A Note From the BBL

Great Crested Flycatcher

I got my "Certificate of Appreciation" yesterday in the mail from the Bird Banding Lab in response to the American Goldfinch (NOT pictured above) we trapped in Wisconsin a couple of weeks ago. It turns out that the bird was banded in 2004 near Springfield, Illinois by Vernon Kleen. I had the great pleasure of meeting Vernon at last year's IBBA (Inland Bird Banding Association) meeting in Wisconsin and was excited that we actually caught one of his birds. How it got to Wisconsin is a matter of conjecture but the location we band at is pretty much a straight shot north from Springfield.

I'm still waiting to hear about another foreign retrap goldfinch that we caught in May of 06. The BBL has tracked down that data and I'll let you know what I find out as soon as the certificate arrives.