Bird Banding, Part Two

Patrick and Jessica, the bird-banding team

For the second time in the last year, I got to observe and take part in a bird banding project sponsored by the Smithsonian Institute.  This is such a cool experience I wish everyone could be a part of it.  We started before 7:00 AM in the same yard in Alachua, Florida, as I wrote about in an earlier blog.  This is a great, bird-friendly yard of about 2.5 acres.  The yard is bounded on three sides by mixed hardwood and pine with a moderate understory.  In addition, about an acre of the property is wooded with a few well-maintained trails winding through the vegetation.  The homeowner is in the process of weeding out invasive plants while planting bird-friendly, native vegetation.  A portion of the backyard is dominated by a massive live oak.  There are feeders, bird baths, and dripping water that bring in a wide variety of birds.  In short, it's a great yard for watching birds.

Downy Woodpecker

It wasn't long after the nets were in place that we got our first birds.  Several Northern Cardinals fell into the nets.  The researchers (Patrick and Jessica) swooped in, untangled and then bagged the birds.  Each was weighed, examined, measured, and had a tail feather plucked.  They were then banded and set free, usually after one or more of us held each bird.  A few Carolina Chickadees flew into the nets, but the first three or four bounced off or rolled out and got away.  Finally two flew in to a net in the back yard and stuck. 

The Downy Woodpecker in the photo at right was captured, but as the species is not part of this project, it was released without further study.  Also captured and released was a White-winged Dove, but not before we took some time to study the feather pattern in its wing.  The Dove is pictured at the bottom.

Better bite a stick than a finger!

In all, seven birds were banded in 2012 and another seven in 2013.  I had hoped that we would recapture one of last year's birds, but that was not to be.  Recently I photographed one of the Carolina Wrens that was banded last July (below, center).  Soon the homeowner will begin to record sightings of banded birds, eventually submitting her records to the Smithsonian's project website.  This kind of citizen science is designed to help researchers learn how long individual birds live and continue returning to the same feeders.  If you ever get the chance to participate in this type of project, don't hesitate.  It's an unforgettable experience!

White-winged Dove

White-winged Dove

Click on and expand the photo to see the bands.