Bird Banding in Ecuador's Jama-Coaque Reserve

In the coastal forests of western Ecuador, the Third Millennium Alliance runs bird banding programs in the Jama-Coaque Reserve to train national and international bird banders. Using mist nets, trainees learn to safely capture, measure, band and release wild birds, recording molt, brood patches and body condition. That data helps track the health of one of Ecuador's most threatened habitats, the coastal transition forest.

I photographed the program to help Third Millennium Alliance share this work with supporters. The images show the full process, from the bamboo field station and mist-net lanes to the birds themselves: orange-billed sparrows, rufous-tailed hummingbirds and the rare grey-backed hawk.