NABC-endorsed Beginner's Bander Training Course on Cape Cod

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. 

To register for the workshop, email Sue  suefinnegan@comcast.net  for a registration form or questions.