Bird Research in Action: Bird Banding at Wellfleet Bay

What does it take to track a songbird's migration across thousands of miles? Find out at Wellfleet Bay's active bird banding station, where researchers have been capturing and releasing birds to study migration patterns since the sanctuary's earliest days.

Licensed Master Bander James Junda and the banding team will walk you through how mist nets are set, how birds are safely extracted and measured, and what the data collected tells us about how bird populations are changing over time. Data collected builds on a research legacy stretching back to Dr. Oliver Austin Jr.'s landmark work here from 1928 to 1958.

With luck, you'll get to see live birds up close and watch the banding process in action, though the welfare of the birds always comes first. The banding station is wheelchair accessible, and additional seating is available upon request.