Bird Banding and the WBBA with Holly Garrod

Welcome to Episode 8 of the Birding Tools Podcast.

In this episode, I sit down with Holly Garrod, the President of the Western Bird Banding Association and Research Coordinator at the Costa Rica Bird Observatory, to talk about her work at the WBBA and CRBO, bird banding, and how you can get involved.

Holly’s knowledge about bird banding is extensive, and she gives great advice for birders new to the banding world or interested in learning more.

Follow Holly on Instagram at @orn.ecology or the WBBA at @wbba_birds on both Instagram and Twitter, or Facebook.

Oh, and I’d love to see you over at our Birding Tools Facebook Community! Connect with other birders and post your birding photos, wins, and questions – can’t wait to see you there.

Photo courtesy of Holly Garrod

Here’s how the episode goes

[3:10] Holly’s work as the Research Coordinator at the Costa Rica Bird Observatory and President of the WBBA doesn’t involve banding all day! It actually requires a lot of planning, logistics, writing, and coordinating the work that makes banding and research happen.

[8:30] Holly got started with banding at a young age, but what’s cool is that people spark an interest in birding in all sorts of ways!

[11:10] The Western Bird Banding Association is a great way to connect with other birders and get involved in the bird banding community. You can do this through workshops, webinars, conferences, and more.

[16:20] Bird banding is important for studying bird populations, and we get a lot of valuable information out of banding, including demography, habitat information, and more.

[19:10] When we talk about banding, we mean doing so in an ethical manner. What does that mean?

[22:40] To be qualified to band birds takes time and work, so connecting with the WBBA and other banders is a great start. Get involved by reaching out to the WBBA, research centers, universities, or observatories to see what other work you can help them with, especially if they aren’t taking new volunteers just yet.

[27:30] Join in on the conversation and learning with the WBBA by taking part in their webinar series, which are approximately every month. The topics always center around something pertaining to bird banding!

[30:00] Follow Holly and the WBBA on social media, and consider signing up as a member of the WBBA!

Click here to listen!

You can also read more about getting started on our birding endeavors on our Get Started page!

P.S., If you need a hand with bird ID, head over to download our free downloadable guide here!

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Links Mentioned in this Podcast

The links mentioned in this episode are specific to the Global Big Day and Global Birding Weekend, which are both worldwide events. If you aren’t finding the resources you need to participate in these events, please reach out!