FreeLists / va-bird / [va-bird] [Fwd: BBC GEESE...Have YOU seen them?]

[Susan Heath <sheath@xxxxxxxxx>]

Forwarded for the folks at Airlie.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: BBC GEESE...Have YOU seen them?
Date: Fri, 1 Mar 2002 15:50:03 -0200
From: "Amy Harney" <aharney@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <sheath@xxxxxxxxx>
CC: "Bill Sladen" <wjsladen@xxxxxxx>

HAVE YOU SEEN OUR NECK BANDED CANADA GEESE?

We are searching for neck banded Canada Geese used in our migration
experiment, Ballooning with Branta canadensis, (BBC).
 
Each of the BBC geese is marked with a gray neckband engraved with a
black code beginning with "K" or "C" followed by three numbers, and
there is a strip of yellow tape between the codes. The birds also have
tarsus bands on their legs. You may see more than one of the geese
together.

If you see them please call us right away at 888-2MIGRATE (888-264-4728,
toll-free). You may
also send your observations via email (es@xxxxxxxx)or
(aharney@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx).

Even if the bird has already left and you no longer know its
whereabouts, we would still like to hear from you.

The "Ballooning with Branta Canadensis" (BBC) experiment, is testing a
passive technique for
teaching migratory behavior to large waterfowl. A series of experiments
have shown that geese,
swans, and cranes, can learn a migration route when flown over a
predetermined route following
an ultralight aircraft. When a similar group of birds are trucked along
the migration route,
they stay put and become resident. An unanswered question is: Do the
birds have to make an effort (as in following the ultralight)? Or, can
they learn the route passively, without flapping a wing? 

On December 22, 2001 we transported 10 geese in cages beneath a gas
balloon on a 75
mile migration from Sperryville/Warrenton, VA (Rappahannock and Fauquier
Counties)
to the Bowling Green, VA area (Caroline County). The birds were released
from the air
over a sanctuary pond in the vicinity of Bowling Green.

The geese will winter in the area where they were released and it is
hoped that they will
instinctively return to the Sperryville/Warrenton area in the spring,
having learned the route.
We know the birds are already on the move and would greatly appreciate
hearing from anyone who sees them.

**** THIS MIGRATION EXPERIMENT IS THE FOCUS OF AN ABC TV 20/20 SEGMENT
WHICH IS EXPECTED TO AIR SOMETIME IN MARCH, AS WELL AS A NATIONAL
GEOGRAPHIC STORY THAT WILL APPEAR ON THEIR WEBSITE THIS SPRING.****

See our website for more information: www.trumpeterswans.org

Thank you for your help,
William JL Sladen                                               Amy Harney
Director, Environmental Studies at Airlie               BBC Project Manager
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