Another bird ringing episode
On 26th March, 2018 while cruising through the empress market, I saw a group of yellow throated sparrows or Chestnut shouldered petronias as they are called sometimes, being sold as pets. They were dyed with a grass green hue.
I bought a pair with intentions of ringing them and then releasing them at my birding patch, Hawksbay.
I kept them for 3 weeks in a small cage at home in order for them to lose that artificial color and have the natural camo back. Tried my best to keep hem well fed; I gave them a very varied diet I also offered sprouted millet but they did not show interest in them.
Side by Side I also fashioned some bird rings out of plastic cable coatings.
Th coatings were red in color and when I cut out the pieces, they read, " MILL" and "CAB"
Everything was ready, I just had to get to mt birding patch.
On April 18, I woke up and found one of them dead, it stuck its bill inside the net opening and must have gotten stuck. I knew I had to act fast so, immediately after breakfast I added the ring to "MILL"'s tarsus which was very loose and I knew deep inside it could come out and as it was cut from the other side...i had just wrapped it around. And then I let it free out from my store room window.
It immediately flew toward the open ground of the school we have outside on the main road and vanished behind one of the buildings.
For weeks I would look outside with my camera in hand for just in case encounter with the bird.
After much disappointment, I saw a rather large sparrow on top of the school building. I photographed it and to my surprise it turned out to be a Yellow throated sparrow, juts in its usual plumage.
The shot is very bad but it shows the dark bill, white wing band, obvious strong and large build and the characteristic yellow throat (slightly yellow here) but there was no ring.
Could it be the same individual? It may have lost that ring as it was very loose.The bird must have lost its artificial colors.
And the reason I think it was the same bird was that the closest wild Yellow throated sparrow habitat is around 20-25 kilometres square away and there is no way the bird could have flown above those high buildings dotted around the school. What do you think?
I bought a pair with intentions of ringing them and then releasing them at my birding patch, Hawksbay.
I kept them for 3 weeks in a small cage at home in order for them to lose that artificial color and have the natural camo back. Tried my best to keep hem well fed; I gave them a very varied diet I also offered sprouted millet but they did not show interest in them.
Th coatings were red in color and when I cut out the pieces, they read, " MILL" and "CAB"
Everything was ready, I just had to get to mt birding patch.
On April 18, I woke up and found one of them dead, it stuck its bill inside the net opening and must have gotten stuck. I knew I had to act fast so, immediately after breakfast I added the ring to "MILL"'s tarsus which was very loose and I knew deep inside it could come out and as it was cut from the other side...i had just wrapped it around. And then I let it free out from my store room window.
For weeks I would look outside with my camera in hand for just in case encounter with the bird.
After much disappointment, I saw a rather large sparrow on top of the school building. I photographed it and to my surprise it turned out to be a Yellow throated sparrow, juts in its usual plumage.
Could it be the same individual? It may have lost that ring as it was very loose.The bird must have lost its artificial colors.
And the reason I think it was the same bird was that the closest wild Yellow throated sparrow habitat is around 20-25 kilometres square away and there is no way the bird could have flown above those high buildings dotted around the school. What do you think?
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