At the end of this month, I will close my U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service federal migratory bird banding permit. This will conclude 45 years of banding which began March 20, 1961 under Dr. Lee R. Herndon of Elizabethton, TN who sponsored my application and trained me. My federal permit no. 9074 is one of the lowest banding permit numbers in the nation. Bob Sargent, who certifies banders and is one of the leading banders in the south, told me recently he had never seen a banding permit number with as few as four digits in length. Dr. Herndon was 6980 and I not only had the good experience of his being my mentor but I also shared that number as a subpermit for three years as no. 6980-G. In addition to Lee Herndon, I enjoyed visiting with, learning banding, exchanging techniques and getting significant encouragement and materials from Tennessee's "supreme team" of banders. First, and foremost, Amelia Laskey of Nashville who donated tons of literature and gave me important sets of banding journals as well as needed advice. Amelia, along with Dr. James Tanner, are the best ornithologists ever in Tennessee. She was Tennessee's first of three elected fellows of the American Ornithologists' Union. She was mentored by the famous Margaret Morse Nice of Chicago -- both enormous women in ornithology. Ben B. Coffey of Memphis was especially sharing with long phone conversations and suggestions. We were of no kin but called each other "cousins." His global reputation was immense. His banding achievements in the Mid-South are rivaled by none. Dr. Katherine Goodpasture of Nashville, who was tenacious, technical and a frequent bander and publisher like Laskey. Laskey, Ben Coffey and Goodpasture are the most prolific banders ever in Tennessee and among the best in America in their time. Albert Ganier of Nashville took me under his wing for decades and opened door after door. His long letters about finding raptor nests, how to climb and donations of publications were valuable. Rick Knight, George Mayfield and Rad Mayfield have allowed me to share years in their net lanes and contributed to my banding knowledge and enjoyment. During the late 1970's and early 1980's I had five federal subpermits under my master permit: Bert Hale 1978-1984 (permit 9074-A) lives near Bluff City and is a former president of the Bristol Bird Club. Ken Hale 1978 to 1983 (permit 9074-B) former turkey and deer trapper and wildlife tech with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and later manager of the Virginia Game Commission's Clinch Mountain Wildlife Management Area. He has a degree in wildlife management from Tennessee Tech. He practices law in Bristol. Bob Duncan 1978 to 1980 (permit 9074-C) Currently the Chief of the Wildlife Division of the Virginia Game Commission in Richmond, former supervising wildlife biologist for Southwest Virginia and former region research biologist with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency in East Tennessee. Dr. Tom Laughlin 1978 to 1984 (permit 9074-D) a faculty member of the Department of Biological Sciences at East Tennessee State University. He earned his Ph.D. at Virginia Tech. He is from Kingsport. Rick Phillips 1978 to 1984 (permit 9074-E) Lives at Kingsport and a member of Bristol Birds Net. A former research bird biologist with the U.S. Forest Service's Southern Forest Experimental Station at Clemson. With that great team, here are just some of the high profile and curious species we have banded. All of these banded birds were within 50 miles of Bristol. The numbers of each species banded follows the names of the birds: Ring-necked Pheasant 5 (young from a wild nesting population in Shady Valley) Common Loon 1 Pied-billed Grebe 1 Double-crested Cormorant 1 Green Heron 3 Northern Harrier 2 Sharp-shinned Hawk 3 Cooper's Hawk 11 Red-shouldered Hawk 2 Broad-winged Hawk 2 Red-tailed Hawk 12 Rough-legged Hawk 2 Golden Eagle 2 American Kestrel 264 Common Moorhen 2 (both in Bristol VA) American Woodcock 3 Ring-billed Gull 3 Barn Owl 8 Eastern Screech Owl 83 Great Horned Owl 16 Barred Owl 2 N. Saw-whet Owl 1 (trapped with Rick Knight at Winged Deer Park in Johnson City / his band used-- state's first low elevation capture for banding) Chuck-wills-widow (with Herbie Nunley near Bluff City in Sullivan Co.) Whip-poor-will 1 Allen's Hummingbird 1(arranged capture and banding first ever Virginia record with Rick Knight, Richard Lewis, Dr. Van Remsen) Belted Kingfisher 2 Red-headed Woodpecker 1 Eastern Phoebe 145 Loggerhead Shrike 19 American Crow 13 Bank Swallow 1 (captured from nest at Austin Springs, Boone Lake) Barn Swallow ~100 Brown-headed Cowbird 62 Purple Finch 493 Pine Siskins 420 Evening Grosbeak 93 I did not band the Common Loon, Double-crested Cormorant or Northern Harrier. Those were banded by the subpermits under my permit and with my bands. I banded all the rest of the species listed but obviously my subpermits either helped me or banded some of the birds on their own. Larry McDaniel and I discovered a Red-necked Grebe at Elizabethton in the 90's and Rick Knight came to help capture the bird and he brought a band and the bird was banded and released. Likewise, Rick banded a nest of Cooper's Hawks that Larry and I discovered and Richard Lewis banded a nest of Cooper's Hawk found near Musick's Campground. Richard banded young for us from a Great Horned Owl nest near Tri-City Airport. For several years I was a volunteer bander for the Virginia Game Commission helping trap and band waterfowl at Abingdon. We mostly took Wood Ducks. I also did the same for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency at David Crocket Lake in Greene County. Ken Hale trapped and banded Ruffed Grouse and Wild Turkey as part of his duties and none of these numbers are reflected above. Along with many others in the region, we have joined hummingbird banders to capture Allen's Hummingbird in Johnson City and Rufous Hummingbirds all over the area. Because of the high profile species, we have a very large number of recoveries, returns, recaptures and such of both birds we have banded and those banded by others throughout the eastern states. I have never been a high-volume bander like a Rick Knight, Richard Lewis, Dave Vogt or the Mayfields. I mainly banded raptors and some winter finches. High numbers of Eastern Phoebes reflect a two-year nesting study in the region. Nevertheless, like most banders, there is a long list of woodpeckers, flycatchers, vireos, jays, swallows, chickadee, titmice, nuthatches, creepers, wrens, kinglets, doves, cuckoos, hummingbirds, swifts, nuthatches, thrushes and thrashers, warblers, vireos, sparrows, blackbirds and finches which have been banded at my fall banding stations and yard feeders and at the homes of cooperators. I cannot mention each and every person who banded with me or helped me during nearly five decades of banding. I do not have a list of them. I am relative certain I banded the young from a nest of Common Ravens we climbed to twice at Pigeon Rock, Corn Valley, in Russell County, Va in the late 60's but I was not able to lay my hands on the data so I chose to leave that species out of the list. I have many good colored slide photos of that nest with both eggs and young. There were many other times when we had Ospreys in captivity or found a nest of either the Black Vulture or Turkey Vulture where we were not able to band the young. Vultures may not be banded because of problems caused by the bands to their legs. I banded local breeding hummingbirds many times before a special permit was required to band hummers. Thanks to everyone who has made this journey so rewarding and so enjoyable. There finally comes a time when my energy, health and other obligations make it no longer practical to continue being a bander. It is a lot of work and responsibility. It is also great fun and very challenging --- especially the winter raptors, as many of you know. Let's go birding...... Wallace Coffey Bristol, TN =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER===================== The TN-Bird Net requires you to SIGN YOUR MESSAGE with first and last name, CITY (TOWN) and state abbreviation. You are also required to list the COUNTY in which the birds you report were seen. 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