Banding, part 2

Banding is one step in the research that has many purposes; it’s about information in ecology. Banding birds helps to reduce the uncertainty, making the world of birds more predictable for researchers. We gather information to individualize a bird. By doing so, it allows researchers to study dispersal and migration, if mates stay together, reproductive success and population growth, life span and survival rate, social and behavior structure, and previous success. It helps in how to tell birds apart from one another and gather information about an individual’s history and its decision-making, such as whether to return to a site it previously occupied, which nest is it attending, or even what sex is it. Since male and female veeries are monomorphic, there are no visible means to distinguish the sexes from a distance. Biologists solve this by putting unique color bands on their legs to identify individuals (and sexes by putting an aluminum Fish and Wildlife Service band on either the left (F) or right (M) leg). Thanks to identifying individual birds through banding, researchers have gained information that is useful for understanding this otherwise cryptic behavior.

Banding birds also helps with toxicology and disease research. As we know that birds can be vectors for disease, sampling wild birds for serious disease can help determine the prevalence in a population. The banding of birds in the U.S. is protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, banding in the U.S. requires a federal banding permit. The data researchers can acquire from banding is useful in research and management projects.

Going out with the banders for the day was always an adventure. We would meet up before the sunrise, everyone with dark coffee in hand - it was not a pretty sight when people did not have their java. Some were morning people and some were not. You would either hear a sprightly “morning!” or a “grramgsh.” The lead banders for the team were Jason and Dana. As experienced banders they make it seem effortless, which is not the case because banding requires a lot of work. Jason has experience working on Block Island and Dana has been banding every field season for the past several years. One of the most important tools needed for banding is the net. It’s a lightly woven net that is very susceptible to damage if the bander who is setting up or disentangling a bird is not careful. It is made of very light and sensitive fibers that will not damage any part of the bird.

There were days when we were doing “target banding” which is a rather difficult task. It means trying to catch a specific bird in the mist net by going to its pre-determined territory and luring it in with playbacks of the male’s (usually) song. This works because it simulates a territorial intrusion and no self-respecting male is going to tolerate that! When we target a female, we need to flush her off the nest into the 1 or 2 nets surrounding her nest. When target banding we have to set up the mist net quietly and discretely, trying to avoid the wind, poison ivy and flecks of sunlight. When there is wind, there is trouble. We had to make sure that the placement of the net was perfect so it would not sway in the breeze or catch sunlight - the birds will be discouraged of anything that seems out of the ordinary. Dawn is prime time for banding and it’s surprising how quickly that time will fly by. Most of the time we were trying band veeries and ovenbirds, but on one occasion, Ken took us all out into a part of the research territory to band all kinds of birds. The area is called the “Lowlands” and is a riparian habitat that surrounds Wappinger’s Creek – full of warblers, veeries, sparrows, and many more. When we banded in the "Lowlands," my favorite area, this is what we got.

Yellow Warblers-

Dana & Jason holding Yellow Warblers-

Janice holding an American Robin-

Jeff holding a Common Yellowthroat-

It was a beautiful day.