Interesting Bird Bands

[MT_Chad]

I thought I would start a new thread so we would quit derailing the other thread talking about bands. After some of the comments about how old a few of the bands were got me thinking again about how old one of mine is. All but one number is rubbed off and the metal is super thin, I wish I could find out how old it is.
Any other cool bands out there in the hunt talk community?

 

[nd muley]

Shot a canada goose a few years back banded in Winnipeg canada with 2 bands the riveted one and a regular one. Supposedly a trial on the riveted type.

 

[kansasdad]

@fowl punishment I was reading about the 33 year old goose band, how they had to use some advanced forensic analysis to raise the numbers, as that band was nearly smooth too.

 

[MT_Chad]

@fowl punishment I was reading about the 33 year old goose band, how they had to use some advanced forensic analysis to raise the numbers, as that band was nearly smooth too.

I should have mine CSI'd. I probably should talk to a biologist about it.

 

[huronmtns]

I thought I would drag this post over to build on a proper titled thread for content.

Speaking of only a handful of bands. Me too. Some people hunt in areas that have a high concentration of banded birds.
I guess I was lucky for a while from calling in and reporting band. They gave me the data on this band pictured. I shot this Canada Goose many years ago. The person I was talking too was acting kind of surprised.

This bird was banded for twenty five years. It was banded as an adult. The person I was speaking too was in awe because the oldest banded Canada Goose at this time was also twenty five years but banded as a juvenile. Technically I had shot the oldest Canada Goose on record at the time of reporting. Now I see data has changed and they have this species that have been banded and aged at 33 years.

Look at the heavy wear on this band.

 

[huronmtns]

Another observation on one off the banded Canada Geese that I had shot was that the bird was banded as a juvenile in Indiana over 300 miles South of where I shot it. I shot it migrating South a few months after it was banded. This bird had moved North since being able to fly. Maybe this bird migrated North to escape the summertime heat in Indiana, who knows. The one thing that surprised me was, that this in my mind at the time was this is atypical. To be hatched, raised and developed to fly, and migrating North 300 plus miles for maybe a month or so, then migrating South again, all in about 6 months time. Interesting migration behavior.

 

[Hunting Wife]

I should have mine CSI'd. I probably should talk to a biologist about it.

Contact the bird banding lab. They can acid etch the band and sometimes recover the numbers to get the information. They’ll send the band back to you if you want to keep it.

Another observation on one off the banded Canada Geese that I had shot was that the bird was banded as a juvenile in Indiana over 300 miles South of where I shot it. I shot it migrating South a few months after it was banded. This bird had moved North since being able to fly. Maybe this bird migrated North to escape the summertime heat in Indiana, who knows. The one thing that surprised me was, that this in my mind at the time was this is atypical. To be hatched, raised and developed to fly, and migrating North 300 plus miles for maybe a month or so, then migrating South again, all in about 6 months time. Interesting migration behavior.

We see this behavior a lot in ducks. Many of our local nesters and hatch-years in northern ND and MT go north into Canada to stage and then head south again when the weather finally pushes the big migration down. Not that unusual to get band returns harvested in Canada after being banded in the States a couple months earlier.

 

[CPAjeff]

I killed this goose a few years ago - the red band was placed as part of a study to see how many geese migrated, how many geese stayed, and how many geese returned the following year to a certain nesting spot.

The red band sure showed up when the feet were down over the decoys!

 

[kansasdad]

I was able to report a banded goose number without killing it or finding it dead.

My office overlooks a series of ponds that had a large number of geese habituated to human presence and they were used to being fed lots of corn. A large number of these geese were both banded, and collared. The collars looked like PVC pipe that was painted a background color, with a combination of letters/numbers. The collars made it easy to report to the Banded Bird Hotline.

Some of the geese were banded only, and one day one bird was just outside the office window. I was able to get my binoculars out and read most of the numbers. One of my employees went outside and got the goose to rotate so that I could read the whole band.

It had been banded in Wichita, then transported to northern Kansas to try and establish a resident Canada goose population at an impoundment along the Nebraska border. It was back in Wichita within two months of release.

 

[mdhunter]

I have killed canada geese during the Maryland residence goose season that were banded less than three miles from where they were harvested. Imagine that

 

[Fishdart]

My first goose band and second goose band were shot one season apart and are consecutive numbers.

 

[Adam in Ohio]

Wow @Fishdart , that's amazing! What a cool story!

 

[timmypop]

I thought I would drag this post over to build on a proper titled thread for content.

Speaking of only a handful of bands. Me too. Some people hunt in areas that have a high concentration of banded birds.
I guess I was lucky for a while from calling in and reporting band. They gave me the data on this band pictured. I shot this Canada Goose many years ago. The person I was talking too was acting kind of surprised.

