File Photo/MIKE MALONEY FERGUS BIRD BANDER David Lamble examines a ring-billed gull before releasing it back into the wild A significant number of birds are being banded in Dufferin County and adding to the information about bird populations. The data that is being collected is being used at various universities in Canada and the United states in an attempt to preserve our wildlife heritage.

Fergus bird bander David Lamble set a new record for 2005 in his banding project throughout Wellington, Waterloo and Dufferin counties. He banded 6,612 birds of 99 species and one hybrid - more than 100 birds more than his previous record total in 2004.

Mr. Lamble also banded three new species in 2005 - a beautiful female Redbellied woodpecker, a Prairie Warbler and a Rusty Blackbird. This raised his species total to 178.

He also reported higherthan ever totals in Northern Saw-whet Owl (17), Downy Woodpecker (19), Eastern Phoebe (15), Blue Jay (103), White-crowned Sparrow (66), Slatecoloured Junco (575), Fox Sparrow (4), Northern Cardinal (43), Purple Martin (692), Tree Swallow (1,736), White-breasted Nuthatch (30), Red-breasted Nuthatch (23), Blackcapped Chickadee (292), and Eastern Bluebird (237).

Mr. Lamble commented that only banding stations that have several active members would have banded more birds. Long Point Bird Observatory on the north shore of Lake Erie, which may have up to 100 volunteers, banded 17,419 birds of 131 species in 2004. "The numbers show that we made a significant contribution to banding."

Most of the birds banded in Dufferin were Eastern Bluebirds - approximately 90 out of the 237. These were banded in the Town of Mono in boxes formerly maintained by Shelly Anderson.

Most of the ducks banded in Dufferin were at a Ducks Unlimited (DU) Project near Monticello. "This is a relatively new site (four years old) that was created by funds from Ohio Ducks Unlimited combined with Ministry [of Natural Resources], Grand River Conservation Authority and Ontario DU funds," he said.

Many of the Osprey banded at Luther Lake have been on the Dufferin side of the marshlands. "This year we had an Osprey recovered In Haiti some four months after banding."

Mr. Lamble added that he banded "quite a few Tree Swallows in Dufferin County - about 60 in Mono and 250 near Monticello."

The Youth Day is centred at the Ministry House at Luther Marsh, east of the main entrance, in Dufferin County. Mr. Lamble reported that at this event about 50 birds were banded, including small warblers, marsh wrens, a few ducks, sparrows, robins and blue jays.

Ducks banded at Monticello were shot in most of the states of the U.S. along the eastern and Mississippi flyways. As well, some birds banded in Dufferin were shot in Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

"We were lucky to have 115 previously banded Tree Swallows return to our boxes. The oldest of these returnees was banded as a nestling in 1998 in a box near Ennotville. She successfully nested in a nest box on the University of Guelph Research Farm, near Elora. This bird is seven years old," Mr. Lamble said, adding: "We had 10 Tree Swallows nest in our boxes that had been banded by other banders in Kitchener, Guelph and Toronto."

He reported that he did not have "a great year banding ducks at Luther Marsh.

"The totals were lower than expected. This was, in part, due to a Peregrine Falcon setting up a territory at Monticello and dining on the ducks. The bird was a female that had been radio-collared in Ohio as part of a recovery scheme. So her presence, although hurting our duck totals, provides the hope that she may find a site on the nearby escarpment to nest, as well as providing great information about the dispersal of this rare bird."

With obvious glee, Mr. Lamble reported that 2005 saw the first-ever successful nesting of Trumpeter Swans in Dufferin (at Luther Marsh). "We know that a wild pair hatched four youngsters. The fate of the youngsters is uncertain."

He thanks each of the land owners for making 2005 such a success by allowing him access to various banding sites. In a letter to each, he added: "Without your support, my study would not generate the information about bird populations that it does."