A bird banding program at Masonville Cove is shedding new light on how birds travel along the Chesapeake Bay corridor — and delivering an exciting milestone: the return of birds that were first tagged two years ago.
Since the program launched, researchers have banded more than 3,000 birds from roughly 90 different species. The effort is a collaboration involving the Maryland Port Administration, MES, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the nonprofit Birds of Urban Baltimore, known as BUrB. BUrB holds the required permits from the U.S. Geological Survey and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, while volunteers assist with fieldwork and data collection.
Bird banding involves safely capturing birds, attaching a small metal band to one leg, and recording measurements before releasing them. Scientists document details such as weight, size, age, and sex — information that helps build a long-term picture of migration patterns, survival rates, and animal behavior.
Fall 2025 was the third migration banding season at Masonville Cove. Between early August and early November, with a brief additional session in December, the team banded 838 birds representing 56 species. A standout moment came on September 27, when the station set a single-day record — 107 newly banded birds plus three recaptures processed in one day.
Looking at the full year, the team banded 1,341 birds across 72 species. More than 210 members of the public stopped by the station, and six new volunteers joined the team — the largest single-season growth the program has seen.
MES Environmental Specialist Cal Liddell said spotting returning birds has been one of the most rewarding parts of the work. “This year we’ve started catching a lot of birds that we originally banded in 2023, such as Carolina chickadee and a northern rough-winged swallow,” Liddell said. Those recaptures suggest that Masonville Cove serves as a reliable waypoint along the Atlantic Flyway, where birds come back season after season to rest, feed, or breed.
