Update on Goshawk: Is someone available to band this bird

["Philip Veerman" <>]

Fine. I suspect your magpie and others would have been turning up all over northern Kaleen looking for handouts long before this one was caught and banded. Only that after banding it would be identifiable. If it wasn't banded, you would have even less of an idea what happened to it. More to the point, it may well have become tame and dependent in the time it was cared for, but surely this is nothing to do with the band. Someone near me feeds the collection of close to 30 to 50 magpies almost every day and I have some of these around my house that will come to me for food too.

 

I wouldn't expect a goshawk caught in the bush and held for only a short time to become so tame. As for The practice has been stopped because there was little returns of rehabilitated birds away from their release point I understand that. Are the returns greater from remote locations? If the emphasis is on obtaining data showing little movement, well that is good data too, as was discussed a few months ago about what we know of longevity of resident species from banding.

 

But if the wisdom is it is not worth the bother or expense, that is an opportunity lost but fine with me.

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Clayton [
Sent: Monday, 18 March 2013 3:41 PM
To: 'Philip Veerman'; 'Anthony Overs'
Cc:
Subject: RE: [canberrabirds] Update on Goshawk: Is someone available to band this bird

Philip et al,

 

The Australian Bird and Bat Banding Schemes, as Anthony has said, co-ordinates banding, including the use of colour bands in Australia. There have been several projects on rehabilitated birds undertaken in Australia and I think there was one done here in Canberra. The practice has been stopped because there was little returns of rehabilitated birds away from their release point. Indeed some banded rehab birds have made an absolute nuisance of themselves after they were released as I found out years ago. My neighbour caught a magpie in her yard and knowing I was banding in my backyard brought it over to me to band. This bird kept turning up all over northern Kaleen looking for handouts. It did disappear after a while and I have no idea what happened to it.

 

I know that the banding scheme will not approve any more rehabilitated bird banding projects.

 

Again as Anthony has said there is quite a distinct size difference in band sizes for several species of Australian  (and  some international migrant species), the Brown Goshawk is one of these. For those interested the male Collared Sparrowhawk takes a size 7, the female a size 8, the male Brown Goshawk takes a size 9 and the female a size 10. The size of the birds in the hand, even when caught individually, is quite obvious and distinct.

 

Cheers,

Mark

ACT Regional Organiser,

ABBBS

 

From: Philip Veerman [
Sent: Monday, 18 March 2013 2:49 PM
To: 'Anthony Overs'
Cc:
Subject: RE: [canberrabirds] Update on Goshawk: Is someone available to band this bird

 

Thanks for your insight. I don't know if RSPCA do or don't have any such project approval. I am not involved in the bureaucracy. Maybe I am just being sensible. I would have thought RSPCA would have gone through that approval process years ago, since they rehabilitate several birds. So I just assumed they would have project approval. I know the idea was being discussed under the old Wildlife Foundation at least approx 27 years ago and their work later went to the RSPCA (or that is what I think happened).

 

Or I was simply assuming that under someone else's banding licence, it would be covered, but that is a guess without thinking about it too closely. Of course any activity on banded birds should have coordination through the national scheme. I would have assumed that the simple act of banders submitting their log books would meet the requirements for that coordination. Or am I being too simplistic?

 

I expected the sexes would have different bands.

 

Philip

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Anthony Overs
Sent: Monday, 18 March 2013 2:14 PM
To: Philip Veerman
Cc:
Subject: Re: [canberrabirds] Update on Goshawk: Is someone available to band this bird

Unless the RSPCA has an approved project for banding birds, through the Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme, the bird can't be banded. I'll talk to them about getting a project started. It concerns me that the RSPCA releases birds with bands that are not coordinated through the national scheme (e.g. the tawny frogmouth).

Size dimorphic species do take different size bands, e.g. goshawks, sparrowhawks, songlarks, button-quail.

Anthony
 

On 18 March 2013 13:54, Philip Veerman <> wrote:

I have been corresponding with Kym about this adult Brown Goshawk that Kym rescued, after it was tangled in barbed wire. It is at the RSPCA in Weston. I suggest that if one of our several local banders is available and brave enough to do so, could they go out to the RSPCA and band the bird before release. I'll leave any arrangements to anyone who wishes to be involved. Do male & female Brown Goshawks use different size leg bands? I don't know what sex it is.

 

Philip

 

-----Original Message-----From: kym bradley [ Sent: Monday, 18 March 2013 1:24 PM   To:
Subject: [canberrabirds] Update on Goshawk

Rang the RSPCA just after 9.00 am the young lady said NO broken bones ( so pleased )  possible tendon damage should not be long before it can go back to the wild

 

The photo I forgot to add yesterday you can see the wire through it

 

The reason I took photos was to draw its attention whilst another covered the birds head we did not wish it freaking out and doing more damage it worked