Pintail drake. Wearing Purple # 21 9.0 024.

Shot in Eire. I haven't personally seen it, or the band. Certainly not one I'd use (BTO).

Originator suspects an escapee. I haven't got a clue. Figured we might, possibly, eliminate USA.

Thanks.

Did he try reporting it to Bird banding lab? That would be my first step, if it doesn’t match their records then it’s a private band.
All birds banded across the world by certified banders will enter their banding records into the database so that if bird is recovered anywhere in the world it can be tracked.

Yeppers. He checked EURING. Nothing on there. UK and Eire all use BTO rings. Coloured rings do get used, as ye'd know. But, that sounds a bit of a mouthful of number to be of much use to 'us' on a duck sized ring.

I once dabbled in breeding canaries. We used to buy solid rings for them. Normally stamped with our initials ~ if we wanted. Year and numbers, 1 to however many we ordered, I s'pose? Barely remember now.

But, yeah, none of it adds up to much you or I would be dealing with, does it? I just chucked it on here, as a knee jerk. No one, in Eire, has so far mentioned anything.

So; Not yours. Not ours. Must be one of theirs.

Thanks, Tray.

Sorry I didn’t see your location before I posted, but that makes your second post make more sense. LOL

They do occasionally use colored band and colored flag bands to mark birds, the birds are also banded with the traditional metal band. Colored bands make it quick and easy to ID a bird for researchers without having to be able to read the numbers, Especially helpful on birds that won’t be harvested. I suppose it’s possible that metal band fell off leaving just a colored band but my guess is it’s a private bird.

Yeah. I know all that bling, especially on waders, is a necessary evil. But, I hate it!

Superb point about ~ of course!!! ~ the darn thing would have had one of 'Our', ally ones on the other leg! (:FacePalm:! How did I miss that?! That's just embarrassing!)

And, as for it coming off? If that happened, it'd be the Bander / Ringer that needed shooting. Not the duck!

Brilliant. Thanks. Case closed! It was indeed an escapee from a 'collection'.