It’s a little after 7am and Goth and The Muse are on their way to town for Goth’s bird banding class sponsored by our local Y. It’s being taught by Dr. Oakleigh Thorne, II founder and honorary president of Boulder’s Thorne Ecological Institute.
Bird ringing (also known as bird banding) is an tool for studying wild birds, their migration, longevity, mortality and populations. According to Wikipedia one bird, a Manx Shearwater ringed as an adult, breeding on Copeland Island, Northern Ireland, is currently (2003/2004) the oldest known wild bird in the world: ringed in July 1953, it was retrapped in July 2003, at least 55 years old.
Goth’s really loving this class and we are super lucky that Dr. Thorne’s daughter lives in our area and arranged for him to come here for the week. On the verge of sleep last night Goth told me that she is more excited about life than she has been in a long time..........
Thank you Dr. Thorne!
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