Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survival (MAPS) at
Royal Roads and Rocky Point,
2004 Field Season Report

Ann Nightingale

Summary

An inventory of breeding songbirds was conducted for the second consecutive year at Royal Roads and Rocky Point by using mist nets and recording observations of birds during the breeding season. The inventory methodology followed the Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship project developed by the Institute of Bird Populations. Sampling was conducted between 4 June and 8 August (MAPS periods 4 to 10), resulting in each study site being sampled seven timesóonce in each 10 day MAPS period. Although numbers of birds banded were more than double the 2003 totals, the Royal Roads site continued to have fewer birds and less species diversity: 214 individuals were banded of 24 species, vs. 339 banded of 33 species at the Rocky Point site. Speciesíbreeding status was determined by observing advanced breeding condition of adults while in the hand, by the location of active nests, and by the formulae prescribed by the Institute of Bird Populations. 22 species were defined as breeding at the Royal Roads site and 33 species were defined at Rocky Point. Observations of birds also show a higher diversity at the Rocky Point site with 71 species observed vs. 55 species at Royal Roads. In addition to the bird banding and observations, the MAPS Habitat Structure Assessment was completed for each banding site. More than 500 volunteer hours were committed to this project by Rocky Point Bird Observatory volunteers and Royal Roads University students.

Report

The purpose of the MAPS project at Royal Roads and Rocky Point is to inventory the breeding songbird populations using standardized methodology, and to record sightings of other species occurring at the sites to facilitate comparisons of populations and avian diversity at the two sites. The data is submitted to both Bird Studies Canada (banding data) and to the Institute of Bird Populations (banding, observation, breeding status, and habitat structure) to be made available to researchers and others.

2004 marked the second season of Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) at Royal Roads University and Rocky Point. Under the MAPS protocol, nets may be repositioned before the start of the second season, and several adjustments were made to increase capture of breeding and juvenile birds. It is likely that the relocation of several nets at Royal Roads was largely responsible for the dramatic increase from 73 new birds banded in 2003 to 214 in 2004. The increase at Rocky Point was less dramatic (339 new birds in 2004 vs. 192 in 2003) and was largely due to one new net location. 73.5% of the increase was from this single net. The highest single day total of new birds banded was on July 15 at Rocky Point with 82 individuals banded. The slowest day was also at Rocky Point: June 6 produced only 24 new birds. A summary of captures during the 2004 MAPS season is presented in Appendix A.

Building on experience gained during the first season, volunteers made greater effort to observe bird behaviours and locate evidence of breeding birds. Twenty-two species of birds were identified as breeders at the Royal Roads site, while 33 were confirmed breeders at Rocky Point. A number of other species were defined as ìlikely breedersî. Continuation of the MAPS program should see several additional species added to the list of breeders. A list of species observed and their breeding status is included as Appendix B. As is expected during breeding season, the proportion of hatch year birds captured was greater than adult birds. At Royal Roads, 71% of the birds for which age was determined were hatch year birds. At Rocky Point, 78% were hatch year.

One of the key components of the MAPS program is the recapture of previously banded birds. Recapture of adult birds banded earlier in the same season provides evidence of local breeding. Recapture data of birds banded in previous seasons is used to in conjunction with banding of new second year birds to determine species survivorship. The number of recaptures at the Royal Roads site in 2004 was 50 and at the Rocky Point site was 53. Under the MAPS protocol, recaptures include birds trapped more than once on the same day, so these numbers refer to captures rather than to individual birds. The similarity of these numbers is especially interesting given that a number of the Rocky Point recaptures were birds banded during migration monitoring over a number of years. Nine of the recaptures were birds banded during the MAPS program in 2003, and 16 were banded during previous yearsí migration monitoring. Two birds recaptured at Royal Roads in 2004 were banded in 2003.

Recaptures of note in 2004 included:

• A male Orange-crowned Warbler on June 8, originally banded as an adult bird at Rocky Point on August 26, 1999 making this bird just three months shy of the current North American longevity record.
• A second-year male Downy Woodpecker banded during MAPS at Rocky Point in 2003 in the same net and at the same time as a juvenile female Downy Woodpecker, likely his offspring.
• A male Spotted Towhee banded as a second year bird at Rocky Point in 2000.
• A Chestnut-backed Chickadee banded at Royal Roads University on June 4, 2004 was subsequently recaptured during migration banding at Rocky Point Bird Observatory on September 4, 2004.

Captured but unbanded birds were also recorded. These include birds which escaped during extraction from the nets or during banding, birds deliberately released because they appeared stressed and hummingbirds released without banding or banded under the auspices of another project.

Methods

As in 2003, the methodology followed the MAPS Manual 2004 Protocol (DeSante et al. 2004) where songbirds are captured and banded in mist nets during standardized sampling sessions. The sampling sessions were conducted once in every ten day period from the beginning of June to the first ten days of August. The safe handling and banding of birds followed the applicable sections of the Rocky Point Bird Observatoryís banding protocol (Derbyshire 2000) and the MAPS 2004 Protocol; nets were closed in poor weather with winds exceeding 15 km/h or significant precipitation. Nets were checked every 30 min.

