Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Keeping a Watchful Eye on Birds


A Hooded Warbler is ready for release.
            They slip out under cover of darkness.  Clothed to combat the outdoor extremes, wearing mud boots and heavily loaded with tools and gear, they quietly move deep into the woods around four a.m.  By five a.m., the women have set up their operations and begun their work. They are dedicated bird banders, and recently I was fortunate to join them.
            Each summer for nearly 10 years, a group of volunteers has gathered in Powhatan County, Virginia,  to collect data for MAPS -- Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship, a study conducted by The Institute for Bird Populations to monitor breeding bird populations. The institute studies the effects of land management, climate change and other ecological factors that influence bird populations. Researchers operate under a federal permit and are specially trained and certified.  On the day of my visit, there were three certified and experienced bird banders in the group.  Others, members of Richmond Audubon Society and James River Master Naturalists,  assisted by recording data and helping to manage the overall operation. 
            Research takes place for eight sessions during breeding season, from May to August, from 4 a.m. until noon.  Birds are caught in numerous soft nets in the woods near a lake at the Powhatan County Wildlife Management Area.  Nets are checked regularly and birds processed promptly.  Birds removed from the nets are placed in drawstring bags and brought to the work station.  Once examined and banded, they are quickly set free, unharmed.  Since many birds are females with broods to attend, they mustn’t be kept from the nest for long.  In addition to banding birds, the group collects and records data on age, sex, weight, condition and reproductive status.  Capturing previously banded birds enables researchers to track survival, reproductive rates and movement patterns.
            The work station consists of two picnic tables covered with tools, clipboards, measuring devices, scales, banding equipment, magnifying glasses, reading glasses, research manuals, books, and snacks. White-eyed Vireos, Wood Thrushes, Kentucky Warblers, Ovenbirds, Hooded Warblers, Titmice and other birds were among those I saw netted and banded.  Unlike birds that visit backyard birdfeeders, many migratory birds are not often visible because they live high in the tree canopy in densely wooded areas.
            America’s first bird conservation efforts began around the turn of the century in response to reckless practices in the 1800s which led to the extinction of several bird species, and also as a response to the slaughter of shorebirds to collect feathers for the millinery trade.  According to the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology at Cornell University, at least six species of birds in North America are extinct.
            Once the most abundant birds in North America, Passenger Pigeons no long exist. The birds were no match for man’s efforts to shoot or net, transport and serve up a cheap, tasty meal of the birds.  Nesting in large colonies made them an easy target, and breeding nests were destroyed along with adult birds.
            Beautifully colored Carolina Parakeets, North America’s only parrot, were deemed an agricultural pest in the 1800s and shot by farmers.  On top of that, the bird’s colorful feathers were in demand by the millinery business to accent women’s hats.  Thanks to the paintings of John James Audubon, we have images of the beautiful birds we will never see in life.
            The Labrador Duck is extinct.  The Eskimo Curlew, the Ivory-billed Woodpecker (the largest woodpecker in the world) and the Bachman’s Warbler are believed to be extinct, according to Cornell, and none have been spotted for many years.         
            While one group of volunteers quietly and efficiently goes about the  business of monitoring and recording bird data in the hot, buggy woods each summer, we should be grateful for their dedication, along with others like them, especially given our nation’s avian history prior to such conservation  efforts.   
Kentucky Warbler


Measuring a Black and White Warbler
 
Tools for measuring, weighing and examining birds

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