Spring 2008 Season Summary

• Powdermill Avian Research Center's bird banding program at Powdermill Nature Reserve completed its 47th consecutive spring banding season in 2008. The banding station was in operation on 63 days during the spring 2008 season, between 2 March and 1 June. The season total of 1,880 was well below, in fact > 1 S.D. below, the long-term average of 2,734 (range = 1,014 - 4,634). Spring 2008 totals for all but one of the top five species were below (but within 1 S.D. of) average, and all five were well below their historical maximum spring banding totals: Dark-eyed Junco (129 banded/ long-term average 361/maximum 1,238); Ruby-crowned Kinglet (128/131/352), American Goldfinch (121/206/829); Cedar Waxwing (110/61/248); Song Sparrow (104/164/285).

• The highest daily total this spring was 90 on May 14th (see Chart above), and the most diverse day of the season occurred on May 4th, when 27 species were banded. This spring, totals for just seven of 103 species banded were more than 1 S.D. above average (see Table below), including Traill's Flycatcher (Willow & Alder), Red-bellied Woodpecker, and Blue-headed Vireo. Good "gets" this spring included several species having a long-term spring average of <1: Pileated Woodpecker, Yellow-throated Warbler, and Vesper Sparrow. The second ever Hooded Merganser for our banding program was banded in April, and a female "Sutton's" Warbler (a rare hybrid between Northern Parula and Yellow-throated Warbler) was banded and twice recaptured in May (the second time, she was observed to have a fresh brood patch). Other often-missed species that we banded this spring were Worm-eating Warbler and Orchard Oriole.
  
  Banding totals for twelve species were more than 1 S.D. below average: Song Sparrow, Common Yellowthroat, White-throated Sparrow, Canada Warbler, Mourning Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, Eastern Phoebe, Acadian Flycatcher, and Golden-winged Warbler. Conspicuous "misses" with a long-term average >1 were Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Black-billed Cuckoo, Bay-breasted Warbler, Cape May Warbler, and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.
  

• The table below summarizes the 2008 spring banding season (species sorted in descending order by banding total) and provides statistical comparisons with our long term (1962-2007) data set. Eastern Screech-Owl, Hooded Merganser, Pileated Woodpecker, Savannah Sparrow, and “Sutton’s” Warbler (total = 1 for each) are not included because yearly comparison data were not available.

