Western Banders Association

Smith Brook banding – a visitor’s perspective - by Gaye Drady. 

Although bird-watching has been a favourite activity for many years, bird-banding was a totally new experience for me. I timed my visit from NSW to coincide with Lola’s participation in the November Smith Brook banding project, and together with other volunteers, we stayed at Warren Grange Farm Stay.

Group activity is usually a little daunting for me, but Lola assured me the banding group was made up of friendly, easy-going and down-to-earth people who would be happy to share their knowledge and make me feel welcome. She was certainly right, for I felt immediately comfortable.

The weather was extremely cooperative, putting on an unusual show of calm sunny days for the occasion.

Friday evening 31^st October 2008 

After a pleasant drive from Albany, Lola and I arrived at Warren Grange to find Alex and June already set up in their camper. Following introductions, and a brief chat, Lola and I enjoyed the bird activities in the shade of the garden, while Alex and June headed off to start setting up the nets.

Perry and Alma arrived, and then Jenny. They all set off to join in the erection of the nets. Bev arrived after dark. I was keen to catch up on sleep after my tiring flights from the Hunter Valley on the previous day, so Lola and I prepared our evening meal early, opting to miss out on joining the others for late drinks and nibblies in the garden. It wasn’t long before we were both snoring peacefully.

Saturday 1^st November 2008

We woke to a glorious morning, with a light fog hanging over the dams, and dew on the grass. Lola had warned me there would be no time for sleeping in, and after a sociable breakfast we headed down to the banding site. I was wishing I’d packed my beanie to keep the chill from my ears. 

Upon arrival at banding site “D” at Smith Brook, a male Golden Whistler was ready for processing.

The banding station was swiftly organised and it was discovered that the bags for holding birds had not been packed, and nor had the clothes-line for hanging the bags. It was all very refreshing for me to see that the most organised and practiced of people could still forget things; I would fit right in with this lot.

Bev trotted off to “PMG” banding site, hoping to find some spare bags, while the Whistler was processed and released.

There was too much going on for me to comprehend at this point; the data recorded, or how they were accomplished, but there would be plenty of opportunity throughout the day to observe in detail. I tagged along with Alex, and then June, in hope of seeing just how a bird was extracted from the net. There was a flurry of activity with a busy start to the trapping, and I soon realised this delicate process required a skilled pair of hands. Bev arrived with bird bags.

Obviously, it takes a trained eye to recognise fine threads of net caught in a bird’s plumage after a net has been cut from around a hopelessly entangled bird. I watched closely as Alex removed hidden threads from the neck of a bird, and could imagine the danger to the bird if this was not properly dealt with.

Expert fingers clamped the band around the delicate leg of the bird with purpose-made pliers, the head/beak measurement taken, followed by wing and tail measurements. I was intrigued with the method and reason the banders inspected the wing feathers of the trapped bird for stages of moult, and how they aged and sexed the birds, often referring to the tables and information in the “Banders Guide”. Browsing through the “Banders Guide”, I was amazed at the extensive records collated in a book that must form an invaluable aid to banders, both current and future.

Weighing of the bird appeared to be a tricky operation, with the tiniest of birds occasionally escaping this procedure, much to the frustration of the bander. However, a healthy sense of humour prevailed, and some amusing situations arose.

I soon discovered Alex was a story-teller. I am a listener, so I sat back and enjoyed his tales of adventure and mishap, told in his entertaining manner. Preoccupied chatting, Alex narrowly avoided wearing his breakfast as Bev snatched his plate of bread and marmalade from his chair just before his backside hit the seat. I have a sneaking suspicion comical situations might follow Alex around.

Lola recorded data as banders took measurements and ascertained the age and gender of birds. Often there were two banders firing figures simultaneously, so I can see that a high level of concentration and focus is necessary. The nets were checked every twenty minutes. I picked up bits and pieces of information from everyone throughout the banding sessions, gauging some idea of the degree of difficulty, and value, of the whole exercise.

With her expertise, Lola was also jotting down all bird calls heard at the banding site. The confidence she, and the rest of the group, identified unseen birds was most impressive. 

