Fall Migration Bird Banding 2014
Mass Audubon’s
Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary
Prepared by James Junda
January 2014
About Wellfleet Banding Station
Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary (41.883 N, 69.996 W) is located in South Wellfleet, MA and is owned
and managed by Mass Audubon. The banding station is managed by James Junda with the cooperation
and assistance of sanctuary staff. Two experienced and licensed banders operate the station daily, with
volunteer assistance being used when available and appropriate.
It is a valuable addition to a growing collection of banding stations on Cape Cod, being the only station
located on the Outer Cape. Three constant effort banding stations are already in operation on or near Cape
Cod: Monomoy Refuge Banding Station in Chatham (50 km to the S), Wing Island Banding Station in
Brewster (20 km to the WSW) and Manomet Center for Conservation Science (50 km to the E).
Operations are based upon the protocols of other constant effort banding stations in the United States and
Canada with an emphasis on standardized research protocols. In addition to collecting and analyzing
scientific data to assist in management decisions, Wellfleet banding station serves to increase public
interest on the sanctuary, Cape Cod and around the world.
History of Banding at Wellfleet Bay
The bird banding pedigree of this property runs deep. The first bird banding station on the property was
established in 1929 when well-known ornithologist Dr. Oliver Austin Jr. founded the Austin
Ornithological Research Station with his father, Dr. Oliver Austin Sr. The Austins initially caught and
banded waterfowl, shorebirds, terns, sparrows and blackbirds using a variety of traps, and likely began
mist netting songbirds in the 1940s and 50s, when Oliver Jr. introduced the first Japanese mist nest to the
United States. Mass Audubon took over the property in 1958 and continued the ornithological research
begun by the Austins. Some amount of bird banding has occurred on the property in 60 out of the last 85
years. Erma “Jonnie” Fisk banded at the sanctuary regularly between 1972 and 1989, mainly for the
purpose of public education. 1989 marked the last year of regular banding on the property until 2014.
The abundance of certain birds in the banding data from the Austin years reflect both the methods used by
the Austins (duck, sparrow, and tern trapping), as well as the vastly different landscape of Cape Cod
during the first half of the 20th century. Open country species like Vesper Sparrow and Grasshopper
Sparrow, all but extirpated from the now heavily wooded Outer Cape, were common on the treeless postagricultural landscape of the Austin era. For example, they reported 183 Vesper and 51 Grasshopper
Sparrows banded in 1931 alone (Austin 1932). Incomplete banding data were obtained from the Bird
Banding Lab from the Austin years, but based on Austin’s publications it is clear that much of it is
missing. Digitization of the full Austin banding records housed here at Wellfleet Bay sanctuary would be
a massive undertaking, but would allow a more complete comparison with contemporary data.
Fall Migration Banding
Fall migration banding is a standardized study undertaken annually. It provides the basis for long-term
trend analysis of migrating birds using the sanctuary. It is designed to be comparable with the
methodology of other fall migration banding stations. The protocol involves regular standardized banding
operations with mist-netting effort remaining constant daily, seasonally and annually. The fall migration
season extends from September 1 - November 15 with nets open every day at dawn and remaining open
for 5 hours (weather permitting). This period encompasses the majority of fall passerine migration giving
a thorough view of the majority of the process, while allowing us to operate the station in without
conflicting with the popular end of summer events and classes at the sanctuary.
Outreach and Public Programs
One of our primary goals is to increase knowledge and expose the public to the avian life on the
sanctuary. To this end we attempted to schedule a banding demonstrations for each Saturday in the fall, as
well as being available to any special visitors to the sanctuary. A Mass Audubon naturalist led all group
visits to the banding station allowing for educational interactions between banders and visitors.
We discovered the negative side of public interaction on the first day of banding. We had 3 nets open
along the Silver Spring Trail that were directly visible to the public. We received a report of birds injured
in the nets, so after verifying the nets right away and finding no birds in distress, we closed the nets for
the remainder of the day. We decided to close this portion of the trail during banding operations, as well
as place USFWS banding signs on each net. This seemed to solve the problem, as most other nets are
hidden from the public. Other than this event and a few other small complaints, interactions with the
public on the sanctuary were universally positive, with visitors being excited and interested in the
banding. We were very pleased with our public outreach attempts in 2014; our ideas for expansion in
2015 are laid out further in another section.
