CAPE MAY RAPTOR BANDING PROJECT, INC.

2009 Operations Report

Prepared by Gene Biglin

The 2009 Banding Season was our 43^rd year of operation. 2234 birds were banded. While this is slightly more banded birds than last year it is still well below our five and ten year averages. Our four banding stations operated for a total of 218 days which is less than either of the two previous years. Significant periods of rain during the peak of the banding season resulted in blind closures that cut into our operating period. The most notable swings in species numbers occurred with Merlins and Red-tailed Hawks. 167 Merlins were banded, which is representative of the species 10 year average after a very low sample last year. The number of Red-tailed hawks banded dropped to 147 as compared to 240 in 2008. Cooper’s Hawks were once again the dominant species with 1213 banded. Sharp shinned hawks were second with 490 banded. The Project has now banded 131,717 birds of prey since opening the first banding station in 1967.

Interns  

The Project was once again fortunate to have a research assistant for the 2009 season. Mandy Weston was on site from the end of August until the end of the banding season in November. Mandy did an excellent job of assisting with the banding operations and providing support as necessary. She also compiled all of the daily banding data and reported weekly to our Board members and banders. Mandy was especially enthusiastic about presenting our banding demos. Nearly 900 individuals attended those presentations. We really appreciate all of the good work that Mandy did for the Project and wish her the best as she seeks other professional opportunities. Mandy was provided with free housing and a stipend for her time. The cash stipend for the internship was made possible through a generous private donation

NORTHERN HARRIER

We caught and banded 72 Northern Harriers which approximates our 5 year average of 77.4 but is fewer than our 10 year average of 95.4.

ACCIPITERS

During the 2009 season we banded 1706 accipiters. Cooper’s Hawks remained the dominant species for the Project with 1213 banded. Cooper’s Hawks have now been the main species banded for the past 7 years. Sharp shinned Hawks were second with 490. We also banded 3 Northern Goshawks.

BUTEOS

160 buteos were banded, including 12 Red-shouldered hawks, 1 Broad-winged hawk and 147 Red-tailed hawks. No Swainson’s hawks have been banded since 2003. The number of Red-shoulders and Broad-wings were typical of prior years. The number of Red-tails was significantly lower than the 5 or 10 year average and significantly lower than the number banded last year. The 2009 banding season fizzled out as opposed to going out with a bang like it did last year. Beginning in the middle of October and into November there were numerous rainy days and an absence of any major cold fronts moving through the area. As a result we never saw a major Red-tail flight like the one that we ended the season with in 2008.

FALCONS

We banded 295 falcons including 45 American Kestrels, 167 Merlins and 83 Peregrines. The number of American Kestrels was higher than last year but still but dramatically less than our 10 year average of 141.9. Merlins rebounded from last year. The number caught this year is very close to the 10 year average of 170. The number of Peregrines banded was greater than the 10 year average of 66.8.

 EAGLES

One Golden Eagle was captured this year. It was trapped during the first week of November by Ted Savia at Pond Creek. No Bald Eagles were captured this year.

OWLS

The owl banding project operated in the Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge for 10 days in November. 21 owls were captured including 19 northern saw-whet owls, 1 long-eared owl and 1 barred owl. Two of the saw-whet owls were foreign retraps. One was banded on the Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge on 11/8/2007 and one was banded in Spence, Maryland on 11/03/2007.

Banding Demos  

Regularly scheduled banding demos were given at the state park on Saturdays and Sundays, conditions permitting, from mid-September through October. 890 individuals attended the presentations.

Cooperative Research Projects

The Project cooperated with Dr. Joshua Hull on a molecular genetic investigation of morphological and genetic differentiation among the three subspecies of Merlin (Falco columbarius) to better understand evolutionary relationships. 50 samples of breast feathers were collected and forwarded to Dr. Hull for his study. The research project will test whether there is a genetic east-west population division in North America and whether the three recognized subspecies are genetically distinct. Collection of genetic material also took place during the fall migration in California, Minnesota and Wisconsin.