Last month, a Canada Goose was brought to Greenwood with a band around its leg. He hatched sometime during or before 2002 and was banded in 2003. A small aluminum bracelet with numbers that read 0958-86038 was banded to his ankle. For 16 years this goose wore his bling; supporting scientists’ attempts to collect valuable data.

United States Geological Survey (USGS) stands for science in a changing world which is why we made sure to report the band upon arrival of Greenwood.The effort to band waterfowl and birds for tracking has helped modern environmentalists collect information on the health of our whole ecosystem–because birds are good indicators of environmental issues.

This goose lived through times when scientists were conducting research on the Avian Flu, environmental contaminants, crop depredations, and much more. The data collected from this goose and millions of other banded birds help scientists continue to learn more the current state of our environment and the wildlife that inhabit it. (USGS 2019)

Greenwood Wildlife was recently awarded with a Certificate of Appreciation for reporting the bird encounter. We are happy to have contributed to the research of the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory, which has been collecting this type of information since it was established in 1920.