On a recent Spring rainy day…
A Mallard pair left the pond for a stroll along the wetland edge and up our driveway. This is not a normal place for duck wanderings, so I grabbed my camera.
The usual rule in photography: is focus on the eyes. But then I noticed…
This girl’s got bling‼️
A series of shots focused on the hen’s ankle allowed me to piece together her band number. (I also noticed she wore a worm wrapped around her bill.😄)
I was so excited when I realized there were enough photos, at different angles, to piece together her band number. The excitement increased dramatically when an online search lead to an official website about federal bird bands. I also found out how to report the sighting to the Bird Banding Laboratory at www.report and.gov .
It was a very straight-forward process. Okay- the excitement went over the top when I received a Certificate of Appreciation. I thoroughly enjoyed my Naturalist/Citizen Scientist experience.
Learn more:
Bird Banding: A Conservation Tool within the Migratory Bird Program 🌟Very interesting read.
Bird Banding: A Valuable Conservation Tool
