Well, my 2 cents.
Canada geese (canadian geese can't cross into the US
)can live past twenty, but on average it is much lower. Hell, probably 1/3 don't make it through the first year. I would think 8 - 12 years is probably a pretty good range for those making it the first year.
As for the worn bands, the USFWS can use a wash to distinguish the numbers and it will not destroy the band. I don't have a personal experience with it, but spoke to one of the technicians at the lab.
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>The biologist figured to be up in that range of 12+ just judging on the condition of the band.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I am surprised the biologist guessed the band to be that old. In my opinion, more of an impact on the band is a correlation of what type of habitat the goose used. In other words, if this was a bird that spent most of the year in sandy or gravel bottom shallows then the band would wear much quicker than one that inhabited a soft mudded marsh.
Hell, I am no waterfowl biologist, so take it for its worth.
Anyway, cool band stories. How far away were these guys banded?