Appendix C contains site plans for the two MAPS monitoring areas.

Each sampling session involved using ten mist nets (12 x 2.8 m, with a 30 mm mesh size) for a six-hour period commencing at dawn. Captured birds were removed from the nets and taken to a central location for processing. Each bird was then identified to species, assigned an age class according to Pyle (1997) and banded with an aluminum U.S.Fish and Wildlife leg band with a unique nine-digit number. From each bird a series of morphometric measurements were collected including wing chord, stage of breeding development, amount of fat deposit, age of each feather tract, feather wear and mass. Sex was determined according to criteria in the MAPS protocol. Date, time and capture net code were also recorded to facilitate analysis. Once processed, birds were released near their capture site to facilitate regrouping of family units.

Comments

The MAPS protocol advises that a five to ten year period of data collection is required for meaningful analysis. In the second year of the Rocky Point/Royal Roads MAPS project, data collection became more comprehensive and volunteers more skilled, especially in ageing and sexing techniques.

The MAPS program at Rocky Point and Royal Roads is providing baseline data for breeding bird populations in two environmentally similar but otherwise different habitats in Victoria. There is great potential for data from this project to be used in studies investigating disturbance and habitat size as well as in the expected.longitudinal population studies.

The number of birds captured and banded doubled over the previous year, likely at least in part due to the relocation of several nets. According to the MAPS protocol, these net sites have now become established and future data will be more directly comparable.

Poor weather was not a significant factor during 2004, with 420 hours (the maximum) of effort at Rocky Point and 405 at Royal Roads. Only one-half day of banding was lost due to inclement weather. The capture rate for new birds was .53 per net hour at Royal Roads University and .81 birds per net hour at Rocky Point.

The MAPS project requires a considerable amount of effort, particularly at the Royal Roads site. As the grounds are generally open to the public, it is unsafe to leave the mist nets in place between banding days. The nets were set up the afternoon or evening before each of the 7 banding days at the Royal Roads site and were removed at the close of banding each day. A small amount of vandalism occurred, however bird safety was not threatened.

The MAPS program provided an excellent opportunity for new banders and volunteers to improve their skills, as well as to introduce environmental science students at Royal Roads University to ornithological fieldwork.

Recommendations

Despite the considerable effort required to operate the MAPS stations, I believe this is a worthwhile project. I would recommend that RPBO continue this program for at least the five year minimum recommended by the Institute for Bird Populations. Expansion of the program would require more physical resources (banding kits, nets, etc.) and a commitment by volunteers and others.

Acknowledgements

This project was possible only through the efforts and dedication of volunteers. Ann Nightingale and Rick Shortinghuis led the project, but were greatly assisted by the volunteer help from Ed Pellizzon, Donna Ross, Jessica Murray, Jeremy Gatten, Chris Saunders, Anne Kranenberg, Paul Levesque, Laurie Savard, Mary Searchfield, Katie Christie, Tracy Anderson and RRU students, Alice Weber, Robbie Kalabis, and Christy Juteau. More than 520 person hours of fieldwork was completed for the MAPS 2004 season.

Appendix A

Bird banding results ‚ MAPS 2004

	Rocky Point Bird Observatory				Royal Roads University
Species	New band	Recapture	Unbanded	RPBO Total	New band	Recapture	Unbanded	RRU Total	Grand Total
American Goldfinch	1	1		2					2
American Robin	18	1		19	25	6	1	32	51
Anna's Hummingbird							6	6	6
Barn Swallow	3			3					3
Bewick's Wren	8	2	1	11	48	22	2	72	83
Brown-headed Cowbird	8		1	9	1			1	10
Brown Creeper	7			7	3	1		4	11
Bushtit					20	7		27	27
Cassin's Vireo					1			1	1
Chestnut-backed Chickadee	48	5		53	42	8	2	52	105
Cedar Waxwing					1			1	1
Chipping Sparrow	25	1		26	11			11	37
Cliff Swallow	10			10					10
Common Yellowthroat	8	1		9	2			2	11
Downy Woodpecker	4	1		5					5
Fox Sparrow	1			1					1
Golden-crowned Kinglet	2			2					2
House Finch	6			6	1			1	7
House Wren	7	2		9					9
Hutton's Vireo	1			1					1
McGillivray's Warbler	2	1		3	2			2	5
Northern Rough-winged Swallow	3			3					3
Orange-crowned Warbler	37	5		42	11			11	53
Oregon Junco	3	1		4	6	1		7	11
Pine Siskin	1			1	1			1	2
Pacific-slope Flycatcher	7	2		9	3			3	12
Puget Sound White-crowned Sparrow	4	3		7	1			1	8
Purple Finch	3	1		4					4
Red-breasted Nuthatch	2		1	3					3
Rufous Hummingbird			12	12			12	12	24
Red-winged Blackbird	36		1	37					37
Song Sparrow	25	11	5	41	5	4		9	50
Spotted Towhee	4	2		6	9		1	10	16
Steller's Jay					1			1	1
Swainson's Thrush	3			3	9	1	1	11	14
Violet-green Swallow	2			2					2
White-crowned Sparrow	31	10	2	43					43
Western Tanager					1			1	1
Willow Flycatcher	6	1		7					7
Wilson's Warbler	10	2		12	6			6	18
Winter Wren	3		1	4	4			4	8
Grand Total	339	53	24	416	214	50	25	289	705

