Every October, some of the newly arrived barnacle geese are captured and rung. It's a great experience to be part of, as most of our job involves caring for wildlife from a safe and at times excessive distance. But more than that the data these rings can provide us would be impossible to gain in other ways. The birds are caught using a cannon net, which is remotely triggered. If a random breeze catches the net then it may mean no geese are caught, however yesterday was a success and over 40 birds were caught and ringed.
Now to put faces to names:
On day release from the Oa, warden Mark plus Dave-off-the-tv.
Liz demonstrating how best to aim your goose. Behind her you can see the captive geese awaiting ringing.
Emily with Mandy, waiting in line. Many hands make light work, but it can also make fast work. It's important to keep the geese moving through as quick as possible to minimize their stress.
The geese are released in the same field they were caught. Most fly off to join others, but some take a more casual departure. You can see here the large white ring which will have a unique 3 letter combination that can be read from afar. It also has a yellow colour ring which relates to the year the bird was caught.