Ian
I read your note with interest. Is there actually any scientific proof behind
what you are saying?
As a trainee ringer in the UK (Bander here and the US) I have ringed 1000s of
small passerines at a constant effort research site. This is with tiny
aluminium rings not leg flags I should add. The care and training I went
through lasted 5 years and was intense. I only saw 1 fatality during this time
as a trainee. (Due to a fox visiting a net). I knew a lot of people that
studied waders, sometimes with flags, and I never heard of any proven issues.
The birds I were ringing were mainly Acrocephalus warblers and the re-trap rate
year after year (and the birds were going to South Africa and back) was
amazing. We had one male Reed Warbler who had returned to the same site 11
years running.
I'm not suggesting you are wrong - I'm just unaware of any proof and I am no
longer a practicing bander so may not be up to date.
cheers
Rob Morris
Brisbane, Australia
> Date: Wed, 30 Mar 2011 10:33:12 +1100
> From:
> To:
> CC:
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Leg Flagging scourge now in Tasmania
>
> Hello again
>
> Adverse impacts on affected waders from the scourge of leg flagging should
> not be underestimated. Very few leg flagged birds ever make it past their
> next migration. The surviving re-trapped birds are few and usually referred
> to by banders as examples to demonstrate success, rarely questioning the
> disappearance of the vast majority that have probably perished as a direct
> impact of their leg flags.
>
> When Banders are asked why we rarely see flagged waders returning after
> migration, excuses such as “the birds are non site faithful” or, “the birds
> return to remote areas where monitoring is difficult” is a common but
> pathetic response. It needs to be recognised that wader leg flagging has
> been
> a major threatening process, contributing significantly to declines of Curlew
> Sandpiper, Red Knot and Sanderling populations in Australia. It is a
> devastating process to inflict on any small wader.
>
> The 2020 Wader Conservation Project
>
> Wader conservation projects based on field observation, counts, behaviour
> study, photography and habitat protection etc. should be strongly supported.
> These projects provide the information that is now required for effective
> wader and habitat conservation. But projects based on destructive
> processes such as leg flagging, canon netting etc should be scrapped;
> otherwise the 2020 shorebird program is just another public funded rort for
> banders and will do more harm than good for the conservation of these
> vulnerable birds.
>
> Notification of Banding Operations
>
> The benefits of announcing planned banding operations in a local region would
> alert other interested observers to consult and comment about projects,
> watch out for flagged birds and independently to assess impacts. The
> announcements could be via birding-aus or Eremea National
>
> Leg Flaggers are actively targeting rare and threatened species. However leg
> flagging waders is now little more than an intrinsic hobby beyond its
> “use by” date.
>
>
>
> Regards
>
>
> Ian May
> St Helens, Tasmania
>
>
> Ian May wrote:
> > g'Day all
> >
> > An uncomfortable subject
> >
> > It saddens me to report that in Tasmania this morning, I observed a
> > number of “small waders” recently leg flagged. The birds were
> > struggling about in
> > moderate winds, hobbled by what appeared to be fresh looking manacles.
> > These birds were in areas where in previous years, apart from an occasional
> > flagged stint it has been unusual to see flagged waders. The birds seen
> > today appeared to be struggling in only moderate conditions and if this
> > is an
> > example of 2020 Shorebird conservation, current programs needs to
> > questioned, reviewed and modified urgently.
> >
> > Can anyone inform us of the details, if they know of any recent wader
> > leg flagging in Tasmania? Although I would like to see it banned, in
> > the mean
> > time it should be a requirement of leg flaggers to notify the community
> > in advance of planned banding operations. Specifically the public should be
> > notified when and where, the targeted species and by whom a leg flagging
> > operation is planned. Something similar to the requirement to notify the
> > public when a forest burning operation is planned.
> >
> > Also, can any one inform us how the decision is made by banders to apply
> > multiple flags on a particular bird.
> >
> >
> > Regards
> >
> > Ian May
> > St Helens, Tasmania
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