10 years of the Canadian Migration Monitoring Network - Audrey Heagy, Bird Studies Canada, Port Rowan, ON  

After several years of development, the Canadian  Migration Monitoring Network (CMMN) was formalized in 1998. From the outset, the Network was a cooperative venture of Bird Studies Canada, the Canadian Wildlife Service, and partnering independent migration monitoring stations. As of the end of 2007, the Network has grown to include 19 member organizations operating some 22 banding stations from coast-to-coast across Canada. In 2005, a CMMN Steering Committee  was formed to advance the development of the Network. The mission  of the CMMN is to contribute to conservation, knowledge, and public understanding of Canadian migrant birds and migration through a collaborative network of independent migration monitoring and research  stations.12 year progress report on the North American Banding Council - Audrey Heagy, Bird Studies Canada, Port Rowan, ON  The North American Banding Council (NABC) was formed in 1996 to promote sound and ethical bird banding principles and techniques in North America. The Council consists of representatives of all of the major ornithological and bird banding organizations in the United States and Canada, and four additional at-large positions. The work of the Council is carried out throughout the year by the various standing committees, with the Council meeting once a year. Over the past 12 years, NABC has developed written bander training guides for various bird groups and implemented a voluntary bander evaluation and certification program for passerine and hummingbird banders. Certification programs are under development for other groups, including raptors and waterfowl. The NABC website (www. nabanding.net) has links to many bander training resources materials. Additional bander education materials are being developed. The Council works in cooperation with the U.S. Bird Banding Laboratory and the Canadian Bird Banding Office.

Using stainless steel bands: a workshop - David Okines, Ontario Bird Banding Association, St. Williams, ON

This workshop is aimed at banders with little or no experience with steel or hard metal bands. Participants will be shown how to safely apply and remove steel bands. They will then be allowed to do this themselves while under supervision, that way they can become a bit more familiar with this type of band and how to close the bands easily and completely and to how correct the bands if they have been overlapped.

50 Years of Bird Banding Research and Education at Powdermill Nature Reserve - Robert Mulvihill, Robert Leberman and Adrienne Leppold, Powdermill nature Reserve, Rector, PA  

The first efforts at bird banding at Powdermill Nature Reserve took place in the fall of 1959, when 34 birds were captured in wire traps over the course of eight days by a visiting Antioch college student. Fifty years later, more than 500,000 birds of ca. 200 species have been caught and uniquely banded, and subsequent encounters with these at Powdermill and elsewhere have contributed an additional 100,000+ records to the Powdermill banding database. The Powdermill bird banding program not only has generated large amounts of data for long-term population monitoring and a wide range of specific shorter term research projects, but it also has served as a highly effective tool for educating diverse audiences about birds and bird conservation, and for training and inspiring future generations of biologists and conservationists. Last but not least, it has provided many important resources and professional development opportunities for other banders. This talk will provide a necessarily very brief overview of the origins, research and education activities and accomplishments, banding highlights, and future directions of the Powdermill banding program. 

A long time running: Long-term monitoring projects of the Long Point Bird Observatory - Stuart A. Mackenzie, Bird Studies Canada, Port Rowan, ON

The Long Point Bird Observatory (LPBO) has been operating a consistent migration monitoring program on Long Point since 1960. Since then we have developed advanced methods of monitoring population trends from these data. When applied to the Canadian Migration Monitoring Network, they provide a national perspective on migrant songbird populations. LPBO has also been operating a long-term study of Tree Swallows which began in the late 1960s and has run consistently since 1977. This projects objective is to provide a long-term record of breeding performance of Tree Swallows in relation to insect abundance, weather and climate change. Another long-term goal of LPBO has been to provide advanced edcuation and training opportunities. This has been achieved with long-term opportunities for youth mentoring through the Doug Tarry Natural History Fund and the training of hundreds of individuals from around the world through the migration monitoring program.

Use of Regenerating Clearcuts by Forest Interior Birds in the Post-Breeding Season - Scott H. Stoleson, U.S. Forest Service, Warren, PA

Population declines in many birds that breed in forest interior habitats have raised concerns for their survival and questions over the compatibility of timber harvest with sustaining populations of those species. Designations of birds as forest interior species have been based solely on breeding season ecology; however, only recently have ornithologists begun to examine birds= post-breeding requirements, despite the fact that this may be a critical stage of the life cycle. Several recent studies have documented substantial usage of early successional forest (clearcuts) by obligate forest interior birds in the post-breeding season, but whether such usage is disproportionate has not yet been determined. I used constant-effort mist netting to compare concurrent usage rates of regenerating clearcuts and mature forest understory by forest interior birds from July through September of 2005-2007 at five sites in northwestern PA. Forest interior birds comprised 24B 65% of all captures in clearcuts. Capture rates for ground and understory forest interior birds (i.e., those sampled by forest nets) were three times greater in clearcuts than inside forests. These results suggest that maintaining some early successional stands within large forest tracts may benefit many forest interior bird species.

