Lament of the "Low" Banding Totals

[BILL HILTON JR Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History<hilton@hiltonpond.org>]

There's been a thread on BirdBand about relatively low banding totals 
at many sites. They're still doing pretty well, however, when 
compared to my progress here at Hilton pond. I thought some 
CarolinaBirds folks might be interested in the following posting I 
sent to to BirdBand.  :-)

*******

I'm always intrigued by commentary about "low" banding totals from 
various banding stations around the continent (and in Europe). As I 
toil in relative obscurity in the Carolina Piedmont, I can only wish 
to be in a migration hotbed like the ones many of you describe.  :-)

Here at Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History near York SC, 
I've been running 18 mist nets from about 7 am until dusk--about 14 
hours per day at this time of year--for a total of 252 net hours each 
day. That's a lot of hours, and a lot of walking.

Here are my results for the first two weeks of May, the "prime" banding month:

01 May--6 birds banded
02 May--7
03 May--4
05 May--6
06 May--7
07 May--12
08 May--14
09 May--10
10 May--4
11 May--7
12 May--10 (plus 7 Eastern Bluebird nestlings)
13 May--10
14 May--8

TOTAL--105 birds in 3,528 net hours

Nay, I am not looking for sympathy--SOMEBODY has to band in the 
Carolina Piedmont, and low numbers give me all the more time to savor 
each individual bird--but I did want to let you know how lucky some 
of you really are. :-)


Happy Banding,

BILL
-- 

BILL HILTON JR., "The Piedmont Naturalist"
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
hilton@hiltonpond.org, (803) 684-5852, eFax: (503) 218-0845

Please visit our web sites at http://www.hiltonpond.org and
http://www.rubythroat.org

"Never trust a person too lazy to get up for sunrise or too busy to
watch the sunset."					BHjr.