Today was the first session of our summer MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survival) banding programme. A mark/recapture study, the data collected through MAPS helps us determine the survival and success of nesting bird species in the park and is a measure of ecosystem health.

The day started cold and quiet and it certainly looked like the banding session would end up as a dull bask in the sun for the banders but as the morning progressed avian life began to blossom. A late migrant Blackpoll Warbler began calling form the front of the mansion and a cacophony of cuckoos, both Black-Billed and Yellow-Billed, arose. A lone Purple Martin investigated the nesting box in the parking lot forlornly.

The highlight of the day was the presence of a male Cerulean Warbler in the valley behind the station. Decent, but fleeting, glimpses were obtained and the bird called on and off throughout the morning. The banders were highly entertained.

Banded: 15
American Goldfinch 1
Yellow Warbler 2
Song Sparrow 6
Cedar Waxwing 2
Baltimore Oriole 2
Red-Winged Blackbird 1
Black-Billed Cuckoo 1

Retrapped: 18
American Goldfinch 3
Yellow Warbler 4
House Wren 4
Song Sparrow 4
Grey Catbird 1
Baltimore Oriole 1
Rose-Breasted Grosbeak 1

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