2013 Season Coverage
In 2013, the banding season started on September 20 (delayed awaiting proper permitting) and ended on
November 15. We operated up to a maximum of 16 nets on 46 days for a total of 2763.34 hours.
Coverage of Wellfleet banding station in 2014 was very high after our delayed start with banding
occurring on 24 of 27 (89%) of days between Sep 20 and Oct 17, for a total of 1386.04 net hours. From
Oct 18-Nov 15 we encountered several storm systems, reducing our coverage to 23 out of 28 (82%) of
days for 1437.43 net hours. An unsettling of weather conditions is expected in late fall, which is why
birds move south, but in 2014 there was a large number of extreme storms that reduced the number of
operating days and net hours below what would be expected.
The standard setup included 16 nets along two loops, but the net type used, placement and selection of
nets open varied significantly throughout the season. This large variation if effort was a result of
adjustments of protocol and effort to maximize capture rates and target appropriate habitats. In future
years net location, type and effort will be more consistent allowing for collection of more comparable
data.
Banding
During Fall 2014 operations, we captured 1498 individuals of 69 species (Appendix A): 1091 newly
banded birds, 378 local recaptures and 29 unbanded. Below, we look at the number of birds banded by
date (Fig 1) next we standardize for effort by looking at the number of birds banded/100 net hours (Fig 2).
Figure 1- Number of birds banded by date at Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary during Fall 2014 operations.
Blue line is daily captures, while the red line is a 3-day running average.
Captures peaked on 20-Sep the first day of banding and decreased through the fall.
The first day of banding (20-Sep) was also the busiest, followed closely by the fourth day (24-Sep). The
large capture rates on these days were a direct result of large numbers of naïve local birds with no net
experience. On 20-Sep, in the first net on the first round of the first day, we captured 26 birds! Blackcapped Chickadees represented 29 out of 60 captures on 20-Sep, most likely as a result of birds in the nets
alarming and attracting other birds. This effect quickly subsided as local birds became accustomed to nets
and became less apt to be captured.
Once the initial surge of locals passed, the data became normalized and more reflective of passerine
migration. During the first four days after the surge, banding slowed in late September and then peaked
during the first two weeks of October with an average of 45 individuals banded per day. With the
exception of a peak of 60 birds ~October 20 associated with large Myrtle Warbler numbers, the average
dropped to 20-30 birds until the end of October. November was consistantly slower with an average of
~20 birds banded per day.
Figure 2- Number of birds banded per 100 net hours at Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary during Fall 2014 operations.
Blue line is daily captures, while the red line is a 3-day running average.
Captures peaked on 20-Sep the first day of banding and decreased through the fall.
Species Makeup
With 69 species captured in Wellfleet in Fall 2014, the station showed a pleasant level of diversity.
Species richness peaked on 25-Sep with 26 species banded followed by 20 on 29-Sep (Fig. 3). The
average stays ~13 spp a day (with days in the upper teens) until it drops to around 10 spp a day on 14-Oct,
after a second peak (up to 18 spp) around 9-Oct. The average hovers around 10 species per day until Nov5, when richness drops below 10 spp a day until the end of the season.
Figure 3- Number of species banded daily at Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary during Fall 2014 operations.
Blue line represents daily species total, while the red line represents a running 3-day average.
Species richness peaked in late September at 26 species and decreased to ~5 species per day by mid-November.
When we correct for effort looking at species banded per 100 net hours, we see a very similar pattern with
richness peaking on 25-Sep at just under 0.5 species per net hour (Fig. 4). The diversity decreased
throughout the season (with the same peak around 10-Oct) down to 0.1 species per net hour by 15-Nov.
Figure 4- Number of species banded per 100 net hours at Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary during Fall 2014 operations.
Blue line represents daily species total, while the red line represents a running 3-day average.
Species richness peaked on 25-Sep with and decreased until the end of the season in mid-November.
