Louisiana Wildlife experts just finished the 2020 banding season at Queen Bess Island north of Grand Isle. The newly restored island a Louisiana Gem and Brown Pelican rookery was dedicated in February. Now, 8000 pelicans call Queen Bess home.

Under the cover of darkness and a slight rain, a small group of wildlife experts arrived at the island to finish this years banding season. Caitlin Glymph of CPRA says, It was amazing when we saw it in February but the amount of birds we saw then as opposed to now is pretty incredible.

Three-hundred-fifty pelicans were banded over three nights. The banding process is simple.

Todd Baker of Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries states, You are going to grab the bill, put the body of the bird under your arm, and cradle it like this and have the bill in other hand.

Once secure, a metal band and color banding will be put in place. This will allow researchers to track and monitor these Brown Pelicans. The team took other measurementsbill and wing size, age, and gender.

Paul Link, North American Waterfowl Management Plan Coordinator,Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries, We banded birds out here last year pre-restoration and then again this year hoping to see the response to see if the birds are coming back utilizing the same habitat.

A Brown Pelican banded in Waveland, Mississippi in 2010 was recently identified on Queen Bess Island.

If you see a banded bird or pelican, you can send a report towww.reportband.gov. You will receive a Certificate of Appreciation for helping out.

Visit link:

Watch: Banding the Brown Pelican - dcw50.com

Kris Bryant announced last Tuesday that hed landed in Chicago, holding his infant son in his arms on the flight over. That same day, he went through intake screening. He wasnt scheduled to undergo his second round of COVID-19 testing until Sunday.

Im not trying to be insensitive by any means because theres a lot of people out there struggling who need tests, the Cubs third baseman said. I genuinely want that to come across. But at the same time, MLB created this lab and did all this stuff to be able to run a season. I know theres going to hiccups, but you just cant hiccup with this.

Bryants frustrations were echoed across the league on Monday. The Astros, Nationals and Cardinalsall cancelled workouts Monday while waiting for test results. The Angels and Diamondbacks also navigated delays. The As postponed their first position player workouts on Sunday, also due to testing complications.

Click to download the MyTeams App for the latest Cubs news and analysis.

According to a league release, over 95 percent of intake testing had been conducted, analyzed and shared with all 30 Clubs by Monday afternoon. MLB expects the remaining tests to be completed by the end of the day. Those who had finished testing are scheduled to be tested every other day from here on out.

Our plan required extensive delivery and shipping services, including proactive special accommodations to account for the holiday weekend, MLb said in a statement. "The vast majority of those deliveries occurred without incident and allowed the protocols to function as planned. Unfortunately, several situations included unforeseen delays. We have addressed the delays caused by the holiday weekend and do not expect a recurrence. We commend the affected Clubs that responded properly by cancelling workouts.

The Cubs, who had not announced any positive COVID-19 tests as of Monday evening, havent faced the same testing scares as some other teams have. But manager David Ross said he voiced his concerns to the league, advocating for more frequent testing and a quicker return on the results.

Its definitely new for everybody, Ross said, so you want to try to give Major League Baseball a little bit of slack in some areas because were all needing some slack in some areas, but I think the protocols they have in place are for a reason and we need to get these tests done.

MLB converted a lab in Utah, which had previously handled Minor League Baseball drug tests,into a COVID-19 testing facility in preparation for the season.The 2020 Operations Manual that the players signed off on promises that players will be tested every other day during Summer Camp and the season. Albert Almora Jr., like Bryant,said he went through intake testing on Tuesday and had his second round of testing Sunday.

So, it was a big gap in between, he said. A lot of guys werent happy with that. As careful as you may be, (the virus) an invisible thing that you have no control over even if you do all the right things. Its tough. Its something that we have to overcome, and hopefully it gets better. I know theyre all working their kinks out, but hopefully we can get this straight away and get the testing that were promised.

Fixing the testing process, Almora predicted, would ease some players worries about playing this season. Players likeAlmora and Bryant are concerned that they could COVID-19 home to their families. Bryant said hes not considering opting out, but hed thought about it before.

I wanted to play this year, Bryant said, because I felt that it would be safe and I would feel comfortable. But honestly, I dont really feel that way, which is why Im trying to keep my distance from everybody and wear my mask just so we can get this thing going.

If MLB does reach Opening Day -- and the way Bryant sees it, it would be "foolish" to not include that "if" -- the regular season adds a host of new concerns.

"Youre traveling and youre in an airplane, in your hotel, youre getting room service, who knows what people are doing?" Bryant said."Especially on the other teams too; youve got to rely on everybody in this whole thing. I think if we cant nail the easy part, which is right now and just our players, weve got a big hill to climb."

Bryant, a former Cubs MLBPA representative, said he was ashamed of how publicly MLB restart negotiations played out. Now, he thinks so much time was spent on economic talks that health-and-safety discussions were rushed.

It was a mess, Bryant said. And it still kind of is a mess, and hopefully we can find a way to repair that and fix things and get back on track.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CUBS TALK PODCAST FOR FREE.

Follow this link:

Bryant on testing concerns: 'We've got a big hill to climb' - Comcast SportsNet Chicago