Spring bird banding underway at Warner Park Nature Center

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Every spring, numerous birds go to Middle Tennessee throughout their migration.

This month, Warner Park Nature Center is placing tiny bracelets on a few of these birds to trace them.

“April is one in all my favourite months for bird banding,” mentioned Laura Cook, a bird analysis coordinator. “It’s as a result of we now have this mix of winter birds who got here down right here particularly to spend the winter right here, like a hermit thrush or the white-throated sparrow we noticed, after which we now have resident birds who spend the yr right here, just like the cardinal that we caught or the tufted titmouse, after which we now have birds which might be simply passing by means of just like the northern waterthrush.”

Last yr, they banded 114 birds of 28 species.

Each time a bird is caught, researchers write down details about the bird prefer it’s intercourse, age and species. They share this data with bird banders throughout North America.

When a banded bird is caught once more, researchers can decide how far it has traveled and it is age.

“If we catch it once more we are able to inform how outdated it’s, possibly that it is come again from South America to the identical spot or it is a year-round resident,” mentioned Sandy Bivens, a longtime bird bander.

While they’ll use new know-how like GPS tags, the researchers proceed to place distinctive aluminum bands on birds due to previous success.

In addition to instructing park guests in regards to the birds that fly by means of Warner Parks, researchers additionally inform their guests about methods to make their properties bird pleasant. Examples embrace placing decals on home windows to stop birds from flying into the glass, turning off inside lights at evening to assist birds safely migrate and protecting cats indoors.

When the Warner Park Bird Banding program began in 1982, it grew to become the primary M.A.P.S. or Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship station in Tennessee and one of many first within the southeastern United States. All their bird banders are federally licensed with the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory.

The subsequent “bird banding” at Warner Parks is Saturday, April 30 from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. throughout Spring Nature Fest.