BRADENTON BEACH – Four least tern chicks in a local nesting colony have been outfitted with color-coded bands to help researchers study their migration patterns along with population and breeding success.
On July 15, Dr. Elizabeth Forys of Eckerd College fitted the four chicks with tracking bands under her master band permit #25258 and additional state permits. The chicks ranged in age from three to four weeks and had not yet begun to fly.
During the banding process, each bird was weighed, the length of their bill and wing were measured, and all data recorded in a state and federal database. The tracking bands include a silver, pre-stamped federal band along with a white band on the left leg and two colored bands on the left leg which are specific to the individual bird.
The chicks are identified as follows: Chick 11A – Blue-Blue/White Silver; Chick 11B – Blue-Red/White Silver; Chick 12 “Marilyn” – Blue-Green/White Silver and Chick 15 “StumbleBum” – Blue-Orange/White Silver
If you see a banded bird, report it to reportband.gov, noting
• Date, time and location;
• Species;
• Which leg or legs have bands;
• Color and order of bands; and
• Whether the band has an alphanumeric code, and, if so, the code.
Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring first reported the colony of least terns the week of May 6. Since then, the colony has grown to 45 birds. Of the 22 nests, there are still two birds sitting on eggs which are expected to hatch by the end of July.
