Pennsylvania Game News - June 2014 - 35

a GPS unit, they were weighed, measured and marked with a metal leg band for
future identification prior to release. The owls remained in the immediate area
and continued to be seen by many birders. Visit www.projectsnowstorm.org.
to learn more about this work.
- Cathy Haffner, State Wildlife Grants Planner
Annual Resident Goose Banding: Late June and early July is
when agency personnel and volunteers conduct
annual resident goose banding. Banding
operations occur at this time because
it is when adult Canada geese undergo
a complete molt of their flight feathers,
rendering them flightless for a period of
several weeks. Most spring-hatched juveniles also are large enough to carry a leg band, but not yet
developed enough to fly. Each year, the Game Commission captures and bands
2,500 to 3,000 resident geese statewide. Geese are typically captured by herding
them into an open area and then surrounding them with a number of 10-foot by
4-foot panels, and then bringing them together to enclose the geese in a pen.
Following their capture, the age and gender of each bird is determined. Aging
is fairly easy based on body size and feathering. Birds are generally categorized as
"after hatch year" (adults) or "local" (juveniles). However, gender determination
is a different story. Because both male and female geese look similar, a cloacal
examination is required to determine the gender. If you have never seen this
performed, I assure you, when you do, you won't forget it! After the age and gender is determined, the bird is banded and released at the capture site. Waterfowl
banding or marking is an important tool for biologists. Banding recovery data
is used to: calculate annual harvest and survival rates; document the harvest
distribution in the state and flyway; show how changes in hunting regulations
influence survival and harvest rates, and follow annual movement patterns.
- Jeremy Stempka, Game Bird Biologist
In Deep: Spa treatments while on the clock? With winter temperatures bitterly
cold, stepping into a cave is almost like stepping into a steamy sauna. Unfortunately, as biologists we can't sit down and relax. Our goal is to count the bats
that are using these caves or tunnels during the winter. It isn't as hard as finding
a needle in a haystack, but some bats, such as the eastern small-footed bat, can
really tuck themselves into cracks. And those cracks may be down narrow passages or beyond underground streams. Surveys began in January and continued
through the middle of March, with a goal of surveying certain caves once every
two years. These surveys allow us to see population trends and continue monitoring the effects of white-nose syndrome. So, we go to squeeze through cracks,
through the mud and water to our underground spa, and all for the conservation
of our bats.
- Lindsey Heffernan, Endangered and Threatened Mammal Biologist
JUNE 2014

http://www.projectsnowstorm.org

Pennsylvania Game News - June 2014

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