SITE DESCRIPTION: The Mansfield Dam Banding Station is located on nine acres of private land on the eastern edge of the Edwards Plateau, 1.25 miles southwest of Mansfield Dam, in Travis County, approximately 12 miles northwest of Austin, Texas.  This steep and rugged site is typical of the area which has come to be known as the Balcones Canyonland.  The highest elevation is 760 feet and includes about one acre of open field with shallow soil, sparse grasses and forbs.  The canyon walls consist of numerous limestone outcroppings and ledges, and a wet-weather creek plunges to an elevation of 600 feet at the lowest point before leaving the station and ultimately emptying into the Colorado River.  Typical woody plants on the rim of the small canyon include ash juniper, live oak, Texas (Spanish) oak, shin oak and escarpment cherry.  The floor of the canyon supports a canopy of cedar elm dotted with hackberry, mulberry and pecan.  We banded sporadically from 1987 to 1992.  From 1993  through 2000 we banded daily from mid April through May using eighteen 30mm nets situated on a 0.5 mile loop.  By the end of 2000 we had banded 5,785 individuals of 90 species, 3 sub-species / hybrids.