Next we will look at some of the more common species
encountered to further examine how the sanctuary is used
by different passerines. Table 1 lists the top 20 most
common species banded in Fall 2014. Diversity varied
throughout the season with capture rates of individual
species changing as the season progressed. Within the ebb
and flow, certain resident species were common
throughout the season. The most common species, Blackcapped Chickadees, were in the top 7 captures each week
(Table 2) totaling 136 individuals banded for the season.
Northern Cardinals were present in good numbers each
week, but increased as the season progressed until they
were the most common species in the last week of the
season. American Goldfinch, House Finch Tufted
Titmouse and Blue Jay also were present in steady
numbers throughout the season. It is worth noting that the
resident species above are all “feeder birds” and numbers
are likely affected by the feeders present on site.
Table 1- Top 20 species banded at Wellfleet Bay
Wildlife Sanctuary in Fall 2014.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
Black-capped Chickadee
Myrtle Warbler
Gray Catbird
Northern Cardinal
Song Sparrow
American Goldfinch
Slate-colored Junco
Chipping Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Pine Warbler
House Finch
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Tufted Titmouse
Field Sparrow
Red-eyed Vireo
Eastern Towhee
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
136
132
88
68
58
48
48
47
45
33
32
28
24
23
23
21
17
16
16
14
Other common species were migrants with numbers
varying greatly throughout the season. The second most
common species banded (Myrtle Warbler) was not encountered until Oct-6, when they became the most
common capture every week until 25-Oct (26, 25, and 65 banded respectively), then dropped to second on
the list with 18 captures, then to number three (4 captures) from Nov 1st-8th before dwindling to a single
capture from Nov-9 to 15. Other species that followed this pattern of starting low and peaking before
declining again include Red-eyed Vireo and Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Gray Catbirds peaked in the first
week with 43 captures, before dropping to 23 captures in week two, 14 captures in week 3 and 4 captures
in week 5 and finally down to only 3 captures from 18-Oct till the end of the season. Pine Warbler,
Eastern Towhee, Field Sparrow American Robin and Eastern Phoebe also started with high numbers
before the birds began decreasing throughout the season. Song Sparrow, Slate-colored Junco and Hermit
Thrush showed the opposite pattern, being sparse (Song Sparrow) or absent (Slate-colored Junco, Hermit
Thrush) at the beginning of the season and increasing as the season progressed with each being in the top
5 species encountered for the final three weeks of the season.
On the other end of the spectrum are the birds encountered only once or twice in a season. These birds
may not pass through the sanctuary in large numbers (or may be present, but not captured often), but still
shed light on habitat use. Species only banded twice this year are: American Tree Sparrow, Philadelphia
Warbler, Purple Finch, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Savannah Sparrow and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.
Species banded only once include: Black-and-white Warbler, Black-billed Cuckoo, Black-throated Blue
Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler, Dickcissel, Fox Sparrow, House Sparrow,
House Wren, Lincoln Sparrow, Marsh Wren, Pine Siskin, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Veery, White-crowned
Sparrow, White-eyed Vireo, Yellow-breasted Chat and Yellow Warbler.
There are a few captures that were especially interesting in terms of a their rarity on the site or
unlikeliness of capture in mist nets. We captured 3 Gray-cheeked Thrushes between 22 and 25-Sep with
an additional single recap. This is a secretive migrant that is rarely documented on the sanctuary, and the
fact we captured three individuals four times in four days implies they may be more common than we
knew, or even stopping over on the site. Dickcissel also falls into this category; a rare but regular fall
migrant on Cape Cod, this species is not regularly encountered on the sanctuary, but may be more
common in our grassy fields than we previously assumed. The Wellfleet Bay Sanctuary receives as much
bird watching attention as just about any other location on Cape Cod, but without banding operations
none of these rare birds would have been documented in 2014.
Table 2- Most common species banded weekly at Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary in Fall 2014.
Some species like Black-capped Chickadee are present throughout the fall. Others, present early in the season before declining
(Gray Catbird) or were absent at the start of the season and increasing in numbers later in the fall (Slate-colored Junco).
