Royal Banding

In the winter our beaches are home to many migratory birds — both the human and the feathered kind — each coming to enjoy our warm sunshine. 

Among my feathered favorites are the Royal Terns. They are delightfully vocal and sometimes appear to be scolding each other. In fact they remind me of the human species where one is scolding and the other studiously paying no attention. Forgive the amateurish video but this gives you an idea of what I mean.

However, what intrigued me today was several of the Royal Terns had bands on their legs. I'd never noticed this before and had to find out what I could. Apparently their breeding and nesting grounds are along the coast of North Carolina and Virginia and several scientific groups band the young before they begin their migration south. Most end up on the east and west coasts of Florida and some have even been tracked as far away as the Dominican Republic. Here are couple of the cuties with their gleaming silver bands. Most on the right foot and only one I saw had his on the left. 

So, if you just pay attention, you are likely to learn something new every day.