On Saturday we visited the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for their Migration Celebration. It was an opportunity to see the many kinds of work they do at the lab: raptors, bird banding, nest and birdwatching walks, audio and video archiving, crafts and face-painting and ice cream. (Okay those last three aren’t especially bird-related…)

A highlight for my daughters was the bird banding demo. They got to see the mist nets used to catch birds because there were some set up near the feeders. We saw them band a goldfinch, two downy woodpeckers, a mourning dove, and a chickadee.

I have mixed feelings about bird banding. I’m sure it yields interesting information. But is it interesting enough to make the birds wear those bracelets forever on their delicate legs? I never really thought about it till I read David Kline’s Great Possessions. He quotes Gene Hill:

I have nothing against scientific observation, census, or just plain curiosity. I am as interested as the next ignoramus about the curious life cycle of the migrating butterfly or the whereabouts of the black-footed ferrets, but I think there are some technological gadgets that we could resist in the name of decency, even if life is a little more incomplete without them.

I’m alone in my ambivalence, however. My whole family LOVED the banding. (My husband even wants to learn how to become licensed as a bird bander.) And there was certainly great emphasis on reducing the stress of the whole experience as much as possible for the captured birds. Both girls got to release a banded bird, which, from the looks on their faces, was an incomparable experience.

We went on a walk with an ornithologist who brought recordings of birds — chickadees and titmice sounding the alarm over a screech owl — to lure the birds in close. I’ve always been hesitant about such walks because I thought the birds would stay hidden from a group of people making noise, but we saw several birds — yellow warblers, common yellowthroats, chickadees, titmice, woodpeckers, grackels. We also saw (and heard) a bird that I’ve heard of but never seen: a blue-winged warbler.

It was an impressive showing, especially given that it was high noon! I learned to distinguish the calls of the blue-wing and the yellowthroat, so on the whole it was quite educational.

Out back were a number of raptors on display. It’s always a thrill to see one up close, and to glean tidbits from their handlers.

We had a gorgeous sunny day for the event and found it all very stimulating, but the eagle owl reminded us that he was out past bedtime!