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A bird in the hand - Northern California travel guide - Point Reyes Bird Observatory - Brief Article

... is an everyday occurrence at Point Reyes Palomarin Field Station

* "Pretty amazing, isn't it?" The bird-bander holds the Anna's hummingbird up for me to see.

Yes, it is. The tiny bird's fuchsia iridescence glints on its head and neck; its back glows jade green. Not much bigger than a monarch butterfly, it pokes at the bander's gently clasping fingers with its long, pointed beak. Unfazed, the bander clamps an ID band around the bird's twiglike leg, opens his hand, and watches the hummingbird whir away.

It's a typical morning at the Point Reyes Bird Observatory (PRBO) Palomarin Field Station, on the remote southern edge of Point Reyes National Seashore. This is one of the world's premier birding locations, with more than 400 species on record. Winter here is always a treat: Blue skies and views of the jagged Farallon Islands 18 miles offshore are the norm. But this winter promises to yield an even better bird-watching experience, thanks to a new education and bird-banding center, an expansive deck, and a restored nature trail.

The Palomarin site serves as the educational heart of PRBO. Top draw for visitors is its network of 20 mist nets, fine mesh strung in 14 locations around the 198-acre site. You can watch banders gently remove birds trapped in the nets. Once brought to the center, the birds will be measured, banded, and released unharmed.

Inside the center, new exhibits feature PRBO's North American research and conservation efforts. Out front, the new deck serves as an outdoor classroom and gathering space. Nearby new interpretive signs dot 1/4-mile-long Fern Canyon Nature Trail. Watch for hawks, bobcats, and jackrabbits.

And don't forget to listen for the soft whir of a tiny green bird.

Mist nets are open 15 minutes after sunrise for six hours on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Point Reyes Bird Observatory Palomarin Field Station: dawn--5 P.M. daily (visitor center); 999 Mesa Rd., Bolinas; (415) 868-0655 or www.prbo.org. org.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Sunset Publishing Corp.
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group