A Bird in the Hand...

Though Schacher says he is grateful for all the volunteers who greet the dawn many days a year, he is especially thankful for Armstrong, head ornithologist at Knoxville Zoo, vice president of the Tennessee Ornithological Society and certified master bander. MAPS requires a master bander at each banding session and without Armstrong’s volunteering, the project could not be implemented.  

During each banding session, Armstrong spends most of his time gathering MAPS-specified facts about each bird, and then relaying those facts to a scribe. If the bird has never been banded, data like species name, age, body molt, body fat, wing size, sex, band number and more are recorded. Each bird’s band has a different number and the number system is universal, so if the bird has been previously banded Armstrong documents its number along with the other facts about it.

On July 27, 80 birds were handled. Fifteen were previously banded birds, two got away before banding and 63 were birds that hadn’t been handled before Sunday. There were 13 different species handled, including one surprising species — two Ruby-throated Hummingbirds found their way into the nets. The mesh nets used by Seven Islands are shaped specifically for catching songbirds like the Eastern Phoebe, Indigo Bunting, Northern Cardinal and Song Sparrow. If the group attempted to band owls or hummingbirds they would typically need larger or smaller mesh, respectively. For that reason, Armstrong was surprised to see the hummingbirds and had to go to his car and retrieve smaller bands for them.

“They’re just little guys. They’re so small, it’s really neat to see them,” Schacher says.

Most birds are fairly docile once captured, with the exception of everyone’s least favorite to handle — the Northern Cardinal.

“They’re the whiniest and they bite the most,” says volunteer Richard Secrist. “They’re beautiful birds, but when you have to handle them you get sort of a new appreciation for them.”

VVolunteers are carefully trained to free the birds from the nets and Schacher says it’s extremely rare for an injury to occur. If the bird shows any sign of stress, such as rapid blinking, it is immediately freed.

“The rule is: The birds come first,” Armstrong says. “If you’re uncomfortable, it’s best to just shut down.”