{"id":57155,"date":"2018-03-09T06:32:05","date_gmt":"2018-03-09T13:32:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/?p=57155"},"modified":"2018-03-09T10:32:30","modified_gmt":"2018-03-09T17:32:30","slug":"a-new-way-to-report-banded-american-kestrels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2018\/03\/09\/a-new-way-to-report-banded-american-kestrels\/","title":{"rendered":"A New Way To Report Banded American Kestrels"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>American Kestrels are in trouble. Numerous studies indicate that their populations across North America are in a long-term decline and we don&#8217;t know why. For that reason several years ago <a href=\"https:\/\/hawkwatch.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HawkWatch International<\/a> initiated their\u00a0American Kestrel Study to better understand the decline so that\u00a0conservation efforts can be channeled into the most effective strategies to reverse it.<\/p>\n<p>The project is ambitious and involves a\u00a0small army\u00a0of dedicated individuals\u00a0from professional ornithologists to citizen scientist\u00a0volunteers to\u00a0birders, bird photographers and nature lovers\u00a0all of whom are\u00a0passionate about kestrels and their survival. Some of the highlights to date include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>470 kestrel nest boxes monitored along an urban gradient (wild lands, agricultural, urban, and heavily developed areas)<\/li>\n<li>307 kestrel nesting attempts followed\u00a0since 2014<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: Thread-00000fe4-Id-000000a0;\">1,104 American Kestrels banded,<\/span> including 478 color-banded individuals<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: Thread-00000fe4-Id-000000a8;\">Over 6000 hours contributed by 155 citizen scientists,<\/span> to date<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>But now that much of the preliminary work has been done they need eyes. Lots of eyes.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"57156\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2018\/03\/09\/a-new-way-to-report-banded-american-kestrels\/american-kestrel-1400-ron-dudley-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/american-kestrel-1400-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"776,900\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;7.1&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Ron Dudley&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 7D Mark II&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1445851978&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;700&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00025&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"american kestrel 1400 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/american-kestrel-1400-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-57156 size-full\" title=\"american-kestrel-1400-ron-dudley\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/american-kestrel-1400-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"776\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/american-kestrel-1400-ron-dudley.jpg 776w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/american-kestrel-1400-ron-dudley-259x300.jpg 259w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/american-kestrel-1400-ron-dudley-768x891.jpg 768w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/american-kestrel-1400-ron-dudley-129x150.jpg 129w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/american-kestrel-1400-ron-dudley-400x464.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 776px) 100vw, 776px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>1\/4000, f\/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n<p>This is one of HWI&#8217;s several kestrel nest boxes at Farmington Bay WMA.\u00a0Kestrel nest boxes are\u00a0pretty easy to recognize if you know what you&#8217;re looking for.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Two days ago I was contacted by HWI Development and Marketing Director Joseph Dane asking\u00a0that I help publicize a new system for reporting banded American Kestrels. Traditional USGS metal bird bands are small and very difficult to read except on recaptured or\u00a0deceased birds but HWI has been using larger, more colorful and unique alphanumeric\u00a0bands that allow for easier identification from a distance and eliminate the need to recapture the bird (or\u00a0find it dead) to tell &#8216;who&#8217; it is. That&#8217;s where folks like many of us\u00a0birders and\u00a0bird photographers with\u00a0our powerful\u00a0binoculars, spotting scopes and lenses\u00a0come in.<\/p>\n<p>More about that to follow.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/americann-kestrel-3043-ron-dudley.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"57158\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2018\/03\/09\/a-new-way-to-report-banded-american-kestrels\/americann-kestrel-3043-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/americann-kestrel-3043-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"744,900\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;6.3&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;RON DUDLEY&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 7D Mark II&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1518343190&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;700&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.000625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"americann kestrel 3043 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/americann-kestrel-3043-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-57158 size-full\" title=\"americann-kestrel-3043-ron-dudley\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/americann-kestrel-3043-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"744\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/americann-kestrel-3043-ron-dudley.jpg 744w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/americann-kestrel-3043-ron-dudley-248x300.jpg 248w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/americann-kestrel-3043-ron-dudley-124x150.jpg 124w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/americann-kestrel-3043-ron-dudley-400x484.