Upcoming trip: Visit to bird banding station

Second-year female Bullock's Oriole. Photo by Libby Megna.

This Sunday, July 23, we will head out to the MAPS banding station at Fred Lindsey's place near Centennial. This banding station is run by Audubon Rockies, and is part of the North American Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survival banding network. The goal of this banding program is to monitor demographics--survival and reproduction--of breeding birds. We will learn about how birds are banded, what we can learn from banded birds, and how we are able to determine the age of birds by looking at details of their plumage. Families and kids are welcome!

The banding station is on private property that is the best place for Northern Waterthrushes and Gray Catbirds in the county. This is a good opportunity to see and learn about bird banding as well as visit a great place. Meet Lindsey Sanders at Coal Creek Coffee downtown at 8 am to caffeinate and carpool. This is a nice chance for kids to get up close and personal with birds, but be aware that both the grass pollen and mosquitoes can be intense at this location, although usually aren't too bad at the banding station itself. Feel free to hang out at the banding station, but if you want to walk the net lanes you will be traipsing through standing water. Be prepared with mosquito repellant and appropriate clothes (long sleeves recommended), antihistamines, and boots or shoes that you don't mind getting wet.