Monday, April 28, 2008

Piping Plover update

I learned the identity of the banded Piping Plover I found on Friday. My friend Beth Madden at Medicine Lake NWR sent out my report to the Piping Plover folks and I immediately got a response from Dr. Cheri L. Gratto-Trevor, a shorebird research scientist with the Prairie and Northern Wildlife Research Centre in Saskatoon, SK. Cheri wrote:
"This is one of my black-flagged birds from Saskatchewan - band number 93753, marked originally as an adult female at Lake Diefenbaker, SK in 2004 (nest DN-04-03)[combination is black flag upper left, dark blue over yellow (faded) lower left, presumably metal upper rt, yellow (faded) lower rt]. In 2005, she nested in Alberta, and since then has only been reported from the wintering grounds in southern Texas, so was obviously nesting where no one was looking."

So the bird I saw is at least five years old and hangs out on the beaches in Texas during the winter. Anyone in Texas remember seeing this bird? If anyone in Canada finds this bird this summer I would love to hear from you too!

1 comment:

Clare said...

Don't think I'm going to be able to help with this one John. Now if it was a Common Ringed Plover banded in Europe or Africa I might have a chance.