Expert Bird Banders Richard Poole, Christine Brown and Bob Wheeler will set up mist nets near the entrance to the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center and demonstrate banding on the birds they capture.
Individual identification of birds makes possible studies of dispersal and migration, behavior and social structure, life-span and survival rate, reproductive success and population growth.The first records of banding in North America are those of John James Audubon. In 1803 he tied silver cords to the legs of a brood of phoebes near Philadelphia and was able to identify two of the nestlings when they returned to the neighborhood the following year.
Bird banding data are useful in both research and management projects. Because banding birds requires capturing the birds and handling them before banding takes place, the banding of birds in the United States is controlled under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and requires a federal banding permit.
Nov 15 & 16, 7:00am-11:00am: MINWR Visitor Center; Free
