Duck Banding

This past month we've had the opportunity to volunteer with the PA Game Commission, helping them band ducks. One of our wonderful banding volunteers, Frank Frisina, invited us along and we jumped at the opportunity. Banding waterfowl is very different from banding songbirds, mostly because of the size difference, and the fact that these birds aren't trying to rip our fingers off (like Northern Cardinals) or trying to actively wrap themselves in as many layers of mist-net as birdly possible (House Wrens. We had one today that took Mattie about 20 minutes to untangle. They're only about 4.5in long, I don't understand how one tiny bird can get so wrapped up after being in a net for such a short period of time). It's been so much fun to work with birds that are relatively calm and easy to handle. And big!

 Amy, Lauren, and Mattie with Mallards. Frank is in the background.

Mattie with a Wood Duck

 Amy loving on a Wood Duck

Lauren with a Blue-winged Teal