A bit about the banding station

As another season begins, I would like to give everyone a little bit of helpful information about the banding station, mainly in the way of what the work schedule is.

The banding station runs seven days a week from the 15 Aug through the 22 Nov. I open nets roughly 30-45 minutes before sunrise and typically run about 6-8 hours after that. We do net runs every 45 minutes (for the most part).
Of course we are very weather dependent! If it is raining, going to rain soon, or rained through most of the morning, the banding station will be closed. Also, if high winds are in the area, we will use our discretion as to which nets will be open, if any nets at all can be open. These two factors are for bird safety. With that said, "most" days we are able to run a few nets if the wind is below, say 15mph. When the winds start reaching towards 20mph (and depending on the direction), we can not safely run any nets. When dealing with extreme hot or cold days, we can adjust our net run frequency and/or close nets in the sun (on hot, sunny days).
Another factor in which we might close the station a bit early, is just the plain lack of birds! We catch most of our birds during the first few hours of daylight. By 9-10 am, capture rates drop off. If we have caught very few birds (usually below, say, 5 or 6) by 10am, we usually close the nets by 11am. But for the most part, we try to run at least 6 hours, with a maximum of 8 hours.

A breakdown of the season by months:
August is a rough month with just a few birds moving through. Capture rates are usually in the teens per day but single digit days are common. Because of this, a lot of times we start closing the station around 11am. Typical capture rates vary from 1 bird per day to about 70. Heat is usually an issue, as are low numbers.
September is when things start cranking up. Although the heat has usually broke by this time, early in the month can be warm, and with warmth usually comes a lack of bird movement. By the mid to late part of the month numbers build. Capture rates can range from as little as 1 bird per day to as many as 300. This is the best month for neotropical migrants and also the month of the highest diversity.
By the time October comes around, neotropical migrants are slowing to a trickle but temperate migrants are on the rise. By the middle of the month, we are expecting the big slams of Yellow-rumped Warblers (our most common banded bird here). We expect the biggest day of the season to come sometime in the middle to end of the month. Diversity drops off as the month goes on. Capture rates range from maybe 10 birds per day to a staggering 700+. Of course, yellow-rumps make up the bulk.
November is the slow down. Diversity is very low, but with that said, this is the month in which extremely rare birds can be here. By this time, almost all neotropical migrants have left and only temperate migrants remain. During this time, cold weather becomes a factor and one we have to adjust for. During this time, capture rates can vary from 1 bird per day to about 400. But for the most part a 200 bird day is pretty big this time of year (and again, yellow-rumps make up the bulk).

So when should you visit the banding station? As much as you can of course! But if you are limited on time (like most people are), I guess it depends on what you are looking for. If it is neotropical migrants, then Sept and maybe early Oct is your best bet. If you just want to see numbers, mid to late Oct is for you.
So what time of day is good to visit? Early in the morning. We do our first net run about sunrise and there are birds dropping in at that time. Activity usually holds up until about 9-10am range but of course everyday is different. By noon, even on good days, activity has dropped off dramatically.
Does weather play a part in capture rates? You bet!! Large numbers of birds arrive in the area following north winds (usually a cold front). Much like a surfer rides a wave, so do these migrants. They can save so much energy by flying with a north wind, than flying against a south wind. So after a cold front passes, we usually have a much higher number of birds in the area than the days before it. Days of south winds, there is generally very few birds in the area. So if you can time your visit with the passing of a cold front, you may be very rewarded! (of course, you don't want it to be too windy after the front passes, so we can have our nets open!)

With all this said, everyday is a different day. We can have general "rules" about how the weather effects migration but there are always exceptions. Some days are better than expected and others are big disappointments. Guess that's just how it goes!

I hope to see you all at the banding station at some point this fall!
Good birding!
Jethro