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