Imagine Getting Paid To Watch These Cute Little Birds In NYS?

This has to be the coolest job you can get as an animal lover in New York State.

The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is a prouder supporter of the Monitoring Avian Productivity & Survivorship (MAPS) program. They make their contribution every year by helping tag hundreds of birds, in order to help better monitor and protect birds in their habitat.

Recently, staff members went out to their Five Rivers MAPS station set up in Albany County. Here they wrapped up this seasons efforts with a record 68 birds captured in one day. One of these birds was even the official New York State bird, the eastern bluebird.

What is MAPS?

Founded in 1989, MAPS bird banders have tagged birds in order to better study, understand, and conserve bird populations. The information collected can help scientists develop better ways to protect the birds in the future.

Since its start, nearly 1,200 MAPS stations have been established and spread across almost every state and Canadian province. Over 2.5 million bird captures have been recorded as part of the program to date.

How Does MAPS Work?

Banding stations will use fine mesh nets in order to capture birds during nesting season every summer. All stations are monitored by scientists, land managers, and banders working independently.

Once safely captured, birds will be given a lightweight and numbered aluminum leg band. They are then released unharmed back into the wilderness. The data will provide crucial information on survival, reproduction, and movement patterns in the bird populations.

You can find more information on the MAPS Program and its international initiative at their official website.