Subject: Nasal disks on Scoters
Date: Mar 19 09:38:25 2003
From: Kelly Mcallister - mcallkrm at dfw.wa.gov


Hi Tweets,

In the past month, the Department of Fish and Wildlife, largely because of the
hard work of Puget Sound Ambient Monitoring Program staff, have implanted
5 male and 5 female White-winged Scoters with satellite transmitters. We hope
that tracking their movements to breeding areas, molting areas, and elsewhere
will help us to better understand why scoters are in decline.

In addition to the birds with satellite transmitters, there are 10 White-winged
Scoters and 23 Surf Scoters (none of which have the satellite transmitters)
which were opportunistically fitted with nasal tags. The tags are plastic and
there is one plastic piece on each side of the bill, fastened through the nares.
We are hoping that these birds will be resighted. Ideally, observers will be
able to report the characteristics of the marker on each side of the bill. Most
of the birds have a different color and shape on right and left sides. The colors
used were blue, green, orange, purple, red, white, and yellow. The shapes were
round, oval, square, rectangle, triangle, and y-shaped.

These birds were captured and subsequently released in the south Puget Sound
area, Peale's passage (between Squaxin and Hartstene Islands) and Henderson
Inlet.

I'm hoping we can generate some interest in scrutiny of scoter flocks looking
for these markers so that a better understanding of movements can be achieved
which will, in the end, help to conserve the species.

Having now seen scoters up close and personal, they are beautiful birds.

Kelly McAllister
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Olympia, Washington
Reply to: mcallkrm at dfw.wa.gov