Re-engineering the Bird Banding Laboratory |
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The North American Bird Banding Program has for many years been jointly administered by the Bird Banding Laboratory (BBL) at the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, Maryland, and the Canadian Wildlife Service's Bird Banding Office at Hull, Quebec. In 1993, BBL was transferred from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to what is now the Biological Resources Division (BRD) of the U.S. Geological Survey. This transfer prompted BRD to commission a review of the North American Bird Banding Program and the operations of BBL. The review was conducted by a distinguished panel of experts, all of whom had experience with the banding program. Their final report, The North American Bird Banding Program: Into the 21st Century, was released September, 1997. Subsequently, an interagency (USGS, USFWS) Implementation Team was formed to determine priorities and guide the implementation of the Report. The Team determined six priority areas for re-engineering: Data Policy, Electronic Data Management, Location Data, Ancillary Data, Recapture Data, and Permit Policies and Procedures. Six Task Forces were established to refine the review panel’s recommendations in these areas. The Team reviewed the Task Forces’ reports (Data Policy, Electronic Data Management, Location Data, Ancillary Data, Recapture Data, and Permit Policies and Procedures), made policy and procedural decisions, and conveyed them via two memoranda (Decision Document 1, Decision Document 2) to BBL to implement. In turn, BBL communicated changes in policies and procedures to banders via three letters:
The first step in the re-engineering of the Bird Banding Laboratory was the establishment of a toll-free (1-800) telephone line for people to report band recoveries. In 1991 Nichols et al. (Journal of Wildlife Management, 55:119-126) estimated that only 32% of banded Mallards taken by hunters were reported to the BBL. To increase this rate and make field banding operations more cost effective, BBL established the toll-free band reporting number 1- 800-327-BAND for the convenient reporting of bird bands. In a 1995 trial, equal samples of Mallards were banded with bands bearing the 1-800 number and bands bearing a conventional reporting address. Results indicated that the 1-800 number on the band prompted a significantly higher band reporting rate from the general public.
The operators taking the reports enter them directly into a database where they can be edited prior to processing. Previously, most reports came via mail and were coded for entry into the database. The streamlining of this process and the 1-800 band reporting line represent major accomplishments in the re-engineering of the Bird Banding Laboratory. While all agree that this toll-free number has increased the band reporting rate, no one is certain exactly how much the rate has increased. Studies are ongoing to determine how much the band reporting rate has increased substantially. Higher reporting rates allow biologists to calculate more accurate estimates of survival rate and population size.
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% Mallards Banded by Band Legend |
Programming is underway on a new database to replace all the current functions which were designed for inhouse, batch processing to a hierarchical database utilizing an HP 3000 Minicomputer. This new system is hoped to be ready to replace the minicomputer in 2001. The new database will be a client-server system with a relational database and new programs to track band orders, issues, data, permits, etc. With the increased interactive potential of this system, completely electronic submission and storage of data is possible and internet connectivity is greatly increased.
Band Manager, a new data entry and database program for US and Canadian banders, has resulted in several changes in the Bird Banding Laboratory and Bird Banding Office. This windows-based program is available for use by banders of both countries to manage their banding data and submit them electronically to the banding offices. The Bird Banding Laboratory is already working on the next version of Band Manager, to interact directly with the new client-server computer system. When the new system is completed, banders will be required to submit banding data generated electronically from Band Manager.
For more information, click here to go to the Band Manager Home Page
BBL and BBO are shifting the way they communicate with banders from paper to electronic. The BBL and BBO web sites will serve as the primary point of contact between the banding offices and banders, as well as the general public. Currently, the BBL web site includes revised band size lists, longevity records, totals of birds banded and recovered by species, and general information on bird banding written primarily for the public.
Enhancements to the web site will be aimed primarily at serving banders and increasing banding office efficiencies. Via the internet, banders will eventually be able to:
One can expect continuing significant changes in the operations of BBL and the banding program, especially in the area of electronic data management. Check this site periodically for updates.
