Steve McKee, director of the Gorman Nature Center, uses a magnifying glass to examine an American Tree Sparrow during a recent public display of bird banding at the center on Lexington Avenue in Mansfield.
A BIRD IN THE HAND—
Several excited youngsters had the stunning experience of comforting a newly banded bird in their bare hand—in one special case for nearly 30 seconds—until the tiny bundles of energy exploded into flight and zipped into the cover of nearby trees.
Citizen scientists got a taste of the real thing as McKee enthusiastically led a hands-on demonstration of bird study for a spirited group of visitors, mostly Pathfinders (the Seventh Day Adventists version of scouting) from around Ohio on their annual Mansfield visit.
In the photo (right) McKee amazes his audience by revealing a common tree sparrow like the one he is holding was once banded over a period of six years which means that amazi
ng bird had flown his migration round trips from the Hudson Bay area of Canada back to the nature center for its annual, winter visits for a calculated total of 13,200 miles.
Birds like the tree sparrow McKee is banding in the second photo are able to fly, in part, because their bones are hollow and they have no heavy teeth or jawbones. “They also have very small brains” McKee added. “So,” he quipped with lots of chuckles from the audience, “If someone calls you a ‘bird-brain’ that is not exactly a compliment.”
Birds to be banded are harmlessly captured in large mist nets or docile, live traps where a door springs shut behind the curious or hungry bird. McKee then gently holds the bird with its legs between his fingers and carefully applies a light, aluminum band specially sized for
the species.
About 500 birds are banded annually at the center and information is recorded on the species, age, sex and health status for examples. When the bird’s sex is not obvious it sometimes can be determined by checking for a brood patch on its belly or measuring the wing feathers.
The bands are uniquely numbered and the information is stored in a national data base maintained by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Then, when a banded bird is recovered ornithologists are able to study such things as the bird’s longevity and range.
McKee is one of only1,500 bird banders certified in the US.
A bunch of visitors that day were happy he does stuff like that.
Nine year old Pathfinder Cheewah from Mechanicsburg enjoys a very personal encounter with one of nature’s wild critters—a newly banded Dark Eyed Junco. About a dozen juncos and tree sparrows were banded during the morning program. It was too cold to use the net and these species come readily to the trapping feeders McKee explained.
A BIRD IN THE HAND—
Several excited youngsters had the stunning experience of comforting a newly banded bird in their bare hand—in one special case for nearly 30 seconds—until the tiny bundles of energy exploded into flight and zipped into the cover of nearby trees.
Citizen scientists got a taste of the real thing as McKee enthusiastically led a hands-on demonstration of bird study for a spirited group of visitors, mostly Pathfinders (the Seventh Day Adventists version of scouting) from around Ohio on their annual Mansfield visit.
In the photo (right) McKee amazes his audience by revealing a common tree sparrow like the one he is holding was once banded over a period of six years which means that amazi
ng bird had flown his migration round trips from the Hudson Bay area of Canada back to the nature center for its annual, winter visits for a calculated total of 13,200 miles.Birds like the tree sparrow McKee is banding in the second photo are able to fly, in part, because their bones are hollow and they have no heavy teeth or jawbones. “They also have very small brains” McKee added. “So,” he quipped with lots of chuckles from the audience, “If someone calls you a ‘bird-brain’ that is not exactly a compliment.”
Birds to be banded are harmlessly captured in large mist nets or docile, live traps where a door springs shut behind the curious or hungry bird. McKee then gently holds the bird with its legs between his fingers and carefully applies a light, aluminum band specially sized for
the species.About 500 birds are banded annually at the center and information is recorded on the species, age, sex and health status for examples. When the bird’s sex is not obvious it sometimes can be determined by checking for a brood patch on its belly or measuring the wing feathers.
The bands are uniquely numbered and the information is stored in a national data base maintained by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Then, when a banded bird is recovered ornithologists are able to study such things as the bird’s longevity and range.
McKee is one of only1,500 bird banders certified in the US.
A bunch of visitors that day were happy he does stuff like that.
Nine year old Pathfinder Cheewah from Mechanicsburg enjoys a very personal encounter with one of nature’s wild critters—a newly banded Dark Eyed Junco. About a dozen juncos and tree sparrows were banded during the morning program. It was too cold to use the net and these species come readily to the trapping feeders McKee explained.
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