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We are happy to announce that our bird banding training opportunities at the Un poco del Chocó Nature Reserve in the Ecuadorian montane rainforest are back with another bird banding workshop and our second NABC certification session in Ecuador!! Workshop April 26 - May 2, 2024 The objective of our 7-day intensive workshop is to hone banding skills, practice ageing and sexing techniques of wild birds in the hand, as well as their safe handling and extraction from mist nets. Lectures will focus on the ethics and safety of banding as well as on the analysis of molt cycles and patterns with the WRP system. Individuals who are new to bird banding will learn the basics of scientific bird banding and avian monitoring techniques, while those who already possess some banding skills will be able to advance their comprehension of molt strategies, ageing and sexing techniques of birds in the hand. Certification Session May 3 - 5, 2024 The NABC certification session is aimed at people who already have extensive experience in handling and identifying birds, setting up mist nets and operating a banding station, as well as additional knowledge of the protocols established by the NABC banding guidelines and manuals. Preference for certification will be given to Ecuadorian applicants. For more information on expectations and the certification process please read here and visit the NABC website. Workshop instructors are certified NABC trainers Holly Garrod (Birds Caribbean) and Nicole Büttner (Un poco del Chocó) Registration Workshop only: 1200 USD Intl. // 490 USD Ecuadorians* Certification only: 300 USD Workshop & Certification: 1500 USD // 790 USD Ecuadorians* * Scholarship Depending on the availability of funds we can offer a certain amount of spots at a reduced rate for Ecuadorian participants. Eligible applicants for the partial scholarship will be chosen in order of submission of applications and previous experience in banding. Extended registration deadline: April 15, 2024 For more information on expectations and the certification process, please contact raavecuador@gmail.com or visit https://www.unpocodelchoco.com/nabc-workshop ! Apply here!!

We are happy to announce that our bird banding training opportunities at the Un poco del Chocó Nature Reserve in the Ecuadorian montane rainforest are finally back with the 3rd workshop and our very first NABC certification session in Ecuador!! Workshop November 2 - 6, 2023 The objective of our 5-day intensive workshop is to hone banding skills, practice ageing and sexing techniques of wild birds in the hand, as well as their safe handling and extraction from mist nets. Lectures will focus on the ethics and safety of banding as well as on the analysis of molt cycles and patterns with the WRP system. Individuals who are new to bird banding will learn the basics of scientific bird banding and avian monitoring techniques, while those who already possess some banding skills will be able to advance their comprehension of molt strategies, ageing and sexing techniques of birds in the hand. Certification Session November 8 - 10, 2023 The NABC certification session is aimed at people who already have extensive experience in handling and identifying birds, setting up mist nets and operating a banding station, as well as additional knowledge of the protocols established by the NABC banding guidelines and manuals. Preference for certification will be given to Ecuadorian applicants. For more information on expectations and the certification process please read here and visit the NABC website. An optional birding trip on November 7 can be organized! Workshop instructors are certified NABC trainers Holly Garrod (Birds Caribbean) and Nicole Büttner (Un poco del Chocó) Registration Workshop only: 950 USD Intl. // 350 USD Ecuadorians* Certification only: 200 USD Workshop & Certification: 1150 USD // 550 USD Ecuadorians Registration deadline: September 28, 2023 Selected participants will be notified on October 2nd and must pay the registration fee no later than October 12th. For more information on expectations and the certification process, please contact raavecuador@gmail.com or visit https://www.unpocodelchoco.com/nabc-workshop ! Apply here!!

