Missouri River Bird Observatory
Missouri River Bird Observatory (MRBO) biologists have been monitoring spring migration at Grand Pass CA since 2009. The station was originally established as a pilot site to determine whether the Miss
ouri River corridor at Grand Pass was an optimal location to track migratory songbird movement, and the answer was yes! Since that first spring, MRBO has banded 3,198 birds of 106 species, including 27 species that were previously unrecorded at Grand Pass CA, and several species of state or national Conservation Concern. One of the most interesting facets of this long-term monitoring effort is the ability to track longevity and return rates of Missouri’s migrant breeders. In 2010, 20 individual birds banded in 2009 were re-captured at the banding station, indicating breeding site fidelity in Wood Thrush, Indigo Bunting, and Warbling Vireo. In 2011, individuals banded in both 2009 and 2010 were recaptured; some of the most notable were a Rose-breasted Grosbeak and a Great-crested Flycatcher that were both at least two years old in 2009.
Building upon the success of the Grand Pass monitoring station, in 2010 MRBO took their program to a higher level. Becoming recognized as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and with financial 
assistance from the MDC’s Wildlife Diversity Fund and MCHF, MRBO was able to launch an education and community outreach program that complements their avian monitoring efforts. Local school groups are hosted at Grand Pass or at nearby Van Meter State Park, and treated to a morning of birds in the hand and in the field. These field trips are tailored to the schools’ current science curriculum with relevant material being presented in the context of avian ecology and conservation. Three hundred students from kindergarten through eighth grade attended MRBO field trips during the 2010-2011 school year.
Director Dana Ripper and MRBO’s Assistant Director, Ethan Duke, both have several years’ experience working with young p
eople in the outdoors. They believe that seeing wild birds up close in combination with fun, positive outdoor activities will inspire awareness and appreciation for nature in both kids and adults. This conviction has motivated them to open the Grand Pass station to visitors of any age, as well as to travel around the state of Missouri doing public banding demonstrations, education programs, civic presentations, and workshops for educators, often in conjunction with MDC events.
A critical component of MRBO’s success has been the involvement of interns fro
m Marshall’s Missouri Valley College. Four biology students have completed credited internships with MRBO to date. Two of these students, Aaron Stelker and Stephanie Putnam, have been with MRBO since March 2010, and are now subpermitted banders who are able to operate banding stations on their own.
MRBO also conducts research on breeding bird productivity in three of the MDC’s restored prairies, a long-term project launched in May 2011 with MCHF support. There are substantial opportunities for public involvement via volunteership as well as several citizen science programs targeting Purple Martins, Eastern Bluebirds, and Missouri residents’ backyard birds.
