The small girl skipped ahead of her family on the grassy path toward the bird banding station, a couple of picnic tables covered with a canopy, with two tents pitched nearby. Five rows of mist netting were strung along alleys in the dense brush, with hopes that birds would fly into them and get caught so that they could be studied, banded, and released. Master bird bander Gordon Howard sat at one of the tables with a tiny bird in his hand, a book open in front of him. He gently stretched the wing feathers to look for different color patterns and signs of wear to help him determine the age of the bird.
The girl and her family walked up to Gordon, and he smiled and explained what he was doing. When he was finished, he asked if she would like to hold and release the brightly colored male yellow-rumped warbler. She nodded her head, and Gordon showed her how to gently wrap her small fingers around the bird’s neck and body so that it would not be injured. A broad smile spread across her face as she felt the soft, warm feathers and the rapidly beating heart of the bird. Her parents took pictures, and then Gordon told her to gently toss the bird into the sky and let go. The warbler flew from her hand right back into the hawthorn shrubs and began feeding, preparing for its migration further north. Although the bird had left her hand, the memory never left the child.
Bird banding began at the Crown Point State Historic Site 41 years ago by J.M.C. “Mike” Peterson. Spring migrant birds have been monitored here every year since for two weeks in early to mid-May. Over 17,000 individual birds of 106 different species have been banded here, with each bird receiving a small metal band with a unique identifying number that is placed around its leg like a bracelet. Information on each bird that is banded, such as species, sex, age, and condition, is forwarded to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which oversees all bird banding in the United States. If the bird is ever found again, the band number can be reported to the USFWS and much can be learned about the bird’s movements. The current main banders are Gordon Howard, Gary Lee, and Tom Barber, with help from several other banders and a number of volunteers. Visitors are welcome from 7 AM to 5 PM every day of the season, which runs this year from the afternoon of May 6 to the morning of May 22. Educational programs about birds and bird banding are offered to school groups, birding clubs, and civic organizations. Reservations for these are arranged by contacting Gordon by email at ghoward@clemson.edu.
Bird banding has several values, including education, determining bird longevity, and figuring out migration routes. The Crown Point peninsula that juts north into Lake Champlain is an excellent place to capture and study migrating birds, because birds concentrate here to feed and rest on their journey northward each spring. Many of these songbirds wintered in South or Central America, and are migrating to their summer breeding ranges in New York, New England, and Canada.
If you go to visit, the best time of day is early to mid-morning. Calm, dry days are usually better than windy, wet days. Park in the lot by the museum, and walk up the blacktop road toward the barns. Then follow the signs that direct you onto the grassy path to the banding center which is tucked in by the brushy edge. Wear casual clothes and boots or shoes that can handle mud. Bring your family, a camera, binoculars, and your sense of wonder.
Post by Ellie George, volunteer with the Crown Point Bird Banding Association
Photos were supplied with one time use permission from the photographers Ellie (Eleanor) George and Thomas Barber.
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