Monday Memories: Birds by the handfuls helped predict flight patterns

Spring bird migration is a busy time at the Navarre Marsh unit of the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. The preserve bustles with volunteers working with the Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO) to capture tiny migrating songbirds snagged in mist nets across the marsh. They band them and record data before sending them on their way. In this 1994 Blade archive photo, Julie Shieldcastle, BSBO executive director, holds four songbirds between her fingers while she records band numbers. Clockwise from the bottom are a Western palm warbler...