Banding The Birds At Barr Lake

Larry and I did something a little different today. We went to a demonstration/class on how different birds species are banded for recording purposes. The class was taught by bird biologists from The Bird Conservancy of the Rockies. It was held at Barr Lake, which is not too far from us. Barr Lake is maybe 30 minutes east of us.

On our way to the class, held outside at the Nature Reserve Center, we saw one of the three resident pairs of mating Bald Eagles. They were feasting on a carp.

They were way out, and this is the best I could get with my zoom.

There was a gull and a Spotted Piper hoping to be able to join them for dinner, but the eagles were not in the mood to share their meal.

We just took a short little nature walk before arrived to where the class was being taught.

They had netted a couple of birds earlier and were explaining the banding process and what they look for when recording all the bird’s information before releasing them back into the wild. After the presentation, we went for another little hike to see the nets, where the birds are caught. They had caught two Wilson’s Warblers on our little hike. Then they explained and demonstrated the whole banding process once again.

This is a young, juvenile male. We can tell by the coloring on the top its head. Wilson’s Warblers are very tiny birds. The bird biologist is holding it in her hands, working and teaching at the same time.

After the bird had been weighed, banded, and checked all around, the teacher placed the little Warbler into the hands of the only little boy at the demonstration for him to release it back into the wild. He was taught how to just gently roll it over in his hands to let it fly off.

It was a very interesting demonstration/class. I might just have to do it again sometime. 🙂

Walking back to the car, we saw some more wild birds too. We saw a Merlin perched high up in a tree.

And we saw a couple of Wild Turkeys running all around too.

We even spied a bunny hiding in the bush.

We were about half way to the Wild Animal Sanctuary (WAS), so after our demonstration, we headed back to the WAS to talk to the big animals once again. We had a fun day communing with nature and the animals.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Do something a little different and out of the ordinary. Walk on the wild side a bit, just stay safe and stay well while doing so. ‘Til next time.