During a trip to see Arthur’s family in March 2022, we visited the beach in Burgh-Haamstede, Zeeland. I was birding a bit and had my camera with me when I noticed a Eurasian Blackbird foraging close to a path by the parking lot. It was nicely out in the open so I took a few photos before I saw that the bird had a metal band. I tried to take more photos from different angles to capture the entire band number, but I was only able to see a partial number: …17357.
I reported the partial band number to NIOO Vogeltrekstation, the main banding organization in the Netherlands.
With the partial report and submitted photos, it was determined the bird was identifiable as L517357, and I received the banding information on the individual:
The blackbird was determined to be a first year bird when it was banded on October 18, 2018. The banding took place in the same area as where I found the bird 3 and a half years later, on the Kraaijensteinweg in Burgh-Haamstede! Eurasian Blackbirds are year-round residents in the Netherlands.
