Banding

Our fledglings are now 4 weeks out of the nest and separated from their parents. It's only 2 weeks until release day but firstly each bird must receive a silver band with a unique number for long term identification, colour bands to identify individuals once released and geolocators as part of a study into their migration routes.

Field Biologist Hazel carrying the boxes and net to transfer the fledglings into their release cages

Next up is the banding and measurements - Here's me applying the steel bands

Hazel weighing a shrike in our specially designed shrike weighing tube. Normally a bird would be placed in a bird bag to weigh them but shrikes have too much fight in them and would exhaust themselves thrashing around in the bag.So instead we have an elastic band and a toilet roll. It works a treat!

Each bird gets unique colour markings before they are released into the release cages. This enable us to identify each bird easily during our daily observations. The birds will moult these feathers before migration so luckily for them they wont look silly forever.This one is blue cheeks!

Geolocators are small devices that the birds carry like a backpack. They take readings of the suns position and when this information is put through a special programme it can tell us where the birds have been. Unfortunately the birds have to be caught to obtain this information - satellite tracking devices are too heavy for the birds to carry Our hope is that next year we will recapture some of these birds and finally find out where they spend the winter. We already know they travel to North Western USA but once we know exactly where and what habitat then we can start our efforts to protect it.

There are fewer the 100 Eastern loggerhead shrikes in the wild so this study could save them from extinction!

Applying colour bands

Some just like to show off!

And much to mine and Steph's surprise.. it's Christmas at the cabin! We finished up our days bird feeding duties and returned to a cabin full of old tacky Christmas decorations, garland and a very excited Hazel jumping around with mitts and a woolly hat playing Christmas songs on her phone. Oh and presents on the table! Lovely!