Fred granted me permission to share these e-mails on the blog, the first on August 3rd and the second on August 9th. Enjoy!
Thanks for sharing this information with others. It is such good publicity for what we are doing in addition to being a remarkable record. I can't wait to see if she returns to Tallahassee this winter, that would be fantastic.
We are lucky that hummers are so loved by their hosts, they become a part of their family. This makes it a lot easier to find people willing to let us band "their" winter guests. Hopefully all this attention will increase the number of people that leave feeders up in the winter and let us know when they have a bird in their yard. Like its been said, "you never know what you'll find out when you put a band on a bird's leg"
Fred Dietrich
***
I just got back from West Virginia where Bob Sargent was training new hummingbird banders. One of the birds we caught had been banded previously, but it was a different series than ones that had been used at this site before. It turned out that the bird had been banded by another member of our crew in Pell City, Alabama on September 1, 2009. That is about 500 miles SSW of where it was recaptured and it appears to be right on schedule on it's migration.
Fred
***
The hummingbird in the Aug. 9th e-mail is Ruby-throated. This sort of recapture event is exciting for everyone because it does show active, annual migration that can be tracked in one individual as a representative for others of its species.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Friday, August 6, 2010
Loggerhead Shrike
REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE
LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE SIGHTINGS – Loggerhead shrikes are declining across much of their range. In Canada, the Eastern subspecies is considered critically endangered, with less than 35 pairs found in 2009. The vast majority of pairs now breed in Ontario. An extremely active and multi-faceted recovery program is underway for this species in Ontario, including a captive breeding and release program. This program has been releasing approximately 100 juvenile shrikes annually since 2006. While much is known and has been learned about this species, a critical piece of the puzzle is still missing: where exactly do these birds spend the winter? To maximize our chances of locating wintering areas and better define migration routes we will be coloring the breast of released young produced from the captive breeding program, to make them more detectable by birders. Birds will be released over July and August. Birds will have an extensive area of their breast colored in green, blue or purple. All released birds, and a large proportion of the wild population, are also color banded. If you see a shrike with a colored breast and/or wearing bands, please report it to Wildlife Preservation Canada at (EM: jessica@wildlifepreservation.ca, PH: 519-836-9314, FX: 519-836-8840). We will need details about specific location (GPS coordinates are ideal, but not essential) and color(s) (breast and/or bands) seen.
(from OSNA http://www.osnabirds.org/on/197.htm )
LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE SIGHTINGS – Loggerhead shrikes are declining across much of their range. In Canada, the Eastern subspecies is considered critically endangered, with less than 35 pairs found in 2009. The vast majority of pairs now breed in Ontario. An extremely active and multi-faceted recovery program is underway for this species in Ontario, including a captive breeding and release program. This program has been releasing approximately 100 juvenile shrikes annually since 2006. While much is known and has been learned about this species, a critical piece of the puzzle is still missing: where exactly do these birds spend the winter? To maximize our chances of locating wintering areas and better define migration routes we will be coloring the breast of released young produced from the captive breeding program, to make them more detectable by birders. Birds will be released over July and August. Birds will have an extensive area of their breast colored in green, blue or purple. All released birds, and a large proportion of the wild population, are also color banded. If you see a shrike with a colored breast and/or wearing bands, please report it to Wildlife Preservation Canada at (EM: jessica@wildlifepreservation.ca, PH: 519-836-9314, FX: 519-836-8840). We will need details about specific location (GPS coordinates are ideal, but not essential) and color(s) (breast and/or bands) seen.
(from OSNA http://www.osnabirds.org/on/197.htm )
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Aplomado Falcons
For all of July, August and half of September, I'm in west Texas - the project? Releasing young Northern Aplomado Falcons into the wild for The Peregrine Fund.
To read up on the project, check out "Aplomado Falcon Updates" from TPF. Or, for all of the Aplomado tagged posts at See Trail, click here.
Hopefully I'll have some exciting things to post at the end of the season, but until then, we're keeping busy!
To read up on the project, check out "Aplomado Falcon Updates" from TPF. Or, for all of the Aplomado tagged posts at See Trail, click here.
Hopefully I'll have some exciting things to post at the end of the season, but until then, we're keeping busy!
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