Rebecca E. Koch
Assistant Professor
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Preserving the welfare of wild birds
As a longtime birdwatcher, wildlife enthusiast, and steward to feathered, scaly, and furry critters, ensuring well-being of the wild birds I handle is a top priority.
My research uses some of the best established, most well-studied practices within field ornithology to capture, mark, and collect samples from wild birds while minimizing stress and discomfort. From a songbird's perspective, being held in a strange hand, "finger pricked" for a drop of blood, and adorned with leg bracelets is surely a terrifying and confusing experience! Keeping this in mind, my methods are designed to yield the most information with the least handling time and minimally invasive practices.
The suitability and scope of procedures as well as training and qualifications of all personnel involved in Project House Finch are fully approved by the UWSP Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. This committee rigorously reviews all proposed research before any wild animal is involved and performs regular follow-up evaluations.
As the Principle Investigator of the Project, I maintain an active Federal Bird Banding and Marking Permit from the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory (called a "Master Personal Permit") as well as a Wisconsin Scientific Research License to cover all capture, handling, and sampling of house finches. These permits also cover routine banding and release of non-target songbirds and near-songbird species incidentally captured during this project.