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Bird Banding Lab
Bird Banding Lab
Days of Operation
April 1 – May 31: Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays
June 1 – August 31: Thursdays and Saturdays
September 1 – October 31: Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays
Hours of Operation
Sunrise to Noon (Weather Permitting)
What We Do
The Ventana Wildlife Society bird banding lab (formerly Big Sur Ornithology Lab) has been studying bird populations since 1992 at Andrew Molera State Park. Riparian woodland along the Big Sur River in the park provides important breeding, wintering, and migration stopover habitat for a variety of birds.
On banding days, we open up to 21 mist nets (12 m long). Birds become entangled in the fine mesh if they fly into the net. We check the nets frequently, carefully remove the birds, and apply a small numbered metal leg band. The birds are then released unharmed back into the wild.
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By mist-netting and banding birds, Ventana Wildlife Society researchers are able to monitor long-term population changes, study seasonal movement patterns, and determine survival rates for different species. Data can help identify species at risk and factors that might influence survival at the park and elsewhere. For example, Warbling Vireo is a common summer resident throughout much of North America, yet recent data from our lab and other stations in California indicate steady local declines in capture rates over the last 20 years. Such changes have prompted researchers to consider possible reasons for the decline, including low productivity associated with cowbird parasitism, loss of riparian breeding habitat, or loss of wintering habitat in Central America. The more we understand about local bird populations, the better prepared we can be to preserve them.
Visitors
We welcome visitors to the lab during our regular hours of operation. You are welcome to watch the banding process and ask questions. Be sure and visit the Discovery Center while you are here (open Friday – Sunday, year-round, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM). If you are bringing a group (more than 8 people) for a banding demonstration, please call our Salinas office to make an appointment. There is a fee associated with group demonstrations.
Each year, we host summer camps and class field trips. Kids have the opportunity to enjoy a close look at a variety of colorful birds. They learn to appreciate how all the birds are special in some way. When we catch a Swainson’s Thrush, we tell them that this bird flew hundreds of miles to spend the summer here at the park. We can show on our map of recaptures that one of our banded thrushes was found in Chiapas, Mexico and one of our banded sparrows was found in Alaska! Many of these migrants, we tell them, can find their way back to the very same territory in the park every year.
Updates
You never know what birds we might catch. See the Lab Update for the latest news, information, and photos.