[CINC] Report a Pelican, Win a Pair of Binoculars!

[Bernardo Alps]

Hi all.

International Bird Rescue is holding a contest to see who reports the most banded Brown Pelicans between now and January 2, http://www.bird-rescue.org/pelican-project/banded-pelican-sighting-contest.aspx. All rehabilitated birds get a metal band, but for the last couple of years IBR has been outfitting rehabbed Brown Pelicans with blue bands imprinted with a code consisting of one letter and two digits. The bands and numbers are very easy to spot.

There is also a research project from British Columbia that has placed nasal disks on Western Grebes which are arriving in our area, http://www.flickr.com/photos/markedwesterngrebes/8080345858/. 

Even when there is no contest, it is always helpful to report banded birds. Especially when markers different from just the plain metal bands are involved. For example, Bald Eagles on the Channel Islands have disks with numbers on their wings, and some Snowy Plovers have bands of different colors on their legs. With a bit of patience, it is often possible to read the numbers on the metal bands on birds also. I try to get a series of photographs from different angles and them piece the number together on the computer. Metal bands usually have a series of four digits and another of five digits separated by a dash. You can report all markers to the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center Bird Banding Laboratory,  http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/BBL/bblretrv/ and make valuable contributions to research.

Take care,

Bernardo

Bernardo Alps
www.photocetus.com
Whalephoto at earthlink.net
310.597.0449
P.O. Box 1667
San Pedro, CA 90733