Bird Banding

This research project focuses on documenting the difference in migrant species abundance and diversity between two bird banding sites to assess the impact of such factors as increased human activity, noise, and encroaching urban development. One site (a public park) experiences high volume human traffic and site disturbance (noise), while the other site (a private nature preserve) has low human traffic and minimal site disturbance. Both sites have very similar habitat – forested areas of beech-maple and oak-hickory, secondary growth species, shrubby thickets, streams, and fields that provide diverse habitats for migrating, nesting, and wintering birds. By comparing the banding results at these two sites over a number of years we hope to demonstrate the impact of increased human activity and urban growth on migration patterns and provide habitat management guidelines for improving avian biodiversity at both sites.