Special Banding Programs
Black-throated Blue Warblers
Bobolink Banding
PEPtBO has engaged in standardized monitoring of Bobolink since 2008, a species at risk that breeds in open hay fields and grasslands. Bobolink have been experiencing rapid population decline due to habitat loss, particularly the clearing of pastureland and other grassland habitat, which makes them a species of interest for population monitoring. PEPtBO uses audio lures to attract the Bobolink to our site during their migration to be able to count their numbers and evaluate their demographics to monitor reproductive success of the species. We provide the data to ECCC to assist with status assessments to aid in the preservation of this species.
PEPtBO’s Bobolink protocol includes the operation of 6 nets from August 15 through September 10.
Bobolink by Paul Jones
Owl Banding
PEPtBO has been operating a standardized owl monitoring program since 2001. The focus of our nighttime migration monitoring and research is the Northern Saw-whet Owl, one of North America’s most frequently banded owl species. The focus on this species is due to the fact that this strictly nocturnal owl is difficult to detect outside the breeding season, and also because of their migratory behavior, making them relatively easy to monitor through banding. Our nighttime migration monitoring program is part of Project Owlnet, which includes over 100 stations from across North America.
We operate 12 standard mist nets. These nets are opened 30 minutes after sunset and kept open for 4 hours as part of our standard protocol. We are exploring keeping the nets open 2 hours longer to see how this impacts the number of owls encountered.
The Northern Saw-whet Owl is the most frequently recaptured bird by foreign stations across North America, generally due to the audio lures used to attract them. This program allows the migratory routes and movement pattern of Northern Saw-whet Owls to be tracked both within a season and over many years due to the high recapture rate. Our station has foreign recoveries every year that have been banded in previous seasons, and it is not uncommon for the original banding date to be a few years prior.
Image by Sarah Sharp