Passerine banding:
Songbird banding takes place at MBO throughout the year.
The primary emphasis is on migration monitoring,
from April through early June, and again from August
through October, using a standard array of 16 mist nets. Click
here for an archive of weekly/monthly reports on
banding activities.
Additionally, winter banding is undertaken to study
residency patterns and northern migrants, using a
smaller number of nets around a bird feeding station
on the property. In summer, informal or formal (via
the MAPS program) monitoring of productivity via
banding studies is pursued, again using a subset
of the migration monitoring nets and/or additional
nets in other locations within the property.
Throughout the year,
banding efforts are supplemented by observations
from along a standardized census route, and
additional incidental sightings recorded throughout
the site during the course of banding and
maintenance activities.
Owl
Migration Monitoring:
Owl banding efforts are
targeted at the Northern Saw-whet Owl and Boreal
Owl, using a standardized audio lure technique
promoted by Project Owlnet. This involves playing a
continuous tape loop of calls from a speaker along a
line of eight interconnected mist nets.
The season extends from late September through early
November, beginning nightly at sunset and continuing
for a minimum of three to four hours. |
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Data
collection and analysis:
Standardized methods of data recording are used for recording
both birds and environmental conditions. Items noted for every
bird include age, sex, wing chord, and weight, as well as date,
time, and location of capture within MBO. Banding records are
submitted regularly to the Canadian Bird Banding Office and
Canadian Migration Monitoring Network, and all
station programs proceed in accordance with their guidelines for
operation. All activities at MBO are supervised by at least one
licensed bander.
Students
interested in qualifying for a banding subpermit will be provided
with training, through activities at MBO
and/or through outside training with the Migration Research
Foundation, Bird Studies Canada, or other qualified
institutions.
Researchers
working at MBO are encouraged to pursue and publish studies
based on the data collected, and to suggest further ways in
which the observatory can contribute to large scale research
efforts. Click here
for more information on past, present, and potential future research topics
under investigation.
Reports:
Reports have been compiled for each season of the migration
monitoring program, as well as a summary report for the first five years of operation. These are available in PDF format at the
links below:
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