Bird Banding at GVSU

This past Friday, June 12^th, proved to be an exciting day for us. Though the weather was calling for showers and thunderstorms throughout most of the day, we succeeded in being able to attend a very special event at Grand Valley State University (GVSU). Bird banding. For those unfamiliar with banding, it’s a method that ornithologists and field biologists utilize to track valuable information of songbirds, shorebirds and raptor species from all over the world. Each bird’s band is encoded with a unique number-letter combination and carefully secured around the bird’s leg. When scientists retrieve these birds, they can search the band number in a shared database and learn the bird’s origin (if the bird was banded as a chick), its age, its physical condition when banded, and approximately how many miles it has traveled. Banding has helped scientists track both individual birds and entire flocks; the famous Red Knot B95 (nicknamed “Moonbird”) is estimated to have flown over 239,000 miles between his migration routes between Tierra Del Fuego and the Arctic – a greater distance than the Earth to the Moon! Click here for more information on “Moonbird.”

At GVSU, Dr. Michael Lombardo has been banding Tree Swallows and Bluebirds for over 20 years. A professor of Ornithology and Biology at the University, he bands birds in order to study their reproductive patterns, behaviors, and breeding successes each summer. We met him on a dirt road off the side of a field that boasted an impressive number of bird houses – 100 of them, to be exact. Each pole contained a large pizza pan above which the bird house sat. These pans had a single hole drilled through the middle that the pole ran through, which Dr. Lombardo explained has proven extremely successful in preventing predators such as raccoons, opossums, and feral cats from snatching mother birds and their precious nestlings from the boxes. So that we could see how nestlings were banded, he gently lifted three of the boxes and tenderly extracted a handful of tiny, developing “not-quite-birds.” A few that he showed us were not more than a few days old; their feathers had only barely begun developing and their purple eyelids were still tightly closed. Others, however, were beginning to look more like birds with their feathers filling in and their eyes bright and curious. Dr. Lombardo banded several of the Tree Swallow nestlings after allowing our kids to get close looks at them. Their excitement drew them forward in a tight circle around Dr. Lombardo as they looked on at the tiny, fragile creatures in front of them. Talk about a neat experience!

From left to right: Bradley, Tommy, and Mari look on as Dr. Lombardo shows them a tiny Tree Swallow nestling.

Tree swallows grow rapidly and typically leave the nest when they're 18 or 19 days old.T his one was 12 days old. 

Mari curiously inspects three Tree Swallow eggs that Dr. Lombardo pulled from one of the nest boxes.  

Our adventure concluded with Dr. Lombardo demonstrating how to band an adult bird. Different from banding nestlings, banding adult birds requires the taking of a variety of measurements that are important in helping scientists identify birds as well as uncover specific information about them. After extracting the adult Tree Sparrows from their paper bag prisons, he carefully took beak, wing, tail, and weight measurements before checking each adult bird for lice and mites. He explained to our group how mites chew through birds’ feathers while our kids looked on at the tiny holes that could be seen on the wing feather at hand. Upon being released with a new “bird bracelet” around its leg, each bird would flutter off in the direction of its nest box with only the tiniest bit of visible irritation.

Inspecting the tail feathers for mites. 

Dr. Lombardo holds up an adult Tree Swallow for the group to admire before releasing it back to its eager nestlings! 

We’re very thankful for the unique opportunity to observe Dr. Lombardo and his student assistants this past Friday. With the closest formal banding station being located in Kalamazoo, we’re couldn’t be pleased with our partnership with someone so close to home. We truly couldn’t have asked for more – favorable weather conditions, amazing looks at Tree Swallows (not to mention several Great Blue Herons, a Green Heron, Red-wing Blackbirds, Mourning Doves and two families of Mallard Ducks) and a fun and educational time for all!          

Junior Audubon April Fundraiser

Junior Audubon wants to give a special THANK YOU! to Tom Leggett for coming up with and organizing a special fundraiser for our club this past April at the Old Country Buffet on 28th St. that raised $166.80  in total funds which we will use for future programs and scholarships for those who can't afford the membership fee. We would also like to thank each and every one of you who bought tickets and participated in eating a lot at the breakfast buffet to help raise money for a great program that is part of the Grand Rapids Audubon Club to spur on and plant new interests of birds, habitats, and the environment in the upcoming generation. So THANKS EVERYONE!!!!