A century of science packed into a single feather. Hannah + Cleo visit a 20-year-old banding station at Chatfield State Park, where four organizations, a lot of whisper nets, and one very informed bird bander are quietly building the data that keeps birds alive. From Hans Christian Mortensen's aluminum rings to hemisphere-spanning genomic maps, it turns out the oldest trick in ornithology is still the backbone of everything.

26:58 Bird Banding conversation starts

Sources

Bird Conservancy of the Rockies — Bird Banding: https://www.birdconservancy.org/what-we-do/education/bird-banding/

Denver Audubon — Bird Banding: https://www.denveraudubon.org/bird-banding

Audubon Rockies — Bird Banding Start to Finish: https://www.audubon.org/rockies/news/bird-banding-start-finish

USGS — Why We Band Birds: https://www.usgs.gov/labs/bird-banding-laboratory/science/why-we-band-birds

USGS — How to obtain a federal bird banding permit: https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/how-do-i-obtain-a-federal-bird-banding-permit

Bird Genoscape Project: https://www.birdgenoscape.org

Bird Genoscape Project - How To Make A Genoscape: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NmCI6z9vYM

Audubon Bird Migration Explorer: https://explorer.audubon.org

Motus Wildlife Tracking System: https://motus.org

U.S. Fish & Wildlife — Motus Stations: https://www.fws.gov/story/2023-05/motus-stations

NA Banding Network — Training resources: https://nabanding.net/passerines/training/

History of bird banding: https://www.raptorresource.org/2020/06/10/banding-birds-a-brief-history/

USGS Bird Banding Lab — Banding records: https://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/BBL/Bander_Portal/login/howmany.php

EURING Databank (Europe): https://euring.org/data-and-codes/euring-databank

SAFRING (Africa): https://safring.ringing.africa/

Flight Paths by Rebecca Heisman