Week 1
20-26/Sep
1 BCCH1
63
Week 2
27/S-3/Oct
BCCH
23
3
43
GRCA
3 PIWA6
12
AMGO7
2 GRCA
14
Week 3
23
Week 4
4-10/Oct
MYWA2
26
Week 5
11-17/Oct
MYWA
25
Week 6
18-24/Oct
25-31/Oct
MYWA
SCJU11
65
19
Week 7
1-8/Nov
SCJU
12
Week 8
9-15/Nov
15
NOCA5
11
23
CHSP
4
25
NOCA
21
BCCH
12
MYWA
18
SOSP
5
BCCH
10
12
GRCA
14
WTSP8
12
SOSP
12
RCKI9
14
BCCH
4
SCJU
10
4
4 BAOR
10
REVI
12
PIWA
12
SOSP
11
RCKI
10
NOCA
11
MYWA
AMGO
7
5 EATO19
8
CHSP
11
AMGO
8
BCCH
8
WTSP
10
SOSP
11
HETH21 2
SOSP
7
6 ETTI24
8
EATO
9
NOCA
8
FISP20
5
AMGO
8
WTSP
11
HOFI22
2
WTSP
5
7 HOFI
8
SOSP
7
BCCH
7
AMGO
4
HOFI
7
BCCH
9
NOCA
2
HETH
4
8 COYE16
5
NOCA
6
SOSP
7
BLJA25
4
NOCA
7
AMGO
8
RCKI
2
SWSP13
4
9 EAPH
18
10 FISP
11 NOCA
17
5
PIWA
6
EAPH
5
CHSP
4
EABL
4
HETH
7
SWSP
2
5
AMRO26
4
FISP
5
EABL
4
CHSP
3
GCKI10
5
WTSP
2
4
HOFI
5
GRCA
4
ETTI
3
ETTI
4
5
BLPW
15
Legend
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Black-capped Chickadee
Myrtle Warbler
Gray Catbird
Chipping Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Pine Warbler
American Goldfinch
White-throated Sparrow
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Slate-colored Junco
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Baltimore Oriole
Blackpoll Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Eastern Bluebird
Eastern Phoebe
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
Eastern Towhee
Field Sparrow
Hermit Thrush
House Finch
Red-eyed Vireo
Tufted Titmouse
Blue Jay
American Robin
Recaptures
There were 378 repeats (individuals recaptured within the same year at Wellfleet banding station) of 29
species in Fall 2014. The volume of recaptures (378) compared to individuals banded (1091) representing
a recap to banded ration of ~1:3. This rate implies individuals captured on site often remain on site,
leading to high recapture rates. This was of course influenced by the 177 Black-capped Chickadee
recaptures! Recaptures averaged around 15 a day from September 20 through Oct 23, until they decreased
slightly to ~12 a day until the end of the season. The highest recapture day was 4-Oct with 17 captures
followed closely by 25-Sep with 16 recaptures, the number species recapped daily hovered around five
for the entire season (Figs 5,6).
Figure 5- Individuals and Species recaptured daily during Fall 2014 banding operations. Recapture rates in terms of both
volume and diversity peaked in early October before declining until mid-October where it remained steady until the end
of the season in mid-November.
Figure 6- 3-day running averages for individuals and species recaptured daily during Fall 2014 banding operations.
Recapture rates in terms of both volume and diversity peaked in early October before declining until mid-October where
it remained steady until the end of the season in mid-November
The majority of the recaptures were either winter resident or breeding species (Table 3) with Blackcapped Chickadees (a year round resident) alone representing 47% or the recaptures. Gray Catbirds and
Red-eyed Vireos are summer breeders as well as very common dispersers and migrants in coastal thickets
found on the sanctuary. Field Sparrow and Eastern Towhee are both breeders, while winter residents
include Song Sparrow and White-throated Sparrow. The top 10 list is rounded out by year round
residents: Northern Cardinal, Tufted Titmouse and Carolina Wren.
Table 3- Top 10 species recaptured at Wellfleet banding station 2014 including
their resident status. These may represent multiple recaptures of the same
individuals.
Mean Times
Species
Recaps
Resident Status
Recaptured
1. Black-capped Chickadee
177
2.46
Year Round
2. Gray Catbird
42
1.59
Summer
3. Northern Cardinal
28
1.40
Year Round
4. Song Sparrow
16
1.14
Year Round*
5. Tufted Titmouse
15
1.88
Year Round
6. Field Sparrow
13
1.86
Year Round
7. Red-eyed Vireo
13
1.44
Summer
8. White-throated Sparrow
13
1.18
Winter
9. Carolina Wren
12
4.00
Year Round
10. Eastern Towhee
9
1.50
Summer
*
Separate summer and winter populations?
