Wednesdays are bird banding demonstration days
Wednesday mornings throughout the summer, the Reserve will hold a bird banding demonstration in front of Laudholm Farmhouse. June Ficker began this program in 1988 at the Laudholm Trust office, which was housed at what is now Alheim Commons. Today an enthusiastic group of bird lovers gathered to watch the demonstration by June Ficker and others in hopes of learning more about birds and bird banding.
At the demonstration, visitors learn every aspect of bird banding—everything from the trammels used to capture the birds to the proper way to hold a bird using the “bander’s grip.”
Ten trammels (nets) are set up at different areas of the Reserve. Each net is designated with a name, number, and color so banders can record the exact location a bird is caught. Once a bird is entangled in the net, it is put in a small cotton bag and brought back to the banding station. Here it is weighed, measured, and banded.
Sixteen birds were banded today. Joan Junker, one of the banders and member of the York County Audubon Society, said the wind was probably a factor today. She also noted that the number of birds varies greatly every week.
Last time we had 25 birds… the first session we had 60. You just never know.
Interested in learning more about bird banding? Visit the Reserve any Wednesday (weather permitting) from now till the end of August. The demonstration is open to the public from 9 to 11 am. For more information call (207) 646-1555, or check out the calendar of events.
