Band Encounters of Oiled Birds Rehabilitated and Released by Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research, Inc. between 1990–2016

Band returns provide an inexpensive and relatively passive means of evaluating survival in the wild after rehabilitation for oil contamination. Unfortunately, most encounters are made when a banded bird is shot by hunters or found dead or injured, with limited sightings of live, banded birds in the wild. This study examines band encounters received on oiled birds that were washed, rehabilitated, banded and released by Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research, Inc. (Tri-State) during the twenty-six years from 1990 to 2016. Included in these data are 228 sightings of live birds that were oiled following the Deepwater Horizon MC252 incident, and 363 encounters (live or dead) of birds impacted by other spills. Not included are birds treated by Tri-State but banded under other permits, such as the 283 birds rehabilitated and released following the 1993 Tampa Bay oil spill. Analysis of these encounters overall reveals information on species survival post-release, distance traveled by individual birds, and evidence of breeding success.