Fall Migration Monitoring

Ongoing Project

Fall Migration Monitoring

The Taiganova Bird Banding Station (TAIG)

In 2016, we established the Taiganova (TAIG) bird banding station on the west bank of the Athabasca River in northeast Fort McMurray, as a fall bird migration monitoring location. Our bird banding protocol is based on the Canadian Migration Monitoring Network (CMMN) procedures. Birds migrating south along the Athabasca River encounter Highway 63 and the Taiganova Industrial Park and move through a local migrant funnel within which our banding station is located. The number of birds that we encounter make this location ideal for migration monitoring. The bird species that we band varies, and in August we see mostly species that are known to breed regionally around Fort McMurray. In September, we start to see more northern migrants and those species that are known to breed in the northern boreal and tundra habitats.

"This opportunity is excellent for instilling an appreciation of birds and of wildlife generally."

We also use TAIG for our community outreach and public education programs, where we provide information on birds and bird banding. This opportunity is excellent for instilling an appreciation of birds and of wildlife generally. We plan to operate TAIG full-time in August and September each year and will include opportunities for public education and volunteer training. Our volunteers learn bird identification, and how to handle and band birds safely, skills that are also transferable to other environmental fields.

Western Tanager

Mist Net

Our science-based migration monitoring data and reporting contributes to the understanding migratory bird populations that intersect oil sands developments during their southward migration. The results of our banding project will be shared with the public as part of our education and outreach programs.

All of our banding data are submitted to the Canadian Wildlife Service’s Bird Banding Office, per our bird-banding permit conditions. Banding data are also submitted to the Alberta government, per the conditions of our Provincial research permit for this program.

Did you know?

Since we started bird banding at TAIG, our volunteers have attached bands to over 60 bird species. We have also observed large flocks of waterfowl using the Athabasca River valley, which is located within the North American Central Flyway.

The North American Central Flyway connects the critical waterfowl breeding habitats in the Peace-Athabasca Delta to southern overwintering habitats.

Each bird band that is issued by the Canadian Wildlife Service has a unique 9-digit number that identifies the individual bird. Bird bands are appropriately sized to fit each bird species.

Birds are captured using mist-nets, and each mist-net is set up in a net lane. The mist-nets are checked every 20 to 30 minutes to ensure that any captured birds are removed quickly to minimize their stress.

Mist-nets are only opened for six hours beginning at sunrise. Afterwards, all mist-nets are taken down and removed from the banding station.

Banding operations cannot be conducted during periods of bad weather, such as rain, high wind, or extreme heat or cold, to ensure the safety of the birds.

There are strict training and permitting requirements that bird banders must meet to be able to capture and band birds. Often, bird banders will undertake several years of volunteer training before they are qualified to conduct banding activities.

We can age birds, and we record if a bird was hatched that summer or is an older adult bird. We can also tell if some birds are only two-years old based on the condition of their feathers.

Songbirds will moult their flight feathers every year and this occurs in sequence, a characteristic that allows them to maintain their ability to fly while they undergo their moult.

Qualified bird banders can train volunteers to record data, extract birds from mist nets, and band birds.