Steffanie Munguía)

Steffanie is starting a new trend that I hope catches on. Note her fingernails have Ovenbird patterning on them. The possibilities are endless! (Black-throated blue warbler, Painted bunting, c’mon people..)

Ovenbird with cool Ovenbird nails (photo by Steffanie Munguía)

Post by Michelle Davis

Fall 2025 Totals (Aug 15-Oct 1)

While everyone was settling into the new season and getting their banding and extracting skills up to speed we quietly passed a huge milestone with this Black & white warbler: the 50,000^th bird to be banded at CFBS since it was founded in the fall of 2002. This includes both spring and fall, with a grand total of 119 species.  

Adult male Black-and-white warbler banded on 8/26/25, the 50,000th Bird banded at CFBS!  Photo by Steffanie Munguía

While CFBS may not have the diversity of some of the larger stations farther north, we band a unique cross-section of birds. Our top three species year after year are Black-throated blue warbler, American redstart and Ovenbird. We are too far south to get swarms of Myrtle warblers and White-throated sparrows, but we have banded many Caribbean species over the years.

A local specialty is the Black-whiskered vireo. We actually band more of these than the similar Red-eyed vireo in spring as the Black-whiskereds are arriving in the area to breed in nearby mangrove forest. By the time we open for fall, most of the Black-whiskered vireos have already left for the season. Occasionally there is a lingerer to add some excitement to the day and remind banders to check their Red-eyed vireos carefully.

Left: Black-whiskered vireo banded Sept 13 2025. Right: Red-eyed vireo banded August 31 2025   Photos by Miriam Avello

This one is only the fifth Black-whiskered to be banded in the fall, with others in 2004, 2016, 2018 and 2020. They can be separated from Red-eyed vireos by a slightly different song and some structural and plumage differences. Black-whiskereds are browner overall with a longer bill and the namesake whisker, although that field  mark can be hard to see. If you are in Miami in June or July and you hear a vireo singing, it will be the Black-whiskered as Red-eyeds do not breed in the immediate area.

The pace continued to be brisk by early-season standards, with a nice variety of species. 32 birds of 9 species were banded on Sept 11, and most of the other days have also been double-digits. Common yellowthroats are picking up in numbers. Our most diverse days usually fall in late September and early October.

Common yellowthroat, hatch-year male banded Sept 13 2025. Photo by Miriam Avello

A pack of 10 to 15 Girl Scouts visited the station on Sept 13 and were treated to an up-close look at the banding process and the data we collect. They were excited to be so intimate with wild birds and asked a lot of good questions.

Girl Scouts learn about a Prairie warbler. Photo by Marice Band

Scouts study the many different species of warblers. Photo by Marice Band

Post by Michelle Davis

Fall 2025 Totals (Aug 15-Sept 13)

We are now a little bit into the third week of the Fall 2025 season, and it is starting off well! A huge thanks to all the new and the returning volunteers- you all make CFBS what it is, which is a world-class banding station in a unique location on a hemispheric scale with a 23-year long continuous fall dataset!

Kentucky warbler, young male banded Aug 25 2025. Photo by Steffanie Munguía

Winds out of the west or southwest have made for a buggy start to the season but also have given us a steady stream of birds. August can often be brutally slow with 2-3 bird days but this year we’ve been ranging from 8-10 to as many as 33 birds in a day. We put up with the lighter volume and stifling heat of late August in the hopes of banding several species that migrate early, such as Louisiana waterthrush and Kentucky warbler. This gorgeous young male was banded on August 25, and we don’t get these every year. The brilliant yellow underparts and Elvis sideburns are very distinctive. Not gonna lie-this is one of my favorite warblers from my days in the swamps of Louisiana where they are abundant breeders.

Traill’s Flycatcher banded Aug 31 2025. Photo by Miriam Avello

Light north winds set in on August 26 and 27, leading to 33 and 25 bird days, respectively. Most were the regular species that we encounter throughout the season, with different proportions as the season wears on. For example, American redstarts mostly move through early (August-Sept), Worm-eating warblers peak in mid-September, and the Black-throated blues peak in October. Black-and-white warblers are common throughout the season. At this point American redstarts are the top species with 54 bandings, Black & white warblers are in second place with 46 individuals, and Ovenbirds are in a close third with 44 new birds and one return from last fall. Ovenbirds and redstarts will stay in the top three but the blues will catch up later!

Our common species are generally heading to the Caribbean islands to overwinter, except for a few which stay in South Florida until spring. Species that winter in Central America such as Chestnut-sided and Tennessee warblers are much more scarce at our location. Still other species are around in low numbers passing through or wintering, and they add a little excitement to a morning of banding.

Yellow-throated vireo banded Aug 31 2025. Photo by Miriam Avello

August 31 was a diverse day, with 10 species represented among 13 banded individuals. Three first-of-the seasons showed up: a Traill’s flycatcher, a Red-eyed vireo and a Yellow-throated vireo. The Yellow-throated vireo is a good example of a species which is not especially rare in south Florida but we only band one every other year or so. These winter in the area and can often be found in live oaks in parks within urban Miami during the Christmas bird counts.

