Birds of a Feather Flock together

Have you ever heard the saying "Birds of a feather flock together" well in Alaska some flock together and some return to the same EXACT spot every year to lay eggs. God must have put BPS (Bird Positioning Systems) in them like people put in cars, except theirs don't get them lost.

Part of Keith's job in the summer this year has been bird banding. They put up bird nets out in the woods and catch birds. Then they measure them, weigh them, check out their feathers and then give them a bracelet or band tag with a number on them. This number helps them identify birds that return and see their migrating habits. If a bird is caught in a different state, they report the band number and all the measurements and they can see the progress of the bird. It really is cool. Keith said they were getting birds that have been banded previously in the SAME net that they were caught in. That means they return to the same location to nest every year. I think that is awesome!

I love bird banding! I got hooked on it on the coast of Kenya during a high school trip. Then when I returned to the States for college, I helped band ducks with Keith. I haven't got to go here but I plan to. The hard part is waking up before the sun comes up in Alaska in the summer.  The sun really doesn't go down here so they have to wake up REALLY EARLY to catch the darkest part of the day. Yes Keith would wake up at 3 am. But bird banding is another fun part of Keith's job. Here are some pictures of Keith banding with some of his co-workers.

Taking the birds out of the net. 

Can be a bit challenging with little feet and small net.

 They transport them to the cabin in these little cloth bags. Nice and cozy

 

 Karin and Amy taking mesurements

 

 

 This picture makes me want to yell "Bottoms Up!"

 But this is how they weigh the birds with out hurting them.... 

OK maybe it hurts their pride just a wee bit.

 Not sure what these glasses do but they look pretty ....um... cool. Actually they kind of look like those glasses that my mom had to wear after her surgery on her eyes. Those were not nearly as ..... cool... though!

This is the bands that they put on the birds with the number on it. 

Now the birds have their own bling bling.=)

 

 Here are some of the birds they caught. Keith is not here to tell me what these are called so I will not be telling you what their names are. If you want to know I can ask Keith later and post the real names but this is what I call them. This is one I call a LGB~Little Grey Bird

 The LYB~ Little Yellow bird

 BYB~Bright Yellow Bird

 I really like this one, so bright and colorful

 LBWB~ Little Black and White bird

 Keith was there to help and not just take pictures, here is the proof. =)