To get a full picture of recapture rates, we need to look at how many times each individual was
recaptured. The 177 Chickadees do not represent 177 individuals, but only 72 individuals recaptured a
mean of 2.46 times. Carolina Wrens were far and away the species most likely to be recaptured multiple
times, an average of 4 times each, with the 12 recaptures only representing 3 individuals. All other species
were between 1.10 and 1.88, indicating the birds were captured a few times, but generally avoided nets
after the initial capture.
Fall 2014 was our first year of banding; as a result we had no returns (birds banded on site in previous
seasons). We look forward to reconnecting with some of our Fall 2014 birds in Spring 2015 and beyond.
Net Productivity
We assessed the productivity and usage of all nets (see map Appendix B) and summarized the data in
Table 4. Nets are placed along two loops, the Silver Spring Loop 1-8 and 16, and the Bay View Loop 915. Nets fell into four broad habitats: semi-open field - Upland Fields (1,3,9,11), freshwater mature
forest/thicket along Silver Spring (2, 4-8, 16), dense Black Locust forest - the Maze (10,12,15) and
Saltmarsh Edge (13,14).
Nets were a mix of new and used mist nets. All nets were 12x2.6m. Nets 14 and 6 were 30mm mesh, the
remaining nets were 36mm mesh. Nets 1, 15, 16 were used in good condition, the remainder of the nets
were unused, but has spent at a minimum of 10 years in storage. The quality and mesh size of the nets
appeared to impact capture rates along the lines laid out in Heimerdinger and Leberman (1966). Larger
passerines such as Eastern Towhee and Gray Catbird as well as Cooper’s Hawk and Sharp-shinned Hawk
were captured more often, while smaller species like warblers, chickadees and sparrows were captured in
smaller numbers. Additionally, when the larger nets do capture small birds, they are more likely to
become entangled among the larger mesh. This effect is magnified in species (like Black-capped
Chickadees) that “fight” in the net, leading to an increased number of challenging and time consuming
extractions.
Table 4- Net effort and capture rates for newly banded and recaptures during Fall 2014
operations at Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.
Total
Banded
Recaptures
Captures /100 Net Hours /100 Net Hours
Net
Net hours
Banded
Repeats
1
42.17
35
5
42
83.00
11.86
2
84.83
24
6
32
28.29
7.07
3
79.16
17
2
19
21.48
2.53
4
209.99
72
31
106
34.29
14.76
5
199.98
41
19
61
20.50
9.50
6
162.82
139
19
163
85.37
11.67
7
210.48
101
28
129
47.98
13.30
8
233.98
40
17
60
17.10
7.27
9
213.98
228
31
264
106.55
14.49
10
237.65
60
61
122
25.25
25.67
11
169.65
87
11
99
51.28
6.48
12
230.82
57
22
80
24.69
9.53
13
188.47
61
37
98
32.37
19.63
14
208.49
60
56
118
28.78
26.86
15
202.65
41
13
54
20.23
6.41
16
148.32
27
20
47
18.20
13.48
Total
3087.02
1091
378
1495
38.60
13.39
The net hours (effort) varied greatly among nets from 42 hours at Net 1 to 238 hours at Net 10. Several
factors contributed to these differences. First, nets were added after the start of the season to increase our
effort and refine our targeting of particular habitats: Net 11 (24-Sep), Net 15 (25-Sep), Net 16 (10-Oct)
and Net 1 (23-Oct). Nets 1-3 were shut down from 30-Sep to 23-Oct and again from 5-Nov to 15-Nov in
reaction to a pair of feral cat predations, with the goal of preventing any further fatalities.
Nets could also be closed piecemeal in reaction to weather conditions, generally wind, but also
occasionally rain or cold. The Upland Field (1, 3, 9, 11) and Saltmarsh Edge nets (13, 14) were the most
exposed and therefore most affected by wind and rain. Finally nets were to be closed if the volume of
birds captured became too great to handle any additional captures, which did not occur in Fall 2014.
