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Strange Bird Journey

Brookfield, Vermont - November 7, 2009

When it comes to bird research, a Vermont woman recently made a chance discovery. And that discovery is so rare it's considered less likely than winning the lottery.

Roz Renfrew studies bobolinks. The songbirds have flashy yellow, white and black plumage.

"They are a bird of the grassland, they are very charasmatic," explained Renfrew with the Vt. Center for Ecostudies.

The birds summer in Vermont, then fly to South America for the winter. Renfrew is studying threats they face here including less grassland and problems in South America, where they feed in rice fields and are considered pests.

"We've lost about 50% of the population in the last 40 years or so."

In Bolivia three years ago, she banded 433 bobolinks. The tiny aluminum bracelets have an ID number outside and inside, a number to call if you find it. Most researchers don't expect to see the birds or bands again.

"I banded something like point zero, zero,zero, zero, four three percent of the population," said Renfrew.

But then Renfrew got a call from the U.S. Geological Survey lab that tracks all the bands, saying a bobolink had turned up.

"And I thought well that is amazing. I mean 400 birds out of 10 or 11 million, what are the chances? And then i find out that this bird was found 12 miles from my home. This is a bird that could have been from anywhere in Vermont to Oregon. And it happens to be in my backyard practically."

From the rice fields of Bolivia to rural Chelsea, Vermont. It marks the first time a bobolink banded on its wintering grounds was found in its breeding grounds.

"It's something that you can kind of intellectually understand, but this brings it home, literally for me, makes it very real that these birds have another whole life that is influencing how their populations are doing."

It all is pretty rare, especially when you consider that the Bobolink turned up 3 years after it was banded by Roz Renfrew. In that time it flew about 35,000 miles, making the trip from South America back to Vermont 4 times.

But the bird tale ends there. The bobolink was found by a cat, who brought the dead bird to its owners. Renfrew admits it was deflating at first, but it also serves as a reminder of what's impacting bobolinks.

"I guess for me it is going to inspire me to continue to do reserach on what is influencing their population."

Roz Renfrew is hoping to get the band back, she'd like to keep it as a souvenir.

Kristin Carlson - WCAX News