In response to the remarks of Larry Kline:
I suggest that we not underestimate the role that banding operations play in
expanding the lay public's knowledge of what there is to be protected and how
dependent avian biodiversity is upon the decisions that we all make. The
experience has turned many of us into lifelong conservationists.
The statement that "most migration and nesting data is already known" reveals
basic ignorance of the nature of scientific research and of the state of avian
ecology in particular. The breeding biology of most passerines is poorly
known, with questions remaining on the basic factors that contribute to
reproductive success in most species and indeed to the methods by which those
factors can be identified. In most of this work banding plays a central role,
as even a cursory examination of the thesis research proposals of graduate
students in avian ecology will demonstrate. Our knowledge of avian migration
ecology is even poorer than our knowledge of breeding ecology. As a sampling,
this includes habitat and prey requirements, species interactions, the
influence of weather events and patterns, and the impact of human activities
along migratory corridors. All these topics are the subject of concentrated
research efforts by a large number of investigators with many of the most
important questions being framed in the past few years. A simple search of the
Biological Sciences database for the past few years will reveal several hundred
articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals whose methodology depends upon
banding studies. With regard to qualifications and attendant field protocols,
it should be recognized that banders are highly skilled, federally licensed by
the Dept. of the Interior, and are expected to handle birds with the bird's
welfare their first responsibility. Data are taken as quickly as possible and
the birds are released unharmed. I have seen many small passerines captured
repeatedly in the course breeding research and have confirmed time and again
that such birds experience no discernable physical or behavioral effects from
the handling nor any reduction in reproductive success.
Large-scale, constant-effort banding programs are indispensable in both the
field of avian ecology and the in critical effort by both private and public
organizations to channel limited conservation dollars to the right places.
Banding data can and does identify habitats which are important to the
reproduction and survival of particular species, and this data informs both
organizations and individuals who bear the responsibility of land use
decisions. Examples of nationwide, large-scale banding programs mounted to
address such questions are the MAPS and MOSI programs of the Institute for Bird
Populations and the banding programs conducted in association with the Landbird
Migration Monitoring Network of the Americas, an organization jointly sponsored
by both public and private entities, including the Cornell Laboratory of
Ornithology. Visit their websites at http://www.birdpop.org/ and at ;
http://www.klamathbird.org/lammna/ to learn a bit about their work. ;
Recoveries of banded migrants at distant locations is not needed to address
most of the questions referenced in the aforementioned body of research, and
hence focusing on it misses the point. By contrast, short-term recapture of
banded birds at migratory stopover sites is commonplace and is regularly used
to address questions about foraging behavior and the local conditions that may
contribute to migratory success.
The field of migratory stopover ecology is quite young and is only beginning to
receive the attention it deserves from the research and conservation
communities. I respectfully submit that one might stop to investigate before
carelessly passing judgment on the work of thousands of researchers,
conservationists, and dedicated volunteers.
Bob Reilly
