Reporting banded birds

I thought this would be a good time to post about reporting banded birds.

It's really quite simple.

(Young Burrowing Owl chick)

If you find a banded bird you should record the following data:

1) The date you found the bird
2) The band number
3) If you know it, the species
4) The location you found it, as specifically as possible
5) If the bird is dead, how you think it died (ie beside road - hit by a car, below powerpole - electrocuted)

Once you get home you can go to this webpage http://www.reportband.gov/ and report the details here.

This website is regularly being update - just recently they have made it possible for the band finder to input the exact GPS location of where you recovered the bird (in any format UTM, or lat long (decimals degrees, deg min sec)) so if you have a GPS record the location.

(You can also record colour bands to the webpage or phone number. This is a Ferruginous Hawk chick with a blue band along with its aluminum band)

You can also call in the band information by calling 1-800-327-BAND.

(This Burrowing Owl was found just east of Regina near Monica Slough. It has a colour band on its left leg. 83 over M - red band, white letters. It was banded near Milestone the year before it was seen here. You might also notice it has a syringe infront of it... we may have found the reason why burrowing owls are declining so quickly...)

Saw-whets done for another year!

I can't believe how quickly time flies when you are having fun! We have already completed the third season of saw-whet banding at Edenwold SK! Once all the birds were tallied we captured 157 at my Edenwold site. Kristen, 5 km SE of my site capture 74 owls and Adam at Craven captured 16 owls! I think it is absolutely astounding how many of these small little owls move through the Regina-Edenwold area and no one notices! There has not been a single report of a Saw-whet from anywhere around Regina yet this fall or winter.

We did capture a few birds that were already banded this year at my site. Two of these were banded at the North end of Last Mountain Lake by Mr. Ross Dickson. Another bird was banded by Mr. Dan Zazelenchuk near Kyle, SK. All three of these were banded this year and moved directly to my station. I also captured a bird that was banded at my station in 2007, 3 days less exactly a year.

Kristen did not capture any birds that were banded at more distant stations then mine, but she did capture a few of my birds. Three of these were banded this year and recaptured in her net a few days later. But one of these was another bird from my station, banded in 2007.

It was a good year altogether! Now only 309 days until we start again!