Chances of harvesting banded dove are good

ALBANY‒ This year migratory bird hunters have an opportunity to collect a bonus trophy during their hunt. In 2003, the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in cooperation with several states, including Georgia, initiated an ongoing dove banding project. The effort is part of a 200-year history.

In 1803, John James Audubon tied silver wire on the legs of nestling eastern phoebes in Pennsylvania and recorded that two returned the following spring. For the next century, a number of other naturalists would use a variety of methods to mark and track the migration of a variety of species. In 1909, Leon Cole of the University of Wisconsin founded the American Bird Banding Association, which oversaw banding in the country until 1920, when federal programs were established for this purpose.

During the past few days, I have been following the posts and reports of dove hunters whose states’ season open and end prior to ours, and it appears that your chances of harvesting a banded bird are good. Hunters can participate in this conservation effort by examining harvested doves for leg bands and reporting band numbers to the USFWS at www.reportband.gov.

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