While many people might recognize their voices, the health and habits of songbirds in western Montana remain largely unknown. Ornithology students at Salish Kootenai College helped shed light on the subject last week as they traveled to the MPG Ranch outside Florence to learn about tagging and tracking the region’s familiar feathered friends.

Using large nets stretched between bushes along the banks of the Bitterroot River, students watched researchers capture specimens to assess a variety of factors including age, weight and gender.

“We really don’t know all that much about these birds,” said Megan Fylling, of the University of Montana’s Bird Ecology Lab, which operates the banding station along with others in Rock Creek, Seeley Lake and Deer Lodge. “It’s our responsibility to see how well they’re doing.”

Holding the tiny birds between his index and pointer fingers in what he called “banders grip,” lab researcher Mike Krzywicki demonstrated how to measure age based on feather growth and skull shape. After inputting the information into a spreadsheet, Krzywicki attached a small aluminum band to the birds’ legs containing a unique identification code.

“It’s like a social security number for the birds,” he said.

While most birds remain calm, Krzywicki said he’s mindful of their stress levels during the handling process.

“As you can imagine it’s probably pretty scary to be held by a giant predator,” he said.

SKC student Payton Adams helped Krzywicki release a common yellowthroat that had been banded for the first time. Adams said the bird barely touched his hands before it flew away.

Despite encountering swarms of nagging mosquitoes, Adams said the field trip provided an opportunity to see how lessons from the classroom are applied in the field.

“It gave me a chance to see what I have to look forward to in a future career in wildlife,” he said.

SKC Wildlife Professor Janene Lichtenberg echoed this sentiment. She said the banding station is one of the few scientific research operations that offer educational tours to the public.

“I’m excited that students got to handle and release the birds,” Lichtenberg said, adding that the class got to study a few species they don’t typically see on their weekly outings in the Mission Valley.

In addition to its public education component, the banding station contributes findings to a national database operated through the Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survival, or MAPS, program.

Fylling said the project has revealed interesting trends in migration habits and survival rates. She said the Florence station tracked one bird that was born in the Bitterroot, migrated to Mexico and returned home to breed.

She said it’s part of a small but dedicated effort to monitor the animals.

“Song birds don’t have a lot of funding thrown their way,” she said.

While most research is focused on waterfowl and other game species, Fylling said song birds could serve as an important indicator for habitat health.

“I think there’s a lot to be said about how birds will be affected by climate change and other factors in the future,” she said.

For more information on visiting one of the four banding stations across western Montana contact the UM Bird Ecology Lab at (406) 243-2056.