Attention! NJ Fish & Wildlife needs your help! This year, they banded a group of juvenile Royal Terns in NJ and are looking for information on where they go from here. This is the northernmost Royal Tern colony on the East Coast, and the pilot year for the banding program – and three of our research staff were involved in the effort. These terns all wear blue bands with unique 3-character alphanumeric codes (a letter followed by two numbers). Other states are also banding Royal Terns, but NJ is the only state using blue. If you happen to spot one, note the location (GPS coordinates if you can), band color, and the unique alphanumeric identifier and report it to NJ Fish & Wildlife at [email protected] and the Bird Banding Lab at www.usgs.gov/labs/bird-banding-laboratory.
Banding is a critical tool in helping determine where birds are traveling, where they’re nesting, and what sites are important to them as they migrate between nesting and wintering territories – which ultimately can direct conservation efforts to where they’re most needed. You can make a difference in the future of this species just by reporting what you see.
#wetlandsinstitute #Tern #NJDEP #banding #conservation
