Birding Resouces

Bird banding is a universal and indispensable technique for studying the movement, survival and behavior of birds. The North American Bird Banding Program is jointly administered by the United States Department of the Interior and the Canadian Wildlife Service. Their respective banding offices have similar functions and policies and use the same bands, reporting forms and data formats.

More information on bird banding in general can be found on the United States Geological Service (USGS) Bird Banding Laboratory website at http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbl/

Bird specific banding reporting for research projects can be found below:

Caspian terns

Help researchers track movements and study the survival rates of Caspian terns along the Pacific Coast region by reporting the color-bands on the legs of terns, as well as the date, time, location, and activity of any banded terns.  Visit http://www.mybandedtern.org/

Black skimmers

Help track movements of young black skimmers that were baded at the Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge. 2010 Salton Sea birds were banded with TWO BRIGHT BLUE BANDS on the LEFT LEG, and a silver USGS numbered band on the RIGHT LEG. These birds should retain obvious brownish plumage until late into the winter, so 2010-fledged birds should be easy to pick out in a skimmer flock.

If you examine skimmer flocks you will undoubtedly see other banded birds. This study is not interested in reports of USGS metal bands unless you can read most or all of the number (a 3 to 4 digit prefix ending in the number “4”, then a 5-digit suffix). Some of the plastic alphanumeric bands placed on skimmers years ago have survived the elements, so if you see a tall plastic band with a letter and two numbers, please report the band color, which leg that band was on, and the alphanumeric combination. You might also encounter birds with other colored bands (black, pale blue, pale green, white, red, pink) and this study would be interested in hearing about those birds.

If you find the blue-banded birds mentioned above, or are able to get specific color band combination or band number information on other birds, please send the following information to Kathy Molina at kmolina AT nhm.org:

•  – Date
•  – Exact locality
•  – Approx. number of skimmers in the flock
•  – Approx. number of proportion of juveniles in the flock
•  – Exact band information
•  – Photos are often helpful as well

Arctic Shorebird Demographic Network Color-marked Shorebird Resighting Report

The Arctic Shorebird Demographic Network (ASDN) is an international collaboration between shorebird biologists who are currently conducting a multi-year study to examine mechanisms behind declines of North American Arctic- breeding shorebirds. The Network collaborators’ are color-marking shorebirds at 7 sites in Alaska (Yukon Delta, Nome, Cape Krusenstern, Point Barrow, Ikpikpuk River, Prudhoe Bay and the Canning River) and 4 sites in Canada (Mackenzie Delta, East Bay and Coates Island in the northern portion of Hudson Bay, and Churchill).

Please report color-marked shorebirds observed away from the breeding grounds.  Look for marked birds of the following species.  To complete reports, please download and complete this resighting report:

• American Golden-plover  –  Pluvialis dominica
• Semipalmated Plover – Charadrius semipalmatus
• Bar-tailed Godwits – Limosa lapponica
• Whimbrel – Numenius phaeopus
• Ruddy Turnstone – Arenaria interpres
• Dunlin – Calidris alpina
• Western Sandpiper – Calidris mauri
• Semipalmated Sandpiper – Calidris pusilla
• Stilt Sandpiper – Calidris himantopus
• Pectoral Sandpiper – Calidris melanotos
• Long-billed Dowitcher – Limnodromus scolopaceus
• Red Phalarope – Phalaropus fulicarius
• Red-necked Phalarope – Phalaropus lobatus

All ASDN birds are marked with a white (Canada) or dark green (USA) flag and a color band. The engraved flags will have a 3 letter code of letters or numbers, written in white on the green flags or written in black on the white flags, and an additional color band (e.g. red, dark blue, orange, dark green, yellow) below the flag. Most birds will also have three unique color bands on the opposite leg to further facilitate individual identification during the breeding season, as well as a US Geological Survey/Canadian Wildlife Service metal band with a unique serial number.

Inquires about the Arctic Shorebird Demographics Network can be directed to:

River Gates, Network Field Coordinator,
US Fish and Wildlife Service, Migratory Bird Management
1011 East Tudor Rd. MS201
Anchorage, Alaska, USA
(907) 786-3563
hrivergates AT gmail.com