Cover Image: Mike Callian
He wades into the spring creek in the still pre-dawn light and picks up the floating wood duck before it goes too far downstream. Best to gather now with a good mark before the next volley of birds come whistling through the timber. Glancing at the legs out of years of habit, he turns and grins to his hunting partner. The smile says it all. Why do bands bring so much joy to so many hunters and how can something so small be so critical to scientists?
The metallic trophies hunters put on their lanyards or elsewhere in their collections are more than just a showy attribute. Each one has a story of a hunt and a memorable day with it. It also is accompanied by a responsibility of reporting the information of harvest, conditions, and locations to the biologists. The first and only band I’ve taken (so far) was just a few miles away from the banding location. However, the date of the banding compared to the date of harvest showed that the duck had successfully navigated two migrations. Reportband.gov and 1-800-327-BAND supply the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with the information they need for their scientists. There are also private groups and nonprofits that use the same bands to conduct banding programs to aid in these efforts. Additionally, other bands may be applied to these standard bands. There are reward bands, radio transmitters put on backs, as well as various colored neck collars on geese and swans.
The researchers at Delta Waterfowl compiled an explanation for the way bands can be used for research projects: 1) understand lesser-known ducks; 2) inform harvest management framework; 3) calculate population sizes; and, 4) track the lives of waterfowl. State and federal government programs are focused more on harvest number tracking, while nonprofits like Delta use the data to examine the broader ecosystem of waterfowl. The government agencies are also affixed to complicated budget processes, which make these nonprofits even more critical to step in for research needs where and when the government falls short.
Photo: Jeff Pelayo
When most of us think of the bling coming into the spread, it usually is affixed to mallards or geese in our minds. However, Delta’s efforts include Ring-necked ducks, Canvasbacks as well as predators of the nesting waterfowl. As the hunting and trapping of raccoons, possums, and other predators have declined, the pressure on successful breeding pairs has exponentially risen. This is shown through the surveys and tracking being done in the prairie pothole region of the United States and Canada by Delta Waterfowl.
In an enlightening conversation with Dr. Chris Nicolai, Waterfowl Scientist at Delta Waterfowl, the process of banding birds can provide another snapshot of data to compare to the counts and representations of populations than the historical aerial surveys by planes alone. Banding also provides a hands-on process that allows the biologists to examine the weights and conditions of the specimens; data that is critical in taking the pulse of the population. “It’s exciting how statistics are constantly changing with increased computer power and we can now estimate values that we couldn’t have until very recently,” noted Dr. Nicolai. For example, there are two studies being undertaken of the mallard population in the Atlantic Flyway to better understand the decrease in their breeding number. In doing so, observations are being made while banding is in the U.S. mallard breeding area, the birds being handled had recently migrated from Canada by examining the stable isotopes from the wings and stage of molt of feathers.
Another benefit of banding waterfowl is the observations of hunters. As many of us witnessed this past season, new hunters were making their way afield along with those that were returning to the sport after time away for various reasons. Dr. Nicolai noted that in the reports he receives of bands harvested, there was a strong uptick this past season of those adding jewelry to their lanyards. As Dr. Nicolai stated, “I only minimally banded in 2020, but was receiving reports from ducks prior to that, which exceeded prior years reports.” It will be interesting to compare that data with those of license purchases across the flyways to get a clear picture of our own hunting habits.
As I made my way West while thinking of this article 30,000 feet above the so-called ‘fly over’ states that many just ignore, I couldn’t help but wonder at the little potholes below and the birds that will migrate south from there this Fall and thank all of the biologists that are getting their hands dirty studying waterfowl. All of this information is critical to share with not just the hunting public but also with those decision makers setting limits and season dates. The more we know about the populations the better stewards we can be of the waterfowl and resources for future generations.
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