color-banded birds

Observers: Chris McCreedy
Email: cmccreedyatprbodotorg
Verification: MONO
Remote Name: 65.241.2.253
Date: 07/02/2007
Time: 08:41 PM -0400

Sighting

Hello Eastside birders! I need your help! I color-band Dusky Flycatchers and Willow Flycatchers on Rush Creek, near Mono Lake, and have been doing so since 2003. Willow Flycatchers have been known to disperse 250 km from their natal sites, and I imagine Dusky Flycatchers can do the same. Picture a 250 km-radius circle around Mono Lake. Hmm. A lot of turf. I am looking for volunteers to assist me in re-sighting dispersing birds in riparian areas of the Eastern Sierra Nevada. Their legs are small and the bands smaller, so re-sighting is difficult. But a positive sighting will improve survival and juvenile recruitment estimates, and provide some fascinating data on flycatcher movements! It takes Zen-like patience, but it's really fun if you're looking for more of a challenge out there. I use the colors Silver (the federally-issued, numbered band), Black, Blue, Red, Orange, Yellow, White, Green, and Mauve. Birds will have a silver band on one leg, and two color bands on the other. Combinations are read from the bird's left leg to its right, and from body-to-toe. Thus a flycatcher with red-over-blue on the left and silver on the right is "RB/S". The silver band is the easiest to see, since it reflects light quite well, so even getting the silver is great - I will drive to meet you right away so that we can find it together. I generally will only call a bird "unbanded" if I get three-four really good looks at a leg, since occasionally unbanded-seeming birds are actually banded. If you're interested in searching, or would like training, my e-mail address is above. I have volunteers currently on Rush and Parker Creeks, which leaves lots of habitat yet to cover! Thanks!