I am very please to announce that the Wing Island Bird Banding Station at the
Cape Cod Museum of Natural History in Brewster, MA will hold a beginner’s
Bander Training course in the spring of 2016.
This course is endorsed by the
North American Banding Council (NABC) and is taught by two NABC-Certified
Trainers, Sue Finnegan, manager of the banding station, and Anthony Hill. This
course (no prior or minimal amount of banding experience) is an intensive 5-day
course designed for people interested in assisting at a banding station or
students interested in obtaining skills that will enable them to participate in
ornithological research studies. Topics will cover history of bird banding,
ethics, mist netting with specific emphasis on bird extraction and species
identification, handling and processing captured birds, and data collection.
Students will engage in both field experience and classes. A quiz and exam will
be given, as well as field evaluation. Slots will be limited to 6 people.
Students will be expected to arrive at the
banding lab by 5:30 am each morning. Fieldwork will carry on for the morning, with a
lunch break and classes in the afternoons. We will break for dinner in late
afternoon. Homework will be given. A list of previously captured birds from
Wing Island will be sent to you after registration. Students should come with
appropriate clothing for fieldwork along with rubber boots, as some of our nets
are in wet areas. Ticks, mosquitoes, and poison ivy may be encountered.
Date: Sunday May 15, 2016 at 5:00 pm to May 20,
2016 at 5:00 pm (or earlier). A dinner will be provided Sunday night. Meals will be on your
own for the rest of the week.
Cost: $525.00 which includes shared housing and course materials or $400.00 for those not requiring housing. This price also includes the $25.00
non-refundable deposit required to hold your slot, which will be returned if
the class is cancelled for any reason including inclement weather. Students
attending college will receive a $50.00 discount. Snacks and water will also be provided.
A certificate of participation will be awarded to those successfully completing this introductory course. This may enable you to serve as assistants at a banding station, but additional practice will be necessary for unsupervised work and this course will not earn you a permit to band birds.
