Sunday, July 26, 2009

A Juve Mockingbird Receives His Band

Everyone who commits to volunteering with a bird banding station loves birds. As a new observer, I count those who untangle birds at the mist net high on my list of volunteers who possess perseverence and patience.
Several times as I watched this process, I thought, by now I would have felt something ken to panic and asked someone to rescue both me and the bird. Steady nerves and focus are among the attributes of these workers. It also helps to know a few handy tips like making sure you are on the bird's entry side of the net. Not so easy as it sounds, but a belly free of netting is one of the clues that helps orient workers.
Once the bird is free from the netting, in this case two juvenile Northern mockingbirds, it is placed in a cloth bag that is marked with a clothes pin containing the number of the net in which it was captured. Each net, twelve in all, is documented with location and habitat type.
Below, the examiner is measuring the juvenile mockingbird's leg for band size.
A special plier is used to close the band around the juvenile's leg leaving room for movement.
To help with aging the examiner checks the wing feathers for molting, wear and color.
Even the skull is checked for aging. Ossification or the development of bone tissue helps the examiner determine age by both color and feel. Immature bird skulls have a soft spot similar to that of human infants which closes and hardens with maturity. The skin appears more pinkish in younger birds, whiter as they mature.
Banding station examiners are bird sleuths in every respect of the word, looking for clues, examining details, checking references and using their best judgement to determine the age, sex and health of each bird. So why all this effort?
The data collected at this banding station goes to two places, the USGS Patuxent Banding Lab in Maryland, the repository for banding data in the USA, and The Institute for Bird Populations' MAPS Program (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) in Point Reyes Station, CA. The data is then used to understand how bird populations are changing over time.
Our environment is changing. Habitat is being lost and degraded. The Institute for Bird Populations says it best: "Information is the key to solving many of our environmental problems. Information empowers scientists to determine the causes and effects of environmental changes. It empowers governments and businesses to understand how economic and ecological factors together cause environmental problems. Finally, information helps people act responsibily to promote a healthy environment."
I, for one, am grateful for these bird lovers we call "banders" and their contribution to the future of our planet.
Linked to Bird Photography Weekly #48 at Birdfreak.com to promote the conservation of our world's birds.

18 comments:

  1. Excellent Post Vickie! The photos..the information..and yes..
    lets give thanks to those bird banders out there and others who are working to protect our wildlife.
    Your posts help out and enlighten!

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  2. Love the way you sketch hands Vickie, and of course the birdie is exquisite.

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  3. I am always intrigued when you include your artwork with photos. Beautiful! I agree that netting and banding are so important in finding details about the health of the environment and the birds.

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  4. cute artwork of mockingbird's
    corners of his mouth turned down
    as if to show dismay at being held!
    looks like you can read the bird's
    mind from his expression!

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  5. Wow! Another cool and informative post. Loved it!

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  6. Very nice series Vickie and the sketch is adorable!

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  7. I love your sketch, Vickie!

    And yes I agree on the patience and care that these volunteers have in banding birds. My deepest gratitude to them.

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  8. Oh my goodness - this is quite a process! What happens to the birds later? - Does the band eventually fall off, are the birds tracked using the bands, or are the bands just to ensure that the birds aren't collected and counted twice?

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  9. The band remains on the bird for life unless an accident or impact dislodges it. A banded bird may be recaptured at a mist net at a future time in a different or the same location. When this happens or the band is found, the band number is recorded and all the required data collected. By comparing this information over time, scientists learn information about the movement, habitat, lifespan and health conditions of the bird population.

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  10. Such an informative and beautiful post, Vickie! The up close and personal photos were fantastic. I have a dream of some day being one of those volunteers that helps with bird banding. I'm sure it takes a steady hand and nerves of steel to deal with birds caught in a net like that. Hopefully some day my dream will come true!

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  11. Vickie - what an informative post about banding and all the info they get from such a short time. Makes me want to get involved with banding as i (if) get more time and experience with birding.

    I also love your artwork - reminds me to keep practicing

    dan

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  12. Superb post Vickie. I love that first artwork. This looks a very serious banding camp.

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  13. The expression on the mockingbird's face through the series of photos is just priceless. Great information and a GREAT SKETCH!

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  14. Hi Vickie, as I was awarded the Kreativ Blogger Award by Crista from Nature As Is (http://nature-as-is.blogspot.com) I, in turn, have to state 7 things about myself and nominate 7 blogs of my choice, I have chosen to nominate you as one of my inspirational fellow-bloggers. Go to
    http://artandcreativity-maree.blogspot.com/2009/07/blogger-award.html view the post.

    Regards

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  15. great series, but the best was the introductory art work

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  16. What a lovely painting you did! Very informative post and excellent photos!

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  17. Beautiful sketch, information and photos.

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  18. Thank you for the wonderful informative post! And your beautiful artwork. I'm learning so much here, and I really hope to be able to do this kind of volunteer work someday!
    Cheers, Andrea

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