As we head into cooler months, the leaves begin to change color. Everything takes on a different hue in the way we dress and decorate and even in nature.

At the same time, birds also look for a change of scenery and head back to the states from Central and South America. Our coastal residence is a first landfall and last departure point for many migrating birds, and with the mission of the Hummer/Bird Study Group (HBSG), residents can get up close and personal with many of these birds.

From Oct. 8 to Oct. 20, HBSG will set up a bird banding station at the Fort Morgan Historic Site in Gulf Shores. The banding begins before dawn each day and lasts until sometime between 3 and 5 p.m.

The catching, handling and banding of the birds in a professional manner is done by a crew of trained and dedicated volunteers. They weigh them, measure them and take other sorts of notes about the birds. Then they are released.

At last year’s fall session, HBSG reported that 1467 birds of 81 different species were banded. The banding sessions are open to the public to view the number of birds that come through the site, and visitors have the opportunity to touch, hold and release the birds back into the wild. Visitors are exposed to all aspects of identification, behavior and habitat needs of the migratory species that are encountered.

“It’s a great opportunity to see birds up close and be around a variety of birds,” said Joanne McDonough, nature tourism specialist with Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism and an agent of the Mississippi/Alabama Sea Grant.

Bob and Martha Sargent of Clay, Ala., who founded HBSG believe that “the hands-on approach to educating children allows each child present to experience birds as living, breathing creatures deserving of our protection.” That’s what these public banding sessions provide. Each year, they host more than 6000 visitors at the Fort Morgan banding station.

 HBSG is a non-profit organization dedicated to the study and preservations of hummingbirds and other Neo-tropical migrants (songbirds). HBSG-trained associate banders hold a high percentage of all the hummingbird banding permits in the world and much of HBSG's banding of migratory songbirds takes place in the state of Alabama, according to the organizations Web site, hummingsbirdplus.org.

 The Fort Morgan site gives HBSG an excellent opportunity to monitor population levels and general conditions of these birds and gain insight into the effects of weather on migration. They see many Neo-tropical migrant birds come through the site and sometimes even get large numbers of migrating Ruby-throated hummingbirds.

 Preserving the birds and their habitat is the mission of HBSG. They believe that the only way to preserve all bird species for future generations is to know what they require for survival. This comes from learning as much about the birds as possible, and banding is just one of the tools used in that effort.

 The banding sessions themselves are free to the public, but admission to Fort Morgan costs $5 for adults and $3 for children age six to 12. Children under six get in free. For more information, call 1-800-745-SAND.