Howdy all,
I should have sent this with the directions but kind of forgot I guess.
So here is more info about the banding station.
We run the banding station every day (seven days a week) weather
permitting. Bad weather includes rain and high winds. If it is raining in the
morning,
we usually don't run the station for the day. If the rains stop early enough
in the morning, we sometimes open to finish out the morning. The banding
season started on the 15 August and will run until the 22 November. So
basically
three months.
Each day, the banding station opens roughly 30 minutes before sunrise.
Currently I am opening the nets at 5:45am. Obviously this time changes
throughout the season. We do net runs usually every 45 minutes but that too is
weather
dependent. So right now, the nets open at 5:45 and the first net run of the
morning is at 6:30 and then net runs every 45 minutes after that. Most days we
are at the banding station at least 6 hours and may stay as long as 8 hours.
Currently, due to the higher temperatures, we have been closing the station
closer to 4-5 hours after we open (so roughly 10-10:30am) As the temperatures
slowly start dropping (like September) the station will be open on average
about 7
hours a day. Of course this is all dependent on weather and bird activity.
The banding station is open to the public and I do recommend making to
the banding station if you can this fall. The best time to be at the station is
first thing in the morning. Our first two to three net runs of the morning are
usually the busiest. Bird activity is greatest at this time but usually drops
off pretty sharply by 9am. Obviously there is some deviants to this!
Currently, bird numbers are low and will remain that way through the rest
of August. By September, bird numbers (and diversity) picks up. October is
the month that Yellow-rumped Warblers start plowing through the station
boosting
overall numbers to the highest the season will see. November quickly winds
down migration and numbers drop low.
Another factor to consider, is timing your visit with cold fronts. Cold
fronts are usually followed by north winds. Birds are pretty smart and will
follow
behind these cold fronts flying with the north wind: i.e. saving energy. Of
course a lot of this depends on when the front passes through the area. If it
is
the middle of the day or evening, there will usually be bigger number of
birds that will come into the area by morning. If the front passes through too
late at night, the birds will be held up farther up the Delmarva (to the
north).
If the front passes through to early in the morning, birds over shoot
Kiptopeke by the next morning. Also remember by late in season, cold fronts in
November tend to push more birds out than they bring in as migration winds
down.
Also, high winds are bad for the station. We can't run nets if they are
blowing in the wind. That's very unsafe for the birds. So days with a good
breezy is not really a good day for netting.
When visiting the station, be sure to bring your camera and take pictures
as much as you want. Also, don't be afraid to ask questions! That's one of
the reasons we are there.
Although we don't allow visitors to go on full net runs with the staff,
you can see most of the nets from the main trail the cuts through the station.
Eight of the nets are with in 40 meters of this trail and with binoculars, you
can see another five. We only run 21 nets so you can see most of the nets.
I would like to note however, that there will be times this season when
we are catching high volumes of birds and we ask the visitors to respect and
understand that we are working and taking data. During times of high volume, we
might not have the time to interact with the public a lot. You are still more
than welcome to watch as we process all the birds, however!
I hope this helps out some!
I do hope to see a lot of you the season!!
Cheers and good birding,
Jethro Runco
Head songbird bander
Coastal Virginia Wildlife Observatory
