While the licenced cannon-netters took up the best viewing
positions, the rest of us kept well back to ensure we didn’t disturb the birds
are they foraged ever closer to their roosting position on the spit. We
couldn’t see what was happening at the catch site and relied on the
cannon-netters to keep us informed via walkie-talkies.
While we couldn’t complain about the weather, as it was dry
and bright, all those layers of clothes were needed as we sat on the cold sand.
We kept ourselves warm with coffee from our flasks and tried not to tempt fate
by talking about how many we’d catch.
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| The catch team. Sinéad Cummins |
We were keeping our heads down and couldn’t see what was
going on, but we knew that the encroaching waves would be eating up the
remaining foraging area and pushing the birds towards their roosting position,
and the catch zone and that we could be called into action at any time. Tension
mounted. If the birds weren’t in the catch area when the tide reached its
summit, we knew we’d have to stand down and try it all again tomorrow.
However, as high tide approached, the radio chat was
positive and a wave of anticipation swept around our small group. That is,
until we heard that three Oystercatchers had marched up the beach and roosted
right in front of the net. This meant that the net couldn’t be fired as they birds
weren’t in the safe zone. Could these three birds have inadvertently ruined
weeks of meticulous planning? Would we have to call the whole thing off and
wait until tomorrow? Luckily, those three didn’t fancy roosting there and
wandered off after a while, meaning the possibility of a catch was back on ...but there were still no birds within the catch area.
As high tide approached and the radio chatter became more
and more pessimistic, we began thinking about getting back to the office and
getting to all those other jobs that this cannon-netting has superseded.
...Then something happened - I still don’t know what, and a
portion of the birds moved into the catch area. Now it was up to the
cannon-netters to pick their moment to fire the net over the roosting birds. As
we scrambled to put lids on our flasks and load ourselves up with the ringing
equipment, we heard the words over the radio that we’d been waiting for all
day: “firing in ...three, two, one!”
BANG!! Suddenly we were all scrambling to get ourselves and
gear to the catch site. Moments later the holding pens had been erected and the
birds were being taken from under the net. The ringing table was set up, the
various tasks were allocated and we began to process the birds.
We caught 119 Oystercatchers and a Ringed Plover. Each bird
was ringed with a BTO metal ring (see BTO ringing scheme here) with a unique
number and address. In order to determine body condition, a series of
measurements were taken (wing, tarsus and bill length and weight). Each bird was
aged using plumage details and the colouration on the legs, bill and eye.
Finally each Oystercatcher was fitted with a series of plastic colour-rings to
give each bird a specific identity.
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| Colour-ringed Oystercatcher "IV" Richard Nairn |
A special thanks to all the volunteers who gave their time to get this aspect of the project off the ground. Every pair of hands was needed to ensure that the birds were caught, processed and released promptly and without any problems. But the voluntary help doesn’t end there! We’re calling on all birders to make a special effort to read the inscriptions on the rings before the birds leave our shores to head off to breed.
