I just wrote an article about Prothonotary Warblers and the very next morning I was able to see one “in the hand!”

This warbler was captured in a net as part of a bird-banding program called MAPS. “MAPS” stands for Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship. This program is conducted between spring and fall migration and focuses on resident bird populations.

In this picture you can just see the band that was placed on his (her?) left(?) foot. This same bird was recaptured again later in the day! We were able to determine this by checking the unique band number against the records that we had been keeping. Bird banding requires detailed record keeping since the data collected is used for research by numerous individuals and institutions. Banders are a small and valuable group of dedicated people whose love of birds and nature inspires them to contribute their time and skills. Go Banders! I’m a dork, but I don’t care