Doreen monitors the cage, holding the sliding door open with a reel of fishing line. When the hummer is in the cage and on the feeder, She will release the line by slowly moving her hand toward the cage, closing the door.

The young male Rufous is just about to head into the cage.

Doreen prepares to measure, weigh, and band the bird on the tailgate of her truck.

Measuring the wing, tail, and bill

Bands, calipers, magnifying glass, and pliers for closing the bands

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The male Rufous is ready for release. The bird is placed on an observer's outstretched hand (in this case, my son Benjamin's). Often times, the bird will continue to lie on the hand even after it has been released. Any slight movement will help him realize he's free to go and then he's off. The only thing changed is that he's wearing a new piece of jewelry.

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The pink stripe on his head is liquid paper. Some birds are marked this way so that they can be monitored after release. They are also marked in this way so that they can be recognized if they re-enter the cage. If they are spotted re-entering the cage, the cage door operator will leave it open and avoid the stress of handling the bird a second time that day.