Intro and Info

This is for anyone who might have stumbled upon this blog and would like to know what's going on. Also for anyone who just doesn't know what's going on because I neglected to explain it (for which I sincerely apologize). If you already know what's going on, feel free to just skip this entry. :)

Name: Sarah
Age: 24
Height: 5'1" (this is important)
Hometown: Katy, TX
Current Town: Fairbanks, AK
Education: BSc in Biological Sciences (UAF 2009), 1 year of grad school (OSU Zoology)

Birdie-Stuff History: Alaska Bird Observatory 2005-2009, UAF Ornithology class 2007, Institute for Bird Populations 2008 & 2009, Klamath Bird Observatory 2010, Alaska Bird Observatory 2011. Also: mother, grandmother, aunt, uncle, great-aunt & uncle, great-uncle.

Rusty Blackbird, with his band.

What is bird banding? Bird banding (or ringing, in Europe) is the process by which a band (usually aluminum) is placed on a bird's leg. This band fits like a bracelet, is light enough that it doesn't affect the bird's mobility or survival, loose enough that it doesn't rub a raw spot on the leg, and contains a unique number that is associated with that bird for the rest of its life (like a social security number). While the bird is in-hand, an entire suite of measurements and data are taken and recorded. These measurements (explained later) help to determine age and sex, whether the bird is breeding and/or incubating eggs, whether the bird is currently molting or has molted recently, as well as general health and body condition. All this data goes into an international database that can be accessed by scientists who study the ecology, physiology, populations, and life-histories of the birds.

Why band birds? First, banding helps scientists track changes in avian populations. This includes factors like productivity (how many babies), survivorship (are the babies surviving their first winter and how long are the adults living), and recruitment/emigration (young birds moving away from their parents' territories). We can also look at population trends (increases and decreases), age and sexual structure (ratios of young/old and male/female). Banding data, along with info on other animal and plant species and abiotic factors like weather and pollution, can help us study habitat relationships as well. Birds, and songbirds especially, are excellent indicators of the ecological health of a habitat, and the current decline of these populations is a worrying sign of habitat malaise and environmental distress.

A typical mist-net.

How do you catch them? Most banders use mist-nets, which use a very fine mesh, the size of which is determined by what kind of birds they want to catch. Bigger birds = larger mesh. For example, ~15mm squares is pretty typical for songbirds. The net is fine enough that unwary humans often miss them (birds also have very good eyesight). These nets are usually 3m tall x 12m long, and supported by poles on either end. Mostly, these nets are only as far off the ground as they need to be, but they can be raised into the canopy layer to catch more species, or stacked 2 or 3 on top of one another. They can also be run together length-wise in a series. Nets are situated either randomly or (more often) in strategic habitat areas where birds are known to be active. Songbird-targeted nets are usually open in the 6 hours immediately following sunrise since birds are most active during this time. Nets targeted to nocturnal species like owls are opened after full-dark. There are 4 J-shaped panels that form pockets. When a bird hits the net, it slides down and rests in one of the pockets until someone comes to extract it. Getting the bird out of the net safely and quickly is the trickiest part of the entire process and takes years to perfect, since each situation is slightly different.

You can view the pictures full-size by clicking on them!

That's all for info stuff. There'll be a post immediately after this about yesterday's banding adventures!

P.S. All photos are (c) me, unless otherwise credited.