Recapture Rate by Net
Recapture rates varied among nets, generally they fall into three groups: slow 2-7 recaps/100 net hours
(Nets 2, 3, 8, 11, 15), medium 10-15 recaps/100 net hours (Nets 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 12, 16) and busy 20-25
recaps/100 net hours (Nets 10, 13, 14). The busy nets were in edge habitat - either the saltmarsh (Nets 13,
14) or the Maze (10), showing a propensity for birds to remain in these edge areas long enough to be
recaptured at rates significantly higher than other nets. The slow and medium nets are spread through the
site following no recognizable pattern implying that recaptures spread out across the station after release.
Nets by Habitat
The banding station is composed of a mix of habitats attracting a diverse collection of bird species. Some
species like Myrtle Warbler, Slate-colored Junco and Black-capped Chickadee were present in all
habitats, with chickadees occupying a Top 3 position in each habitat (Table 5). Other species like Hermit
Thrush were more likely occur in a single given habitat, with 12 of 16 (75%) newly banded Hermit
Thrushes captured at Silver Spring.
Table 5- Four major habitats represented at Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, including the 10 most common species
captured in nets in each habitat during Fall 2014 operations:
a) Upland Fields- dry brushy open fields
b) Silver Spring- mature mixed fresh water riparian forest
c) Maze- dense secondary growth dry black locust forest d) Saltmarsh Edge- brushy saltmarsh edge
a) Upland Fields: Nets 1,9,11
Species
1. Chipping Sparrow
2. B. C. Chickadee
3. Am. Goldfinch
4. Slate-colored Junco
5. House Finch
6. Field Sparrow
7. Pine Warbler
8. Gray Catbird
9. Myrtle Warbler
10. Song Sparrow
Banded
45
41
26
25
21
20
20
19
19
14
c) The Maze: Nets 10,12,15
Species
1. B. C. Chickadee
2. Pine Warbler
3. Northern Cardinal
4. Gray Catbird
5. Myrtle Warbler
6. Tufted Titmouse
7. Eastern Phoebe
8. Ruby-crown. Kinglet
9. Slate-colored Junco
Banded
16
13
12
11
11
7
6
6
6
b) Silver Spring: Nets 2,4-8,16
Species
1. Myrtle Warbler
2. Gray Catbird
3. B. C. Chickadee
4. Northern Cardinal
5. W-throated Spar.
6. Am. Goldfinch
7. Ruby-crown Kinglet
8. Hermit Thrush
9. Slate-colored Junco
10. Song Sparrow
Banded
95
52
46
43
25
18
14
12
12
11
d) Saltmarsh Edge: Nets 14,15
Species
1. B. C. Chickadee
2. Song Sparrow
3. Ruby-crown. Kinglet
4. Red-eyed Vireo
5. Swamp Sparrow
6. Myrtle Warbler
7. Slate-colored Junco
8. Wh.-throated Spar.
9. Com. Yellowthroat
Banded
31
29
7
7
6
5
5
5
4
The Saltmarsh Edge and Upland Fields had the most unique entries (3 each) with Red-eyed Vireo,
Swamp Sparrow and Common Yellowthroat for Saltmarsh Edge and Chipping Sparrow, Field Sparrow
and House Finch in the Upland Fields. Tufted Titmice and Eastern Phoebes preferred the Maze, occurring
in the top ten in this habitat only. Ruby-crowned Kinglet were well represented in all habitats except the
Upland Fields, and while Gray Catbirds preferred Silver Spring they could be found in all habitats except
Saltmarsh Edge.
Habitat Selection by Migrants
The resident status of songbirds at Wellfleet Bay can be separated into 4 categories: 1) Year-round
Resident - present on Cape Cod 12 months of the year (individuals present seasonally may be from
different populations), 2) Summer Breeder - present as summer breeder only and absent in winter
(including dispersers breeding off Cape at same longitude), 3) Winter Resident - present only in
nonbreeding season and overwintering on Cape Cod, 4) Migrant - present only in spring or fall migration
neither breeding nor wintering on Cape Cod. Our biggest interest in how the birds in the migrant category
are using habitats on the sanctuary. In Fall 2014, we
caught 33 migrants a total of 35 times.
