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| Black Ducks |
New Hampshire Fish and Game (NHFG) wildlife biologists recently attached hundreds of metal bands to ducks throughout the state.
The annual pre-hunting season banding effort is conducted in US states and Canadian provinces throughout the Atlantic Flyway in August and September.
Data from duck band sightings and recovery are used in survival-rate predictions. Along with breeding-plot data, parts collection data, and HIP (National Migratory Bird Harvest Information Program) survey data, band information is included in the model used to determine annual season regulations in the spring.
Each metal band has a unique sequence of numbers, and biologists record the species, age, and sex of each duck before it is released.
At the end of the season, all the data are submitted to the Bird Banding Lab at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel, Maryland.
When a hunter harvests a duck with a metal band, or a wildlife viewer reads the band through a spotting scope, they are asked to report the information to a website provided on the band (www.reportband.gov).
Bands may also be reported via traditional mail to: Bird Banding Lab, 12100 Beach Forest Road, Laurel, MD 20708.
A phone number may be inscribed on the band also, but the call center supporting the toll-free phone number has been discontinued.
This year, a total of 758 ducks were banded in New Hampshire during the pre-hunting season effort – the fifth highest total banded in the 31 years of the program. They included: 566 mallards, 175 wood ducks, 11 black ducks, and 6 mallard/black duck hybrids.
As a result of 31 consecutive years of pre-season duck banding, 12,694 ducks have now been banded in New Hampshire.
Waterfowl management is funded by Wildlife Restoration Grants administered by the US Fish and Wildlife Services, Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program: Partnering to fund conservation and connect people with nature.
For more information, visit www.wildnh.com
source: New Hampshire Fish and Game
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