Due to my first month banding birds at Bandelier, I explored the species list for this season and identified some curiosities. The first thing is that through Jun 25, 2022, we have banded a total of 33 species. These birds are mainly associated with coniferous forests with clearings and shrubby areas; such conditions are present in our four banding stations.

The best-represented family in the banding sessions is Picidae, with five species. Members of this family are known as woodpeckers, e.g., a Downy Woodpecker in the first photo.

In the second position are the families Passerellidae, Parulidae, and Tyrannidae, each with four recorded species. The Passerellidae members have conical bills and include genera such as Junco, Spizella, Pipilo, and Melozone. In Parulidae are the warblers, small and generally migratory birds. Finally, Tyrannidae members are insectivorous birds commonly known as flycatchers. An example of each family is in the surrounding pictures.

                                    Orange-crowned Warbler (Parulidae)

Continuing with my exploration, most of our captures correspond to summer visitors. These birds use certain territories for breeding from late spring to summer. An example is Virginia’s Earbler (following picture), which breeds in the United States and travels to Mexico to spend the winter.

Secondly, there are the resident birds, that is, birds that we can see year-round in a particular place. One such example is Pygmy Nuthatch (photo below).

The last data highlight is that no birds have been injured. Banding is an activity that requires solid ethics and previous training. For us, as banders, the main thing is the welfare of the birds!

Thanks for reading this post!