May 29th Morning Banding Day for Aria`s chicks
May 29, 2023 - Greater Toronto - Private Residential 1
Marion Nash Reports:
There may have only 2 chicks but they sure were cuties. 2 boys this year.
Marlene booked space for us to band and the Property management had everything ready for us,
John Beals was again our climber and extractor and Mark Heaton and Eva Bobak banded the chicks. While they banded I recorded all the band information and Mark Nash spoke to the attendees watching and there were many, Mark explained the banding procedure and the importance of banding.
When John climbed down to the nest he found one of the chicks sitting on the ledge and held still so he would not cause the chick to try to run from him a possibly fall. John called up to the team on the roof to send down the net so he could insure the chick could be safely captured.
John captured the chick and had it in the bag with no issue and everyone watching below cheered and clapped.
Eva hauled the bag up to the roof and brought it down to the banding table whole John remained on the ledge to distract the adults so they would not know the chicks were actually removed.
The boys were named by the residents of the building Atlas and Turner. Turner was named after Tina Turner.
Environment and Climate Change Canada was there to do blood testing on the chicks as part of a year study on environmental toxins.
Both chick received 2 bands one on each leg. The first is the black band a Canadian Recovery band and the second a silver US fish and Wildlife band.
Here is the banding information.
Atlas weighed 590 grams his band number is C over 39 and he has yellow tape on the silver band
Turner weighed 660 grams and his band number is C over 40 he has Red tape on this silver band.
The colored tape helps the fledge watchers identify the chicks from a distance as it is easier to see the colored band then band numbers.
The fledge watch will begin in about 2 weeks.
Thank you goes out to to Marlene, the building management, John Belas our climber and our banders Mark Heaton and Eva Bobak for yet another successful banding.
