Bird Bander Jobs are Scarce and Seasonal, but Interesting for Nature Lovers

If you like to work outside, Bird Banding might be a great profession to get into, as bird banders work outside the majority of the time. The only downside to this interesting profession is that it's usually seasonal. Depending on the bird species, you might work anywhere from 3 to 7 months per year.

Bird banding is a relatively simple process, although there are several steps involved. First, the birds are caught, usually by nets, placed in a holding bag, and brought to a banding station located nearby. Then the birds' legs are measured with a gauge in order to make sure the proper size band is used. The bands are pre-tagged with a number already, so this number is recorded, and the band is then placed on the bird's lower leg. The bands are lightweight and non-invasive. As long as the bands are the proper size, they cause no harm to the birds.

Before letting the bird go, it's given a quick check-up. Its body fat is recorded, along with its total body weight, wing length, and general condition. The bird's age is determined by a process called 'skulling', in which the bander checks to see how much of the skull has formed. In young birds, the top of the skull hasn't fully developed yet, and only older birds have full closure on the tops of their skulls.

Once these procedures have been performed, the bird is then released. Later on, if the bird is ever caught again, or if it's found dead, the tag info can be entered into a database and the bird's flight and migratory patterns can be determined. Bird banding is also done in order to find out such things as how long certain species of birds live and whether or not they return to the same place.

Birds have been banded for a number of years, hundreds in fact. The first recording of a bird banding was in 1595. Henry IV banded peregrine falcons that lived on his estate. Once, one of them disappeared and was found the very next day in Malta, 1350 miles away! Calculations indicated the bird had flown 56 miles per hour on average.

Duke Ferdinand banded a gray heron around the year 1669. In the year 1728, nearly 60 years later, the Duke's grandson found the heron and removed the band.

James Audubon, the famous American naturalist, banded a brood of Phoebes in 1803 in order to figure out if they were the same ones who returned year after year to their neighborhood in Philadelphia. He was able to determine that some of them did indeed, return to the same place.

Nowadays, only a few select individuals are allowed to band birds. You must have a U. S. permit in order to do so. Currently, there are only 2000 master bird banders in the United States and 2000 sub-banders. In order to become a master bander, you must have the proper education and experience in handling and banding birds. If you enjoy nature and love birds, however, it's a great job if you can handle the fact that it's seasonal work.

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