Friday, April 15, 2011

Ross's Goose seen in OH then MI

From Julie A. Craves of the Rouge River Bird Observatory - a Ross's Goose in Michigan that was also seen in Ohio!

The two links: first with general ID and photos, second with map
New for Dearborn: Ross's Goose
Update on Ross's Goose

This is a fantastic combination of sightings on one bird, kudos to Joe Hildreth for making the connection re: bands!

According to the posts, the bird was banded as a wee nestling in 2006 in Canada, seen in Ohio this March, and made the Michigan appearance in April... not a bad record of a bird on the move!

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Request for Godwit and Whimbrel reports

Just spreading the word!

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Please Report Color-flagged Hudsonian Godwits and Whimbrels

Since 2007, we have attached uniquely numbered/lettered, red color-flags to 790 Godwits and 355 Whimbrels on ChiloĆ© Island, Chile. Godwits or Whimbrels have also been flagged in Alaska, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Manitoba, and Virginia. If you see any of these flagged birds, please submit your observations to www.bandedbirds.org. On this site, there are instructions on how to read and report color-flagged birds, and you can click on “Report Resighting” to enter your observations. By using this site, to report one of our flagged godwits or whimbrels, you will immediately know where and when it was banded.

Banding projects to study migratory shorebirds that make epic hemispheric journeys have been underway since the mid 1990’s. In recent years, the birds have been tagged with engraved markers allowing identification of individuals with spotting scopes. The combination of banding and resighting data allows greater understanding of the habitat uses and needs by imperiled species. With this understanding comes the hope of achieving the protective actions required to halt, and even reverse, the population decline exhibited by many shorebird species.

For more information on the Hudsonian Godwit and Whimbrel project in Chile, contact Brad Andres (brad_andres@fws.gov; 303-275-2324) or Jim Johnson (jim_a_johnson@fws.gov; 907-786-3423).

Thanks in advance for the assistance.

Brent Ortego
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Victoria, TX