Band Numbers
I am writting this one because I decided to change the format I've used over time.
Write down a dozen band numbers of your favorate birds from memory.
Now write down the band number as they appear on the band.
Find a method to include all of the information on the band ( for the pedigree ) in 18 characters that lets you refer to them using the id's in your first list as the start of the formal band number.

My mistake
When we have an event where the birds are listed I see the format [ AU95 TC 0461 ].  Years ago I chose this as my method for entering band numbers.  What I found is that I think of the bird as 0461-the blue grizzel.  What happened is if the bird sired new offspring I would go to that birds pedigree to find out how 0461 was keyed into the system.  I wasted a lot of time.  Now I enter the birds as [ 0461 TC AU95 ].  The information is all there but I quickly find the birds by keying 0461tab-key.

Pair IDs
Start the pair_id with the year, and then an identifer.  Don't lock it too tight like Nestbox.  We all know the nestboxs may change.