Twenty years of color banding studies at the Hemlock Hill Biological Research Area, Pennsylvania - Eugene S. Morton, Hemlock Hill Field Station, Cambridge Springs, PA and Bridget J. M. Stutchbury, York University, Toronto, ON

Color banding is a prerequisite to behavioral studies of birds which, in turn, teach us about the natural history, population ecology, and conservation of birds. We highlight our behavioral studies of song ranging and communication in Blue-headed Vireos, mate choice in Hooded Warblers and Acadian Flycatchers, habitat selection in Ovenbirds, and the responses to forest fragmentation by Scarlet Tanagers and Wood Thrush.

20 years of The Institute for Bird Populations (IBP)B Just the beginning - Danielle Kaschube, Institute for Bird Populations, Mays Landing, NJ

The summer of 2008 marks the 20^th field season of avian research for The Institute for Bird Populations (IBP). The Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) Program was the first program, created by IBP in 1989, but IBP organizes several other programs as well. These include the Sierra Nevada Research and Conservation Program, the Avian Inventory Program, the Burrowing Owl Program, the tropical Monitoreo de Sobrevivencia Invernal (MoSI) and its temperate counterpart Monitoring Avian Overwintering Survival (MAWS), and the Molt Migration Stopover Ecology Project.

MAPS= first season began with 16 stations operated across the country. Since then, 1020 MAPS stations have operated with 433 stations planned to operate during the 2008 season. Since its inception, some of the results MAPS has provided include baseline demographic data, species landscape models, and determination of some of the proximal causes of population change. As years have progressed so has the ability of MAPS analysts to produce more detailed results. For example, spatial patterns in data in the past were very broad; now we can examine and analyze data at a much finer scale. We can also begin to explore other classes of capture-recapture models; i.e., estimate recruitment and adult/young population size. Many the future analyses will utilize data from the Avian Knowledge Network (AKN), of which IBP and MAPS will be a node. Working within the AKN will allow different data typesB e.g., MAPS and BBS dataB to be combined to create the best picture of what is happening within bird communities.

While the first years of IBP= s large-scale monitoring concentrated on the breeding season (MAPS), we are now able to look at another equally important part of the yearB the overwintering period. Combining data collected from the MAPS and MoSI/MAWS programs gives us a much more complete understanding of avian life histories and how to work towards conserving avian populations. Both of these pieces are needed to produce effective conservation strategies in both the temperate and tropical zones.

Long Distance Tracking of Seaducks in the Atlantic Flyway Using Satellite Telemetry - Matthew C. Perry, USGS, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD

Satellite radio telemetry was used to determine the movements and habitats used by Black Scoters (Melanitta nigra), Surf Scoters (Melanitta perspicillata), and Long-tailed Ducks (Clangula hyemalis) in the Atlanntic Flyway of eastern North America. A total of 21 Surf Scoters were instrumented during five years (2001-2005), 32 Black Scoters during three years (2002-2004), and 10 Long-tailed Ducks in 2007. Within 24 hours of capture, each scoter underwent intra-coelemic surgery to implant PTT 100 satellite transmitters (39 g or 26 g) manufactured by Microwave, Inc., Columbia, MD. Locations of Black and Surf scoters in breeding areas on average were not significantly different in regard to latitude and longitude, but Surf Scoter nesting sites were at significantly higher elevations than sites used by Black Scoters. Nesting habitat of Black Scoters was significantly different than nesting habitat of Surf Scoters, with Black Scoters mainly using open areas (44%) and Surf Scoters using mainly forested areas (66%).

Satellite telemetry determined that James Bay was the major molting area for male Black and Surf scoters, although a few males molted along the coast of Labrador-Newfoundland. Black Scoters instrumented on the Restigouche River, which is a major staging area, were widely distributed along the Atlantic Coast from Cape Cod to Georgia during winter. Major wintering areas for Black Scoters were Cape Cod (Martha= s Vineyard and Nantucket Island), Long Island, and New Jersey. Surf Scoters instrumented in Chesapeake Bay in late winter showed a strong tendency to return to the Bay for the following winter after they had migrated to and from breeding areas in Quebec. Long-tailed ducks from Nantucket Sound were instrumented to learn more about their movements in regard to a proposed wind turbine project. Unlike other seaducks, Long-tailed Ducks in the Nantucket Island area make long daily movements to the ocean in the morning and return to the Sound at night. Feeding ecology and suitable habitat are major factors in regard to seaduck movements.

