Bird Banding
Raptor Banding
The banding station at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve in operation daily from August 15th – November 30th. The station is one of North America’s largest for total numbers of banded hawks and owls, with an average of nearly 3,000 raptors banded each fall. Data from our banding studies includes information on raptor distribution, movement patterns, dispersal, plumage variation, and life span. Additional projects include genetics, environmental contamination, transmitter telemetry, and parasite loads. The banding station is always open to new research projects that will increase our knowledge of raptor migration, life history, and conservation. Please contact Frank Nicoletti, fnicoletti@hawkridge.org, with questions related to banding research.
2023 Hawk Ridge Fall Raptor Banding Report
2018 Fall Raptor Banding Report
2018 Fall Raptor Banding Totals
Passerine Banding
The passerine (songbird) banding program has been in operation at the Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve for nearly 40 years (1982-1992, 1996-current). As increasing concern for neotropical migrants arose, the need for this monitoring became evident. Since the Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve is located at a natural concentration point for many migrant species, it provides a great opportunity to conduct valuable banding research. The goals of the passerine banding program are to monitor populations of passerines and collect basic biological information at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve.
A fall average of approximately 1800 songbirds are banded, representing over 100 species. The top 10 species banded are: American Redstart, Nashville Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, White-throated Sparrow, Slate-colored Junco, Swainson’s Thrush, Red-eyed Vireo, and Black-capped Chickadee. A few of the rarer birds banded include: Blue-winged Warbler, Sora, Lapland Longspur, Snow Bunting, Harris’ Sparrow, Black-billed Cuckoo, Pine Grosbeak, Scarlet Tanager, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Hoary Redpoll, Baltimore Oriole, Boreal Chickadee, Eastern Whip-poor-will, Black-backed Woodpecker, Eastern Bluebird, Pine Warbler, and Rusty Blackbird.
Passerine banding was primarily a fall activity, but in recent years the activity has expanded. Since 2015, a summer breeding bird MAPS project (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) has been conducted at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve. MAPS bird banders collect data that can be used to estimate key demographic parameters- also known as vital rates- like productivity, recruitment, and survival of individual bird species. This information helps scientists understand which life-stages may be most important in limiting population growth or causing declines. Since 1989, more than 1,200 MAPS stations spread across nearly every state and Canadian province have collected more than 2.5 million bird capture records.
Lastly, we incorporate teaching about bird banding research through some of our formal and informal education programs. During the fall, kids can even be banded like a bird and receive their own unique id band at our kid’s activity cart!
2024 Fall Passerine Banding Report
Image Credits: Ryan Brady