Purple Martin banding HD video

On Friday, July 8, Connecticut Audubon Society visited Gazebo Phil with the now consolidated Connecticut Department of Energy and Environment to band all of his Purple Martin chicks. We knew this would be a monumental task given that nearly every gourd of the two large trees was full of young birds. However, this DEEP group is very efficient at what they do, creating a fast-moving production line to remove birds, band them, age them, weigh them, and record all of this data. We ended up banding 185 chicks in a little over three hours. You can see the entire operation in the HD video below.





Banding Purple Martin chicks from Connecticut Audubon Society on Vimeo.

In the video, you will note that two bands were put on each Purple Martin chick, one on each leg. The silver band is the standard federal United States Fish & Wildlife Service band placed on any banded bird with a unique number. The other band is a special Connecticut one. The red color is unique to this colony, and each has a unique number, too. CAS Conservation Biologist Dr. Twan Leenders also explains this in the video with one of the newly-banded chicks. The video also shows us removing the cam gourd chicks from their special home. All five look to be doing well right now.

We will soon post another entry with still photos from the effort along with more information on the Purple Martins banded in Connecticut in 2011 and how to report a sighting of one.


Scott Kruitbosch
Conservation Technician

Video © Scott Kruitbosch