Here are some photos taken while banding Snow Buntings in the Hamilton area. Enjoy!
By the way, Peter, I think Rick does have have some banding ‘issues.’ It looks alot like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder to me. Apparently he he lies awake at night with intrusive thoughts about unbanded birds–something he perceives as highly distressing. In order to deal with the distress, he gets up even before sunrise to go band some of those unbanded birds, temporarily relieving his distress. It used to be enough engage in this compulsion only during migration seasons, but now it has gotten so bad that he has to do it throughout the winter as well. I think that psychotherapy is in order. It would involve exposure to the distressing stimulus (unbanded birds, in a tree first, and then in hand) and response prevention (preventing him from banding the birds, and making him release them unbanded, not matter how loud he cries). It would be pretty hard on the guy, but I think it might be best in the long run.
Jeff
Ps. This is the blog’s 500th post!
Kind of a hell of a way to celebrate the 500th don’t you think!? Poor old Jeff – a bander wannabe……