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St. Louis is located on the Mississippi Flyway — the most extensive migratory route utilized by birds in North America.
The majority of birds migrate during the night. As dawn breaks, some of these fatigued travelers descend into the trees along the banks of the Meramec River at Tyson Research Center, Washington University in St. Louis’ environmental field station, to recharge by catching insects.
Upon their arrival, Samantha Matchefts, BA ’87, and her team are ready to welcome them. For a month each year, usually from mid-April to mid-May, Matchefts directs a group of volunteers who capture, band, document, and release migratory birds heading north through St. Louis.
“I’ve had a longstanding interest in what types of birds are utilizing this region as a resting point,” stated Matchefts, who manages the World Bird Sanctuary (WBS) banding team. She and her group of volunteers document and share the migration-related data they gather to a publicly accessible repository maintained by the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory, a federally supported initiative focused on bird tracking and scientific inquiry.
The bird banding data collected in St. Louis provides valuable insights for both scientific exploration and conservation initiatives.
By tracking individual birds and noting essential statistics, this effort enables researchers to investigate dispersal patterns, migration behaviors, survival rates, reproductive success, and population dynamics.
In 2025, Tyson marked its third year hosting a spring migratory bird banding initiative. Before this, volunteers had been setting their mist nets at the adjacent WBS rehabilitation facility in Valley Park for over a decade.
However, when avian flu emerged as a local concern in 2022, WBS veterinarians grew wary that a migratory bird could expose the facility’s at-risk raptors to the illness. To avoid disrupting their long-term data collection, Matchefts approached Tyson to relocate the banding project next door.
“Long-term datasets are crucial for understanding how species respond to environmental changes,” noted Kim Medley, director of Tyson Research Center. “Field stations play an essential role in this process, and Tyson is an excellent venue to support our neighbors in continuing this vital work.”
The bird banding team employs nets made of gentle nylon mesh strung between metal poles to capture birds. These mist nets are arranged in clearings among trees in the forest, where birds tend to swoop in to hunt for insects. Volunteers stretch out the nets at dawn and retract them after a four-hour period of careful observation. One particular morning this season, when a photographer was present, the bird banding team banded, processed, and released over 60 individual birds at Tyson.
Among the noteworthy birds captured that day was a female wood thrush (Hylocichla mustelina). This thrush is a medium-sized songbird distinguished by its white belly and prominent brown spots, recognized for its flute-like, ethereal melody.
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As stated by the Missouri Department of Conservation, the wood thrush faces threats from habitat destruction not only in the United States but also in Central America, where these birds spend the winter. Researchers utilize this species as an indicator of the well-being of various other woodland avians. Matchefts and her associates are involved in the Midwest Migration Network, which has recently embarked on its own wood thrush tagging initiative.
Over a span of 12 years of collaborative work at Tyson and Valley Park, volunteers have banded 6,538 birds across 88 diverse species. The figures from this year will be incorporated into that total.
Moreover, 2025 proved to be another productive year. “We’re observing some warblers at Tyson that we didn’t see at the sanctuary site,” noted Matchefts.
Other avian species documented at Tyson — including some year-round inhabitants and others simply passing through — comprise the Tennessee warbler, Swainson’s thrush, Nashville warbler, gray-cheeked thrush, ovenbird, red-eyed vireo, indigo bunting, and white-throated sparrow.
“Birds depend on local forest habitats for migratory stopovers on their journeys to breeding grounds,” explained Matchefts. “With migratory avian populations decreasing globally, long-term research like this one offers insights into bird longevity and migration patterns that can assist scientists and conservation strategists.”
The World Bird Sanctuary bird banding crew hosts complimentary public demonstrations of their bird banding efforts on Fridays throughout July, from 8-10 a.m., weather permitting. Reach out to the center to verify event specifics.
The post Winged migration first appeared on The Source.
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