Bird Banding project back at Ft. Morgan April 18-22

Bird Banding project back at Ft. Morgan April 18-22
Groups join to continue work of the late Bob Sargeant

Birmingham Audubon – in collaboration with the Alabama Department of Conservation & Natural Resources, Mississippi State University, Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism, the Alabama Historical Commission, and Mobile Bay Audubon Society – will be at Ft. Morgan for a new Coastal Alabama Bird Banding Project, beginning April 18 at 2 p.m. and continuing through April 22 at 11 a.m.
Reviving the popular public bird banding events originally championed by the late Bob Sargent and his wife, Martha, this project provides a scientifically invaluable look at spring migrants traveling through the Coastal Alabama section of the Mississippi Flyway—one of the four major routes North American birds travel on their way to and from their summer breeding grounds.
Throughout the week, the public will enjoy unparalleled access both to researchers and to the birds, with opportunities to discuss the science behind the surveys and the important conservation work happening on the Gulf Coast. They’ll also get up-close-and-personal looks at some amazing migratory birds. All ages are welcome to attend. (While the Coastal Alabama Bird Banding Project is free, there is an admission fee to enter the park.)
For more info, call 205-719-3678 or email info@birminghamaudubon.org
Pictured: Participating researchers (top) Eric Soehren, ecologist with the Alabama Department of Conservation & Natural Resources, and Dr. Scott Rush, assistant professor, Dept. of Wildlife, Fisheries & Aquaculture at Mississippi State. Soehren currently manages the Wehle Land Conservation Center, where he administers the Avian Conservation Center, which works to develop and coordinate bird research and monitoring programs. Rush received his Ph.D. from the University of Georgia in 2009. His graduate research focused on properties of northern Gulf tidal-marsh ecosystems, he and his graduate students currently work on developing novel approaches to understand landscape/trophic ecologies and wildlife populations.