Post by Michelle Davis

Fall 2025 Totals (Aug 15-Sept 2)      

A group of dedicated volunteers gathered last week in the steamy heat to clear the net lanes of vegetation that has grown in since Fall 2024 and put up the nets in preparation for Fall 2025. This is always an exciting time since the whole season is still ahead of us and we wonder what interesting birds it will bring. August generally features a trickle of birds that are already on the move such as American redstarts and Blue-grey gnatcatchers. It is worth it to open the station at this time to get all the new and returning volunteers settled in before the stream of migrants picks up. Mostly we are hoping to band some early species that we have a smaller chance of seeing in September and on, such as Kentucky warbler, Louisiana waterthrush and the stunning Cerulean warbler.

The very first bird banded yesterday was a young male Northern cardinal, a resident species that breeds locally. He was followed by an Ovenbird and a Blue-grey gnatcatcher. Today brought another Ovenbird and added a redstart, Worm-eating warbler and two Black-and-white warblers to the season’s total.

Top: Ovenbird Bottom: Blue-gray gnatcatcher

Photos by Steffanie Munguía

Post by Michelle Davis

Dear friends and supporters,

After considerable reflection, we, Nicole and Nasim, are stepping down as Co‑Directors of the Cape Florida Banding Station. When we accepted these roles two years ago, the collaboration was a strong fit and an exciting opportunity to advance community‑rooted bird research. Over time, it became clear that key differences in values and approaches to accountability made it unsustainable for us to continue in this project.

We remain deeply grateful to this learning experience with Michelle, Liz and everyone else who stepped foot at the station during our time there. We also want to reflect the deep gratitude we have for every volunteer, friend, donor, and ally who has dedicated time, skill, and heart to this project. Your commitment has strengthened both the station’s research and the broader movement for environmental justice.

The banding station will operate this coming fall season. For all questions about schedules, volunteering, or future plans, please reach out to Michelle directly at vireoojorojo@gmail.com.

If you have any questions or ever need anything from us, please don’t hesitate to reach out via email, Nicole- mirjamirita@gmail.com and Nasim- avesypoesia@gmail.com. 

With much appreciation and respect,

Nasim and Nicole

Dear friends of the Cape Florida Banding Station, 

We hope this message finds you well. As we enter this time of transition for the Cape Florida Banding Station, we want to first express our deep gratitude to Nicole and Nasim for their dedication and service over the past two years. Their leadership was vital to continue the important legacy of the Station while bringing our work to new audiences, and we honor their commitment to the station and its mission.

As we look ahead we are excited to build on this momentum and we are committed to continuing the station’s work in Fall 2025 and the future. Our team remains fully dedicated to the core mission of the Cape Florida Banding Station of connecting people with birds through community science that contributes to our understanding of migratory bird ecology in South Florida and the Western hemisphere.

We understand that leadership transitions can be both exciting and uncertain, and we want to assure you that preparations are already underway for the fall season and we will ensure that all volunteers are welcomed, valued, and given an opportunity to grow in the months ahead. We are committed to pursuing the opportunity for shared leadership created when Michelle left Florida, and we are working diligently to find a way to achieve this while also holding all leadership to the highest standards of accountability. We invite all of you to be part of this effort. 

As Nasim and Nicole mentioned, we will be open for the Fall 2025 season. We are working towards opening daily from August 15th – November 2nd or 9th, especially during peak migration (late September – mid-October). We recognize this is a large lift and are especially grateful to our banders in charge and other banders in our network who are stepping up to make that possible. We are also actively planning for long-term sustainability by investing in training more banders this fall and elevating the skill level of all our volunteers, returning and new.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions, feedback, or ideas. We value your continued support and engagement, and we are eager to keep building this incredible community together.

For any immediate inquiries regarding volunteering or future plans, you can contact Michelle directly at vireoojorojo@gmail.com or Steffanie at smunguia@zoomiami.org. 

Thank you for your unwavering support and for all the work you do to help this station thrive. We look forward to this next chapter with you!

Warmly,

Michelle Davis, Founder

Steffanie Munguía, Director of Field Operations

Cape Florida Banding Station

Hey everyone,

We wanted to let you know that we will not be open for the Spring 2025 season. Apologies for any delays in responses, and thanks for your support; we’ll keep you posted on future updates!

Hope you’ve had a chance to look/listen outside to those early migrating birds!

Kind regards,

Nicole and Nasim

We would like to extend a warm thank you to all the supporters of the Cape Florida Banding Station, from the three incredible women who started this community science project, to all the volunteers and contributors throughout the last 22 years!

You can read more and Donate to our general page here: https://www.givemiamiday.org/organization/Cape-Florida-Banding-Station

The CFBS team, the birds, and particularly this Ovenbird, thank you so much for your support!

Thank you to everyone who donated and/or shared our page! We are so grateful for your support!

_{Post made by Co-director Nasim Mahomar}