It’s spring 2023 in the marshes of Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge in the bayous of Louisiana, and a state waterfowl scientist wades into the brackish water to extract a Blue-winged Teal from a net rocket-launched just seconds ago. The scientist looks the bird over closely, measuring its weight, bill and wing; observing its plumage; and determining its age and sex. This one is an adult male. The scientist then affixes a metal band – this one is etched with the numbers 1225-64866 - around its leg for later individual identification. They jot down all the information and within minutes release the duck back into the wild. The bird flies away, unaware that the band around his leg has now tied his life to a century-old scientific enterprise.…