About Band Encounter Reports Sent to the Bander

UP FOR BANDING LETTER

This letter replaces the "pink card" that requested data when a band recovery was reported and the banding data was not in the files. This letter requests the bander promptly provide a schedule for the band number in question and all other band numbers in the span. The Bird Banding Laboratory can no longer accept data on a "pink card" instead of a banding schedule.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A BAND IS ENCOUNTERED?

When a report of a banded bird is sent to the Bird Banding Laboratory, the computer produces the following:

• A "Certificate of Appreciation" which is mailed to each person who reports a band. Certificates are produced in English, French, or Spanish, depending on the native language of the reporter. It includes the name and address of the bander. Thus, if the person who has recovered the band requires more information, he can write to the bander.
• A "Report-to-bander" is mailed to the bander containing the coded numeric data and the printed information about the location of the encounter and the name and address of the person who reported the band.
• A Periodic Report (listing), if requested, for mailing to State and Canadian conservation agencies containing banding and encounter data for all encounters of birds BANDED IN THAT STATE OR PROVINCE regardless of where they were encountered.
• A Periodic Report (listing), if requested, to State and Canadian conservation agencies containing banding and encounter data for all birds encountered in that State or Province but banded elsewhere. NOTE: Before December 1971, the Periodic Reports contained banding and encounter data for game birds only. Banders can contact their State conservation departments or Canadian Wildlife Service regional offices for banding data pertaining to their State or Province.
• A listing, for Bird Banding Laboratory purposes, of all encounters sorted by banders' permit numbers.
• A listing, for Bird Banding Laboratory purposes, of all encounters in species number sequence.

Please note: If a bird is reported as encountered by any means after a report has been entered in the recovery file that includes the death of the bird, a second terminal encounter or a trap that has occurred after the bird has died will not be entered into the current file.

Translating Recovery Reports

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