Hi Al & Tweets:

Al, thank you for posting this. Any information about bands is always
appreciated.
Peregrines banded locally, both as adults and as nestlings, in the San
Juans, other parts of Western WA, and in Oregon have both an aluminum band
on one leg and, on the other leg, a black VID (Visual Identification) band
with a white alphanumeric combination that is unique to that bird. The VID
bands can be read with a spotting scope (with the help of a "cooperative"
bird that is standing on that leg rather than tucking it up in its belly
feathers), thus identifying individual birds. IMHO, VID bands are one of the
greatest things since sliced bread! :-)
I'm curious as to whether the female of this pair had a VID band on her
right leg. There is a pair over on I-5 that have hunted the Fill a lot in
the past; both are double-banded, and her VID band is on the right leg,
while his is on his left leg. However, this is *only* speculation on my
part. They could be birds from anywhere.


Ruth Taylor
Seattle/Ballard
rutht at seanet.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Al Wagar <alwagar at verizon.net>
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Date: Friday, December 01, 2006 8:42 PM
Subject: [Tweeters] Banded Peregrine at Fill


>Thursday, November 30, a pair of peregrines was at the Fill, first flying
>near Shovelers Pond, then perching in snags just south of the pond nearest
>the main campus. (Some folks call this "Willow Pond.")
>
>The female (much the larger bird) had a silver-colored band on left leg.
In
>my not-so-expert opinion, both seemed to have fully adult plumage.
>
>I saw what was probably one of the same birds again this (Friday) afternoon
>close to the Lake, flying past the woods between the Lake and Center for
>Urban Horticulture.
>
>Al Wagar
>Shoreline
>
>
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