waterfowl band trivia

[Silencer]

Waterfowl Banding Trivia —

For waterfowl hunters, duck and goose bands are among the most treasured mementos of the hunt. Killing a banded bird is a special thrill, and wearing a lanyard of bands around your neck is a symbol of status.

The value and importance of waterfowl bands far exceeds that of mere jewelry, however. The hunters who harvest birds and report their bands play a vital role in the conservation of North America's waterfowl populations. And the reports not only provide interesting insight into the lives of waterfowl, but also hopefully foster a much greater appreciation for our quarry.

Waterfowl banding
Since 1914, the mallard has been the most commonly banded waterfowl species. Through 2004, more than 6.2 million mallards had been banded. The Canada goose is second on the list, with more than 2.8 million birds banded. Surprisingly, the blue-winged teal is third at 1.4 million birds banded. Large numbers of blue-winged teal are captured along with mallards on the prairies and thus are banded in higher numbers than other duck species.

The West Indian whistling duck is the least commonly banded waterfowl species. Only 39 of these birds have been banded during the last 90 years. Among northern-breeding species, the black scoter is the least often banded: only 340 have been banded to date. The remoteness of the black scoter's breeding range in northern Canada and Alaska has made it difficult for waterfowl biologists to capture and band this species.

Bands have been recovered 2.3 million times from a total of 16 million banded waterfowl.

Sounds fishy
According to a 1957 issue of Ducks Unlimited Quarterly, a trout tagged by Wyoming biologists and a merganser banded in the same state turned up together in a most unusual situation. A California biologist making a wildlife food study obtained the merganser after it had been shot by a hunter. In the bird's stomach was a tag from one of the Wyoming trout.

Gator food
A band placed on the leg of a pintail in Canada's Northwest Territories was recovered from the stomach of an American alligator in Florida's Orange Lake 13 months later.

Against all odds
Dr. Stan Chace of Alturas, California, seemingly defied all odds way back in the fall of 1962. Chace bagged a banded Canada goose in October, and shot another banded Canada in December. When he compared the bands, Chace found them to be consecutively numberedthe first 518-31661 and the second 518-31662. The birds were banded three years earlier at Goose Lake.

Duck dogs
In the 1950s, biologists used retrievers to catch young mallards for banding on the nesting grounds in Canada.

Feeling trapped
One black duck drake was captured 18 times during a nine-year span in the waterfowl banding traps of the Michigan Department of Conservation. An adult when first trapped and banded in 1949, the duck successfully eluded hunters and wildlife predators for 10 years. Caught in a trap on January 31, 1958, the bird's original leg band, which was worn thin with age, was replaced.

Marathon flyer enjoys travel
A pintail banded on September 2, 1940, in Athabasca County of northern Alberta eluded hazards until January 1954 when it was shot near Naucuspana, Tabasco, Mexico. Considering the 3,000 miles between band site and death, and assuming the bird made the two-way migration each year for 13 years, the pintail would have logged nearly 80,000 migration miles alone during its lifetime.

Hitting the jackpot
Acquiring one bird band a season ranks right up there. But how about two, on consecutive shots, on the same day? That's what happened to Howard Ewart on November 23, 1996, when he shot a pair of mallard drakes (1007-31302) and (1337-79713) while hunting on the Big Horn River near Thermopolis, Wyoming. Also living a charmed existence was Jack Needles, who, on December 24, 1992, bagged a drake black duck (1287-82810) and a hen mallard (1287-82870) near Stone Harbor, New Jersey. The birds arrived as a pair.

Early miner bands treasured
Duck and goose bands have become collectibles. And perhaps none are more treasured than those originating from the Jack Miner Bird Sanctuary in Kingsville, Ontario. The late Jack Miner founded the sanctuary in 1904 to provide a refuge for migratory birds. He banded his first wild duck in 1909 and in 1915 started banding Canada geese. That same year, Miner added a verse of Biblical scripture to his bands. By 1944, 50,000 wild ducks had been banded at the sanctuary, along with 40,000 Canada geese.

The tradition continues today. In 2005 alone, hunters from 23 states, Ontario and Saskatchewan reported harvesting waterfowl with Miner bands. By comparison, the U.S. government's bird banding program was initiated in 1920. Since then, more than 23 million birds have been tagged, making the federal bands much more common.

Interesting double take
Tom Kowa of Sacramento, California, shot a female Ross's goose in January 2000, and a neck-collared male in January 2002. Both birds were shot on Pond 6 at Colusa National Wildlife Refuge, and both were banded by the same individual eight years apart.

Age records
Information on life span is collected every time a banded bird is reported to the Bird Banding Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland. And the record ages for some duck species may surprise you.

Canvasback, 29 years, 6 months
Black duck, 26 years, 5 months
Mallard 26 years, 4 months
Blue-winged teal, 23 years, 3 months
Redhead, 22 years, 7 months
Wood duck, 22 years, 6 months
Northern pintail, 22 years, 3 months
American wigeon, 20 years, 11 months
Ring-necked duck, 20 years, 5 months
Green-winged teal, 20 years, 3 months

[HaMeR]

Cool read!! I woulda never thought a bird would live that long. I'm still waiting on my 1st banded crow.

[Silencer]

You still possibly have a chance.......  these are the stats for american crow from 1914-2004


4880-- AMERICAN CROW BIRDS BANDED 14,167 BIRDS ENCOUNTERED ( found or shot ) 1,888 


Also the oldest ever recored bird was a Canada goose, age 30yrs 4 months.   Bet that son of a gun was
tough eating !!!

[FinsnFur]

You have to wonder how many people shoot a banded bird and then freak out and toss it with out even looking at it....thinking they shot something they shouldnt have.

[Hawks Feather]

That is an interesting read there.

Jerry

[ohiobob]

Silencer
2 weeks ago my Boy & another Kid shot another Banded Goose, the Certificate came last week and it was Banded in
Nunavut Canada, that is FAR up in Canada, the Kids were excited because their's was Banded in a Farther Place than mine was Banded
We got 1 Banded Duck and 2 Banded Geese this Year
Bob