Established in March 2001, the bird banding station is one of hundreds around the nation that monitor songbird migration. Sanctioned under a permit from the U.S. Geological Survey and operated under the supervision of the Biologist for the Potomac River National Wildlife Refuge Complex, it is primarily run by volunteers who have received extensive and highly technical training. A series of 40-foot-long, finely woven mist nets are positioned in forest or field around the station, and a bird moving through the area within 8 feet of the ground flies into the nearly invisible net and becomes entangled. Trained volunteers carefully remove the bird, place it in a holding bag, and take it to the station for processing, where it is weighed and measured, identified by species using technical manuals, and assessed for overall health. After the information is recorded, a lightweight, uniquely numbered band is placed on one leg and the bird is released. The information is later entered into a national database, and any banding station in the world that recaptures the bird can use the specific band number to access the data and add new information. The compiled data allows researchers to learn about the health of migratory birds, dates of migration, and migration routes.