Experienced birders and banders are understandably in big demand, but most stations also gladly welcome less experienced, highly enthusiastic people. There are many important tasks that rookies can assist with, so don't let a lack of experience keep you from thinking about volunteering. Moreover, experienced trainers are only too happy to guide you along and help you upgrade your skills. A volunteer stint at a migration monitoring station is a tremendous learning experience, even for seasoned birders and banders. Bird banding is part art and part science.
Most stations use mist nets to capture birds.
It takes considerable training and experience to learn how to safely remove birds from the nets. As a guiding principle, all stations place the well-being of the birds above all other considerations. Mist netting requires a combination of very good finger dexterity, good eyesight and patience. Most people are able to learn this task quite well within a week or two, but not everyone is cut out for it. They still get to see all of the birds up close and personal, but understand their limitations when it comes to safely handling the birds.