Banding Savannah Sparrow Nestlings - Michael Elza

MSc student, Mike Elza, poses with a 7-day old Savannah sparrow at Bowdoin Scientific Station on Kent Island, New Brunswick. Associate Professor Ryan Norris annually sends a research team out to Kent Island to continue this long-term study. This population of Savannah sparrows has been monitored since 1987, including tracking the number of breeding adults, banding all adult birds, and monitoring all nests on the study site. All nestlings born on the study site are banded, and a small blood sample is taken for assessing paternity (shown here).