From June until August biologists and volunteers at will mist net and band songbirds at the Kodiak Refuge Headquarters building on the Buskin State Recreation Area. This program has been running on Kodiak since 2010; about 2500 birds have previously been banded and 160 banded individuals have been recaptured in following seasons. The banding effort is part of a North American-wide program called Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS)

The MAPS was established in 1989 to monitor spatial and temporal patterns in adult survival rates and productivity for populations of landbirds across North America. The MAPS program currently consists of nearly 500 monitoring stations sampled annually, many of which have been operated for less than 10 years. The MAPS program provides estimates of adult apparent survival and recruitment rates and indices of productivity for about 150 landbird species.

MAPS is a Citizen Science program; committed volunteers are welcome. Read more about MAPS in this article.

Learn more about landbirds.

Contact Information

Programs

A bright blue sky obstructed by fluffy white clouds reflected off of a stream shot from inside a kayak
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages an unparalleled network of public lands and waters called the National Wildlife Refuge System. With more than 570 refuges spanning the country, this system protects iconic species and provides some of the best wildlife viewing opportunities on Earth.

Facilities

a kodiak brown bear sow with three large cubs stand on the banks of a lake
Homeland of the Alutiiq Sugpiaq peoples, Kodiak Archipelago is located in the Gulf of Alaska, 30 miles from the nearest mainland coast, across the notoriously temperamental Shelikof Strait. Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge spans almost two million acres and covers more than 2/3rds of Kodiak Island,...

Library Collections

Male steller's eider displays in a pond
Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge has a designated avian biologist who, with the help of other staff and volunteers, has conducted a variety of research on the birds that spend time on the Refuge. This library contains past and current avian research projects.