Research · MAPS Bird Banding
Birds in the hand
Since 2020, HBS and the Blue Ridge Bird Observatory have run a MAPS station on our 23-acre campus, part of a continent-wide effort to track the health of North America’s birds.
Since 2020May – AugustAbout every 10 days
Made possible in part through funding from the Highlands Biological Foundation.
How it works
Monitoring Avian Productivity & Survivorship
During each session, banders record every bird’s details, then release it with a uniquely numbered USGS aluminum band.
01
Age & sex
02
Feather condition
03
Wing measurements
04
Signs of disease or injury
Visit
Watch a session
Visitors exploring the Botanical Gardens during morning banding sessions are welcome to watch. Check the banding calendar before you come.
- Season
- May – August
- Cadence
- About every 10 days
- Partner
- Blue Ridge Bird Observatory
- Visitors
- Welcome, mornings
Banding season
May – August
About every 10 days
Data
Results & data
Annual summaries are shared publicly; the full dataset is available on request.
Support
Keep the nets open
Funding from the Highlands Biological Foundation supports the project, and contributions are welcome.