Five or six kids ran, laughing and smiling, along the perimeter fencing of the Juneau Community Garden before they came to a stop next to a small group of adults standing by a post where a large net abutted the fence perpendicularly.<\/p>\n
The net, about 8 feet tall and 30 feet long, looked like an oversized tennis net extending into the woods next to the garden. Only it wasn\u2019t for a game \u2014 it was for catching birds.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot yet,\u201d Gwen Baluss, a wildlife technician with the National Forest Service, told the crowd of excited onlookers as she walked toward the fence having just inspected the giant net. \u201cIt\u2019s kinda like fishing. You\u2019ve got to wait a few minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Baluss, a few other Forest Service employees and about a dozen other people gathered in the garden Saturday to catch birds and band them in celebration of International Migratory Bird Day.<\/p>\n
All told, Baluss and a small group of volunteers caught seven birds in their specialized mist nets, as they\u2019re actually called, and attached bands with a unique number series to their legs. These bands allow the Forest Service to study and track the migratory patterns of birds. The United States and Canada both track birds this way using a centralized database to determine where birds are going and how long they live, among other things.<\/p>\n
The group captured and released birds of five varieties, mostly different sparrows and warblers.<\/p>\n
Though seven birds is more than most people catch in a lifetime, let alone in a single morning, Baluss said that Saturday \u201cwas actually a pretty slow day\u201d as far as bird catching is concerned. Surprisingly, the good weather was to blame.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was too sunny today,\u201d Baluss explained to the same group of kids that had run to greet her earlier. \u201cThey were all active at five this morning. They\u2019re already in their nap time by late morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
Samuel Wharton, 10, and his cousin Mariah Butner, 12, were among that crowd, but they didn\u2019t seem bothered by the apparent lack of activity.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we caught the Lincoln\u2019s sparrow, it buried its head in her hands, and then it rocketed off,\u201d Wharton recalled, describing his favorite moment of the morning \u2014 when Baluss released one of the birds.<\/p>\n
Butner, too, enjoyed watching the birds fly free after being banded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the best part was letting the birds go again,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Wharton may some day fill Baluss\u2019 shoes. As young as he is, Wharton is able to identify more varieties of birds than most adults.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes I read through my Birds of Alaska field guide just for fun,\u201d he said after rattling off several birds he\u2019d like to catch. \u201cMy favorite bird is either the Magpie or the Willow Ptarmigan.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Tongass National Forest has participated in the annual celebration of migratory birds for more than 17 years. This year\u2019s event was sponsored by the Forest Service, the Juneau Audubon Society and the Juneau Community Garden.<\/p>\n
Contact reporter Sam DeGrave at 523-2279 or at sam.degrave@juneauempire.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"