Unusual Band Recovery-w/results
Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2011 8:37 pm
I had an older brother for the first 12 years of my life. He was 13 years older and loved to hunt and fish. He paid his way through college mounting Waterfowl and fish. I wanted to be just like him. His life was tragically cut short in 1965. Over the years since I've often thought about him while waterfowl hunting and how it would've been nice to share our passion for waterfowling with each other. He'd be almost 70 now. But we did share a few hunts that he allowed me to tag along. Those hunts are what got me into this crazy game.
I have often wondered if he ever killed and banded bird and what he might have done with the bands. His calls (what I remember of them) had a thick cotton cord (white) like we used to use for crabbin' - not like the lanyards folks wear nowadays. I didn't remember hearing stories about leg braclets or seeing evidence of anything unusual that ducks don't grow naturally - but I was just getting started and don't recall learing about bird banding until the late 60's.
My wife, niece, and nephew helped me go through the last remnants of family belongings at my parents' now-vacant house this weekend. They brought me an Old Spice box with some of his personal belongings in it. I just glanced at it's contents - mostly ROTC insignia, his wallet, some medals and award medalions on his watch chain, etc. I remembered that watch chain. We had other stuff to go through, so I put it under the back seat of the truck - until I got home.
You already know where this is going - I sat-down with the box and touched everything in it. I was getting near the last few shiney objects when I spotted a flat piece of aluminum. Of course it was face-down and slick on top.......but was about the width of a band. I tried not to get my hopes up, but it just HAD to be........My heart pounded as I got my fingertips under it and rolled it over.
"Well, here you go".........'Avice Fish & Wildlife Service, Write Washington, DC, USA.......587-XXXXX. I handed it to my wife.
She was just as surprised - we've talked about Perry several times while she and I have been hunting together over the last 33 years. It may have been she that asked me whether he had killed any banded birds. I don't remember any notations in his hunting log to that affect. I'll check again.
I've written the Bird Lab Data guy and hope to hear that recovery data was provided pre-'65. If not, they should be able to give me the banding data and I can just about guess within a 10-mile radius along the East Cal-Cam (Calcasieu or Cameron Parish) Ward line where it was killed. For the sake of nostalgia and a good story, I'll assume it was shot from the same pit he took me just across the North boundary of Lacassine NWR on Mr. Beresford's lease.......somewhere between 1960 and 1965.
I got a big drill bit and used it as a mandrel on a block of wood to form a curve, being careful not to aggrevate an obvious weak spot in the stamped type print. It's a little bigger diameter than a duck band - I've got a snow goose band I killed from the same vacinity in LA in 1973 and they look to be about the same dimensions.
Needless to say, it's now on my lanyard in honor of his memory.
I thought maybe some of you guys would be interested in this 'discovered treasure' story. I'll post results when I hear back from BBL.
Happy Hunting!
I have often wondered if he ever killed and banded bird and what he might have done with the bands. His calls (what I remember of them) had a thick cotton cord (white) like we used to use for crabbin' - not like the lanyards folks wear nowadays. I didn't remember hearing stories about leg braclets or seeing evidence of anything unusual that ducks don't grow naturally - but I was just getting started and don't recall learing about bird banding until the late 60's.
My wife, niece, and nephew helped me go through the last remnants of family belongings at my parents' now-vacant house this weekend. They brought me an Old Spice box with some of his personal belongings in it. I just glanced at it's contents - mostly ROTC insignia, his wallet, some medals and award medalions on his watch chain, etc. I remembered that watch chain. We had other stuff to go through, so I put it under the back seat of the truck - until I got home.
You already know where this is going - I sat-down with the box and touched everything in it. I was getting near the last few shiney objects when I spotted a flat piece of aluminum. Of course it was face-down and slick on top.......but was about the width of a band. I tried not to get my hopes up, but it just HAD to be........My heart pounded as I got my fingertips under it and rolled it over.
"Well, here you go".........'Avice Fish & Wildlife Service, Write Washington, DC, USA.......587-XXXXX. I handed it to my wife.
She was just as surprised - we've talked about Perry several times while she and I have been hunting together over the last 33 years. It may have been she that asked me whether he had killed any banded birds. I don't remember any notations in his hunting log to that affect. I'll check again.
I've written the Bird Lab Data guy and hope to hear that recovery data was provided pre-'65. If not, they should be able to give me the banding data and I can just about guess within a 10-mile radius along the East Cal-Cam (Calcasieu or Cameron Parish) Ward line where it was killed. For the sake of nostalgia and a good story, I'll assume it was shot from the same pit he took me just across the North boundary of Lacassine NWR on Mr. Beresford's lease.......somewhere between 1960 and 1965.
I got a big drill bit and used it as a mandrel on a block of wood to form a curve, being careful not to aggrevate an obvious weak spot in the stamped type print. It's a little bigger diameter than a duck band - I've got a snow goose band I killed from the same vacinity in LA in 1973 and they look to be about the same dimensions.
Needless to say, it's now on my lanyard in honor of his memory.
I thought maybe some of you guys would be interested in this 'discovered treasure' story. I'll post results when I hear back from BBL.
Happy Hunting!
