After
14 years of banding, it was decided that those involved should
become part of an organized effort. Therefore, The Hummer/Bird
Banding Research Collaborative (HBRC) was initiated by founder T.
K. Tolford in July of 2007.
Since
1993, over 10,000 birds representing 136 species have been banded by
HBRC banders.
More projects have been added and
more useful data is currently being researched through bird
banding. Our methods adhere to strict guidelines set forth by the Bird
Banding Laboratory, the USGS Biological Resources
Division, the North American Bird Banding Council and fellow
banders. HBRC Banders are authorized to band neotropical
migrants and other birds in accordance with defined research
programs.
While non-profit status is being
applied for, the
Hummer/Bird Banding Research Collaborative is sponsored by Audubon
Miami Valley which is a [IRS 501(c)3] non-profit organization
based in Oxford, Ohio.
HBRC
is dedicated to the study and
preservation of all federally protected birds. The research programs
we are connected with through the Hummer/Bird Study
Group, the
Ohio Bird Banding Association, Black
Swamp Bird Observatory, Avian Research Education Institute, to name a few, have been ongoing since 1987.
Over 1 million songbirds are banded annually in the U.S. and over 100,000 hummingbirds have been banded
in the U.S. in the past 20 years, approximately
two-thirds of all hummingbirds that have been banded in the U.S.
and Canada were banded by those trained through Bob Sargents
Hummer/Bird Study Group.
HBRC research will include a
variety of studies for birds and Hummingbirds. Songbird
studies will include Spring Migration, Fall Migration and M.A.P.S.
(Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship). The two areas in which
HBRC will focus its efforts in relation to Hummingbirds will be migration patterns of the Ruby-throated
Hummingbird, and documentation, identification, timeline and
migration routes of Western Hummingbirds which, we have recently
discovered, pass through Ohio and the Eastern U.S. during Winter.
Additional
banding research projects HBRC banders are
currently involved in include the following:
-
Bluebird Nestling Study
-
Kestrel Nestling Study
-
Screech Owl Nestling Study
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Saw Whet Owl Study
-
Purple Martin Study
-
Cincinnati Zoo International Migratory Bird Day banding
demonstrations for school students. Annually in May.
-
Various educational banding demonstrations for youth, adults and
families.
-
Training opportunities for banders
Learn more about HBRC founder,
T. K. Tolford.