This bird was banded for twenty five years. It was banded as an adult. The person I was speaking too was in awe because the oldest banded Canada Goose at this time was also twenty five years but banded as a juvenile. Technically I had shot the oldest Canada Goose on record at the time of reporting. Now I see data has changed and they have this species that have been banded and aged at 33 years.

Look at the heavy wear on this band.

Been to Canada a few times and have never had a band unfortunately.

 

[Irrelevant]

I once missed a banded drake mallard... I only know because it was my turn to shoot and after three blanks my partner dropped it. Walked out, plucked it out of the water, turned and said, "guess you're not a fan of jewelry?"

 

[OntarioHunter]

I have one goose band that was nearly illegible and only four years old. I guess he didn't like it and pecked at it a lot. Very scratched up. Had to guess one number and the authorities certified which of two choices was correct. Many years ago I shot a honker with three bands, two aluminum on one leg and a large coloured plastic one on the other leg. That plastic one was not govt issue. They speculated it was some university project.

 

[F250]

I have taken many banded ducks and geese over the years. A couple that stand out as unusual : a Ross Goose and a Redhead in Saskatchewan. Another Redhead on Lake of the Woods in Ontario that was worn paper-thin.

 

[thomas89]

I thought I would start a new thread so we would quit derailing the other thread talking about bands. After some of the comments about how old a few of the bands were got me thinking again about how old one of mine is. All but one number is rubbed off and the metal is super thin, I wish I could find out how old it is.
Any other cool bands out there in the hunt talk community?

A dunk in Muriatic Acid will bring the numbers up. So cool.

Im super fascinated by the new(er) GPS bands/trackers that are being fitted on birds.

First band I shot was a overhead shot on a pair of mallards that sailed the drake, was my dogs first year hunting and I was a bit nervous she’d have trouble with the retrieve. Before I even scrambled up the bank to see over to the pond, she comes back proud as a peacock with a young drake that had somehow flown 100+ miles north from where he was banded in Colorado in August. Biologist called to confirm I had my numbers straight.

Second band was the opening day prior to the hunt I write about below. But after picking away at mallards all morning (not as a purist or anything, just as a way to prolong the hunt...I’ll smash some spoonies with the best of them!) I had the last drake of the day sail and land directly down the dyke I was sitting on. Sent the dog for the retrieve and she had a bit of trouble sorting out I wanted her to run right down the shoreline. Not seek water, not go over the dyke, just stay right along the base, a bit of a strange concept for my dogs age/experience. Anyways, she gets birdy and comes up with this drake probably 75 yards away, I turn to pack up my stuff while she brings it back, and when I look back to check on her, I notice he was banded. So awesome. Only band retrieval I’ve gotten on the GoPro as well.

Of the 3 bands from mallards I’ve shot, this is my favorite story:

Slow morning had me and the dog sneaking away from the decoys to jump a little pond the birds were pitching in to but was too featureless to hunt. Working down the bank I head a volley of shots from the guys set up a couple hundred yards away, and can make out a drake mallard fly through the volley and set his wings into my spread. Well son of a gun, sneak BACK to my decoys, pop over the bank, only to see him lolling his head in his death throes. Send the dog for the retrieve, and she comes back with a banded mallard, just a local bird, but I never fired a shot. Had to call a couple friends to see what the ethics were RE: keeping a bird I didn’t shoot. Came to the conclusion myself that if the guys came over and said they sailed one over here I’d gladly give it to them, but I wasn’t going to seek them out.




Opener here tomorrow, now I’m really excite

 

[gouch]

I shot a goose that was banded as an adult 14 years earlier. That's the oldest I've seen. The youngest was a Mallard a friend shot on opening morning one year. It was banded the day before over 75 miles away.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Great stories. My brother and I shot our first ducks the same day 55 years ago this month. A pair of greenheads and his was banded. He had forgotten it and actually didn't believe me when we were reminiscing last year till I showed him the photo Dad took of us. He is holding that banded leg out for clear viewing.

I probably have a couple dozen goose bands but only two duck bands. Twice I was called and asked to provide photos of the bands. Anyone ever encountered that? Perhaps they periodically check to see if people are pulling their leg for a certificate to go with a band they've had made (and yes there's at least one outfit making repro bird bands). Or maybe a bander didn't write down the correct number and they had two different reportings for same number?

 

[SO7mm]

This was from a double banded Green Head about 12 years ago. A pair of mallards came in and this was clearly my brothers bird but a shot it. $100 reward. I called the two bands in as usual and they sent me a check.