Powdermill Nature Reserve
Spring 2002
Bird Banding Summary

The bird-banding program at Powdermill Nature Reserve, the 2,000 acre biological station of Carnegie Museum of Natural History located in the Laurel Highlands region of southwestern Pennsylvania, was in operation on 77 out of a possible 94 days during the spring 2002 season (March through June 2).  Spring 2002 was a clear improvement over spring 2001, which was one of our poorest migration banding seasons in 40 years (Table 1).


Table 1.Comparison of banding effort and banding totals--spring 2001 and 2002.
 
2002 2001
No. Net Hours
9,890
10,685
No. Birds Banded
3,475
1,819
No. Birds Banded/100 Net Hours
35
17
No. Recaptures
1,064
655
No. Species Banded
109
104


At the Powdermill banding station, which is not in proximity to any significant ecological barrier, the large "fallouts" of migrants enjoyed (so to speak!) by some other banders (for example, our colleagues at Braddock Bay Bird Observatory and Black Swamp Bird Observatory, located along the southern shores of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, respectively) virtually never occur.   With daily banding totals exceeding 100 birds on eleven days, however, it was, for us, a much busier than average spring banding season (Figure 1).  As many or more spring banding days over 100 birds has occurred in just four other (out of 40) spring seasons.  This season's high daily total was 137 on 4/27.   Our highest single day spring banding totals ever at Powdermill were 262 on April 5, 1969 and 261 on May 19, 1990.

The  3,475 birds banded this spring is the highest spring total since 1990 and our eighth highest ever (highest ever spring total was 4,648 in 1973).  The average spring banding total over the last 40 years is 2,731--this year's total was almost one standard deviation above average.


Figure 1.  Spring 2002 Daily (and Cumulative) Banding Totals.

ChartObject Spring 2002 Daily Banding Statistics


Species diversity was comparatively very high this spring.  We banded 109 species (including two distinctive forms), which ties for our third highest spring "species" total ever.  Species diversity peaked around the middle of May (maxima of 37 and 34 species were banded on 5/15 and 5/17, respectively) (Figure 2).  The majority of new species for the season, however, were added from 4/20-5/10 (54 new species added), including as many as nine new species for the season on 5/3 and eight on 4/25.


Figure 2.  Spring 2002 Daily (and Cumulative) Species Counts.

ChartObject Spring 2002 Daily Banding Statistics

Highlights of the season were our third ever Clay-colored Sparrow and our fifth Prothonotary Warbler.  Notwithstanding the high species diversity this spring, some conspicuous "misses" this spring (i.e., species with a long-term average of at least one banded in spring) included Sharp-shinned Hawk, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Great Crested Flycatcher, Yellow-throated Vireo, Cape May Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Savannah Sparrow, and Evening Grosbeak.

Totals for all species banded this spring are given in descending order in Table 2 below.   Without question, the bird of the season was American Goldfinch--this spring's total of 829 AMGOs easily eclipsed our previous high spring total of 674 set in 1971.  Only a few other species were banded in record high numbers this spring, and most of these edged out the previous record by just one or two birds: Carolina Wren (4 banded in 2002/previous record total was 2, i.e., 4/2); Hermit Thrush (6/5); "Yellow" Palm Warbler (2/1); Hooded Warbler (27/26); Common Grackle (61/46).   Other species with well above average flights this spring included "Traill's" Flycatcher, Wood Thrush, Brown Thrasher, Cedar Waxwing, Yellow Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Northern Waterthrush (35 banded--one shy of the record high spring total for the species), Red-winged Blackbird, and Orchard Oriole (5 banded--one fewer than the record total).


Table 2. Spring 2002 banding totals by species (in decreasing order of abundance).
 
SPECIES Spring 2002
Banding Totals
American Goldfinch 829
Dark-eyed Junco 236
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 176
Cedar Waxwing 166
Magnolia Warbler 136
Chipping Sparrow 115
Song Sparrow 115
Gray Catbird 85
Purple Finch 82
Red-eyed Vireo 67
Blue Jay 65
Red-winged Blackbird 63
Yellow Warbler 61
Common Grackle 61
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 59
Common Yellowthroat 59
Fox Sparrow 58
Swamp Sparrow 51
Black-capped Chickadee 49
Swainson's Thrush 41
Tennessee Warbler 40
White-throated Sparrow 36
Northern Waterthrush 35
Indigo Bunting 32
Traill's (Willow or Alder) Flycatcher  31
Canada Warbler 30
Wilson's Warbler 29
Least Flycatcher 28
American Redstart 28
Field Sparrow 28
Wood Thrush 27
Hooded Warbler 27
Golden-crowned Kinglet 24
House Finch 23
Louisiana Waterthrush 22
Chestnut-sided Warbler 21
Brown-headed Cowbird 21
Barn Swallow 19
Eastern Towhee 19
Nashville Warbler 18
Northern Cardinal 18
Ovenbird 17
Philadelphia Vireo 16
American Robin 14
Yellow-rumped Warbler 14
Mourning Warbler 14
Black-and-white Warbler 12
Pine Siskin 12
Tufted Titmouse 11
House Wren 11
Brown Thrasher 10
Eastern Phoebe 9
Blackpoll Warbler 9
Kentucky Warbler 9
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 9
Baltimore Oriole 9
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 8
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher 7
White-eyed Vireo 7
Tree Swallow 7
Veery 7
Solitary Sandpiper 6
Eastern Wood-Pewee 6
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 6
Hermit Thrush 6
Lincoln's Sparrow 6
White-breasted Nuthatch 5
Gray-cheeked Thrush 5
Blue-winged Warbler 5
White-crowned Sparrow 5
Orchard Oriole 5
Mourning Dove 4
Downy Woodpecker 4
Acadian Flycatcher 4
Carolina Wren 4
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 3
Northern Flicker 3
Warbling Vireo 3
Brown Creeper 3
Orange-crowned Warbler 3
Black-throated Blue Warbler 3
Scarlet Tanager 3
Rusty Blackbird 3
American Woodcock 2
Belted Kingfisher 2
Blue-headed Vireo 2
Winter Wren 2
Golden-winged Warbler 2
"Brewster's" Warbler 2
Black-throated Green Warbler 2
"Western" Palm Warbler 2
"Yellow" Palm Warbler 2
Worm-eating Warbler 2
Yellow-breasted Chat 2
House Sparrow 2
Green Heron 1
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Black-billed Cuckoo 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Eastern Kingbird 1
Carolina Chickadee 1
Eastern Bluebird 1
European Starling 1
Northern Parula 1
Pine Warbler 1
Bay-breasted Warbler 1
Prothonotary Warbler 1
Clay-colored Sparrow 1
ALL SPECIES COMBINED 3,475

To compare our 2002 total for any species with last spring's total and the long-term (40-yr.) average, go to the appropriate species group summary:

Waterbirds through Woodpeckers
1
Flycatchers through Swallows
2
Chickadees through Waxwing
3
Wood Warblers
4
Tanager through Finches
5

Last, but not least, we owe many thanks to the following volunteers, interns, and others who helped us with the banding this spring:  Marilyn Niedermeier, Adrienne Leppold, Brian Jones, Annie Lindsay, Amy Cunkelman, Jim Gruber, Mary Helen Chiodo, Randi Gerrish, Don, Jordin, and Carol Schober, Carole Shanahan, Jami Paul, Joe Merritt, Jamie Fischer, Joe Schreiber, Kevin Georg, George Hall, and Larry Barth.


 

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WEEK-BY-WEEK SPRING 2002 BANDING TOTALS

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