Banding...So Cool!

After we finished the Hawk Talk, we were to witness a banding demonstration.

What is banding? At the GGRO (Golden Gate Raptor Observatory), specially trained volunteers  trap, band (put a band on it's leg), measure and release raptors to continue their journey. The whole process take around 20 minutes. Banded raptors subsequently encountered by humans are hopefully reported to the US Bird Banding Laboratory by the finder. Then GGRO receives a report of where the bird was found and what the circumstances were. Banding recoveries help them answer questions about raptor populations, migration, health and growth.

It's interesting how they catch these wild birds. They set out a thin invisible-like net and the birds just fly right into it. Apparently it also doesn't harm them too much.

At this banding demo, they caught a Cooper's Hawk.

It's a juvenile female which had been already banded. (Apparently juvenile hawks are not very smart thus they're survival rate is 50/50.) Since this one was banded before, we weren't able to see one actually get 'banded' and measured.

Cooper's Hawk has rounded tips of it's feathers on its tail.

The hawk's arm is really from her shoulder to where the striping starts on her wing top. It's a very small bone. the rest of her wing are feathers! What a huge wingspan for such a little bird!! Check out those eyes,  talons, and beak... sharp as razors!

She didn't take too kindly to the docent's spreading of her tail feathers. She was squeeking!

 Ready to be released back to the wild blue yonder!

What a gorgeous creature!

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