What many won't realize is that Russell is attempting to use a kind of
parody to show, by ridiculous scenarios, how valuable banding is and how
much banders invest in developing knowledge and applying care for the birds
they handle. Unfortunately, Russell, while a very good house painter at one
point in his life, never really achieved a good education and could only
manage a state job with a modest income. He just isn't smart enough to
realize that most of the birds he banded died very quickly and those he
re-sighted later were close to death, perhaps even dead while looking alive.
It's very sad, really.

Kelly McAllister