Table 6- Number of migrant captures per habitat
and net loop during Fall 2014 banding operations at
Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. Migrants are
defined as birds ONLY present during migration,
not being present during breeding or winter season.
Migrants appeared to favor the Bay View loop over the
Silver Spring loop (Table 6). The Bay View Loop
included: the Maze, Saltmarsh Edge and a portion of the
Upland Fields (Nets 9 and 11 only, but these two nets
Habitat
Migrant Captures
Net Loop
accounted for 100% of migrant captures in Upland Field
Upland Fields
12
Bay View
nets). We only had 5 migrant captures from the Silver
The Maze
11
Bay View
Saltmarsh Edge
8
Bay View
Spring Loop the entire season, showing a greater
Silver Spring
5
Silver Spring
propensity for migrants to be captured in the habitats
near the bay, than further inland at Silver Springs or in the field near the dormitories. In fact, the nine nets
along Silver Spring Loop represent 56% of our nets, but account for only 20% of our migrant captures.
This may be a true reflection of migrant use of the sanctuary or an artifact of the higher habitat structure
along Silver Spring reducing capture rates. I believe it reflects an actual preference of migrants to use the
habitats closer to Wellfleet Bay.
Summary
The 2014 season was a great start to the reopening of the Wellfleet banding station. Although we were
delayed for 19 days waiting for permitting, our coverage of the remainder of the season was strong. We
captured a nice diversity of birds covering summer breeders, migrants, overwinter residents and yearround residents. Our data are already providing interesting findings on habitat use by landbirds on the
sanctuary, and as we collect data in future seasons, constant patterns will begin to emerge. Our research is
only part of a much wider scientific effort at the sanctuary and by Mass Audubon more broadly. We are
very pleased to contribute to these endeavors, content in the knowledge that our research will be
combined with broader findings to help influence conservation action and policy.
Moving Forward
We had a wonderful first season in Fall 2014, as it was very promising in terms of captures and public
outreach. All of our group visits went well and we introduced a lot of folks to bird banding in the hope of
increasing their understanding and empathy for these animals. We look further to building on our
successes in 2015, improving both the quality of our data collection and the volume and impact of our
outreach efforts.
The first and most important improvement for 2015 is to purchase an entire new collection of 18 (16
active, two replacements) mist nets, all 30mm mesh size. This will reduce the number of tangled birds and
challenging extractions, making the station safer for birds and more efficient to run while putting our
effort more in line with other banding stations, most of which use 30mm nets for constant effort banding.
Further refinement of our net placement can improve our data collection on habitat use and raise the
capture rate of the station in general. To accomplish this, I suggest taking down Nets 3, 16 and 8 and
placing two of them in the field near Net 9 and the other either in the Maze or along the Saltmarsh Edge.
Both of these locations are popular with migrants and can use further targeting. I recommend turning Net
11 90 degrees to better target birds moving through the field as well as cutting the lane for Net 2 further
into the brush to cover both edges of the woods near the dormitory.
The remaining recommendations relate to increasing the volume and quality of our outreach attempts. We
can step up group visits from once a week to both weekend days or as often as once a day. Because these
visits are led by an experience naturalist, they cause very little disruption to the operation of the station,
allowing the banders to go on unfettered net check rounds. We could also move the banding station to a
more public location along the main trails. This would require a way to secure birds and equipment when
banders depart to check nets, such as a locking cabinet, small shed or closed gate. Finally, we can adopt a
more structured framework to teach banding to members who are interested in helping at least once a
week. This allows us to provide special education for dedicated visitors and train useful volunteers that
can benefit the banding station and sanctuary in the future.
Acknowledgements
First and foremost, we thank our skilled and dedicated banders for their hard work and perseverance
throughout the fall. Thank you Catie Porro, Melanie Mancuso and Michael Novak. Thanks to everyone at
the sanctuary, but especially Mark Faherty, Bob Prescott and Melissa Lowe-Cestaro for working hard to
get this station relaunched, and to Mike Sprague and James Nielson for all the help controlling the everencroaching foliage. Of course, we appreciate all the help from the sanctuary volunteers and staff, too
many to name, but thanks to you all the same.
