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For those of you recently reporting red-billed scaups here's the contact information: Subject: Re: question about bill tag on Lesser Scaup From: Shane Patterson <shane7896 AT yahoo.com> Date: Sat, 1 Apr 2006 15:15:14 -0800 (PST) Steve and all, I have pasted in a news bulletin that gives directions for reporting bill-tagged Lesser Scaup. The announcement is from March of 2005, but it is almost certainly still applicable. I suspect that others will be having similar sightings this spring. As a coincidence, I was about to post a report on this very topic. Wednesday at Sunken Island Lake, I took several photographs of a bill-tagged, leg-banded Lesser Scaup female. Before zooming in with the scope for confirmation, I was trying to fathom how a scaup would have an entirely orange bill. Thankfully, I no longer had to deal with all of those crazy hybrid notions that first posed as explanations. Here's the informational bulletin: "Report Sightings of Color-Coded Scaup 033005 Researchers from the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, Louisiana State University and other cooperating agencies are asking observers to report color-marked lesser scaup (bluebills) as they migrate through North Dakota. Scientists are trapping, banding and color-marking lesser scaup as they move into Pool 19 of the Mississippi River adjacent to Illinois, Missouri and Iowa. Individual scaup will be identified with colored bill markers. Scientists are trying to discover why lesser scaup populations are declining, and if declines can be linked to migration corridors the birds use, according to Mike Szymanski, game and fish migratory game bird biologist. "Researchers are examining whether poor food resources in the Upper Midwest can be related to body condition indices during the spring migration that are significantly lower than those of birds migrating through areas with better food resources," Szymanski said. "These decreases in nutrient reserves could lead to reductions in reproductive output." Anyone seeing a color-marked scaup is asked to call 888-MINNDNR (646-6367), and provide the following information: (1) name, address and phone number, (2) date of sighting, (3) color of bill marker, (4) letter written on bill marker, (5) male or female (if known), and (6) location of sighting (distance and direction from nearest town, or name of lake, county, state or province). Researchers will send an original scaup art print as a reward to participants with confirmed sightings." Forwarded from Iowa BirdNet --0__=09BBFBD6DFCB03458f9e8a93df938690918c09BBFBD6DFCB0345 Content-type: text/html; charset=US-ASCII Content-Disposition: inline <html><body> <p>For those of you recently reporting red-billed scaups here's the contact information: <br> <br> <a name="1143933146"></a><b><font size="4">Subject: Re: question about bill tag on Lesser Scaup</font></b><font size="4"><br> From: Shane Patterson <shane7896 AT yahoo.com><br> Date: Sat, 1 Apr 2006 15:15:14 -0800 (PST)</font><br> <tt><font size="4">Steve and all,<br> <br> I have pasted in a news bulletin that gives directions<br> for reporting bill-tagged Lesser Scaup. The<br> announcement is from March of 2005, but it is almost<br> certainly still applicable. I suspect that others<br> will be having similar sightings this spring.<br> <br> As a coincidence, I was about to post a report on this<br> very topic. Wednesday at Sunken Island Lake, I took<br> several photographs of a bill-tagged, leg-banded<br> Lesser Scaup female. Before zooming in with the scope<br> for confirmation, I was trying to fathom how a scaup<br> would have an entirely orange bill. Thankfully, I no<br> longer had to deal with all of those crazy hybrid<br> notions that first posed as explanations. <br> <br> Here's the informational bulletin:<br> <br> "Report Sightings of Color-Coded Scaup 033005<br> Researchers from the North Dakota Game and Fish<br> Department, Louisiana State University and other<br> cooperating agencies are asking observers to report<br> color-marked lesser scaup (bluebills) as they migrate<br> through North Dakota.<br> <br> Scientists are trapping, banding and color-marking<br> lesser scaup as they move into Pool 19 of the<br> Mississippi River adjacent to Illinois, Missouri and<br> Iowa. Individual scaup will be identified with colored<br> bill markers. <br> <br> Scientists are trying to discover why lesser scaup<br> populations are declining, and if declines can be<br> linked to migration corridors the birds use, according<br> to Mike Szymanski, game and fish migratory game bird<br> biologist. "Researchers are examining whether poor<br> food resources in the Upper Midwest can be related to<br> body condition indices during the spring migration<br> that are significantly lower than those of birds<br> migrating through areas with better food resources,"<br> Szymanski said. "These decreases in nutrient reserves<br> could lead to reductions in reproductive output."<br> <br> Anyone seeing a color-marked scaup is asked to call<br> 888-MINNDNR (646-6367), and provide the following<br> information: (1) name, address and phone number, (2)<br> date of sighting, (3) color of bill marker, (4) letter<br> written on bill marker, (5) male or female (if known),<br> and (6) location of sighting (distance and direction<br> from nearest town, or name of lake, county, state or<br> province).<br> <br> Researchers will send an original scaup art print as a<br> reward to participants with confirmed sightings."</font></tt><br> <br> <tt><font size="4">Forwarded from Iowa BirdNet<br> <br> </font></tt></body></html> --0__=09BBFBD6DFCB03458f9e8a93df938690918c09BBFBD6DFCB0345--
