Here is a picture taken a couple of nights ago (on their second day here!) -- and upon close inspection, it appears that this is a banded ASY male. What do you think???
I wonder if he is on his way north and just taking a break in his trip to stay here for a while, or if he is here for the duration? It will be interesting to see.
Once a few years ago, I remember seeing a banded martin hanging around our housing, but as the season progressed, it was no longer here.
I'd love to get some input regarding this! -- RG
Picture of banded martin
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Guest
- Attachments
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- Does this look like a banded purple martin?
- Purple martin, 2-27-06.jpg (20.24 KiB) Viewed 4395 times
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Guest
It would be nice if you had a scope to read the band and report it -that would tell you when it was banded and where its heading to.
I had 5 banded ones last year and managed to read all their bands with a 45x scope at 50-60 feet. One of them, a SY female born 25 miles from my colony, raised/ fledged 5 babies which I banded in turn.
I had 5 banded ones last year and managed to read all their bands with a 45x scope at 50-60 feet. One of them, a SY female born 25 miles from my colony, raised/ fledged 5 babies which I banded in turn.
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Guest
That's really interesting. I hope you get to read the numbers off the band. Once you do, how do you look something like that up anyway?
Shel
Shel
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klcretired
- Posts: 2174
- Joined: Tue Nov 18, 2003 3:06 am
- Location: Grand Prairie,Tx
rrgregory,
I've had a couple here at my location in the past but never got any number's from the bands...I tried w/ my el-cheap-o Binoc's ,guess i need a good spotting scope in case they ever return again, that is very interesting isn't it???
I've had a couple here at my location in the past but never got any number's from the bands...I tried w/ my el-cheap-o Binoc's ,guess i need a good spotting scope in case they ever return again, that is very interesting isn't it???
Pictures Taken with Canon Rebel XT Digital using a Sigma 50-500 Long Lens.
Wishing everyone a Great Martin Year
Happy Martining for 2022 to everyone,
K.C.
[email protected]
Wishing everyone a Great Martin Year
Happy Martining for 2022 to everyone,
K.C.
[email protected]
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Daniel Airola
- Posts: 114
- Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2006 9:11 pm
- Location: Sacramento
You can report any observed bands through the following web site: http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbl/. They will provide information back on the location and date of original banding.
FYI - bands are best read from behind and to the side. Martins' perching posture makes it difficult to see the band from the front or from directly behind.
FYI - bands are best read from behind and to the side. Martins' perching posture makes it difficult to see the band from the front or from directly behind.
Dan Airola - Sacramento CA
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geneinmurphy
- Posts: 348
- Joined: Thu Nov 27, 2003 12:09 pm
- Location: North Carolina/Murphy
If you do not have a nice spotting scope, one thing you can do is catch him with a trap then read the number on the band then release him......
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John Barrow
- Posts: 982
- Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 4:12 pm
- Location: Corpus Christi / Sandia , Texas
RG,
That is a very nice picture. The band is a federal band-it appears to be size 2. It will be very hard to read-there should be nine numbers on the band and all of those might be needed to tie back to a specific location. They are engraved in the band and of the same color. We have had a few banded returns this year along the coast-all were banded 3 or more years ago. So it is likely in that age class if banded as a nestling. If is stays around it was likely banded in that area. Maybe one of Dale's or I believe Tom Dellinger banded some for area landlords several years ago. You might check with Jim McIntosh as to when and where Tom banded and if he used color bands.
We are using a purple auxillary band placed on the other leg from the federal band in South Texas. I think Jim Ray is doing the only other color banding of martins in Texas at the time. He is using red in Texas and Yellow in Oklahoma. The color bands will have 3 numbers and an alpha character in a different color ink and are easier to read. But still it often takes half an hour or more,and sometimes several days, to read a single color band as the martins just don't stay in place for long and if they do they need to scratch or move around to spin the band in order to see the entire code.
Maybe as good a photographer as you appear to be you could photo the band and digitally enhance the photo to show a number.
Thanks for sharing and best of luck this year.
John
That is a very nice picture. The band is a federal band-it appears to be size 2. It will be very hard to read-there should be nine numbers on the band and all of those might be needed to tie back to a specific location. They are engraved in the band and of the same color. We have had a few banded returns this year along the coast-all were banded 3 or more years ago. So it is likely in that age class if banded as a nestling. If is stays around it was likely banded in that area. Maybe one of Dale's or I believe Tom Dellinger banded some for area landlords several years ago. You might check with Jim McIntosh as to when and where Tom banded and if he used color bands.
We are using a purple auxillary band placed on the other leg from the federal band in South Texas. I think Jim Ray is doing the only other color banding of martins in Texas at the time. He is using red in Texas and Yellow in Oklahoma. The color bands will have 3 numbers and an alpha character in a different color ink and are easier to read. But still it often takes half an hour or more,and sometimes several days, to read a single color band as the martins just don't stay in place for long and if they do they need to scratch or move around to spin the band in order to see the entire code.
Maybe as good a photographer as you appear to be you could photo the band and digitally enhance the photo to show a number.
Thanks for sharing and best of luck this year.
John
~~TEAMED WITH A MARTIN GODDESS~~
Member/Mentor-PMCA. I do regular nestchecks and participate in PROJECT MARTINWATCH!! Coordinated 3 geolocator studies-2009, 2010 & 2013. State and Fed licensed bander (retired Jan., 2020)
Member/Mentor-PMCA. I do regular nestchecks and participate in PROJECT MARTINWATCH!! Coordinated 3 geolocator studies-2009, 2010 & 2013. State and Fed licensed bander (retired Jan., 2020)
John, keep in mind that my research in the past has used other colors, that do not have a state code: mauve, black, dk green, lt. green, pink, red/white un-numbered, blue/white un-numbered. I'm mostly out of those, but have authorization to use those up at specific colonies that the color is unique to. Except for those few exceptions where I still have the old bands, I'm straight red in Texas, and all Oklahoma birds get yellow, and that's the way it will be in the future.