The Floodlight Trap

Book excerpt: The floodlight trap is described and its development is given. In 1010 experimental operations of floodlight traps from January 1957 to April 1962 approximately 672,000 birds were captured (about 414,000 starlings, 135,000 common grackles, 90,000 brown-headed blackbirds, 31,000 red-winged blackbirds, and 1000 rusty blackbirds) ; only 10 birds of other species were taken. Catches exceeded 20,000 birds on each of 6 nights and ranged from 80,000 to 120,000 on 3 nights. Operations were generally successful at dense roosts in winter but not at summer roosts. About 60,000 birds were banded and released, of which 650 were recovered at other places; 152 birds were banded elsewhere and were captured. Some 10,000 captured birds were used for research.