I wandered up to “PMG” site and was pleased to meet Lee. I accompanied her checking nets, and we chatted about native flora, which I found extremely interesting. I am trying to learn all I can about our native plants and introduced weeds, and then share my observations and new-found knowledge with others, via blogging on the internet.

An Elegant Parrot had been trapped at PMG earlier in the morning, a first for this project, so there was bound to have been much excitement regarding this trapping. The processing of a Dusky Woodswallow was particularly interesting for me, but I was disappointed I missed the Spotted Pardalotes as I had spent time observing the fascinating comings and goings of a breeding pair at home. Never having previously seen Tree Martins up close, I was surprised by the beauty of these sweet little birds being handled while I was present.

Alma was recording data from two banders simultaneously, and I noticed her method of starting both at the top and bottom of the page in order to handle the two lots of information at once. (I record retraps at the bottom and new birds at the top. This is easier for computer work. Alma)

Both Perry and Alma took time to answer my queries, for which I was most grateful. I was intrigued by the ingenious free-standing cardboard cylinder of Perry’s design for the weighing, which Jenny was performing. Three research scientists from Holland were also stationed at PMG, involved in a study of the life cycle of Red-winged Fairy Wrens. 

Back at station D, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to witness the processing of a Shining Bronze-cuckoo with its brilliant plumage, along with the dainty little Inland Thornbill and Western Gerygone.

A wary eye was kept on a couple of Kookaburras perched on power-lines. Apparently these birds, which I’ve learned are not native to Western Australia, are a threat to birds in the nets, making it necessary for banders to be especially vigilant.

The day heated up, and trappings became fewer.  An unproductive net at site D was moved, in the hope it would prove more suitably positioned.  During an inactive period I enjoyed chatting to Bev as we moved our chairs into the shade.  At pack-up time, I followed June and Alex to observe the method of closing the nets.

Saturday evening

What a rewarding and interesting day this had been for me! The dedication and expertise of this group of environmentally conscious people was inspiring, and heartening. They were gentle people, with a genuine willingness to share their knowledge.

And the day wasn’t over; a pleasant time was had in the garden sharing conversation as a few drinks were consumed with cheese, dips, fruit and biscuits. Perry conducted an informal, yet productive meeting, attending to necessary business. As the sun set, the evening chill had most heading for the warmth of indoors.

Following a meal enjoyed in a friendly community atmosphere at the dining table, Bev produced two photo CDs of her recent desert banding trip, which we all viewed on Lola’s laptop computer in the lounge room. The photography was Lee’s, and it was obvious to me that Lee has a wonderful eye for detail and composition, with her images highlighting the magnificent colours, shapes and textures of the landscape. Her style of photography appealed to me very much.

A comfy bed beckoned, and I slept like a log.

Sunday 2^nd November 2008 

Another early start; another enjoyable group breakfast; and another glorious sunny morning.

As banding operations got underway, I wandered off to observe the local flora. Later, I was pleased to accompany Bev on a short stroll chatting about nature.

Overall, New Holland Honeyeaters were the most prolific catch, at both sites, with 24 in total. PMG handled 14 species, including two Western Rosellas that I would have been pleased to see extracted from the net. I am well aware of the potential for these birds to draw blood of their handler.

At one stage, Alex had a raptor in a net, and what an experience it would have been to see this bird banded and processed, if only it hadn’t made a premature escape.

One of the aspects of the on-going banding exercise that particularly interested me was the retrapping, which ascertained the age of these birds. A White-browed Scrubwren and New Holland Honeyeater retrapped over the weekend were 10+ and 10 years of age, respectively. 

 I found these statistics remarkable. There was a retrapped Inland Thornbill 7+ years of age. In total, 21 retrapped birds were aged between 2 and 10+ years.  

My questions were received well by everyone, and I was very interested to hear of the value of the data obtained by these recaptures regarding the longevity and movements of the birds.

As the morning wore on, birds became fewer, and nets were packed up at about 11am. After a brief farewell back at Warren Grange, we all went our separate ways.

I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to observe, as a visitor, the procedure of banding, and to learn of some of the aspects of, and reasons for, the project. It was a pleasure to mingle with the banders and to view their methods of handling and processing the birds, along with watching the data being recorded. Thank you to Perry, Alma, Alex, June, Lola, Bev, Jenny and Lee.