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Migration Monitoring Protocol 5Th Edition Fall 2019

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Migration Monitoring Protocol 5Th Edition Fall 2019 Migration Monitoring Protocol 5th Edition Fall 2019 0 Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 3 Long Point Bird Observatory ................................................................................................................. 3 Bird Studies Canada .............................................................................................................................. 4 Canadian Migration Monitoring Network (CMMN) .............................................................................. 4 Life at LPBO ............................................................................................................................................... 5 LPBO Staff and the Chain of Command ................................................................................................ 6 Migration Monitoring Program ............................................................................................................. 7 The Research Stations ............................................................................................................................... 8 The Tip ................................................................................................................................................... 9 Breakwater ............................................................................................................................................ 9 Old Cut ................................................................................................................................................ 10 The Friends of LPBO ............................................................................................................................ 12 Integrated Collaborative Research ..................................................................................................... 12 General Rules, Policies, and Information ..................................................................................................... 12 Migration Monitoring and the Daily Routine .......................................................................................... 16 The Public and Birds ................................................................................................................................ 17 Banding Demos for the General Public ............................................................................................... 18 Social Media ........................................................................................................................................ 20 eBird and iNaturalist ........................................................................................................................... 22 Rare Birds ............................................................................................................................................ 22 The Paper Work – Completing the daily log! ............................................................................................... 24 Census ......................................................................................................................................................... 27 Daily Estimated Totals (ET’s) ....................................................................................................................... 34 The Banding Routine ................................................................................................................................... 36 Standard and Non-Standard Banding ..................................................................................................... 38 Mist Net and Trap Etiquette ................................................................................................................... 38 Net and Trap Operation .......................................................................................................................... 39 Banding Operation ...................................................................................................................................... 46 Identification ........................................................................................................................................... 46 1 Ageing ..................................................................................................................................................... 47 Sexing ...................................................................................................................................................... 50 Fat ........................................................................................................................................................... 50 Wing Chord ............................................................................................................................................. 51 Skulling .................................................................................................................................................... 51 Appendix I: The Daily Routine ..................................................................................................................... 63 Appendix II: Rarity Report ........................................................................................................................... 69 Appendix III. Sick and Injured Birds ............................................................................................................. 72 Please refer to the Study Guides for a more thorough treatment of this topic. ........................................ 72 Appendix IV: Casualty Report Form ............................................................................................................. 74 Appendix V. The Basic LPBO Bander Training Protocol ............................................................................... 75 Appendix VI. Moult Card Instructions .......................................................................................................... 77 2 Introduction Welcome to the Long Point Bird Observatory (LPBO). As an LPBO Cooperator (volunteer, guest, research collaborator, or staff), you’re joining a 60+ year lineage that have delivered a wide variety of LPBO programs to an exceptionally high standard. From day one, our mantra has been that a number of dedicated volunteers working together can accomplish more than a few professionals working alone. That philosophy continues to this day and we can’t thank you enough for the time and effort you’ve dedicated to LPBO. This protocol provides detailed descriptions of our day to day activities which deliver the highest quality data in the most consistent form possible from year to year. The protocol is designed to provide a thorough understanding of LPBO programs, the methods used, and how cooperators can maximize their enjoyment and contribution to the organization. It also outlines the rules and guidelines that keep all volunteers safe and comfortable. Whether you’re a new volunteer or a returning one, everyone is required to read this manual. It is essential that everyone know how we do things, and that everyone follows the LPBO routine, regardless of how things might be done at other observatories, or how things might have been done in the past. Long Point Bird Observatory In October 1959, six members of the Ontario Bird Banding Association made the first expedition to the Tip of Long Point in search of an ideal location to study bird migration. In the spring of 1960, the Long Point Bird Observatory (LPBO) and its Migration Monitoring Program were born. LPBO is the oldest bird observatory in the Western Hemisphere and houses one of the largest data sets on migratory birds in the world. In addition to work on Long Point, LPBO implemented numerous regional, provincial and national bird monitoring, research, and conservation programs such as the Canadian Lakes Loon Survey, Project FeederWatch, and the Marsh Monitoring Program, and initiating North 3 America's first sponsored bird count fundraiser: the Baillie Birdathon (now Great Canadian Birdathon). The organization continued to grow with the initiation and coordination of a wider range of provincial, national and international programs and initiatives. In 1998, in recognition of the organization's national breadth and future aspirations, LPBO membership voted to create Bird Studies Canada (BSC). LPBO was then reinvented as a program of BSC operating research, education, and training programs that focus on ornithology, conservation, and other aspects of natural history at Long Point. Within the larger context of BSC, LPBO programs include: the Migration Monitoring Program, the Doug Tarry Natural History Fund (Young Ornithologists` Workshop and Internship), the Tree Swallow Project, the Latin American Training Program, Long Point Breeding Bird Census, and an active and diverse program of public education, professional training, and collaborative research. Bird Studies Canada BSC is the country’s leading science-based bird conservation organization. BSC’s mission is to conserve the wild birds of Canada through sound science, on-the-ground actions, innovative partnerships, public engagement, and science-based advocacy. BSC is a national charity built on the contributions of thousands of supporters and citizen scientists. Using data from our volunteer monitoring programs and targeted research, our scientists
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