Banding a Chickadee

This morning we visited a bird banding session at a friend's house in our neighborhood. It was managed by a bander from the Springfield Neighborhood Nestwatch, which is sponsored by the Smithsonian. He set up three large mist nets in two back yards, which caught about a half-dozen birds during the morning--black-capped chickadees, carolina wrens, and a catbird.

This chickadee is an adult; the short feather on the left of its tail is a new one that is molting in. On one leg is an aluminum band supplied by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service which has a unique nine-digit number; it can be read only if the bird is captured again. The other leg has two colored bands (red and black) which are visible in the field and thus could potentially serve to follow the bird's whereabouts, at least in the nearby area, if birders see it and report the bands. It was fascinating to talk with Thom, the bander, about his work; projects such as this serve to learn more about the livelihoods of birds and the threats they face.

It's important to emphasize that the banding process (Brits call it ringing) and the bands themselves do no harm to the bird. In fact the bands are designed to stay on for the bird's lifetime.