Species	Spring 2008 Total	1962-2007 average	1962-2007 maximum	Within 1 S.D.	> 1 S.D. above*	> 1 S.D. below
Dark-eyed Junco	196	360.9	1238	X
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	128	131.2	352	X
American Goldfinch	121	206.0	829	X
Cedar Waxwing	110	61.0	248	X
Song Sparrow	104	163.6	285			X
Magnolia Warbler	97	82.4	230	X
Louisiana Waterthrush	76	11.1	145		XX
Blue Jay	71	40.7	186	X
Gray Catbird	64	70.1	140	X
Ruby-throated Hummingbird	60	47.6	121	X
Chipping Sparrow	55	70.4	159	X
Black-capped Chickadee	50	29.7	89	X
Swamp Sparrow	46	41.3	77	X
Common Yellowthroat	36	58.0	114			X
Fox Sparrow	34	24.1	71	X
Traill's Flycatcher	33	18.1	54		X
Indigo Bunting	33	31.0	72	X
Red-eyed Vireo	31	47.3	92	X
Least Flycatcher	30	36.2	86	X
American Redstart	26	22.9	77	X
Red-winged Blackbird	25	30.9	180	X
Field Sparrow	25	72.2	207	X
Nashville Warbler	22	31.2	114	X
Yellow Warbler	22	37.4	79	X
Swainson's Thrush	20	31.5	150	X
White-throated Sparrow	20	59.8	147			X
Chestnut-sided Warbler	19	11.5	41	X
Eastern Towhee	19	16.2	35	X
Hooded Warbler	14	12.7	36	X
Wood Thrush	14	16.8	45	X
Northern Cardinal	14	28.8	87	X
Wilson's Warbler	13	22.7	63	X
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher	12	10.5	39	X
Canada Warbler	12	39.2	89			X
Lincoln's Sparrow	11	10.8	30	X
House Wren	11	12.3	28	X
Tree Swallow	10	9.4	35	X
Eastern Bluebird	8	10.3	54	X
House Finch	8	30.8	179	X
Veery	7	5.1	20	X
Baltimore Oriole	7	6.9	18	X
Ovenbird	7	7.5	25	X
White-eyed Vireo	7	9.7	25	X
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher	7	12.0	41	X
Purple Finch	7	49.4	518	X
Kentucky Warbler	6	7.0	16	X
Mourning Dove	6	10.4	38	X
Mourning Warbler	6	14.3	33			X
Northern Waterthrush	6	20.0	36			X
Tennessee Warbler	6	37.3	230	X
Gray-cheeked Thrush	5	3.0	10	X
Rose-breasted Grosbeak	5	10.2	67	X
House Sparrow	5	15.3	61	X
Red-bellied Woodpecker	4	0.8	5		XX
Brown Thrasher	4	6.0	26	X
Golden-crowned Kinglet	4	12.3	43	X
Blue-headed Vireo	3	0.8	4		X
Black-throated Green Warbler	3	2.4	11	X
Scarlet Tanager	3	5.8	34	X
Blue-winged Warbler	3	5.9	24	X
Tufted Titmouse	3	6.4	26	X
Eastern Phoebe	3	7.7	18			X
Philadelphia Vireo	3	8.5	56	X
White-crowned Sparrow	3	10.2	37	X
Barn Swallow	3	11.7	90	X
Northern Saw-whet Owl	2	0.1	1		XX
Red-breasted Nuthatch	2	0.5	4		X
Carolina Wren	2	0.7	4		X
Orange-crowned Warbler	2	1.0	5	X
European Starling	2	2.5	17	X
Blackpoll Warbler	2	2.9	15	X
Solitary Sandpiper	2	3.5	12	X
White-breasted Nuthatch	2	4.0	19	X
Black-throated Blue Warbler	2	4.4	23	X
Black-and-white Warbler	2	4.6	18	X
Northern Rough-winged Swallow	2	4.7	25	X
Rusty Blackbird	2	8.5	40	X
Yellow-rumped Warbler	2	12.6	79	X
American Robin	2	16.6	55			X
Brown-headed Cowbird	2	94.3	458	X
Brewster's" Warbler	1	0.4	2	X
Yellow-throated Warbler	1	0.4	3	X
Vesper Sparrow	1	0.5	3	X
Belted Kingfisher	1	1.0	4	X
Orchard Oriole	1	1.2	6	X
Worm-eating Warbler	1	1.2	8	X
Hermit Thrush	1	1.6	7	X
Winter Wren	1	1.6	9	X
Northern Parula	1	1.8	7	X
Prairie Warbler	1	3.3	15	X
Eastern Wood-Pewee	1	3.6	13	X
Spotted Sandpiper	1	3.7	16	X
Downy Woodpecker	1	4.6	13			X
Northern Flicker	1	5.9	22	X
Acadian Flycatcher	1	6.5	19			X
Golden-winged Warbler	1	7.5	23			X
Common Grackle	1	10.0	61	X
Yellow-breasted Chat	1	10.2	34	X
Species "missed" in 2008; i.e., long-term average > 1
Yellow-billed Cuckoo	0	1.4	11
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	0	1.5	13
Cape May Warbler	0	1.5	10
Brown Creeper	0	1.7	12
Black-billed Cuckoo	0	2.4	9			X
Bay-breasted Warbler	0	3.9	40
American Tree Sparrow	0	19.5	134
Pine Siskin	0	55.2	1000
Evening Grosbeak	0	77.3	788
2008 Total	1880	2734.9	4634			X

* XX = >2 S.D.s above or below average

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• We are very appreciative of all the volunteers and visitors who helped this spring. We held two successful bander development workshops (thanks to our participants Jean Ploutz, Nathan Brouwer, Robin Squiers, Maria Terres, George Rowsom, and Keith McKenrick) and in addition, hosted trainees Michael Collins and Melanie Reichley in May. We thank the following volunteers and visiting banders for their help during the 2008 spring banding season: Mary Shidel, Kristin Sesser, Bob Leberman, Danilo Mejía, Marisabel Paulino, Gerardo Rodríguez Ramos, Rob Slebodnik, Julie Means, Matt Shumar, Pam Ferkett, Adrienne Leppold, Fred and Carol McCullough, Sandy Teliak, David Norman, Joe Schreiber, Jean Deo, Ben Coulter, Emma DeLeon, M. Kathleen Klimkiewicz, C. J. Ralph, Leo Salas, Mark Newstrom, Richard Joos, Lauren Schneider, Dean Thompson, and Greg George. Thanks to everyone!

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Last Updated on 06/27/08
By Molly E. McDermott and Robert S. Mulvihill