Don & Tweeters,

I am a bird (owl) bander.

All banders are federally licensed and should be thought of as
professionals, as there is a certification process involved.

First and foremost for all banders is the consideration of the bird. No data
is worth jeopardizing the life of a bird, and that is the bottom line
philosophy of banders.

There is a lot of data that can be obtained by banding, including
longetivity, migration routes, site fidelity, and mate fidelity for a start.
I have several barred owls now that are over ten years old, and I know how
many offspring they have produced. I can't imagine where my research would
be without the use of bands. I have not seen an issue with the bands I use.

If there is an issue with the bands, there is feedback to the banding
laboratory that results in a change. A specific example of this is the
bands that I use on Northern Saw-whet Owls. These bands use to be the lock
on type used for most birds of prey and teal. Feedback resulted in the
issuance of a specially modified clamp on band used almost exclusively for
saw-whets now.

Banding is a topic that can be, and maybe is, controversial. Presently, it
is not on the "dreaded cat thread" list, and I hope that the subject stays
open on Tweeters for thoughtful discussion and education.

-J. Acker
owler at sounddsl.com
Bainbridge Island, WA