| 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
Information from these patterns and relationships are then used to
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! |