Donate
Our Work
Avian Science
>
Annual Shorebird Survey
Avian Disease Prevention Program
Avian Response to Grassland Fires Study
Avian Use of Salt Ponds Research
Breeding Bird Atlas Project
Burrowing Owl Surveys
California Gull Nest Surveys
Colonial Waterbird Monitoring
Coyote Creek Field Station Landbird Banding Research
Snowy Plover and Tern Research
Habitat Restoration
>
Burrowing Owl
Snowy Plover
Tidal Marsh
Environmental Education
>
Alvaro Jaramillo Bird ID Workshops
Citizen Science
In the Community
>
Bird Language Workshop
Youth and Families
Reports and Resources
Science Talk Recordings
Issues Birds Face
>
Habitat Loss
Climate Change
Other Impacts
Science Reports
>
Habitats Surveillance Protocol
Bay Bird Review Newsletter
Middle School Curriculum
Online Resources
Kids Bird Book Recommendations
About
Our Story
Our Staff
Our Board
Our Science Advisory Board
Our Accountability
>
2017 Annual Report
2018 Annual Report
In the News
Employment
Get Involved
Volunteer
>
Citizen Science
Habitat Restoration
Environmental Education
Development and Communications
Corporate Engagement
Activities and Events
Wingbeat Blog
>
Subscribe to E-News
Ways to Give
Annual Membership
Monthly Giving
Special Appeals
California Fall Challenge
Planned Giving
Matching/Employee Giving
Tributes and Memorials
CFC T-Shirts
CFC Bracelets and Luggage Tags
Wish List
More Ways to Give
Birds are temporarily captured in fine cotton mist-nets that are strung between poles. Mist-nets resemble volleyball nets, but are much softer, finer, and harder for birds to see!
We remove the birds quickly from the nets and take care not to harm them.
We then bring the bird to be "processed" either at our bird banding laboratory at the Coyote Creek Field Station or at a temporary field site we are monitoring.
Birds are very "cost-effective" and relatively easy to monitor as the equipment and materials needed to band are neither heavy nor too expensive. The things most needed to band are highly trained banders, dedication, and teamwork!
Each bird is given a loose fitting, uniquely numbered identification band around its leg. This ID number is the key that allows us and other bird observatories to track this bird if it happens to be recaptured in the future. Only one band is placed on each bird-when a bird is recaptured, we simply read the number on its existing band, take measurements, and let it go.
We use several band sizes to fit the many different leg sizes found on various bird species. They are comfortable but not too loose so that they fall off. We don't have to worry about banding juvenile birds with a band that might become too small when they get older since birds don't normally leave the nest until they are fully grown.
Vital information such as feather molt, breeding status, weight, sex and age is collected. This information is crucial for the population biology work we do at the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory.
Bird banders are highly trained to pay close attention to what they see while processing a bird. For example, a way to often tell the age of a bird is by observing its skull through the transparent skin on its head. Many birds grow a second layer of skull when fully mature that is separated from the first juvenile layer by a series of "columns" found between the two. Often, mature birds have little dots that can be seen on the top layer. These dots are the tops of the columns and if present can help us determine the bird's maturity level.
Initially, the information is recorded in the field while the bird is being processed. Our biologists and banders work quickly, so as to release the bird as soon as possible, but also carefully with attention to detail and accuracy. This is very important in maintaining the value and integrity of the information we collect while banding birds.
Once we band the bird and take the necessary information, we release the bird in the area we captured it.
The information is then transferred to the computer into a database that allows us to study the data we've collected and look at such things as the longevity of various species and habitat preferences for different birds.
Our Work
Avian Science
>
Annual Shorebird Survey
Avian Disease Prevention Program
Avian Response to Grassland Fires Study
Avian Use of Salt Ponds Research
Breeding Bird Atlas Project
Burrowing Owl Surveys
California Gull Nest Surveys
Colonial Waterbird Monitoring
Coyote Creek Field Station Landbird Banding Research
Snowy Plover and Tern Research
Habitat Restoration
>
Burrowing Owl
Snowy Plover
Tidal Marsh
Environmental Education
>
Alvaro Jaramillo Bird ID Workshops
Citizen Science
In the Community
>
Bird Language Workshop
Youth and Families
Reports and Resources
Science Talk Recordings
Issues Birds Face
>
Habitat Loss
Climate Change
Other Impacts
Science Reports
>
Habitats Surveillance Protocol
Bay Bird Review Newsletter
Middle School Curriculum
Online Resources
Kids Bird Book Recommendations
About
Our Story
Our Staff
Our Board
Our Science Advisory Board
Our Accountability
>
2017 Annual Report
2018 Annual Report
In the News
Employment
Get Involved
Volunteer
>
Citizen Science
Habitat Restoration
Environmental Education
Development and Communications
Corporate Engagement
Activities and Events
Wingbeat Blog
>
Subscribe to E-News
Ways to Give
Annual Membership
Monthly Giving
Special Appeals
California Fall Challenge
Planned Giving
Matching/Employee Giving
Tributes and Memorials
CFC T-Shirts
CFC Bracelets and Luggage Tags
Wish List
More Ways to Give