Female Rivoli hummingbird in hand

While hummingbird banding is a careful and quick process, there's something spectacular about having something so tiny and full of vigor in the hand. My favorite part is when the bird has been banded and measured and is ready for release. Placing the bird gently in the open palm of a hand, there's a magical moment where time seems to slow itself, somehow turning the short second it’s in your hand into enough time for you to appreciate the bird. Then zoom! The bird is off in a blink of an eye, leaving a smile on people’s faces.” -Kyra Harvey, biologist at the USGS Bird Banding Lab and permitted hummingbird bander.