The Evergreen State College is offering a summer course in Field Ornithology in July-August 2023. Below is a general description of the course with links providing more information. This course would be suitable for people interested in learning common field methodologies used to study birds including bird banding, point-counts/transect-surveys, and bioacoustics monitoring. It is relatively easy to register for summer classes at Evergreen as a special student and transcripts/application fees are not required (here is a link with more information Summer Session | The Evergreen State College). General Course Description: Birds undertake a suite of distinct activities over the course of their annual life cycle, including breeding, molt, and migration. Understanding the varying strategies deployed by different bird species to complete these activities offers important conservation-related insights. Differences in strategies reveal the constraints they face in an environment changing with advancing climate disruption.  The variety of habitats in the Washington Cascade Mountains offers an opportunity to explore such strategies in depth through intensive field ornithology.  This class provides an opportunity to develop ornithological field skills while collecting data on variation in evolutionary strategies for breeding, molting and migration through the application of observational and hands-on ornithological techniques, including an intensive bird-netting and banding operation at a variety of elevations from riparian scrub to montane meadows. Link to full catalog description: Field Ornithology | The Evergreen State College Link to wordpress site with more detailed information: Field Ornithology . If you have questions, please feel free to contact the faculty (contact information below). Alison Styring, Ph.D. Member of the Faculty, Ornithology The Evergreen State College 2700 Evergreen Parkway NW Sem II, C4110 Olympia, WA 98505 (360) 867-6837 styringa@evergreen.edu

Hello, I am searching for willing banders to assist my graduate research on anthropogenic contamination in passerine communities. Any banding project is able to participate; actually, the more diverse amount of banding projects, the better. All that would be required is collecting feces off the specimens you are handling and storing them in a brown paper bag. After collection, the bags just need to be sent back to me. This is a low commitment participation… I will take whatever I can get! All banding projects will be acknowledged in my thesis and any following publications. If you are interested and would like some more information, please reach out to me at jme55571@huskies.bloomu.edu. Thank you!

Eagle Hill Institute’s 2022 Bird Banding Seminar Eagle Hill is right on the coast of Eastern Maine, between Acadia National Park and Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge. *Please note that proof of full COVID-19 vaccination (including booster) is required for acceptance into our seminars. August 21–27 — Bird Banding Songbirds and Raptors: Livetrapping, In-hand Aging and Sexing, and Data Collection — Adrienne Leppold and David Brinker For general information, the registration form, seminar flyers, and a complete calendar: https://eaglehill.us/programs/sems-weeklong/calendar-weeklong.shtml If you have any questions about the content of the seminar, please reach out to the seminar instructor(s), whose contact info can be found on the seminar flyer. If a seminar you are interested in is full, and you would like to be put on the waitlist, please fill out the application form. If you have any questions about registering for the seminar, please contact us at office@eaglehill.us.

Session 1: Feb. 28th - March 18th, 2022 NABC: March 19th-27th 2022 (Workshop 18-24th; Certification 25th-27th) Session 2: March 28th - May 5th) (Potential - depending on attendee sign-up) The Toucan Ridge Bird Observatory, located at the T.R.E.E.S Research Center in the Maya Mountains of Belize, currently has a few spaces left for our Spring 2022 Bird Banding Apprenticeship Program. During this Apprenticeship you will learn how to set-up mist-nets, extract passerine birds from mist-nets, learn proper bird banding techniques, learn how to I.D., age and sex resident birds as well as Neotropical migrants, learn proper data entry, and more. In addition to the field work the Apprenticeship comes with 2 lectures on bird banding methodology as well as a lecture on Ageing and Sexing and hours of training. The main banding instructor is a North American Banding Council certified Trainer with over 20 years of experience in the field. You will also have the opportunity to work with other experienced banders and other apprentices from around the world. Apprentices will also have the opportunity to learn additional avian monitoring techniques, as well as methodologies to study other wildlife species, including turtle radio-telemetry and bat mist-netting. Fees for the Apprenticeship: $379 US/week which includes all tutorship, access to all required equipment, all food (a combination of self-catering in communal kitchen with ingredients provided as well as prepared meals) and lodging at the research center in shared dormitory-style cabins with other same sex interns/apprentices/volunteers. Fees do not include airport transfer, flights, or travel medical insurance. Schedule: Banding runs every weekday Monday through Friday, from 5:30 am until 11:00 am. Apprentices are welcome to travel to visit other locations in Belize on weekends if they desire, however no refunds on food and lodging will be available if the apprentice decides to leave the station. Prior Experience: No prior banding experience required however experience handling wildlife and knowledge of bird biology and identification is an asset. However, experienced bird banders are also welcome and will be treated according to their experience level and are eligible for *discounted rates. The internship session will be followed by an NABC banding workshop and Certification session March 19th-27th 2022 (Workshop 18-24th; Certification 25th-27th). 25% discount for the workshop to attendees that have registered for the length of the internship. How to Apply: To register for our program please contact us at info@ecorana.ca and we will send you an application. For more information on our organization and facilities please visit our website: www.treesociety.org *To apply for discounted rates, please fill out an NABC certification application at http://www.nabanding.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Application-Assistant-and-Bander-200609102.pdf and send to info@ecorana.ca and we will determine if you are eligible.