A New Paradigm from Observational and Banding Data for a Comprehensive Understanding of Landbird Life History Phenomena. - C. John Ralph, USFS, Arcata, CA; Leonard Salas, PRBO, Petaluma, CA., and Steve Kelling, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY

Effective conservation requires a thorough and detailed understanding of the spatial and temporal strategies of bird species, both common and rare. Recent innovations in computer technology and web-based data retrieval have now provided a quantum leap in our abilities to collect, collate, analyze and understand various adaptive strategies of birds in all seasons.

New visualizations of seasonal dynamics of landbird populations, now available from citizen science programs that collect observational data for many areas of the world, provide a dynamic continent-wide picture of migration, breeding, and wintering strategies, unavailable just a very few years ago. We have recently taken data from monitoring at constant-effort banding stations to further understand what individual birds are doing during the various stages of their life histories. It is now possible to determine the precise timing and location of various critical events, such as molt and details of the breeding, dispersal, and migration. For example, using weight, fat, and measurements, it is now possible to reveal precise indications of the condition of birds at various locations (e.g., mountains, coastal, deserts) and times of year, and therefore their strategies for survival, and to relate the results to observational data visualizations. We will illustrate this with several resident and migratory species of birds across the Americas.

Changes in the timing of migration from 45 years of banding at Presque Isle - Sarah Sargent and Lauren Glorioso, Audubon Pennsylvania and Allegheny College, Meadville, PA

Banding of spring and fall migrants at Presque Isle, PA, began in 1960 and continued through spring of 2006. During this time 71,957 new birds were banded under two permits, primarily by volunteers. We examined the timing of captures in spring and fall of the 10 most common migrant species. Regression analyses of the mean and median date of banding of each species in each season over the 47 years of data indicate that significant shifts have occurred over this time period. Using the slope of the regression to calculate the net days of change over the 47 years, we found that Hermit Thrushes now arrive 12 days earlier in spring than they did in 1960, and leave six days later in fall. However, not all species have changed their migration timing in the same way. In contrast to Hermit Thrushes, Wilson= s Warblers now arrive 4.5 days later in spring, with no significant change in fall departure date.  We speculate that short- and long-distance migrants may face different conditions that influence their ability to adjust their migration timing.

Post-fledging movement of adult female Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrows - Jason Hill and Chris Elphick, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT

Few studies have examined the detailed movements of attending parents during the postfledging period. I used an information theoretic approach to compare a suite of a priori candidate models in their ability to explain postfledging movement behavior of radio-tagged adult female Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrows (Ammodramus caudacutus). In this species, both sexes are nonterritorial and have overlapping home ranges. Males do not provide any parental care and, therefore, were not included in this study. I quantified female postfledging movement with three separate measurements: total spatial use, distance from the nest, and distance moved between days. Given our data and the models tested, our results suggest that adult postfledging Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow movement is best explained as a function of the amount of natural and manmade water features within a female= s home range. Previously, the abundance of Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrows has been negatively associated with marsh size, but models incorporating marsh size, capture weight, or the date of the movements were absolutely and comparatively poor predictors of female spatial use. Further analysis demonstrated that the length of manmade water features within a female= s home range was greater than a random area of equal size within the same marsh, but this difference was not significant. Future modeling of Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow habitat selection should help delineate between selection for the water features themselves or the plant species and vegetation structure associated with those features.

Long-term banding and current studies of Purple Martin (Progne subis) parentage, dispersal, and survival - Emily K. Pifer, Purple Martin Conservation Association, Erie, PA

East of the Rocky Mountains, Purple Martins (Progne subis) nest almost exclusively in housing provided by humans. This dependency, their tractable nature, and their strong fidelity to nesting colonies, make Purple Martins ready subjects for banding based studies. The Purple Martin Conservation Association has been banding martins since 1995, totaling over 14,000. The PMCA along with researchers from York University in Toronto, Ontario, are studying parentage, survival, and dispersal in Purple Martins. As in many species of birds, martins engage in extra-pair copulations, resulting in males providing for young that are not necessarily their own. In 2006 and 2007, we took blood samples from 287 complete family sets to study parentage. Radio transmitters were attached to 16 fledgling martins for the 2007 season to study post-fledging dispersal. Results from the Purple Martin Conservation Association= s long-term banding program, as well as preliminary results from genetic and radio telemetry studies are presented.

50 Years of Bird Banding at Allegheny Front Migration Observatory - Ralph K. Bell, Clarkesville, PA, and Joan Bell Pattison, Fort Myers, FL

A pictorial history of the founding, purpose, evolution, staffing and accomplishments of the Allegheny Front Migration Observatory is presented.