Comments | kathyrene: Birds and the Health of our Ecosystems

kathyrene

Birds and the Health of our Ecosystems

Jul 21, 2010 22:53

Last month I did some volunteer photography for a public bird banding event. There were three ornithologists on hand and I was fascinated how and why bird banding is done. I've always been interested in birds and their habits and I learned a lot so I thought I would share some of that here at 'Apertures'.

The model system for bird banding was ( Read more... )

birds, conservation, nature

Comments 6

anonymous July 22 2010, 18:01:41 UTC

Oh that's so cool that you got to see this. I didn't think it would be interesting but read all you wrote and even the linked information. I worry that birds caught in the nets might be left there too long and along would come something and hurt or kill them.

Can the U.S. bird banding registry interface with the Canadian one? A lot of birds migrate north and south in various seasons. I would be curious to know. I will be checking out birds legs from here on in. Thanks.

Nice photos too. :0)

Damon

kathyrene July 24 2010, 15:10:53 UTC

Hi Damon and welcome to Apertures! The nets are constantly monitored and the birds quickly removed and placed into thin cloth bags so they are not handled for too long.

I believe the two data systems would be linked as well as with other sytem access around the world. Good question I'll have to look into that. I'll also be checking out bird legs at my feeder this winter too. Glad you liked this post and pics. :)

K.

jmdorion July 22 2010, 18:37:13 UTC

That's pretty neat. How do you get yourself involved in these things by the way?

You got some good shots. I never saw a gray catbird before. Are they uncommon in this part of Canada? Bald tummies! LOL

kathyrene July 24 2010, 15:14:03 UTC

How do I get involved in these things? Lucky I guess... :0)

I don't see all that many catbirds either. I don't feed birds much in summer so never see one at the feeder and likely they migrate in winter. I was pleased with the shots I got too. Thanks.

patchworld July 23 2010, 19:15:50 UTC

they look so tiny in the hands. We have a lot of swifts nesting under the roofs of the balconies. A few days ago a swift flew into our room and got caught by our tulle curtain. It was a strange feeling holding such a tiny bird in my arms, such a small creature that can fly high in the sky.

kathyrene July 24 2010, 15:21:53 UTC

When I was younger we used to get a lot of birds flying into our windows. The ones that lived I used to nurse and get back on their feet or wings. I used to keep cages just for that reason. The feel of them in your hands so fragile, lightweight with their little hearts pounding leaves you with a feeling like you expressed - awe. The best part was setting them free.

I nursed many kinds of birds and the most remarkable and smartest of all wildbirds are crows but they are not my favourite wild bird. They are quite sneaky in their behaviours. They are the blackhearts of the wildbird world. ;-)