Annual Reports

Data gathered by VARC’s banding program is submitted to the North American Bird Banding Program, jointly administered by Canada’s Bird Banding Office and the United States’ Bird Banding Laboratory.

Through this collaboration it is possible to collect data on birds on a much larger scale.

In addition to numerous local recoveries of birds within Vancouver’s lower mainland we also receive information on recoveries from much further afield:

A Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) banded on June 12th 2010 as a second year (SY) male was recovered (deceased due to window strike) in Santa Clara County, California, USA on March 8th 2012.

A Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus) also banded on June 12th 2010 was found dead in Skagit County, Washington State on May 23rd 2012.

A White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) banded on May 5, 2013 was retrapped in California on September 28 where it will possibly remain for the winter or more likely stop over and then continue as far south as Mexico.

A Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) banded on June 22, 2013 was recovered in Oregon on September 13, 2013.

A Purple Finch (Haemorhous purpureus) banded on August 10th 2013 was retrapped in King County, Washington State

A Swainson’s Thrush (Catharus ustulatus) banded on August 16, 2013 was also recovered in Oregon on September 15, 2013 en-route for the neotropics possibly overwintering as far south as Argentina.

An American Robin (Turdus migratorius) banded on September 27th 2014 was recovered from a domestic cat in Whatcom County, Washington and released alive.

Bird banding and research studies uncover migratory secrets and pinpoint wintering and breeding areas for many species of birds allowing conservation efforts to be focused on critically important breeding, wintering and stopover sites.