R-USH 



-3- 



5/S/3I 



When a banded bird is rGr)ortod fo\ind, the nur.bcr is looked up on the cards 

 and in a 'lonont it can be deteruncd just where the bird was banded, and the 

 exact date on which it was released and by whom. Ir. this way, Uncle San's 

 naturalists are gradually accunulating r^any ir.T)ort%nt facts -^bout bird rr.ovenents 

 to and from their feeding and breeding and wintering grounds. 



Several years ago, an expedition was sent into the Yukon re^^ion of Alaska 

 to band ducks and geese on their breeding grounds. Later by .r.eans of the re- 

 covered bands from birds killed by hunters, the travel routes of these waterfov/l 

 across the open sea to British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and to feeding grounds 

 in California was clearly traced. 



Ducks banded on the narshes of the Be^r River Migratory Bird Refuge in 

 Utah, have been recovered at so nany widely separated points as to prove that 

 region to be a concentration point for the waterfowl that go to states in all 

 the surrounding region. 



In like fashion, the routes followed by nany other birds hpvc been dis- 

 covered. A chinney swift banded one fall in Georgia w-^s taken next Jime in New 

 Har.pshire. A robin banded in Minnesota was taken r;ore than a ye.?r later in 

 Mexico. A corr.on tern banded in Maine was found on the west coast of Africa. 

 A great blue heron banded in Minnesota was killed in Panar.a, 



In the past ten years, by noans of bird banding, we have learned nore of 

 the travel routes follaved by the different birds than ever before. But it will 

 take r.any years nore to solve nany of the ni.:;ration problens. 



And there still ronains the great nystery as to v/hat controls the going and 

 cor.ing of birds and how it is that sor.:o birds will come back to the sa^r.e orclmrd 

 nnd the sa'ne tree year after year. 



However, niigratory birds do occasionally ^et lost. Sone wander off their 

 course. And the accidents to bird traffic sor.etirr.es becone terrible disasters. 

 Recently, a stem in Wyoning destroyed thousands of birds. Lights often lure 

 birds off their coiorse, and hundreds saietir.es destroy ther.selves in their con- 

 fusion around light-houses. 



And the less spectacular traffic accidents also take a trenendous toll. 

 In ever increasing nuir.bers, the U. S, Biological Siirvey r>en renort accidents 

 between our gourist autonobile traffic and slov/ flying birds. Thousands of birds 

 are killed by autonobiles each year. Sone of these accidents are •'onavoidable , but 

 Uncle San' s naturalists seen to thinlc that r^ny such fatal accidents could be 

 prevented by nore thought for the birds on the part of notorists. Let's give 

 the birds a chance. 



— oOo — 



, AMOUNCHGIIT ; Station presents this feat\ire, "With Uncle San's 



Nat-oralists once every two weeks. This talk gives us a close-up on sa-.e of the 

 work being done by the Biological Survey of the United States Demrtnent of 

 Agriculture, 



