Ohio is in the Mississippi Flyway, and the Killbuck Marsh is an important stop-over for waterfowl both going south in the fall, and north in the spring. In waterfowl vernacular, there are four flyways, or migration routes, that geese and ducks funnel through on their flights - the Atlantic, Mississippi, Central, and Pacific flyways. “The data we collect we will send to the U.S Fish and Wildlife, which will determine season structure and bag limits by flyways.” This can help with population estimates, bag limits regulations, and possible migratory travel information. “It provides data on the ages of geese at time of harvest and where they came from when they were banded. ![]() “Goose banding is important for waterfowl management and providing a better understanding of where and how long the geese are out there,” said Colin Steele, an Ohio Department of Natural Resources technician with the Division of Wildlife. ![]() With the birds unable to fly at this time of year because they’re molting their feathers, and a good flock found grouped together, four Division of Wildlife employees got to work, rounding up the birds, aging and sexing them and recording the data, then applied the bands that will be used to track their life. With afternoon storms popping up and hot and muggy weather, an early morning roundup was hastily called to minimize the stress on the geese. Such was the case this past week when the staff of the Division of Wildlife’s Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area made a quick decision that NOW was the time to band geese.
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