As beautiful, colorful, and delicate as airborne jewels, songbirds are tough, too—many of the species that land in Maine over the spring and summer will fly thousands of miles to get to their winter destinations in Central and South America.
A group of bird lovers got a closer look at both the delicacy and the strength of songbirds during an Audubon bird-banding expedition on Colby’s Island Campus in Muscongus Bay earlier this summer. They carefully cradled the birds while an expert quickly wrapped an aluminum band around their legs so that the songbirds can be identified in the future.
The day was full of special moments, said Sara Morris, director of the Shoals Marine Laboratory and the incoming president of the American Ornithological Society, who helped lead the expedition.
“Some of my favorite things have to do with watching the faces of people when they hear a bird’s heartbeat,” she said. “You can literally see on their faces when they start to hear it, and then this utter amazement and joy when this is actually happening. There’s a moment of connection that is wonderful to see.”
