With the duck hunting season in full swing, hunters are being urged to report any leg bands recovered to Fish & Game.
Hunters can either click on BIRD BAND RETURN FORM and fill this out or they can phone in using the special 0800 number set up for this purpose. It is 0800birdband or 0800 247 322.
Local Hamilton hunter Don Pemberton who helped band the birds in February this year says it’s imperative game bird hunters return any bands.
“This is a popular sport in our area and I’m sure several hunters at least have bands sitting in their garages or duck huts.”
“Some of these hunters may be collectors of the bands like I am, but if so they must phone in the band number, where and when the bird was shot and what it was as soon as possible,” says Pembertpn.
Of the more than 10,000 birds banded in the Auckland/Waikato region over 400 were from sites in the Hamilton area. Most of the birds banded in the Hamilton area are recovered by local hunters but some have ventured as far south as Canterbury.
“Fish & Game NZ would expect about 10-15% of the bands to be recovered in any one year, so there’s still a few out there” says Phil Teal, Fish & Game Officer, Fish & Game NZ - Auckland/Waikato region.
In the last three years Fish & Game has undertaken a banding programme to get more information on mallard survival in the Waikato region. Each band is individually numbered and details of the bird are recorded at the banding site and when recovered. Teal says “This provides extremely important information that enables Fish & Game to assess survival and population structure of the mallard population.”