References
Austin, Oliver L., M.D., 1932. “The Austin Ornithological Research Station,” Bird Banding, Volume 3,
No. 2 Page 51 – 62.
Clench, Mary H. and J. William Hardy, 1989. “In Memoriam: Oliver L. Austin Jr.” The Auk, Number
106, page 706 – 723.
Heimerdinger, M. A. & Leberman, R. C. 1966. The comparative efficiency of 30 and 36 mm. mesh in
mist nets. Bird-banding, 280-285.
Appendix A- List of All Species Captured at Wellfleet in 2014
Table 7- A list of the Sixty-nine species captured during Fall 2015 banding operations at Wellfleet Bay
Wildlife Sanctuary. All recaptures are birds that were initially banded at the station in Fall 2014 and may
represent multiple recaptures of individuals. Unbanded are released unmarked as a result of escape or
were released because we did not possess that correct band size.
Species
Banded
Recaps
Species
Unbanded
Banded
Recaps
Unbanded
1
American Goldfinch
48
0
1
36
Lincoln Sparrow
1
0
0
2
American Redstart
5
3
0
37
Magnolia Warbler
3
0
0
3
American Robin
14
1
0
38
Marsh Wren
1
0
0
4
American Tree-sparrow
2
0
0
39
Mourning Dove
0
0
1
5
Baltimore Oriole
10
1
0
40
Myrtle Warbler
132
2
1
6
Black-and-white Warbler
1
1
1
41
Nashville Warbler
3
0
0
7
Black-billed Cuckoo
8
Black-capped Chickadee
9
Blue-headed Vireo
1
0
0
42
Northern Cardinal
68
28
1
136
177
2
43
Northern Waterthrush
3
1
1
5
1
1
44
Orange-crowned Warbler
5
0
0
16
2
1
45
Palm Warbler
5
0
0
11 Blackpoll Warbler
9
0
0
46
Philadelphia Vireo
2
0
0
12 Brown Creeper
10
1
0
47
Pine Siskin
1
0
1
13 Black-throated Blue Warbler
1
0
0
48
Pine Warbler
33
0
0
14 Black-throated Green Warbler
1
0
0
49
Purple Finch
2
0
0
15 Blue-winged Warbler
1
0
0
50
Red-bellied Woodpecker
2
0
0
16 Carolina Wren
7
12
0
51
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
28
5
2
17 Chipping Sparrow
47
0
2
52
Red-eyed Vireo
23
13
0
18 Coopers Hawk
0
0
2
53
Red-winged Blackbird
2
0
0
19 Common Yellowthroat
9
0
1
54
Savannah Sparrow
2
0
0
20 Dickcissel
1
0
0
55
Slate-colored Junco
48
1
3
21 Downy Woodpecker
10
6
0
56
Scarlet Tanager
2
0
0
22 Eastern Bluebird
13
0
0
57
Song Sparrow
58
16
2
23 Eastern Phoebe
17
1
0
58
Sharp-shinned Hawk
1
0
1
24 Eastern Towhee
21
9
0
59
Swamp Sparrow
14
2
0
25 Field Sparrow
23
13
0
60
Tufted Titmouse
24
15
0
26 Fox Sparrow
1
0
0
61
Veery
1
0
0
27 Golden-crowned Kinglet
6
0
0
62
White-breasted Nuthatch
3
0
0
28 Gray-cheeked Thrush
3
1
1
63
White-crowned Sparrow
1
0
0
29 Gray Catbird
88
42
0
64
White-eyed Vireo
1
0
0
30 Hairy Woodpecker
5
2
0
65
White-throated Sparrow
45
13
1
31 Hermit Thrush
16
6
0
66
Yellow-breasted Chat
1
0
1
32 House Finch
32
2
1
67
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
2
1
0
33 House Sparrow
1
0
0
68
Yellow Warbler
1
0
0
34 House Wren
1
0
0
69
Northern Flicker
9
0
1
35 Indigo Bunting
3
0
0
10 Blue Jay
Appendix B- Map of Wellfleet Wildlife Sanctuary Banding Station
Figure 7- Map of Wellfleet Banding Station in Fall 2014, including: all net locations and central banding station.
Bay View
Loop
Silver Spring
Loop