Bird Banding Ruthven Park
Grade nine science classes traveled to beautiful Ruthven Park and bird banding lab. The visit consisted of two parts: learning about the clams and mussels that live in the Grand River and watching bird banding.
Some highlights were:
- Identifying some of the many species of clams and mussels that live in the Grand River, some of which are endangered.
- A hike where we watched staff carefully remove birds from nets so they could be banded
- A snake hibernaculum where snakes can hibernate over the winter in a safe place
- A butterfly garden where invasive plants are removed and replaced with indigenous plants to attract butterflies
- Watching the bird banders do their thing – weigh and measure the birds, check their age, sex and general health and then place a small band around the foot.
- Holding and releasing the birds.
Did you know…
- Not only do mussels provide food for raccoons, otters and other animals, they also filter bacteria out of the river.
- When snapping turtles get leeches on their bodies, they lay in the sun son that the leeches dry out and fall off.
- Banding birds helps researchers understand migration routes, where birds nest, the health of a bird population, climate change, and changes in bird behavior.