As bird banding season in the Northern Hemisphere begins, Mike Hudson, ornithologist with Birds of Urban Baltimore (B.Ur.B), comes back to NHSM to present on the the science of bird banding and, in particular, some of the newer and more interesting methods of studying and tracking birds, including geolocators/microgps tags, isotopic feather analysis, color bands/flags, as well as some about how we approach ageing birds and identifying them while they are in-the-hand. Mike will also provide an update on B.UrB’s ongoing banding program for which NHSM is a project site – and how you can get involved.
In 2019, the NHSM joined Birds of Urban Baltimore (B.Ur.B) as a host site for its expansion of the Smithsonian’s Neighborhood Nest Project to monitor 8 species of birds commonly found in urban and suburban areas through banding. The birds are first caught in mist nets, measured, weighed, assessed for health and then banded with colored ID bands, and released back into the wild. The real science starts after the birds are released. The project relies on people in the community to be on the look out for these birds with banded legs. When they spot one – they make a note of the color band combination and then enter that data into a website. The Smithsonian is using this data to help better understand the life histories of these birds.
NOTE: You will have the opportunity to come out to the NHSM on May 10 and June 7 to observe and perhaps help with the bird banding at the museum. Go to our calendar at www.marylandnature.org for more information and to RSVP.