Cedar Grove, Wis. -- Research volunteers at the historic Cedar Grove Ornithological Research Station along Lake Michigan have reported a substantial increase in their trapping and banding numbers over last year.

When the arctic plunge froze their water pump and shut down banding on Nov. 16, they had banded a total of 449 raptors of 13 species. This compared with a total of 330 in 2013.

In a seven day span from Oct. 3-9, 2014, more than 1,500 raptors were seen migrating past CGORS, part of a total of 3,711 for the season. This compares with 3,364 tallied last year.

The last bird banded this year was an immature male Northern Goshawk, and on Nov. 14, station staff caught a Barred Owl and a Long-eared Owl in the same mist net about three feet apart. "We assume the Barred was chasing the Long Ear," said Rick Hill, one of the station's leaders.

For the season, the station also trapped four other Long-eareds and one Eastern Screech Owl, along with 131 Northern Saw-whet Owls, a large increase from 2013, when only 34 were banded.

Banded diurnal birds of note included 29 Merlin, six Peregrine Falcons (including a third year previously unbanded adult male), two Broad-wing Hawks, three Goshawks, one Red-shouldered Hawk, four Northern Harriers, 175 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 41 Cooper's Hawks, 50 Red-tailed Hawks, and a female Blue Grosbeak that wandered into the mist nets (but wasn't banded).

Ten birds that were banded elsewhere were re-trapped this fall at CGORS.

The station, in southern Sheboygan County, has long been known as a site to view spectacular raptor migrations and has been used as a trapping and banding location for nearly 80 years. CGORS is dedicated to studying the migration of falcons, hawks, harriers, eagles, vultures and owls. It has the longest sustained record of activity in North America for trapping and banding migratory raptors and operates throughout the three-month fall migration season, from late August into late November.

During this time, personnel work dawn to dusk to record sightings of migrating raptors and attempt to live-trap as many as possible. About 20% of these attempts are successful. Birds are banded, weighed, measured, and inspected for a variety of features, then released.

More than 40,000 birds of prey of 24 species have been live-trapped, banded, measured and released from 1950 through 2013. CGORS has trapped over 1,000 previously banded raptors and recorded over 280,000 migrating raptors overhead.

The following birds were first spotted or banded in Wisconsin at the station: Gyrfalcon, Mississippi Kite, Gray Vireo, Anhinga and Harris's Hawk.

Research widely published

More than 70 papers and notes have been published in scientific journals based on research done there. This output far exceeds that of any other raptor banding station in North America, and has significantly added to mankind's knowledge of birds of prey. CGORS research findings have been widely cited in major ornithological journals and in such reference works as Peterson's Field Guide to the Birds and the Audubon Encyclopedia of North American Birds.

The station operates under license from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The trapping site is owned by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, which leases it to CGORS. Regular station personnel are all volunteers and consist of two to four individuals who remain full-time at the station during migration season, and one or two part-time assistants. During many seasons, one or two interns also work full-time.

Once the station sets up its owl nets, it operates 24/7. This year CGORS returned to using audio lures. An electronic saw-whet owl call is broadcast on loudspeakers behind the mist nets. The core group of banders and interns worked on short stretches of sleep and naps while checking the nets through the night, but it paid off with a big increase in saw-whet bandings.

Hill said the "biggest highlight of 2014 year was all the extra support that the birding community has shown us."

" Our thanks to the local neighbors who supply us with clean well water and let us take a shower or do laundry. Thanks to the folks who visited and then came back with donations of their home canned salsa, venison, ham, pork and brats to feed the crew.... Many thanks to all of you who have donated pumpkin pies, pastry, vegetables, lasagna, money and hours and hours of your time. We need it and we appreciate it."

Owen Gromme trapped here

The Milwaukee Public Museum started banding hawks on this site in 1935, with help from the Civilian Conservation Corps. The study was interrupted by World War II and resumed sporadically during the immediate post-war years. At the urging of Mrs. F. L. Larkin and the museum's Owen Gromme -- who is reported to have trapped a peregrine on the site to use for a painting -- the Wisconsin Conservation Department (forerunner of the DNR) purchased the 32-acre farm tract in 1948, and subsequently designated it one of Wisconsin's first State Scientific Areas.

In 1950, Helmut Mueller and Daniel Berger reactivated the operation. Since then, the Station has conducted research every autumn and during several spring seasons as well. Neither Mueller nor Berger were able to make it to the station in 2014, but banding continued under the master permit of Tom Meyer, with sub-permits issued to John Bowers and Rick Hill.

The future success of CGORS' depends largely on its ability to establish substantial and permanent financial support. With the exception of a National Science Foundation grant in 1962-'65 and two small grants for specific projects, all operational costs have been borne by station personnel. Even the station's building, which was erected in 1960 after a fire destroyed the original structure and all trapping equipment, was constructed entirely with volunteer labor using salvaged and donated materials.

Donations are needed

In 1983, CGORS was incorporated, and was granted not-for-profit status by the Internal Revenue Service. Thus, tax-deductible donations are now possible.

Hill is seeking supporters interested in either helping to support current operations or in donating to the station's endowment fund at the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin.

Hills said a special need at CGORS is to create an educational fund that would support the two interns each year.

"Our goal is to raise our level of reimbursement from $10 a day to $20 a day or about $2,000 per intern for the three-month season," Hill said. "Many college kids are graduating with student debt and cannot afford to take the position. If we could find a sponsor that would give $4,000 I think we would attract a wider pool of applicants."

Hill encouraged interested donors to contact him at woodreps@gmail.com . "We will be happy to answer whatever questions you may have about the station."

Rick Hill will be speaking about CGORS on March 12 at Maywood Environmental Park in Sheboygan. It's an opportunity to see some great pictures of raptors and learn how you can help CGORS next season. More photos from CGORS can be seen at http://patrickdean.com/Patrick_Dean_Photography/Aviary_Galleries/Aviary_Galleries.html