Workshop Schedule
Friday
Time
1.00 pm
Activity
Classroom: Welcome!
Session 1: Course overview and schedule for the weekend.
Session 2: An Introduction to the Vancouver Avian Research Center’s Bird Monitoring and Banding Program.
Session 3: Banding station management.
Written protocols, staff and volunteer management, operational management and procedures, data management and procedures, visitor and public outreach and education management, code of ethics.
Session review & answers.
Break (Introductions)
Session 4: Bird topography, anatomy and physiology – including exercises.
Session review & answers.
Bird Monitoring – Species identification – Topography photo review session.
Session 5: An introduction to ageing, sexing, and molt and plumage terminology.
6.30 pm End of day 1
Saturday
Time
Dawn – Mid-morning
Activity
Colony Farm Banding Station:
Banding station orientation, an introduction to mist nets and general mist-netting procedures. including opening and closing nets. Learning to safely handle birds and bird safety procedures.
Classroom (11.30 am approx.) – Molt refresher
Session 5: continued
Session review and answers
Lunch
Session 6: Ageing North American landbirds by molt limits and plumage criteria – including exercises
4.00 pm Session review and answers
Sunday
Time
Dawn – Mid-morning
Activity
Colony Farm Banding Station:
Field session, mist-net extraction (demonstration) and bird handling techniques, banding, ageing and sexing live birds, taking bio-metric measurements & data recording.
Classroom (11:30 am approx) Molt and ageing refresher and review
12:00 pm Study and lunch
1:00 pm Putting your knowledge to the test followed by review and course certificate presentation
2:30 pm Session 7: Birds and the environment – final session and wrap-up
4:00 pm Close