A child's grin spanning wider than the gape of a nighthawk, or a new found twinkle in the eye of an adult, nothing sparks a sense of wonder more than a trip to a bird banding station. 

 

The first record of bird banding in North America was in 1803 when John James Audubon placed silver cords around the legs of nestling Eastern Phoebes.  In the 200 years since Audubon's phoebes, thousands of people have experienced the wonder of wild birds in the hand. North American bird banding is now jointly regulated by the United States Geological Survey's Bird Banding Laboratory and the Canadian Wildlife Service.

 

Any bander can confirm that children and adults alike are captivated by the bird banding experience.  From the moment birds are delicately removed from the mist net, to the time they are released back to the wild, unharmed, wearing a tiny new band with a unique number combination belonging to only them, the birds are the stars of the show. 

 

As Kimberly Kaufman, Executive Director of the Black Swamp Bird Observatory, shared in a recent blog post, "It is an incredible feeling to share the Observatory's work with every person we can reach.  To see the joy on a child's face when they see a Blue Jay, or a cardinal, or a goldfinch up close for the first time at one of our school programs.  To see the most stoic adults transformed into children when they release a wild bird for the first time at the banding station." 

 

While bird banding stations are increasingly becoming a place to deliver environmental education programming, limited quantitative research has been done to address the effectiveness of these programs.  One exception is work done by  Amy Busch and Ashley Dayer at Klamath Bird Observatory. This 2007 research demonstrated that 4^th and 5^th grade students who participated in the KBO Songbirds, Science, and Schools program, which includes a classroom visit and a field trip to a banding station, showed a clear increase in knowledge gained, science skills demonstrated, and awareness of birds. Through a visit to a banding station, not only will students learn about conservation, bird appreciation, and the link between science and conservation, the bird banding experience becomes a gateway to inquiry and interdisciplinary studies. 

 

As we strive for a bird literate society, students of any age can benefit from a visit to a banding station.  Bridging science and education, bird banding can ignite the avian spark for nearly everyone.

 

Several banding stations encourage and welcome visits from the public. A partial list of Bird Banding Associations and Bird Observatories can be found by clicking here.