I had just experienced a moment of magic by releasing a bird that had just been banded at the local research station. A trip to the Wild Research facility at Iona Regional Park in Richmond had long been on my list of places to visit ever since I developed an interest in birds. When I saw the special event listing during Fall Migration that included a stop there, I signed up immediately for one of the coveted spots.
While Yellow Warblers are not the smallest birds in this area, these song birds are still pretty miraculous. Weighing around 10 grams (about 2 quarters), these brilliant yellow feathered wonders migrate each year down to South America for the winter. In preparation for their long journey, they stop to feed at wetlands where researchers have stations to band birds with a unique identification tag in order to track this bird on its travels.
The technicians showed us how mist nets were set up, then how they safely and gently remove each bird to avoid stress or injury. Physical examinations include measurements and checking other features to approximate
age, physical health, sex and whether it already has an ID band. If not, an appropriately sized ID ring is selected
and all the information is entered into a database that can be accessed by bird researchers around the world.
Recapturing a previously banded bird provides researchers with important information. They can find out whether it may have been banded at that station previously or by another along the migration flyway to

determine its flight path, timing and stops. Sometimes if rare birds are spotted in an area, they could have been blown off their path by a storm. With repeated tracking in an area, it could show that the bird’s range is shifting – possibly due to climate change, evolution of food sources or predation. Another piece of fascinating information is the longevity of these wild birds. The record for the longest living Yellow Warbler in North America is 11 years!1n Learning about the technical side of bird banding during the visit to the research facility was important and added to my appreciation for the researchers’ work. This long-term method of observing and studying birds without
interfering with their natural behavior provides conservationists and ornithologists with vital information to protect critical bird habitats and pass other conservation measures and knowledge so the magical experiences of birding will always be available to enjoy, for new and experienced birders alike.