Atlantic Flyway review: Region V: Laurel, Prince Georges County, MD (390-0765)

Abstract

Nets were operated at this suburban backyard station before and after work during the week, and all day on as many weekends as possible, from 23 August to 30 November. A trip to Spain interrupted banding in mid-September and accounted for the drop in both species and individuals banded. This also explains the 66% drop in Gray Catbirds, which was by far my most common species last year. As in past years, no netting was done within 15 m of the bird feeders, and no traps were baited until the nets were removed in December. White-throated Sparrows (9) and Carolina Chickadees (7) accounted for half of my returns. The oldest returns were a 6-year-old White-throated Sparrow and a 7-year-old Carolina Chickadee. The only species banded in unusually large numbers were American Robin and Black-throated Blue Warbler. A Red-shouldered Hawk and a Golden-winged Warbler raised the species total for this station to 112. Three birds remained here long enough to increase their weight by more than 30%: an HY female Black-and-white Warbler arrived on 29 August with a weight of 11.2 g and was last captured on 5 September with a weight of 17.1 g. It took an HY Ovenbird 24 days to increase from 20.8 g to the 28.2 g that it weighed when last caught on 13 October. A Swainson's Thrush, on the other hand, went from 36.5 g to 48.1 g between 10 and 14 October. Other heavy-weights were Hairy Woodpecker, 74.4 g; Blue Jay, 103.2 g; Gray Catbird, 46.4 g; Wood Thrush, 64.1 g; and White-eyed Vireo, 15.0 g.