Hummingbird branding today at Brazos Bend State Park
Our Park Ranger David has been trained and licensed to band Hummingbirds. In addition to banding them he also weighs them, determines their sex and estimates their age. David then checks the amount of fat on the bird's breast. Giving a score of 1 thru 5. If a bird has a score of less than three the bird may not survive it's migration. All of this data is logged into a database on the web. After all this, the bird gets a drink of sugar water, people get to feel it's breathing, and then placed upside down in someone's palm. Shortly the hummingbird will right itself and fly away.