A New Opportunity for Citizen Scientists: Resighting Color-banded Birds

Color-banded Gray Catbird. © Maria de Bruyn: http://mybeautifulworldblog.com/tag/gray-catbird/

Most of us love a good challenge, and learning to read colored leg bands on a moving bird is a great one. Frequently used in conjunction with a uniquely-numbered metal leg band in ornithological studies, colored leg bands offer a way to ascertain the identify of a bird without having to recapture it. Observations of these color-banded birds can provide valuable information about survival and population size.

This summer VCE is collaborating with the North Branch Nature Center and the US Army Corps of Engineers to encourage citizen scientists to observe (and report upon) a local color-banded population of Song Sparrows and Gray Catbirds at two locations in Central Vermont: the North Branch Nature Center (Montpelier) and the Union Village Dam (Thetford). Ultimately, we hope to expand this union, between VCE and citizen scientists, to a broader suite of species occupying a larger range of habitats in Vermont.

We invite all citizen scientists, regardless of their ability or birding experience, to participate in this collaborative endeavor.

Participating is easy–just go birding this summer (starting in June) at the North Branch Nature Center or Union Village Dam and report your sightings to Vermont eBird. Read more about collecting and submitting your data, and learn how to read and report color-banded birds.