[tn-bird] Re: The history and future of banding
- From: Charlie <cmmbirds@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2002 05:51:49 -0700 (PDT)
Sorry if this seems way out of date, but I'm prety behind on email...
It is generally accepted (in other words, I don't know by whom, but I
hear the number a lot) that anything we stick on a wild animal should
weigh less than 10% of that animal, and that we should try to keep it
as small as possible.
Given that many neotropical migrants - the birds that are banded in
the largest numbers by far - weigh less than 10 grams, we would have
to attach something that, including transmitter, power device, and
antenna, weighs less than a gram. I don't think I've ever seen an
antenna that weighs less than a gram, nevermind the rest!
Certainly, if such a system could be designed, and be somewhere near
affordable, I'd jump on the bandwagon. So James, keep me informed,
and I'll send all my bands back to Laurel, MD.
I've done radio telemetry with small turtles, and it was *quite*
expensive to get transmitters that weighed little enough. In fact,
we ended up borrowing transmitters from Greg Kearns, who uses them
on, guess what.... birds! He has probably done more to add to human
knowledge of Soras than anyone else. For several years (don't know
if he still does) he would attach radio devices on 15 or so Soras on
the Patuxent River, a tributary of Chesapeake Bay about 45 minutes
south of Annapolis, then follow them to Florida. Interestingly, even
with all this high-tech stuff, and the fact that Greg is the most
energetic person on earth (for those of you who know me, I can't keep
up with him!) he still has a hard time keeping up with them. He's
even sent recievers to family, friends and researchers along the
Atlantic coast and some likely inland areas.
Turns out there is no perfect way to do research. And this is a bird
that we NEED to know more about, since it is hunted in several
states. Meaning that "authorities" need to put bag limits on it.
Even though they don't know how many there are, where they go, or how
they get there. What do they do, roll dice?!? Don't take this as a
dig on hunting, or on the fish and wildlife folks - but this isn't as
cut and dried as deer headcounts.
Now to get on topic here...
The hatch-year Broad-winged Hawk that was hanging outside my house
for 4 days, acting very funny, is gone. I'm assuming that he
succombed, but am hoping I'm wrong. Screech-owls are heard several
nights a week. Haven't heard ANY warbler in over a week now. The
times, they are a-changing.
Charlie
--- K Dean EDWARDS <kde@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>
>
> As with many things (such as electric cars), the problem is
> in developing batteries that are small enough and strong
> enough to power the electronics for any period of time.
> The Palm computer you spoke of still requires a handful
> of batteries. Miniaturizing electronics is not a big
> problem -- you're just directing electrons around and they're
> small. Generating significant amounts of energy with a small
> mass...? Now you're limited by thermodynamics.
>
> On topic, there are two nests with Am. Goldfinch incubating
> eggs in Bradford Pear trees along the parking lot and
> entranceway here where I work in West Knoxville.
>
> Dean Edwards
> Knoxville, TN
>
>
>
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=====
**************************************************
Charlie Muise, Senior Naturalist
Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont
Townsend, TN lat 35 deg, 38'23" long 83 deg, 41'22"
"Do something. If it works, do it again. If it does not work, do something
else. But above all else: Do Something." (Franklin Delano Roosevelt)
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=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================
The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with
first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation.
-----------------------------------------------------
To post to this mailing list, simply send email to:
tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
-----------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, send email to:
tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
TN-Bird Net Owner: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx (423) 764-3958
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