CLOSER LOOK AT LEG BANDS
In November, we were on our way for an Audubon bird walk at Myakka River State Park when we saw two Crested Caracaras eating roadkill on highway 72. We stopped to take photos.
The photos were posted on our Audubon’s webpage, which connected me to a fellow birder. He helps to find, identify and track Scrub-Jays and Caracaras by photographing the leg bands with codes to identify the birds. He in turn passed my photos on to a Ph.D. researcher for Archbold Biological Station, in Venus, FL.
Only one of the two Caracaras had leg bands. There were silver & black bands on the left leg and blue & white bands on the right leg. Unfortunately, the codes were not visible enough for an ID. However, the combination of the four bands was unique and allowed identification.
At the time of banding in 2007, it was determined that this was a second-year female, meaning it was in its second year of life. That made the bird 18 years old! Researchers need this bird ID and location information to have data for their studies. It was exciting to be a part of that. When you go birding, you never know what you might see!
UPCOMING EVENTS
- Tuesday, February 11, 8 a.m., Walkabout at Deer Prairie Creek Preserve, 10201 S. Tamiami Trail, North Port.
- Thursday, February 20, Refreshments, 6:15 p.m. followed by the program at 7 p.m. “North Port Environmental Conservancy,” at the Regional Realtors Education Center, 3320 Loveland Blvd., Port Charlotte.
- Saturday, February 22, 10 a.m., Photo Tour of Burrowing Owls, 4128 Pelican Blvd., Cape Coral.
- Tuesday, March 11, 8 a.m., Field Trip to Celery Fields Park, 6799 Palmer Blvd., Sarasota.
- Every Saturday, 8:30 a.m., Nature Walk at Audubon Pennington Park, 1153 Alton Rd., Port Charlotte.
You do not have to be a member of PRAS to join us. Participation is free, and registration is not required. Visit the website at https://www.peaceriveraudubonsociety.org for all the details or give me a call: Rick Read, BSM resident at 574-870-2695 for information or car-pooling.
