Typically when most think of banded birds waterfowl is what comes to mind, but in reality researchers band nearly every species of bird for various research projects. Over the past several years I’ve been lucky enough to photograph several different banded birds.
The banded piping plovers are actually one of the reasons I originally got into photography as it was the easiest ways to read the flag bands in order to report them, much easier then trying to read them thru Binoculars as the bird is constantly moving.

I can tell you one thing, don’t call in anything other than your normal duck or goose. They start asking too many questions!!!

I do reports on all the ones I can, it’s all online and you just report as a live bird instead of shot birds.

Funny story when I was is college and interning with DNR we found a RK Peregrine Falcon, we sent the band report in as a hunter shot mallard, always figured we would get a call but never did.

My folks had an old black bird hit the window on the house in a wind storm. Dad went out later and found it on the ground dead. It was banded.

Good post Tray
sure do miss those flagged piping plover we use to have in Manitoba
any history of those birds in the picture?
Read the report of the Great lakes banded PPs birds a couple of weeks ago sure a lot of volunteer spotters involved.

Down on the gulf coast they do mist netting on the barrier islands to band the neotropical migratory species. The barrier island maritime forests are extremely important to these species as first landfall after crossing the gulf.

What size shot on them

Here is the report I was sent on some of the birds. These birds nest along the Upper Missouri River in North and South Dakota, on high water years when their nesting sandbars are submerged the birds move into the Praire Pothole country.

74P was banded as an adult 6/30/2017 on alkali lake Big muddy near Dawson, ND  92T was banded as a 2 day old chick on Lake Oahe near La plant, SD 6/28/2017.  4A0 was banded as a 15 day old chick on Upper Lostwood lake on the Lostwood refuge.  This lake has had high water the last few years and habitat has not been available.  This bird was banded in 2014 and has not been since then….until now! 



I believe most of our plovers winter on the Texas coast, the Great Lakes population I believe winters on the Florida coast with some birds migrating across the gulf. I haven’t read up on it to much so there could be more birds traveling across the gulf then I know.

When we sent in our reports to the BBL IF we have a re-trap the BBL will send us back a report tell us who, where and when the bird was banded and a what age and sex the bird was.