I for one think it is high time that the due process of banding birds is
seriously looked at, especially with the technology that is becoming
available such as radio transmitters and RFID tags which is what is used for
racing pigeons even though at this stage it is rather expensive. Here is an
excerpt from Wikipedia about such a thing ( The use of satellite
transmitters for bird movements is currently restricted by transmitter size
- to species larger than about 400g. They may be attached to migratory birds
(geese, swans, cranes, penguins etc.) or other species such as penguins that
undertake long-distance movements. Individuals may be tracked by satellites
for immense distances, for the lifetime of the transmitter battery. As with
wing tags, the transmitters may be designed to drop off when the bird
moults; or they may be recovered by recapturing the bird ) and also about
RFID Tags Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is the use of a wireless
non-contact system that uses radio-frequency electromagnetic fields to
transfer data from a tag attached to an object, for the purposes of
automatic identification and tracking. Some tags require no battery and are
powered and read at short ranges via magnetic fields (electromagnetic
induction). Others use a local power source and emit radio waves
(electromagnetic radiation at radio frequencies). The tag contains
electronically stored information which may be read from up to several
meters away. Unlike a bar code, the tag does not need to be within line of
sight of the reader and may be embedded in the tracked object.
RFID tags are used in many industries. An RFID tag attached to an automobile
during production can be used to track its progress through the assembly
line. Pharmaceuticals can be tracked through warehouses. Livestock and pets
may have tags injected, allowing positive identification of the animal.
Since RFID tags can be attached to clothing, possessions, or even implanted
within people, the possibility of reading personally-linked information
without consent has raised privacy concerns. If a fund was started to help
this Technology advance so that they could be put on smaller birds I am sure
that most of us who do not support the like of canon netting ( which is
going on at this very moment up in Broome ) would gladly donate money to
this cause. Before all the pro banding fraternity get on their band wagon
just think about what I have said, and as for asking for information to find
birds just get off your backsides and get out there instead of being a
critical armchair birder. I know that this technology will still mean we
have to capture some birds but not in the number that cannon netting does
now!
I know there has been plenty of debate about this subject but I believe it
is time for a CHANGE.
Kindest Regards
Geoff Jones
Website www.barraimaging.com.au
Slideshows http://barraimaging.smugmug.com/
-----Original Message-----
From:
On Behalf Of Steven Creber
Sent: Sunday, 24 February 2013 12:34 PM
To:
Subject: Another bivalve victim
It's always interesting to me that the pro-banding lobby argue that there is
insufficient proof provided by opponents to justify claims that banding does
more harm than good. I'd like to see the shoe on the other foot. How long
have we been banding waders in Australia - fifty years maybe? How long does
it take to establish the life expectancy of a Red-necked Stint or its
migration patterns? If banding hasn't delivered the goods by now, so to
speak, isn't it time to move on to a better practice or technology? What
evidence is there that banding is actually doing anything to halt the
wholesale destruction of wader habitat in Asia for example? There is
unarguably an attrition rate with banding - maybe now is the time for
banders to actually justify their existence as wader numbers continue to
dwindle alarmingly.
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