I'll bet this course in Vancouver is a really neat course, as I received the
same training last summer thru the Puget Sound Bird Observatory, in a class
they run up in the Cascades in Wenatchee National Forest. That course is
being offered again this summer, the second week in August. Anyone
interested in doing so can find the information at www.pugetsoundbirds.org,
under classes (left hand vertical bar). I highly recommend it, the two
principal teachers, Dan Froehlich & Don Norman, are also really good. Both
have banded for decades, and Dan wrote the manual on molt limits and plumage
criteria in wings (published by the Institute for Bird Populations, I
think). Seems there are several great opportunities for this training,
which is every bit as fascinating as Joel writes, even if you do not intend
to become a regular field bander (but you might change your mind after the
course, I did).
Chris Kessler
Seattle

On Thu, Apr 2, 2009 at 7:27 PM, Joel Brady-Power <fvnerka at hotmail.com>wrote:

> Hi Tweets,
>
> This last weekend I had a chance to attend the Vancouver Avian Research
> Centre's bird banding and monitoring workshop in Burnaby. The workshop was
> led by Derek Matthews and Carol Chistopherson with help from Mike Boyd and
> Devin (can't remeber his last name), and it was fantastic. I highly
> reccomend this course to anyone who is interested in learning the
> intricacies of a bird's life. Ever since I started birding about three
> years ago I have been fascinated by birds, but to be honest outside of
> modest identification skills, I knew very little about them. I learned more
> in this three day course than I've learned in my first three years of
> birding.
>
> If you're like me and you always intend to read the front of your bird
> guide, to learn the feather groups and molt patterns, but somehow always
> skim over and end up poring over the brightly colored plates of the next
> possible rarity around the corner, then this class is for you. Derek is an
> excellent teacher, not only is he incredibly knowledgeable and passionate
> about birds, but he is fun and engaging. He has a way of bringing people
> out, capturing their curiosity, and his enthusiasm is contagious.
>
> In this class we learned the complexities of feather molt, the topography
> of birds, the time line of a bird's life, how to band birds, and why we band
> birds. How many people know what a molt limit is? You'll never forget
> after this class. Trust me. We learned how to properly age birds in the
> hand by studying slides of specimen wings and tails, and later the actual
> specimens with the aid of Mag-eyes. Derek also taught us how to sex birds
> in dimorphic species, although for many species biometric measurements or
> the presence of either cloacal protuberance or brood patches would be
> needed. ( If I am not making any sense you've got to take this course!)
>
> After learning the basics in the classroom we took our theory out into the
> field to practice. Everyone got a chance to band a bird. We learned the
> proper way to hold wild birds using the banders grip. We learned how to
> attach the bands, take wing chord, tail length measurements, and weight.
> Then we would study the molt patterns on a live bird to apply what we had
> learned in the classoom to properly age and sex the birds. If you have
> never had a bird in hand I cannot fully articulate the wonder I felt feeling
> my Spotted Towhee's rapid heart beat and looking into that blood red eye.
> For me it was a transformational experience, one I will not soon forget and
> something I want to be a part of for a long time.
>
> The third day we went to Colony Farm, which birders, if you haven't ever
> checked it out you might want to plan a trip across the border. Just this
> last week one of the banders who does daily surveys to monitor the birds
> there had all three species of accipter in one day! Right now the Mountain
> Bluebirds have just shown up and I know this place plays host to
> Yellow-breasted Chat in the spring and I imagine many migrating warblers.
> Also due to the low lying vegetation everything you see is pretty much at
> eye level.
>
> On this day we did more banding and also learned how to extract birds from
> the mist nets. All through the course Derek, Devin, Mike and Carol were
> extremely helpful, watching over us as we worked, but not doing things for
> us. They gave very clear instructions and were very patient as we struggled
> to untangle our birds from the nets. After our second day in the field we
> returned to the classroom for a final test to see if we had remembered
> anything. The way that they layered the information on us I was amazed at
> how well we all retained nearly everything from the weekend.
>
> The class ended with a recap of what we had learned, and the importance of
> conservation through increased awareness and education. Many of the birds
> we all love are in decline all over the globe, and the importance of
> educating people about what they can do to help is vitally impotant to their
> well being. Derek and his staff did a fantastic job of converying this and
> both illustrating the importance of getting involved and showing us ways
> that we could. At the completion of the course we all receieved a
> certificate that gives us the oppurtunity to volunteer anywhere banders are
> needed.
>
> If you have ever been interested in banding or you would just like to learn
> more about birds, I cannot recommend this course highly enough. I would
> take it again in a heartbeat, and if I wasn't heading to Alaska in a week
> for the summer you better believe I would be volunteering at Colony Farm
> this summer! I will be volunteering at Colony Farm this Sunday to gain more
> experience, and I highly encourage people to check out VARC's website and at
> very least come up and check out the process. Their doors are always open
> to the public and although you cannot band unless you have taken the course
> you can see what it's all about. My suspicion is that once you see the
> birds up close you'll want to get involved yourself and I would say, "Go for
> it!"
>
> link to VARC's website http://www.birdvancouver.com/
>
> Joel Brady-Power
> fvnerka at hotmail.com
> Anacortes, Wa 98221
>
>
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