What is a Mist-netting Demonstration?

Mist-nets are soft fine nets used by scientists to safely capture and release songbirds for bird banding.  At PRBO's Visitor Center at the Palomarin Field Station, visitors and groups are encouraged to observe our biologists as they work.  Drop in visits are encouraged for groups of 7 or fewer.  Please check the schedule below.  Directions to Palomarin Field Station.

School and Community Group Field Trips
If you would like to schedule a school or community group tour at one of PRBO's Marin County sites to observe mist-netting and bird banding demonstrations please contact PRBO's Education Program at (707) 781-2555 ext. 302 or email Missy Wipf.

Banding Demonstration Schedule:

May 1- Thanksgiving: Tuesday – Sunday until about 12 noon.

Thanksgiving- April 30: Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday until about 12 noon.

Note:  The mist-nets are opened 15 min. after sunrise and remain open for 6 hours each day.  Come by early (between 8-11 am) for the best chance of seeing birds!  Nets are not open on rainy or windy days.  Call our hotline (415) 868-0655 ext. 395 to check conditions.

Commonly asked questions and answers about mist-netting:

1. Do the bands hurt the birds? No, the band fits around their leg, loose like a bracelet, not as tight as a watch.
2. Does the band impede their flying?  No, studies on captive birds have shown no effect.  The bands are made of aluminum, (the same material soda cans are made from) and they are very light.
3. The birds seem so calm as  you are holding them, why is that?  The biologists hold the birds in what is called the "bander's grip".  The bird's wings are pressed against the banders' hand and their fingers rest gently on the bird' shoulders.  In this position, they can not struggle and are gently held for the short minutes it takes us to place a band on their leg before releasing them.
4. Do you ever catch the same bird twice, or twice in one day?  Yes, about 30% of the birds we catch are re-captured.  It is really our hope to re-capture birds.  That way we can learn things such as how long birds live (survivorship) and how birds change in appearance as they age.  When we re-capture migratory birds from season to season we learn that the individual survived the winter and migration to and from it's wintering ground in central America.   We occasionally catch the same bird multiple times in one day.  This is more common during the breeding season when birds are very busy defending territories, feeding young, and tending nests. 
5. If you catch a bird again, do you just let it go or do you still band it?  If we catch a bird that already has a band, we still collect all the data from it, especially the band number, because this can teach us about how the bird has changed since we last captured it. 
6. Why are you banding birds here?  We have been banding birds at the Palomarin Field Station since 1965.  Because we have been studying birds at Palomarin since 1965 we now have the longest continuous data set on songbirds west of the Mississippi.  Long term studies allow us to track changes in bird populations and relate them to factors such as weather, restoration, and habitat change.  From our data, we can draw conclusions about how best to manage habitat to maintain healthy bird populations.
7. What are the most commonly caught birds in your nets

   Commonly caught species in mist nets at PRBO's Palomarin Field Station:
   Year Round American Robin Anna's Hummingbird Bewicks Wren Black Phoebe Brown Creeper Bushtit California Towhee Chestnut-backed Chickadee Downy Woodpecker Golden-crowned Kinglet Hairy Woodpecker House Finch Nuttall's White-crowned Sparrow Oregon Junco Purple Finch Red-shafted Flicker Scrub Jay Song Sparrow Spotted Towhee Stellers Jay Winter Wren Wrentit Winter Fox Sparrow Golden-crowned Sparrow Hermit Thrush Pugent-sound White-crowned Sparrow Ruby-crowned Kinglet Townsend's Warbler Varied Thrush	Spring /Summer Allen's Hummingbird American Goldfinch Barn Swallow Black-headed Grosbeak Hutton's Vireo Olive-sided Flycatcher Orange-crowned Warbler Pacific Slope Flycatcher Red-breasted Sapsucker Rufous Hummingbird Swainson's Thrush Tree Swallow Warbling Vireo Wilson's Warbler Yellow Warbler	Fall Allen's Hummingbird American Goldfinch Barn Swallow Black-headed Grosbeak Common Yellowthroat Hermit Thrush Hutton's Vireo Lincoln Sparrow Mac Gillivray's Warbler Olive-sided Flycatcher Orange-crowned Warbler Pacific-slope Flycatcher Pine Siskin Puget Sound White-crowned Sparrow Rufous Hummingbird Sharp-shinned Hawk Swainson's Thrush Townsend's Warbler Tree Swallow Warbling Vireo Western Flycatcher Western Wood-pewee Wilson's Warbler Yellow Warbler