The Institute for Bird Populations (IBP) and Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center are offering several bird banding workshops in Minnesota this summer. In cooperation with IBP, Wolf Ridge will be hosting a beginner class June 20-27 and an advanced class June 29 - July 3rd. This beautiful campus tucked into the boreal forest, along the western shore of Lake Superior, is the perfect place to catch amazing birds and concentrate on all your bird banding skills. These classes can accommodate many skill levels, from those who have never handled a bird to those with good experience that want to fill in their banding and molt limits and plumage knowledge gaps, all under the eye of an experienced IBP instructor. These classes cover: operation of mist-nets and safe extraction of birds; bird-handling skills; in-hand ageing and sexing techniques; scoring and recording data using MAPS protocol and forms; instruction on the use of the Wolfe-Ryder-Pyle ageing system; avian life histories, energetics, molts, and plumages; banding ethics, the permitting process; and the role of banding in research and monitoring. The instructor, Danielle Kaschube, is a North American Banding Council certified trainer and has been teaching banding classes for over 20 years. She is always patient, enthusiastic, fun, and thorough in sharing her knowledge about molt, plumages, and ageing with students of all experience levels. Please visit IBP's Bird Bander Training page for more information about the classes and for registration links: http://www.birdpop.org/pages/birdBandingClasses.php

Braddock Bay Bird Observatory has just had a cancellation in one of our spring Bander Training Classes: Session III: Sunday May 16 – Saturday May 22 The course is open to anyone interested in learning or perfecting banding skills from supportive, professional staff. Training will take place at the Kaiser-Manitou Beach Banding Station, located just northwest of Rochester, NY on the shore of Lake Ontario, during the peak of passerine migration when 100-300 bird days are not uncommon. Mornings will feature hands-on training in the field while afternoons will be devoted to lectures, demonstrations and in-depth instruction on various aspects of bird banding. General topics to be covered during each 7-day session include: netting and trapping techniques, removal of birds from mist nets, proper handling and processing of birds (including biometrics, ageing and sexing, molt terminology, skulling), use of the Pyle guide, permitting, relations with the public, and banders’ ethics. The class is suitable for beginning and novice banders, but because of the small class size we can tailor the experience to accommodate the needs of more experienced banders as well. The course has been approved by the North American Banding Council, uses training manuals produced by the NABC, and is taught by Andrea Patterson – an NABC-certified Trainer who has taught more than 175 students in small hands-on workshops at BBBO and in Belize. Participants will receive a certificate of participation from the NABC upon successful completion of the course. Both beginning and advanced banders will find the class a useful primer for eventual NABC certification. Course tuition is $600, which includes all materials. There is a $100 discount for students and early professionals (within 5 years of terminal degree) who are pursuing careers in avian ecology and who will be paying their own way. To encourage equity and inclusion in avian studies, we offer a limited number of full tuition waivers to students from groups under-represented in the field; for more information, contact Andrea Patterson. Our usual housing options are not available for this session, but reasonable AirBnB and camping options are nearby. Upon acceptance into the course, full payment is required to confirm the seat. To apply, fill out the online form. For additional information about the Banders’ Training Course please contact Andrea Patterson. COVID-19 Considerations The COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult to offer hands-on instruction in a safe way as it requires close contact, “over the shoulder” supervision, passing birds and tools back and forth, etc. Our spring 2021 classes will be modified in the following ways: (1) all instructors will be fully vaccinated (i.e. receiving a final dose at least two weeks before the start of class), (2) all students must be fully vaccinated, (3) class size will be limited to 4 students, (4) the BBBO field house will not be available, and (5) some lectures may be conducted virtually. We will offer exemptions to the vaccination requirement for medical reasons only. We realize that some people will not be able to attend under these conditions; we encourage you to consider our fall class.

