MoMs - Day 1

MoMs (Molt Over Migration Stopover Ecology Project) began this morning with Peter Pyle (co-author and field director) and 5 enthusiastic and experienced bird conservationists assisting with setting up mist nets and banding birds. Arriving mid-morning, Tony and I approached the main station set up for weighing, banding and noting feather molt, etc. of the birds to hear that all was going well. "20 birds", Peter exclaimed, "We had only expected 6 or 7!" For all of you just tuning in, please refer to my post on July 1 for a summary of the project. In short, this study is aimed at finding out what a molting migrating bird requires for habitat (food, shelter, etc.) in order to ensure he/she arrives at their winter home base healthy to start the cycle of migration and reproduction for next season. Molt demands a great deal of energy second only to reproduction. Since very little has been documented about these habitat requirements, we are thrilled to be helping in the process of discovering what's needed. A 3 to 4 person team will return to the ranch for a total of 12 or 13 more times to band and document their findings. Please stay tuned!