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 744px) 100vw, 744px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>1\/1600, f\/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n<p>This is a recent photo of a pair of mated kestrels at one of HWI&#8217;s other nest boxes at Farmington. Notice that\u00a0the female of\u00a0the pair (in flight)\u00a0has a large colored band on her right leg. That band was placed by HWI.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"57157\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2018\/03\/09\/a-new-way-to-report-banded-american-kestrels\/american-kestrel-2994-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/american-kestrel-2994-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,640\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;6.3&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;RON DUDLEY&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 7D Mark II&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1518343060&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;700&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00025&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"american kestrel 2994 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/american-kestrel-2994-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-57157 size-full\" title=\"american-kestrel-2994-ron-dudley\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/american-kestrel-2994-ron-dudley.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"640\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/american-kestrel-2994-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/american-kestrel-2994-ron-dudley-300x213.jpg 300w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/american-kestrel-2994-ron-dudley-768x546.jpg 768w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/american-kestrel-2994-ron-dudley-150x107.jpg 150w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/american-kestrel-2994-ron-dudley-400x284.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>1\/4000, f\/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n<p>In a different photo of her that I&#8217;ve cropped heavily I can easily read the alphanumeric\u00a0code on that band (she also has a more traditional USGS\u00a0metal band on her left leg). Because\u00a0the nest box is close to the road at Farmington this bird has already been reported to HWI\u00a0several times. But that&#8217;s not the case with most\u00a0banded kestrels so HWI needs our help.<\/p>\n<p>So please, if you see a\u00a0banded kestrel up close\u00a0make note of as much of the following information as possible and report it on HWI&#8217;s new <a href=\"https:\/\/hawkwatch.org\/kestrelband\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">kestrel sighting form online<\/a>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>the sex of the bird (easy to determine in kestrels)<\/li>\n<li>which leg the band is on<\/li>\n<li>the alphanumeric code<\/li>\n<li>date and location<\/li>\n<li>include a photo if possible<\/li>\n<li>HWI will report back to you what they know about that particular bird (it&#8217;s very rewarding to know some of the details about the birds we report)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These color\u00a0banded kestrels will most likely be seen in the Intermountain West but kestrels move about and\u00a0natural dispersal\u00a0is one of the factors HWI is investigating. Who knows where some of them might show up.<\/p>\n<p>From this project HWI hopes to gain a better understanding of kestrel movements and survival, particularly in different types of human-modified landscapes. While the ideal resighting is of a color-banded bird with a complete alphanumeric code, partial information is still helpful, as are reports of birds with metal (USGS) bands only&#8211;a Kestrel with metal only on the right leg is most likely a nestling out of one of\u00a0HWI&#8217;s boxes, and those resights\/locations are quite helpful too.<\/p>\n<p>I thank you, HWI thanks you and most importantly\u00a0American Kestrels\u00a0thank you.<\/p>\n<p>Ron<\/p>\n<p><em>Notes: <\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Some of us, including me, have mixed feelings about banding. Some of it is unnecessary and the process of banding puts stress on birds. But when it&#8217;s a well-designed study attempting to address a critical need banding is often essential and its positives far outweigh any negatives for the birds. In my view\u00a0HWI&#8217;s American Kestrel Study\u00a0is one of those instances.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Personally I&#8217;ve bookmarked the link to this new HWI band reporting form and I hope others will consider doing something similar.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Now that much of the preliminary work for this project has been done HawkWatch International needs eyes. Lots of eyes.<\/p>\n<p> <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2018\/03\/09\/a-new-way-to-report-banded-american-kestrels\/\"><span>Continue reading<\/span><i class=\"crycon-right-dir\"><\/i><\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":57157,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[340,334,8,2782,391],"tags":[3892,28,3238,131,134,1432,3891],"class_list":["post-57155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-american-kestrels","category-birds","category-ecology-and-environment","category-farmington-bay-waterfowl-management-area","category-nesting-and-mating","tag-alphanumeric-bands","tag-american-kestrel","tag-american-kestrel-study","tag-falco-sparverius","tag-farmington-bay-wildlife-management-area","tag-hawkwatch-international","tag-reporting-banded-american-kestrels"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/american-kestrel-2994-ron-dudley.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1zzJh-eRR","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57155"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57155\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}