Perhaps I should have provided some background info with my earlier
posting about keeping a lookout for green leg-flagged roseate and
black-naped terns..
What we (myself and QPWS) are trying to work out is
a) where the breeding colonies of these non-breeders in the Swains are
and.
b) whether the non-breeding aggregations consist of birds from a
number of different breeding islands or regions, or are they all from
the same breeding location
My research is using genetic methods to address this, but obviously
band (or flag) recoveries provide valuable additional information.
Amytornis said
Its just that its a fair bet that if the sea weed banks above the
high water mark
were searched several hundred meters either side of where these
birds were trapped
most of the marked birds would have been located within 48 hours of
being released.
Yes, it is quite probably true that had we stayed in the same
location for a couple of days, we would have sighted many leg flagged
birds. However, as roseates in particular have very rarely been
recorded breeding in the Swains (particularly during the non-breeding
period), these sightings would have told us nothing about where the
non-breeders go to breed, (which is what we are trying to work out)
or where else they might be hanging out when not breeding.
It would have been better if I had posted this message when we first
did the banding but at that time I was not aware that this mailing
list existed! I thought better late than never, especially given the
approaching breeding season.
Happy birding!
Anna
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