| WILD BIRD |

WBRG stands for Wild Bird Research Group, Inc. and they are locally based in Pennington, NJ and also in Asheville, North Carolina. Each weekend from Spring through Summer they conduct research on migrating, and local resident songbirds as part of the MAPS program. The Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship program is a continent-wide collaborative effort among public agencies, non-governmental groups, and individuals to assist the conservation of birds and their habitats through bird banding. It is conducted through the IBP (Institute for Bird Populations). In the Fall, their efforts move over to owls.

Around 2021, I started volunteering with this group. A role that involves early mornings in the Spring and Summer, and late evening in the Fall. I live in Mercer County and therefore work with the organization locally in my town. The experience has made me think a little more about the link behind biodiversity and habitat. It has been an exceptional organization to be a part of. We gather data on the birds and place bands on their right leg. They are released right away, after maybe a photo or two or three.

After some of my banding sessions with the group, I will blog about the times we spent in the field, and the birds we encountered. In the off season, I log the data from hard copy onto Excel and I am also a part of the Social Outreach Committee for the organization. My husband Mark is also an active member of the organization since 2020, and currently serves as the board President and as a member of the Executive Committee and Fundraising & Membership Committee.

If you would like to read what it is like out in the field, click on the drop down arrow next to “WILD BIRD” to read my past chronicles.