Powdermill Avian Research Center (www.powdermillarc.org) is pleased to announce that it will be holding an “Ageing Birds via Molt Limits” VIRTUAL workshop June 11-13, 2021. The workshop will begin at 8:00am and end at roughly 4:00pm (eastern time zone) each day with a lunch break and several short get-up-and-stretch breaks. The workshop will be held via Zoom. Because this is a virtual workshop, there will not be a hands-on component, however we will have up-close instruction on ageing and sexing birds, and banding techniques, using high quality videos and photographs taken during normal banding operations. This will be complimented with presentations and discussions about banding methodology, molt terminology including discussion of molt cycles, using molt limits to age North American passerines, how to use the Pyle Guide, scientific use of banding data, and ethics and permitting. The focus of this workshop is to train participants to recognize molt limits and to age and sex North American passerines. The workshop’s intended audience is those use bird banding in their research, including bird banding professionals, graduate students, volunteers at banding stations, wildlife professionals, or ornithologists. The cost is $250 per person, or $150 for students who are paying their own registration fee or Latin Americans who are working in Latin America. The workshop will be taught by an NABC-certified Trainer and follow NABC principles, standards, and ethics. To express interest in one of these workshops, please fill out the following Google Form: http://goo.gl/forms/kaQiLhs1aZ Space in each of our workshops is limited, so please fill out the google form soon. In the coming weeks, our Banding Program Manager will contact those eligible for the workshop with an invitation to register along with additional instructions.

After years of successful NABC workshops in Belize, this spring banding workshop is back by popular demand at the TREES Field Station and Toucan Ridge Bird Observatory! Over the 5-day workshop, participants will learn the basics of bird banding from certified NABC trainers. Instruction will be primarily field-based in small groups (max. 4 per trainer), while classroom style discussions will review: the history of bird banding, bird banding techniques, Pyle, Bird Topography, Molt, and other pertinent topics. The workshop is tailored for participants with no experience to those with plenty. For those wishing to become certified (see www.nabanding.net for requirements) at the Assistant, Bander, or Trainer level, the session will take place immediately following the workshop. Workshop: April 4-8, Cert.: April 9-10, Workshop (5 days), 950 USD; Cert. (2 days), 400 USD; Both (7 days) 1350 USD. Course is hosted in an open-air facility with small groups (max. 4 per trainer) at T.R.E.E.S Research Center, Covid Safe Gold Standards Approved. For more information about the workshop contact us at registration@ecorana.ca

A new meeting has been added to the [url='http://ornithologyexchange.org/meetings/index.html?sort_col=field_153&sort_order=asc&per_page=15&filters[227][u]=1']Ornithology Meetings[/url] database. [b]{key}:[/b] The Western Bird Banding Association is holding its 2019 annual meeting in Brighton, Colorado September 19 - 22. The meeting is being hosted by Bird Conservancy of the Rockies and will be based out of Barr Lake State Park. This meeting will feature banding demonstrations, field trips, workshops, poster presentations, and scientific talks. Field trips include a visit to the bird collection at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, guided birding at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, a tour of the Audubon Center at Chatfield State Park, and an all-day exploration of the Pawnee National Grassland led by a local ornithologist who studies grassland birds. We will hold a banquet and silent auction, with a keynote talk by Dr. Lauryn Benedict of the University of Northern Colorado. All meals are included in registration, and discount rates are available to students. Room- and ride-share options are available. [b]{key}:[/b] http://www.westernbirdbanding.org/meeting_2019.html View full meeting