[BIRDS CHIRPING]
[DUCKS QUACKING]
[BIRDS CHIRPING]
Today we're coming to you from a birding trip.
Hello, everyone.
Welcome back to US Fish and Wildlife Service's Conservation
Connect, where we learn about conservation careers, wildlife
species, and the kinds of technology that are
being used to protect wildlife.
I'm your host, Louie Ocaranza.
And today we have a special treat for you.
We'll be talking about birds-- more specifically,
North American migratory birds.
Did you hear that woodpecker?
Oh, wow!
That was so amazing.
So here with us to talk about birds and how we protect them,
we have Rachel Levin-- our Communications Coordinator
with the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
Hello, Rachel.
So what do you love about birds?
You know, Louie, birds are so colorful,
and as we just heard, they make amazing songs and sounds.
And birds are also useful to our lives-- they pollinate plants,
and they do a lot of other really great things.
So, Rachel, I heard that we're celebrating the centennial
of the Migratory Bird Treaty.
What does that mean, and why is it so important?
Well, Louie, a 100 years ago this year,
the US and Canada signed a treaty
where they agreed to protect birds.
And that was really the first time
that two countries recognized that birds needed their help.
So this year we're celebrating 100 years
of bird conservation and the fact
that we have so many birds today because of that treaty.
And I hear them all around us.
That's right.
And they are amazing, aren't they?
What are some cool facts that the general public or people
might not know about birds?
Well, Louie, one cool fact is that birds have hollow bones,
and that helps them fly.
And another cool fact is that there
are some birds that migrate thousands of miles--
all the way from the Arctic, all the way down
to the tip of South America.
That's so cool.
That's such a long way.
It sure is.
Rachel, what kind of technologies
are we using to study birds?
Well, Louie, we actually use airplanes.
And our pilot biologists fly over where the birds are
and they count them.
We also use really cool stuff like satellite telemetry--
and that gives us a picture of where birds are.
And we also track birds by banding them.
And in fact, I have a friend down the hill
who's doing some bird banding today.
So I'm going to go grab our Youth Host, Travis,
and we're going to go down the hill
to see if we can learn a thing or two.
Oh, that's great.
He'd be glad to see you.
Good morning, Bob.
Hello.
You must be Louie.
Hi, Bob.
It's good to meet you.
And this is my co-host, Travis Weller here.
Travis, good to meet you.
Welcome.
Good to meet you too.
So you seem to be pretty organized.
Are these your tools?
You need lots of equipment when you're banding birds.
And I've got just about everything I need out
for what we're doing today.
Here are the bands.
They come in a great variety of sizes,
depending upon the size of the bird, obviously.
So the bigger the bird, the bigger the band.
Well, specifically, the bigger the leg.
Oh, the leg.
Yeah.
There are some relatively small birds that have big legs.
There are some bigger birds that have smaller legs.
So what do you need these pliers for?
These are for opening-- see the little pins on top?
You put a band over that, open the band,
then put the band in this notched out front end,
and then you close the band over the leg of the bird with that.
So how often do you need to check these nets,
these miss nets?
Well, it's been about 20 minutes,
so it's probably time to go right now.
OK.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Oh, yeah, look!
Is that three of them?
Oh, sweet.
So what kind of birds are these?
This is a male cardinal.
This is the state bird of West Virginia.
[SQUAWKING]
Is this hurting the bird?
No, no.
That's how they talk.
See?
He got me.
Does that hurt?
It does a little bit.
Put this guy in a bag.
[SQUAWKING]
And close him.
You want me to carry that?
I'd be happy to let you carry that, Travis.
Thank you.
[SQUAWKING]
There.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
First, never forget to claim the bird.
Once again, control the leg.
You're not [INAUDIBLE] space putting a band on.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Roll it a little bit and squeeze it in.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
What can the folks back home do to help their local birds?
Well, it's always a good idea to feed them in the winter,
particularly, when food is a little more scarce.
Putting nest boxes out for those species that nest in cavities
is always a good idea-- and that way
you have more species around that you can learn to identify.
And every time you identify one that
makes your known list of birds a little bigger
and your unknown list a little smaller-- and that's progress.
Well, thank you, Bob, so much for being out here.
Thank you, Louie.
And Travis, thank you so much for helping as well.
Thank you, Travis.
And thank you for joining us.
And we'll see you next time on US Fish and Wildlife Service's
Conservation Connect.
[MUSIC PLAYING]