More Slimbridge

SLIMBRIDGE WWT Festival of Birds last weekend offered up the opportunity to hear about, and see, bird ringing.  This was a rather undignified experience for this female teal (below), but interesting for us never the less.

There is a small ringing hut, with a roaring open fire and all the tools of the experts laid out.  Taking measurements and recording the bird is a vital part of this exercise.  The rings are retrieved when the birds are recaptured, or more often shot.  By plotting the birds' distribution and understanding their movements, a small window into their ecology is opened up, which helps in the conservation effort.

Teal being measured

Teal about to be released

Here are some other images from the day:

Looking out towards the Severn Estuary

Peter Scott image

Blacked-headed gull

Captive Redshank

Captive Avocets

Female Mallard on the ice

Greylag geese