Family day at the Barr Lake bird banding station

A bird in the hand is worth far more than two in the bush. A bird in the hand can be identified, weighed and measured. That data can tell researchers a lot about the bird’s health and, if it is recaptured, about where it travels.

Join educators and researchers from the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory (RMBO) on Saturday, Oct. 10, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. to learn how and why we band birds. This is a chance for the whole family to see and touch birds that are caught harmlessly in mist nets and watch as scientific data is collected and tiny bands are placed on the birds’ legs. Along with that information, you can learn about the birds that are captured.

The banding station is just north of the Barr Lake Nature Center, on the trail that goes around the lake. Barr Lake is on one of the major migration pathways for birds, which means that researchers have the opportunity to collect data about many of the more than 350 species that used this pathway. This fall’s migration is coming to an end, so this Saturday will be a great opportunity to see the birds that travel through our community each year.

RMBO, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to conserve birds and their habitats, has operated a banding station at Barr Lake for 20 years, occasionally recapturing birds banded at the lake in years past. The information gathered tells scientists about the health of individual birds, bird populations and their movements.

The cost for attending is $5 per family, payable at the banding station. Each vehicle must also have either a $6 day pass, which can be purchased upon entry to the park, or an annual state park pass.

To register for a program or for more information, call Cassy Bohnet, RMBO education assistant, at 303-659-4348, ext. 15, or e-mail her at cassy.bohnet@rmbo.org.