Subject: Marked snow geese
Date: Feb 23 11:23:33 2004
From: Stuart MacKay - stuart at blarg.net
I spent a lot of time over the course of a couple of Springs looking for
marked snow geese up on Fir Island. There were hundreds of birds (backs in
1998) with neck collars and more with bands. The birds were marked up on
Wrangell Island and along Kolyma river delta by US, Russian and Japanese
scientists looking at migration patterns. The birds were captured while they
are gathered together in flocks during the Fall molt - when the birds cannot
fly. That is why the researchers are able mark so many birds.
I am not sure what the mortality rate is for snow geese and whether there
are new marking programs but I would think that there are still quite a few
birds out there with collars so seeing 30 or so does not seem to unusual.
I hate to say this but don't bother recording the collar or band numbers -
the original reseach program finished a long time ago and it took me quite a
while to badger the Canadian Wildlife Service (who administered the program)
to give me the information on where the birds were marked.
Stuart
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Stuart MacKay, Seattle, WA