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The Banding Schedule contains a column labelled "color marker code". This column is for use reporting color marked birds. All birds that are color marked and banded must have a status code that is different than 300 (normal wild bird). This may be 301 if the bird is color banded, or 319 if a bird is color marked and a blood sample taken, etc. Go to Status Codes
The Color Marker Code column must be used to report the collar code or leg band code on large, obvious, individually marked birds. This information is not computerized at the Bird Banding Laboratory and this does not become part of the computer record. Be warned that you may well receive correspondence asking you to translate codes reported by the general public. Be sure to indicate the color of the collar and the codes in the remarks section.
For small birds, the individual color band combination can be reported in this column. The color of dyes, nasal disks, and other markers can also be reported in this column. Banders can abbreviate colors in any manner as long as they are translated in the remarks section. There are no standard codes for use in reporting marked birds at this time.
Banders working with Black and Turkey Vultures are required to report their marking activity to the BBL even though these species are not banded with service bands. Vultures are typically marked with either patagial markers or radio transmitters, but without the service band we have no way to keep track of marked vultures or vulture recoveries in our computer system.
To get around this difficulty, we issue band numbers to vulture banders exclusively for use with vultures. These numbers are "8V" bands, and these bands do not exist. The band numbers merely identify an individual bird's patagial marker or radio transmitter. Vulture banders are encouraged to request "8V" band numbers as they would order any other band. When the green confirmation sheet arrives without bands, sign and return it after recording the band numbers issued to you. Report each vulture banded as a separate band number, filling out a banding schedule as for any other species (hopefully without any "band destroyed" or skipped numbers!), and send your "bandings" into the BBL for processing.
