Banding Hummers
By Neil M. Travis, Montana/Arizona
The Lady Fisher has told you in her column that I have been
banding hummingbirds. I've been a federally licensed
bird bander for 44 years this June, and for the last
few years I have been assisting another bander in
southeastern Arizona band hummingbirds. It started out
as a joint venture; my wife would record the information
and I would trap the birds for my friend to band. Now
that I am a solo act I continue to trap the birds, but
others have to do the recording.
What does banding hummingbirds have to do with fly fishing?
Well, in a word nothing and everything.
I was initially attracted to fly fishing for trout because
it looked like fun. I continue to fish with flies because
it requires a bit more knowledge and physical dexterity
than baiting a hook or chucking a shiny piece of metal
with some hooks attached. Fly fishing fits my personality.
Fly fishing requires attention to detail, and I like detail.
When JC and I taught fly-fishing and fly tying classes we
told our students that fly-fishing offered something for
everyone. If you wanted to study entomology so that you
knew the names of the bugs there was a place for you, but
if you wanted to ignore the entomology and just go fishing
you could do that too. Some people enjoy learning to make
all kinds of casts and others just want to cast well enough
to get the fly out to the fish. Well there's room for you
too. However, even those only minimally concerned about the
intricacies of the sport must give some attention to detail
to make it work.
Capturing hummingbirds requires timing and quick reflexes,
and fly casting requires similar physical attributes.
Casting a tight loop, not dropping or hurrying your
back cast all require timing if you hope to execute
them properly. Well honed reflexes are necessary to
insure that the hook is set at the proper time, that
slack is picked up quickly after the fish is hooked,
and that the angler can make the necessary adjustments
by applying just the right amount of pressure that will
allow the fish to be landed in an expeditious manner.
We band hummingbirds with very small metal bands
that are sent to us in sheets like a piece of paper
with numbers printed on it. The bands are cut from
the sheet by hand, and each band is then formed by
hand. Since the birds vary in size from very small
to not quite so small the bands have to be trimmed
to meet the needs of the various sized birds that
we band.
Preparing the bands is like tying flies; very small
flies. Too much material will over dress the pattern
and make it inefficient, and a band that is too large
will not properly fit on the tiny shank of the
hummingbird's leg. You must choose the right size
band for the individual bird, and you must choose
the right size fly for a particular hatch. Placing
the band on the bird requires a delicate touch, and
tying and fishing small flies requires a similar
dexterity.
Hummingbirds are tiny winged jewels, and what is
more beautiful than a male Brook Trout or a bright
silver steelhead fresh from the sea? I love to watch
the hummingbirds feeding on wild flowers, and I love
to watch a wild trout rising to sip a mayfly from
the surface of a pool.
Banding hummingbirds has many similarities to fly
fishing. Mostly it requires me to keep learning,
and that is what I find so appealing about fly
fishing. Each new season brings new challenges,
each situation requires a slightly different
approach, and each experience adds to the
adventure of life that makes each day worth
living.
By banding hummingbirds we hope to enhance our
understanding of these tiny winged jewels, and
by increasing our understanding we hope that
we can help assure that they will continue to
be around for future generations to enjoy. By
writing about fly fishing and passing on the
knowledge gained over the years I hope that I
will help others find the enjoyment in the sport
that has nourished my soul over these many years,
and insure that future generations will have the
opportunities that I have enjoyed to fish for wild
fish in beautiful places. ~ Neil M. Travis, Montana/Arizona
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