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Overview
MAPS is a continent-wide program through the Institute for Bird Populations (IBP) that focuses on learning more about birds and their survival. MAPS has been around since 1989, with 1200+ stations spread across the U.S. and Canada. The songbird banding station at Middle Creek is just one of eight stations in Pennsylvania!
MAPS Stations are managed by trained professionals, and follow specific protocols to capture, band, and collect data on local birds. The data is then used to estimate population trends (are they increasing, decreasing or stable?), productivity (how many birds are born in a year?), recruitment (how many individuals are added to a population in a given year?), and survival of individual bird species. That data can then provide insight into import questions:
- What factors influence avian population declines?
- Where are problems most severe, on the breeding or non-breeding grounds?
- What drives differences in trends between particular regions or habitats?
- What is the relationship between population change and weather, climate, or habitat loss?
- What can we do to reverse declines?
The MAPS banding station at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area has been operating since 2020. More than 1740 songbirds representing 67 species have been banded at Middle Creek. In addition, 425 already banded birds have been recaptured. The top five species banded at Middle Creek are gray catbird (41% of newly banded birds), common yellowthroat, ovenbird, white-throated sparrow, and American robin. Gray catbirds are a Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) in Pennsylvania. To learn more about SGCN's and Pennsylvania's Wildlife Action plan, please visit the Wildlife tab of our website.
How does it work?
Birds waiting to be processed
A northern cardinal gets its wing measured
Once banded, birds are released!
On banding days, staff arrive before sunrise to put up “mist nets”, which are fine mesh nets specifically designed to safely catch birds in flight. Nets are open and checked every 40 minutes for 6 hours. Once a bird is caught, it is carefully extracted from the net by trained staff and brought back to the banding station for processing. Processing a bird includes fitting a lightweight aluminum band with a unique 9-digit number on its leg (like a bracelet); determining the bird's species, sex, and age; evaluating its body condition, feather wear and growth (also known as molt); measuring its wing length; and weighing the bird. Each bander is trained and has the proper permits from the National Bird Banding Laboratory (BBL) to be allowed to handle birds. Banding a bird allows it to be identified if it is re-caught on a different day, at another station, or found by the public. Comparing the number of new captures with the number of recaptured birds can help biologists estimate the size of bird populations in that area. After processing the bird is complete, it is released in the same area it was captured, unharmed.
Why Middle Creek?
Middle Creek is a 6,000-acre Wildlife Management Area managed by the Pennsylvania Game Commission primarily for waterfowl, grassland nesting birds, and wetland-dependent species. Middle Creeks hosts an interactive visitor center, seasonal wildlife driving tour, and over twenty miles of hiking trails. It is one of just six Globally Important Bird Areas in the state. Middle Creek is an ideal location for a songbird banding station for several reasons:
Staff availability - In addition to full-time and part-time staff who work at Middle Creek, staff from the Southeast region office in Reading and the Headquarters office in Harrisburg assist during MAPS season. It takes a skilled team to run a songbird banding station! On banding days, there are several jobs to do, including extracting birds, banding birds, recording data, and educating visitors.
Collaboration Opportunities - The Middle Creek Songbird banding station would not be where it is today without some help from our friends at Willistown Conservation Trust. Thanks to their guidance and mentorship, the songbird banding station at Middle Creek runs safely, efficiently, and produces amazing, localized data. The songbird banding station also welcomes other partners in conservation throughout the MAPS season, including federal, state, and non-government groups.
Motus - The Motus Wildlife Tracking System (Motus) is an international collaborative research network that uses coordinated automated radio telemetry to facilitate research and education on the ecology and conservation of migratory animals including bats, insects, and birds. The Willistown Conservation Trust helped establish the Northeast Motus Collaboration in 2017 to plug a significant geographic gap of receiver stations across the mid-Atlantic region to New England. Middle Creek hosts one of 70 antenna towers across Pennsylvania, changing what we know about birds passing through the Commonwealth in their all-important trips between wintering and summer breeding grounds.
Educational Opportunities - With Middle Creek having many educational opportunities and a visitor center, it is also a prime location to host a MAPS station. Visitors are welcomed to the banding station during the MAPS season, which is typically May - July. On these public education days, visitors have the unique opportunity to see the songbird banding process up close and interact with subject matter experts.
Interested in attending?
Middle Creek offers public banding demonstrations throughout the year. Check in at the Visitors Center to find a complete schedule of our banding opportunities.