UAM studies banding waterfowl
Bird banding studies conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey briefly capture all variety of waterfowl species from different points along their migratory routes.
Most banding occurs in the spring when waterfowl are situated on Canadian nesting grounds. Banding volunteers place small, unobtrusive, numbered aluminum bands on one leg of the creature.
Before the internet, these birds, when harvested, had a tollfree phone contact listed on each band that the hunter could use to report time, place and serial number of harvest. Nowadays there’s a web address — www. reportband.gov — to accomplish the same end.
This goes into an overall tracking system that helps paint the big picture of bird habits formed from such information. As a reward for hunter participation, a U.S. Geological Survey Certificate of Appreciation is emailed to the sportsman, who may print it for prominent display. There is the even greater reward of adding another piece of “jewelry” to one’s duck call lanyard — the band itself.
Some of the banding work, however, happens right here in Arkansas.
Associate Professor of Wildlife Douglas C. Osborne is the founder of Osborne Lab based at the University of Arkansas at Monticello. He received his doctorate from Southern University at Carbondale, Ill., in 2010. He’s in his seventh year capturing and banding waterfowl in Southeast Arkansas. The banding efforts that he and his student team undertake begin in late January and run into March.
“I came here in July 2012 and began our study in February 2014,” Osborne said. “My intention when we began was to build a waterfowl program to gather
important data recognized across the country. Historically, winter banding hasn’t been used because there’s a lot of uncertainty.
“Our first goal is to establish survival rates from end of hunting season until the following fall. We’re banding a bunch of birds that have to breed, migrate back north, lay eggs and hatch their clutch all while surviving predation. One of the biggest things that help with that is when the spring banding guys report any of our birds they re-catch up north. Another more important way to fill in the data gaps is attaching satellite-tracking transmitters to birds. At $1,100 a pop, that’s where we need support from the public to fund that investment,” he said.
Osborne said he and his students stay busy but would like to be busier.
“I’m doing what I can,” he said. “My students and I have put 145 transmitters on birds which is really good. We’ve marked 75 mallards, 35 teal and 35 widgeons trying to understand their behavior. But how much does that small number of birds really tell us about what the migration is really doing? We need to attach at least 150 more every year.”
The researchers are trying to establish timing and changes in migration.
“With the number of transmitters we already have out there, we’ve been able to come up with a lot of initial ideas. We’re building a picture of where they’re going and why they are setting on sanctuaries and not moving around. We seem to be seeing heavy concentrations of birds on big areas of privately owned land that have a variety of habitat from moist soil to crops and flooded timber. Twenty-years ago, birds were spread out, and everybody had a pod of ducks. Now those concentrations are down, fewer and far between,” Osborne said.
That means finding ducks is more difficult than it used to be.
“That makes it tough for public land hunters,” Osborne said. “We have a lot of state and federal hunting areas, but the habitat isn’t as varied or attractive as where birds seem to be going. How can we recruit the next generation of hunters without good access to birds?”
The answer might be in research and science, Osborne said.
“We have a great opportunity right now that we’re not taking advantage of ,” he said. “Tennessee has spent $3 million to put transmitters on 200 to 300 mallards. Every state on the migration path needs to be putting out that many transmitters per year. There is collaboration between state researchers sharing our data with each other. The data we are receiving can begin to provide feedback to folks who make the decisions concerning how we better manage the resource. We’re also working with the transmitter manufacturers so the hunting public can tap into our results.”
Asked about longevity of satellite trackers, Osborne said, “They last up to two years and have my contact number on them to report harvest. The birds are also federally banded. If hunters return a device, we can redeploy it. I will provide the hunter a map of the ducks’ movements and a replicant device lacking electronics that he or she can keep.”
And there’s a nonprofit if the public would like to participate in the effort.
“Several agencies have chipped in to help with the big price tag of buying transmitters, but we need more help,” Osborne said. “I created a nonprofit 501(c)(3) foundation account at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. The beauty is that it’s completely tax deductible, and there’s no overhead. The university covers research expense for the project, so 100% of the money goes toward transmitters. Contributors receive tax papers from the university at the end of the year.”
For those interested in forwarding migratory waterfowl tracking research, they may receive the necessary documents by emailing Doug Osborne at osborne@uamont. edu.
“That makes it tough for public land hunters. We have a lot of state and federal hunting areas, but the habitat isn’t as varied or attractive as where birds seem to be going. How can we recruit the next generation of hunters without good access to birds?”
— Douglas Osborne, associate professor at University of Arkansas at Monticello and founder of Osborne Lab