Appendix B

Breeding Status of Birds Observed during MAPS 2004

Rocky Point	2004		Royal Roads University	2004
Species	Breeding Status		Species	Breeding Status
Common Loon	Transient		Great Blue Heron	Transient
Turkey Vulture	Transient		Turkey Vulture	Transient
Mallard	Transient		Canada Goose	Transient
Osprey	Transient		Osprey	Transient
Bald Eagle	Transient		California Quail	Breeder
Sharp-shinned Hawk	Migrant		Glaucous-winged Gull	Transient
Cooper's Hawk	Transient		Anna's Hummingbird	Breeder
Red-tailed Hawk	Transient		Rufous Hummingbird	Breeder
California Quail	Breeder		Belted Kingfisher	Transient
Killdeer	Transient		Red-breasted Sapsucker	Breeder
Black Oystercatcher	Transient		Downy Woodpecker	Breeder
Greater Yellowlegs	Transient		Hairy Woodpecker	Likely Breeder
Least Sandpiper	Migrant		Red-shafted Flicker	Likely Breeder
Glaucous-winged Gull	Transient		Pileated Woodpecker	Likely Breeder
Band-tailed Pigeon	Transient		Pacific-slope Flycatcher	Breeder
Common Nighthawk	Transient		Cassin's Vireo	Transient
Rufous Hummingbird	Breeder		Hutton's Vireo	Likely Breeder
Belted Kingfisher	Transient		Warbling Vireo	Likely Breeder
Downy Woodpecker	Breeder		Steller's Jay	Transient
Hairy Woodpecker	Likely Breeder		Northwestern Crow	Transient
Red-shafted Flicker	Breeder		Common Raven	Transient
Pileated Woodpecker	Transient		Purple Martin	Transient
Olive-Sided Flycatcher	Breeder		Violet-green Swallow	Likely Breeder
Willow Flycatcher	Breeder		Cliff Swallow	Transient
Hammond's Flycatcher	Migrant		Barn Swallow	Transient
Pacific-slope Flycatcher	Breeder		Chestnut-backed Chickadee	Breeder
Cassin's Vireo	Transient		Bushtit	Breeder
Hutton's Vireo	Likely Breeder		Red-breasted Nuthatch	Breeder
Warbling Vireo	Likely Breeder		Brown Creeper	Breeder
Northwestern Crow	Transient		Bewick's Wren	Breeder
Common Raven	Transient		Winter Wren	Breeder
Tree Swallow	Transient		Swainson's Thrush	Breeder
Violet-Green Swallow	Breeder		American Robin	Breeder
Northern Rough-winged Swallow	Transient		European Starling	Breeder
Rocky Point	2004		Royal Roads University	2004
Species	Breeding Status		Species	Breeding Status
Cliff Swallow	Transient		Cedar Waxwing	Breeder
Barn Swallow	Transient		Orange-crowned Warbler	Breeder
Chestnut-backed Chickadee	Breeder		Yellow-rumped Warbler	Transient
Bushtit	Breeder		McGillivray's Warbler	Transient
Red-breasted Nuthatch	Breeder		Common Yellowthroat	Likely Breeder
Brown Creeper	Breeder		Wilson's Warbler	Likely Breeder
Bewick's Wren	Breeder		Western Tanager	Transient
House Wren	Breeder		Spotted Towhee	Breeder
Winter Wren	Breeder		Chipping Sparrow	Breeder
Golden-crowned Kinglet	Breeder		Song Sparrow	Breeder
Swainson's Thrush	Breeder		Puget Sound White-crowned sparrow	Breeder
American Robin	Breeder		White-crowned sparrow	Breeder
European Starling	Breeder		Oregon Junco	Likely Breeder
Cedar Waxwing	Breeder		Black-Headed Grosbeak	Likely Breeder
Orange-crowned Warbler	Breeder		Brewer's Blackbird	Transient
Yellow Warbler	Transient		Brown-Headed Cowbird	Likely Breeder
Yellow-rumped Warbler	Transient		House Finch	Likely Breeder
Townsend's Warbler	Transient		Red Crossbill	Transient
McGillivray's Warbler	Transient		Pine Siskin	Transient
Common Yellowthroat	Breeder		American Goldfinch	Transient
Wilson's Warbler	Breeder		House Sparrow	Transient
Western Tanager	Transient
Spotted Towhee	Breeder
Chipping Sparrow	Breeder
Fox Sparrow	Migrant
Song Sparrow	Breeder
Puget-Sound White-crowned Sparrow	Breeder
White-crowned sparrow	Breeder
Oregon Junco	Transient
Black-headed Grosbeak	Breeder
Red-winged Blackbird	Breeder
Brown-headed Cowbird	Breeder
Purple Finch	Likely Breeder
House Finch	Breeder
Red Crossbill	Likely Breeder
Pine Siskin	Likely Breeder
American Goldfinch	Breeder

Appendix C