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Keeping Abreast of Birds
Written By: Winter Gary | Issue: 2020/08 – August
Though it’s been an unconventional summer here in Highlands, the Highlands Biological Foundation continues its dedication to research here on the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau.
The foundation annually supports research at the Highlands Biological Station, and over the past 10 years, has awarded over $300,000 in scholarships and grants to visiting researchers who have come to Highlands to study various aspects of our ecologically significant region. Most recently, the Foundation financed HBS’s newest research endeavor as it became home to a new bird banding station for the Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship program — an initiative that began just over 30 years ago to assess trends in avian demographics in a wide range of habitats in North America.
HBS’s bird banding efforts are being led by the non-profit organization Southern Appalachian Raptor Research, which has successfully operated several banding stations at other locations in Western North Carolina as part of the MAPS program.
The bird banding will take place at the station every 10 days or so between May and August over the next several years. Biological data such as age, sex, feather condition, wing measurements, and any signs of disease or injury will be collected from birds, and each bird will be fitted with a US Geological Survey-issued aluminum band featuring a unique ID number that can be used to identify that individual. MAPS banding stations allow researchers to better understand the underlying causes of bird population trends while also serving as an educational opportunity for bird ecology
and conservation.
If you come for a morning stroll through the Botanical Garden and notice staff working at the bird banding table on campus, you are welcome to stop by and observe their work. This is an excellent opportunity to engage in real and relevant science in our community.
This project is made possible thanks to the knowledge and experience of SARR’s staff, facilitation by HBS Associate Director Jason Love, and funding provided by the Highlands Biological Foundation. HBS is a multi-center campus of Western Carolina University. For more information about this research, visit SARR’s website at bigbaldbanding.org or call the Station at (828) 787-2820.
