-rw------- 1 shamus 2863 Apr 10 21:30 BIRDNOT.TXT

mail -s "Re: rec.birds Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) (Part 1/2)" \
rice at kcomputing.com <<'EOF'


I wanted to augment the following section. But I have more material
than seems appropriate for an FAQ. The North American Bird Banding
Manual Volume 1 (published by the Canadian Wildlife Service) has
probably 8 pages on handling and disposing of dead birds (pages 2-14
through 2-17, Appendix D, pages 4-10 through 4-12, 4-18 and 4-19).

Feel free to hack, edit and discard as you see fit.

> 1.15a. I found a dead bird with a band. What do I do?
> 1.15b. I saw a banded or marked bird. What do I do?

Fresh dead birds (banded or not) are valuable to institutions - museums,
universities and colleges. Contact local institutions to see what kinds
of specimens they accept.

Proper handling and preservation of specimens is critical. Place a bit
of hardwood sawdust, cotton, paper towel, or tissue on any bloody areas
and in the bill and throat. Place the bird and data tags in a plastic
bag (one bird per bag) and seal the bird to prevent drying. Arrange the
birds with feathers smooth and straight. Avoid breaking or ruffling the
feathers. Freeze the birds (in a home freezer or on dry ice) as soon as
possible, keeping them cool until they can be frozen. If possible, avoid
thawing and refreezing the specimens.

The data tag should be recorded in pencil or India ink (other ink blurs)
and contain the following recovery data: (1) Locality (direct distance
to town or prominent landmark. Include county and state, and the map
co-ordinates if known); (2) Date of death if known, or date found and
estimated time of death. Abbreviate the month (Jan., Feb., etc.);
(3) Full name and address of finder; (4) Weight, if possible, to the
nearest 0.1 g; (5) Soft part colour - the colour of the iris, mouth
lining, bill, legs, feet, and exposed skin; (6) Species; (7) Sex;
(8) Ecological notes - habitat, unusual circumstances of death,
behavior, etc. Ectoparasites collected should be noted;
(9) band number if present.

Local game agencies should accept bands and forward reports to the Bird
Banding Laboratory. Form 3-1807 is used to report the death of a bird.
The Bird Banding Laboratory will send a "Certificate of appreciation" to
the finder.

...

>Otherwise, for birds found in the U.S., send the band or a description of
>it, along with a description of the bird and the date and location of the
>encounter, to
>
> Bird Banding Lab
> Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
> 12100 Beach Forest Rd
> Laurel, Maryland 20708-4037
> USA

As of January 1994, I was told to send reports to

Bird Banding Laboratory
>>> Gabrielson Building
12100 Beach Forest Rd
Laurel, Maryland 20708-4037
USA

Someone might want to verify this.

--
Shamus Mc Bride
shamus at halcyon.com