bird banding

Have you ever wondered how bird banding works? How the birds are captured, safely handled, and released? And why is it done at all?

Thanks to Dr. Katie LaBarbera, Science Director for the Land Bird Program at the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory (SFBBO), we have you covered.

Banding is specifically the scientific technique used to study bird behavior, migration, and populations. By safely capturing and placing bands on birds' legs, researchers can track their movements and gain valuable insights for conservation efforts.

Today’s episode is a unique one - it’s part field recordings and part traditional Nature’s Archive interview. We’ll jump into the entire banding process, from capture and extraction to the measurements taken and placing the band on it.

We’ll then discuss the outcomes and observations from this long term monitoring effort, along with some fascinating observations about birds ranging from American Goldfinch to Bewicks Wrens.

Katie also tells us about MOTUS, an exciting telemetry technology that will help create a network of automated observation stations to further advance bird migration monitoring. This technology promises to augment and amplify the work performed by banding stations.

And just one more thing. This was a really fun episode to produce, though challenging at times. A big thanks to Katie for allowing these visits despite a challenging season of weather disruptions, and having to re-record parts of it. Thank you to Wendy Gibbons, who walked us through the netting and extraction processes, as well as several other SFBBO volunteers who provided insights and information on my first visit in February.

See the FULL Show Notes for some amazing photos from the banding station!

Also find SFBBO on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Thanks to Emily Smith for production assistance in this episode.

Links To Topics Discussed

Wendy Gibbons - an SFBBO volunteer who walked me through the capture and extraction process in today's episode.

The Beak of the Finch by Jonathan Weiner

MOTUS Wildlife Tracking System

Music: Spellbound by Brian Holtz Music
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist website: https://brianholtzmusic.com

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Check past Nature's Archive episodes for amazing guests such as Doug Tallamy, Elaine Ingham, and Gabe Brown. And topics ranging from bird migration to fungi to frogs and bats! 

Welcome back to Environmental Professionals Radio, Connecting the Environmental Professionals Community Through Conversation, with your hosts Laura Thorne and Nic Frederick! 

On today’s episode, we talk with Sierra Taliaferro, outdoor educator and bird enthusiast about Birding, Environmental Justice, and Green Obsidian.   Read her full bio below.

This episode is sponsored by Integrity Environmental. Integrity Environmental is the premiere environmental permitting and consulting group in Alaska and Arctic regions. They have been in business for over a decade. Integrity performs high quality tank inspections to American Petroleum Institute standards, and are the 'go to' firm industrial operators turn to for help navigating complex regulatory compliance issues. They love tanks as much as you do! Check them out at www.integrity-env.com.

Showtimes:
1:58  Nic & Laura talk about  Channeling Frustration into Positivity
6:59 Interview with Sierra Taliaferro Starts
11:27  Birding
18:38  The Green Obsidian
27:07  Environmental Justice
33:42  Field Notes Segment

Please be sure to ✔️subscribe, ⭐rate and ✍review. 

This podcast is produced by the National Association of Environmental Professions (NAEP). Check out all the NAEP has to offer at NAEP.org.

Connect with Sierra Taliaferro at www.linkedin.com/in/sierrat

Guest Full Bio:
Sierra Taliaferro is a motivated outdoor educator and bird enthusiast with intentions to promote diversity in urban conservation, social justice and community advocacy. Her previous work experience consists of community engagement, urban agriculture, water conservation awareness, and land management practices. Her aim as a millennial in urban environmental conservation is to involve the public in decisions concerning natural landscapes through citizen stewardship and help bridge a lost connection between people and nature in an urban setting. She hopes to continue to make herself an advocate for diversity in conservation and to emphasize the importance of our natural resources surrounding our urban environments.

Music Credits
Intro: Givin Me Eyes by Grace Mesa
Outro: Never Ending Soul Groove by Mattijs Muller

Thanks for listening! A new episode drops every Friday. Like, share, subscribe, and/or sponsor to help support the continuation of the show. You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and all your favorite podcast players.

When we visited Long Point Bird Observatory for the previous episode we could not get enough of Stu Mackenzie's bird banding stories, and incredible level of knowledge! So here are some more tidbits from Stu.  Don't forget to check out the full length episode to experience the awe of life at a banding station!

Remember to report bands!

Stu MacKenzie is responsible for the Motus Wildlife Tracking System, Long Point Bird Observatory, Thunder Cape Bird Observatory, and aspects of the Canadian Migration Monitoring Network.

Andrea Gress studied Renewable Resource Management at the University of Saskatchewan. She pivoted towards birds, after an internship in South Africa. Upon returning, she worked with Piping Plovers in Saskatchewan and now coordinates the Ontario Piping Plover Conservation Program for Birds Canada. Follow her work at @ontarioplovers

Andrés Jiménez is a Costa Rican wildlife biologist with a keen interest in snakes, frogs, birds and how human relationships are interconnected with the living world. He studied Tropical Biology in Costa Rica and has a Masters in Environmental Problem Solving from York University. Follow him at @andresjimo

This week on the show, I am joined by Donna Belder, who has seen over 700 bird species in Australia! She has also completed a PhD on threatened woodland birds and currently works on threatened species conservation for the federal environment department. We discuss birding in South Australia, bird banding, how Donna saw 700+ species in Australia, the social aspect of birding, and more!

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Season 3, Episode 7

#birding #southaustralia #birdbanding

This episode is part of The Birding Today Podcast series. Please consider leaving a positive review wherever you listen to the show, in order to support my work! If you want to take it a step further, you can also join the Official Birding Today Patreon community, and get access to some awesome exclusive perks! If you'd like to get in touch or have a question about the show, you can write to birdingtoday@gmail.com. I'd love to hear from you!

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Every spring, millions of birds travel the Atlantic Flyway, one of four major North-South routes for migratory birds in the Americas. Along the way, they need to stop for food, water, and rest— and Block Island, Rhode Island, provides. In this episode, producer Ben James takes us to this special place where we meet master bird bander Kim Gaffett. She is the latest in a long line of women citizen scientists whose work on Block Island has instilled a powerful culture of bird study and conservation, stretching back over a hundred years.

Related Resources:

50 Years of Bird Banding - Block Island Times
Thirsty Birds “Burn the Engine” in Flight - NPR
Block Island - The Nature Conservancy in Rhode Island
Block Island Conservancy
The Bird Lady of Block Island, Miss Elizabeth Dickens - BlockIsland.com
Flying Transformers: Birds Gear Up for Migration

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Credits

Host & Senior Producer: Ari Daniel
Producer: Ben James
Editor: Caitlin Pierce, Rough Cut Collective
Audio mix: Rob Byers, Johnny Vince Evans, and Michael Raphael, Final Final V2
Theme song and original music: Ian Coss
Additional music: Blue Dot Sessions
Content Director: Allison Wilson
Audio and Video Editor: Sam Johnson
Fact-checker and Digital Producer: Conor Gearin
Artwork: Clint McMillen at Braincloud Design

Threatened  is a production of BirdNote. Learn more about the BirdNote team.