In 2021, my son, Pete Kvale, and I harvested a banded male blue-winged teal at the Thief Lake Wildlife Management Area in northwestern Minnesota.
The condition of the band on this beautiful male teal was deteriorated and thin, with only two of the nine numbers clearly visible. After acid-etching the numbers, the number 1095 87238 was revealed. I reported the band to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service bird-banding office in Laurel, Md., and received an email that stated the teal was at least 10 years old.
Minnesota Reader Stories: Not just a blue-wing, but a symbol of conservation
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