Indian Nations Audubon Society
Eastern Oklahoma
Muskogee, Tahlequah, Wagoner
Fort Gibson & Tenkiller Lakes
MAPS Bird Banding
What is MAPS Bird Banding?

The Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) Program was created by The Institute for Bird Populations in 1989 to
assess and monitor the vital rates and population dynamics of over 120 species of North American land birds in order to provide
critical conservation and management information on their populations. The MAPS Program utilizes constant-effort mist netting
and banding at a continent-wide network of monitoring stations staffed by both professional biologists and highly trained volunteers.

MAPS is organized around research and management goals as well as monitoring goals. MAPS data are used to describe
temporal and spatial patterns in the vital rates of target species, and relationships between these patterns and
  • ecological characteristics and population trends of the target species
  • station-specific and landscape-level habitat characteristics
  • spatially explicit weather variables.

Information from these patterns and relationships are then used to
  • identify the causes of population declines
  • formulate management actions and conservation strategies to reverse declines, and maintain healthy populations
  • evaluate the effectiveness of management actions and conservation strategies.

Additional information is available at:
http://www.birdpop.org/maps.htm
Indian Nations Audubon Society's involvement in MAPS

Don & Joyce Varner started the current MAPS bird banding at the Fort Gibson Waterfowl Refuge (Wagoner County) over 15 years
ago.  The bird banding starts at dawn and ends at noon on specified
Mondays in May, June, July, & August.  The 2007 schedule is
posted above.  
MAPS bird banding news is below on this page.

Jeff Sanchez at the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, south of Vian, OK, operates a MAPS bird banding program.  This will be on
specified
Thursdays in May, June, July, & August, The 2007 schedule is posted above.
"Wilderness may temporarily dwindle but wilderness won't go
away.  A ghost wilderness hovers around the entire planet,
the millions of tiny seeds of the original vegetation are hiding
in the mud on the foot of an arctic tern, in the dry desert
sands, or in the wind."
Gary Snyder
Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge
2008 MAPS Bird Banding Schedule

The bird banding begins at 6:00 a.m. and ends at 11:00 a.m.
South of Vian, OK
For directions contact Don Varner; Varner@Intellex.com; 918-456-389, cell phones 918-453-8404 & 918-316-1450
Click
here to visit the Sequoyah NWR web page
Read the MAPS Bird Banding News at the bottom of this web page!

Banding Dates
June 5, Thursday
June 12, Thursday
June 26, Thursday
July 3, Thursday
July 17, Thursday
July 31, Thursday
August 7, Thursday
Fort Gibson Wildlife Management Area / Waterfowl Refuge
2008 MAPS Bird Banding Schedule

The bird banding begins at 6:00 a.m. and ends at 11:00 a.m.
Southeast of Wagoner, OK; west side of Fort Gibson Lake
For directions contact Don Varner;
Varner@Intellex.com; 918-456-389, cell phones 918-453-8404 & 918-316-1450
Click
here to visit the Fort Gibson WMA web page
Read the MAPS Bird Banding News at the bottom of this web page!

Banding Dates
June 16, Monday
June 23, Monday
July 7, Monday
July 14, Monday
July 21, Monday
August 4, Monday
Worm-eating Warbler
MAPS bird banding, Fort Gibson Waterfowl Refuge
(Photo by Jeri McMahon)
Summer Tanager
MAPS bird banding, Fort Gibson Waterfowl Refuge
(Photo by Jeri McMahon)
MAPS Bird Banding, Fort Gibson Waterfowl Refuge
Left: Don & Joyce Varner
Above: Don Varner
(Photos by Jeri McMahon)
MAPS Bird Banding News

Fort Gibson Waterfowl Refuge

May 21, 2007; Monday
A Black-billed Cuckoo was netted at the first session of the season, an uncommon species.  This was only the second specimen
ever netted at this bird banding station.  The first was in 1992.

May 21, 2007; Monday
A female Painted Bunting and female Northern Cardinal were recaptured.  Amazingly, both of these birds had originally been
netted and banded on the
same day almost 7 years ago - June 3, 2000!  Then, a male Kentucky Warbler was recaptured who had
originally been netted and banded almost 7 years ago - June 20, 2000!  All 3 birds were recaptured on the
same day!  Don Varner
reported all 3 birds were 8 years old.

Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge

May 24, 2007; Thursday
The first bird banding session of the season yielded 3 uncommon species: female Canada Warbler, female Mourning Warbler, &
male Magnolia Warbler.

Unique hybrid warbler discovered by New York MAPS bird bander

May, 2007
A  "Junkin's Warbler", a hybrid (male Mourning Warbler X female Kentucky Warbler), was netted by David Junkins, June 27, 2006,
near Wethersfield, NY.  DNA testing determined the parentage of the mystery hybrid warbler.  This hybrid is the first discovered of it
kind.  
Read the story and see the photos!