Photos: A bird in the hand...

On Saturday, which was International Migratory Bird Day, Audubon New York designated the Albany Pine Bush Preserve as an Important Bird Area

The Enterprise — Michael Koff

Perched in a tree at the Albany Pine Bush Preserve on Saturday, left, a bird chirps away as if to tell the good news that Audubon New York has designated the preserve as an Important Bird Area.

The Enterprise — Michael Koff

Conservation Director Neil Gifford holds a male eastern towhee while he looks at a guide to get the right-size band for its leg, so it can be tracked.

The Enterprise — Michael Koff

 Keeping track: A male red-breasted nuthatch, bottom left, is banded before being released back into the wild.

The enterprise — Michael Koff

About 30 people attended Saturday’s bird-migration tour to learn about banding and bird watching; some of them take a close look at a male ruby-crowned kinglet before it is released.