2025 Fall Migration Wrap Up

11/12/2025

Every banding season is a monumental task, and we would not be able to conduct this important research without the support of numerous individuals and organizations.

We would like to thank our passionate group of volunteers and seasonal technician that put all their effort into ensuring a successful banding operation for both data quality and bird safety. We couldn't do it without all your help!!!

Many thanks to Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge for their continued support of this project (both in research and management of this precious habitat); Vistra Corp.'s Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station for preserving and allowing access to this incredible area; and Winous Point Marsh for their commitment to research and conservation and for providing housing for BSBO's fall passerine tech.

A big thank you to all who follow along with and share our daily updates!

And another big THANK YOU to all of our BSBO members and donors who make all of our research, education, and outreach efforts possible!

And now, an initial summary of the fall 2025 season:

Fall Recap: Navarre Marsh Banding Station

Banding Days: 80
Total Number of Net Hours: 8,185
Species Banded: 87
Number of Birds Banded: 4,076
Number of Returns (birds banded in a prior season/year): 56

Species with Record Highs:

American Robin - 280
Northern Waterthrush - 84
Canada Warbler - 17
Eastern Screech-Owl - 7
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 5 (first-ever capture for fall)

Top Ten Species Banded:

White-throated Sparrow - 389
Swainson's Thrush - 358
Gray Catbird - 304
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 291
American Robin - 280
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 199
Blackpoll Warbler - 176
Hermit Thrush - 163
Myrtle Warbler - 155
Common Yellowthroat - 134

View reports and other numbers from the season here: www.bsbo.org/migration-tracking.

Be sure to follow along with us during spring migration, starting in April 2026!

Support this important migratory research today by sponsoring a mist net!

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ABOUT THE
NAVARRE MARSH BANDING STATION

The Observatory's primary banding station is located in Navarre Marsh behind the Davis Besse Nuclear Power Station on Toledo Edison property. Migration monitoring consists of constant effort mist netting and migration point counts (5 minute counts at 6 locations at the research site).

Habitat is remnant beach ridge consisting of canopy trees of Hackberry, Kentucky Coffeetree, and Cottonwood with tremendous under story of rough-leaved Dogwood on the sand ridges. This is similar to the vegetation found on the well-known beach ridge of the Magee Marsh Bird Wildlife Area where the world-famous boardwalk is situated.

Two other remnant beach ridge habitats in Northwest Ohio are the Darby unit of the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge and the Cedar Point National Wildlife Refuge. The Navarre beach ridge is the largest of them all occupying about 370 acres of wetland and beach ridge habitat.

The Navarre Marsh Migration Monitoring Station is on private property and not open to the public; however, we are able to give access to research students when special arrangements are made in advance.

We'd love to hear from you! Let us know how you like the BSBO Bird Bander's Blog by emailing us at: [email protected].

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