MAPS: Breeding Bird Banding

Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary

Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS)

The MAPS Program is a cooperative effort among public agencies and private organizations to provide long-term data on the productivity, survivorship, and population sizes of target land bird species through capturing and banding birds during the breeding season. Since 1990, we have been participating in this project, administered by the Institute for Bird Populations, Point Reyes Station, California. Our station is one of over 500 throughout North America participating in this effort.

Research Activity: We begin in late-May and continue through mid-August, operating a series of mist nets in a forested area of the Sanctuary bounded by the railroad bed, the Patuxent River, and Two Run Creek. Volunteers assist with recording data on the banding sheets, handling the measuring equipment, and perhaps removing birds from the nets and placing a band on the leg. No guarantee that volunteers will remove birds from the nets on their first day!

Schedule: Nets go up at 6:00 AM. Nets are closed as we complete the last net check on the round starting at 11:10 AM.
Meet at the bench at junction of RR Bed Trail and Otter Point Trail.
Volunteers are most helpful if arriving for the 7 or 7:50 AM round; there are fewer birds in the nets later.
Net Round Start Times (Be at the bench 10 minutes before the start time.)
7:00 - 7:50 - 8:40 - 9:30 - 10:20 - 11:10

Bring water, a snack, and binoculars. Dress for hiking off trails throught the woods (e.g. long pants, hat, sturdy hiking shoes)

To sign up: Volunteers should call the office well ahead of time to let us know the dates they can assist. We do not want more than 8-10 volunteers with us on any given day.
If you have questions, please contact Mike Quinlan, 301-805-4278, mikemq@aol.com or Volunteer Coordinator Lindsay Funk, 410-741-9330, volunteers@jugbay.org
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