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The YLR Bird Banding Station

The YLR banding team at work during a class visit

Songbird banding has a long history at our site. In 1973, William “Breck” Tyler started bird banding at what would later become Younger Lagoon Reserve, before the construction of the Long Marine Lab. That initial banding effort lasted until 1985. In 2017, Younger Lagoon Reserve staff - working in collaboration with Mr. Tyler, restarted the banding station. At the station, we monitor, tag and safely release resident and migratory species using various capture methods and contribute those data to a national bird banding database where they are available to researchers around the world. In addition, we are collaborating with the Ocampo-Peñuela Lab to analyze the historical and modern banding datasets. 

Our primary goals are to 1) document trends in avian populations over time at a site that has undergone significant land use / land cover changes and in the context of global climate change and 2) provide hands-on learning opportunities for undergraduate students. Many students who have interned at the Younger Lagoon Reserve Bird Banding Station have gone on to graduate school or jobs related to avian ecology.

Our 2-unit bird banding internship is a unique opportunity for enrolled UC Santa Cruz undergraduate students to work with expert ornithologists while learning all aspects of bird banding. The internship is supported by the Environmental Studies Internship Office and is offered each quarter during the academic year. After successful completion of the 2-unit bird banding internship, students may pursue an upper division or senior internship project related to birds at Younger Lagoon Reserve.

Desired Intern Qualities:

  • positive attitude, responsible, and detail oriented required
  • academic background or strong personal interest in birds required (e.g. have taken Natural History of Birds, Ornithology, or similar course - OR - have spent significant time birding, ideally in California)
  • prior field course or animal handling experience preferred
  • available to join the banding effort on Fridays from approximately 6:00AM to 12:00PM and assist throughout the week prepping for banding days (approx 15 min, 2-3 times a week). 

The 2-unit bird banding internship is FULL for Winter 2025. If you are interested in joining us as an intern in Spring or Fall 2025 - or if you have specific questions about our songbird banding station, contact Reserve Director, Elizabeth Howard at eahoward@ucsc.edu.