Banding Together for Bird Research by Mika Geiger

Jeremy Hull, releasing a Carolina wren from a net
Measuring a blue-gray gnatcatcher
BCP’s Becky Woodward and Jeremy Hull collapse one of the barely visible mist nets used in bird banding.   At the end of each day of bird banding, they collapse the nets so that no birds are trapped when people aren’t around to release them.

One of the many perks of being a regular volunteer with the Travis County
Balcones Canyonland Preserve is that you occasionally get invited on
unexpected adventures. One morning, fellow TXMN Jannelle Imken and I
were helping Becky Woodward, BCP Volunteer Coordinator, and Jeremy Hull,
BCP Community Liaison, collect seeds on one of the preserve’s tracts, when
Jeremy offered to take us to a nearby BCP tract where biologists were
banding birds. Who could say no to that?

Each holding a bird, City of Austin Biologist Jonny  Scalise (left)  and Travis County Environmental Project Manager David Morgan collaborate in gathering data.

As we walked, listening to Jeremy and Becky explain the process of bird
banding, Jeremy suddenly focused his gaze, stopped talking and set off
purposefully. When my eyes followed the direction he was heading, I saw a
Carolina wren surreally frozen in mid-flight. Only when I changed my viewing
angle did I notice the fine mist net it was entangled in. Even after I was
aware that these nets were around, it was still hard to spot their delicate
filaments. Jeremy quietly went to work with the wren, delicately and skillfully
freeing it from the net. Making calming sounds, he gently positioned the
freed bird in a one-handed hold that allows the handler to inspect the chest
and easily transfer the bird to the other hand to inspect its back, if needed.


Jeremy brought the Carolina wren to the biologists at their temporary field
station – a canopy under which were arrayed a few fold-up tables covered
with measuring tools, aluminum bird bands and reference materials.
Banding birds and collecting biological data about these tiny creatures is a
quiet and studious endeavor. The county and city biologists talked in hushed
tones as they conferred, working together to determine each bird’s age, sex,
health and reproductive status. We watched enrapt as they deftly and
gently handled these tiny creatures, examining wings, blowing on their
feathers to reveal the outline of their frames and fitting them with
lightweight aluminum bands. It was apparent how focused they were on
keeping the birds as calm as possible while they collected their information.

Travis County’s Natural Resources Specialist Nancy Sandoval (right) examines the wing of a blue-gray gnatcatcher with Alex Ciongoli, a Natural Resources Tech


While the BCP has been banding golden-cheeked warblers and black-capped
vireos for years, this is the first summer that they banded and collected data
from nearly all species of birds that end up in one of their 10 mist nets. The
data they collect will be part of the MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and
Survivorship) program, a North American research initiative that collects
standardized data across the continent to help illuminate the patterns of life
of our bird species.

Jeremy Hull carefully cradles a Carolina wren in a handhold that enables easy inspection.


In the little time we were there, we saw the scientists record information and
band a painted bunting, a blue-gray gnatcatcher, a Carolina wren, a Carolina
chickadee, and a black-crested titmouse. As we watched one of the
scientists smile as a newly banded bird flew off from his hands, I felt grateful
for the diversity of birds around us – and for the opportunity to witness this
important effort to understand and protect their colorful lives.

On a table covered with reference material and equipment, a biologist inspects a Carolina chickadee’s wing.


If you have more questions about the MAPS bird banding at the BCP, contact
Jeremy Hull (Jeremy.Hull@traviscountytx.gov). And if you’re interested at
volunteering for the Travis County Balcones Canyonlands Preserve, contact
Becky Woodward (Rebecca.Woodward@traviscountytx.gov).