Bluebill Banding 2014... (Rekindling an old post...)

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Pat Gregory

Well-known member
Just rekindling this old post for our new forum members to enjoy...

Got back late last night from our annual trek over to help Dr. Al Afton band bluebills on the Mississippi. Banded upwards of 750 in two days, all lessers not a single greater. Also, caught a few cans, redheads and ringnecks. The traps are baited with corn. After we empty the traps, the birds are brought back to shore to be processed. The crop is checked and the percent of corn estimated for each bird. Then they are weighed, banded and released. The Good Lord blessed us with great weather, outstanding fellowship and, full traps. Enjoy...

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Estimating the crop for the percent of corn...

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Weighing the bird. Coincidentally, this is Fred Errington, son of the great Paul Errington, peer of Aldo Leopold. Fred and his lovely wife Debra flew all the way from Massachusetts. It was great to get to know them, they were a delightful couple and, it was great to hear stories about Fred's father Paul.

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Waiting to be processed...

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Great shot for you carvers. Check out the back of this drake...

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Pat, great work. Outsiders just think of hunters in the fall blasting birds out of the sky. Its good for them to see the respect given to this resource at all times of the year. Last week when we were banding scaup on the Illinois river the sex ratio of drakes to hens was like 10 to 1. Is that what you found on the Miss?
 
Pat

Thank you one and all for a job well done, it is much appreciated. Those are my kind of "duck photo's", especially the hens, as they appear to be in pretty good shape. Mighty fine birds.
 
Bob - So true yet, all the biologists we worked with were avid duck hunters. It was encouraging. Also, I've found a great interest in the desire to carve decoys by the waterfowl biologists we work with. Another encouragement. Doc said the drake to hen ratio is 6:1. Consequently, we give the hens some extra TLC. They get their own cage and get banded first... Pat
 
Pat, Nice work. I was wondering what the drake to hen ratio should be or what the biologist like to see? Also I was trying to figure out from the pictures how the birds enter the trap? Thanks for sharing and getting out there and getting it done, Jeff
 
Interesting to see all your birds were lessers. I was up in MD a few weeks ago shooting photos at a popular feed station and noticed all the BBs were also all lessers. There was a good mix of cans, mallards, widgeon, and scooters so I would have expected to also see some greaters.
 
Pat or Bob,

Great job you guys. I'd love to experience this sometime. If you need volunteers let me know. I'd be happy to pm my contact info.
 
Guys - I appreciate all the interest in wanting to help. Unfortunately, this is the last year of the project. Doc Afton is retiring. After 10 years of banding, he's banded over 25,000 lessers. Great and important work for the scaup dilemna. I so appreciate his good work.

Couple more shots. For several years, Doc found the aluminum bands were not holding up on the scaup, so, they double banded them with a newer, tougher alloy. Recaptured one yesterday...

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Pat, I was wondering if you guys ever recaptured birds from the day before or prior years.Might be worth getting trapped in a cage 2 days in a row for another helping of corn. :)
 
Good to see you and Tim helping Al out on a good project. Lots of fun for the first dozen or two birds isn't it? At the end of 750 it's like real work! Neat to see a second generation Errington, Paul Errington was an early pioneer in the ways of wetlands and waterfowl.
 
Phil - We recapture a few. Once they get tuned into the corn, some can't resist the meal. One we recaptured 3 times already.

Brad - I'm a firm believer that research builds character, resiliency and stamina. For sure scaup banding does. One day last year we banded 926 in one day with only 8 of us. We were banding until 11:30 that night. As much as I appreciate scaup, I was ready to take a break after that. Bob Welsh did the big year when they did upwards of 1,100 in one day and were banding until 3-4 in the morning. Kudos to those devoted souls!!!

I appreciate the field work done. We all benefit from the hard work these fine biologists do. They are truly unsung heros... Blessings to each of them... Pat
 
I was amazed to learn from Dr Afton how rare greater scaup were in the spring. The spring and fall migration are apparently not the same birds.
we still have a lot to learn about these creatures. I hope someone else steps into Dr Afton's shoes.
 
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