Bird Ringing Forever is a not-for-profit course or workshop that is managed by two Peruvian-based research and conservation groups, Asociacion Fauna Forever (est. 1996) and the Center for Ornithology and Biodiversity (CORBIDI, est. 2006) and has the support of the North American Banding Council (NABC). The course was established to help train the next generation of Neotropical bird specialists in mist-netting, bird handling, bird ringing/banding, and bird identification and ageing skills.

Our experienced international team of professional Neotropical field ornithologists and certified ringers/banders will impart a plethora of skills and knowledge that will prove invaluable to those people eager to take on the challenges of working with birds and their conservation in the tropics.

Each course is open to participants of all levels, from beginners to the more experienced. Other than learning directly from the experts, the course also offers its participants the opportunity to partake in much needed data collection as part of wider population monitoring studies of both resident and migratory birds species in Tambopata underway by Asociacion Fauna Forever and CORBIDI since 1997.

In 2011, the courses will be held at both the Explorer's Inn and the Sachavacayoc Centre, ecotourist lodges and research stations and acknowledged birding paradises located within the Tambopata National Reserve – an important protected area in south-eastern Peru and recognised as one of the most biologically diverse areas in Amazonia. The Explorer’s Inn (est. 1975) is one of the birthplaces of ornithological science in the Neotropics with bird studies having begun here in 1976 by the birding behemoths John O’Neil, Robert Ridgely and the late Theodore Parker III. The Sachavacayoc Centre (est. 1994) is an important environmental education facility with good research infrastructure. Originally built by Newton College, a Lima-based secondary school, it has good quality lowland rainforest interspersed with patches of thick bamboo (Guadua sp.) and plenty of stream- and lake-side ecotones. With the largest parrot and macaw clay-licks (collpas) in the world, Tambopata is also well known amongst birders as “the” place to observe these colourful and noisy birds.

Theoretical and practical field classes will cover all the vital knowledge and skills areas required for participants to master the art of mist-netting, bird ringing and ageing in such a challenging environment as a rainforest. The major themes and “must have” skills taught on the course include: Choosing the right mist-net for the bird community and habitats of interest; techniques for the deployment of mist nets in a variety of forest micro-habitats; the efficient extraction and rapid “in-the-hand” processing and ringing techniques that reduce bird stress levels to a minimum; tips and tricks for Neotropical species bird identification using recommended field guide books and other information sources; ageing of birds using molt cycles based on the work by Wolfe et al. (2010); data recording and analysis; identifying the age, sex and moult pattern of birds; safe release techniques; and general care of mist nets and ringing equipment. Obviously practise makes perfect, so participants should come prepared to do a lot of intensive mist-netting with pre-dawn wake-up times.

Nevertheless, there will be some free time for participants and instructors alike to get better acquainted with the multitude of forest, swamp and lakeside habitats around the Explorer’s Inn and Sachavacayoc Centre and in order to dedicate some quality time for some proper birding.

How many of the 599 bird species recorded at Explorer’s Inn and Sachavacayoc Centre can you spot in one day?

Basically, it’s all about AMAZONIAN BIRDS and RAINFOREST WILDLIFE, so take the plunge and join us!

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Reference: Wolfe, J.D., Ryder, T.B. and P. Pyle (2010) Using molt cycles to categorize the age of tropical birds: an integrative new system. Journal of Field Ornithology 81(2): 186-194.