Mist Netting

When we were offered the gig here at Balcones the job descriptions were garden variety stuff that one could do most anywhere. Doing maintenance around the Refuge Headquarters, maintaining public use areas and office work in the Visitors Center, stuff like that.  In my heart, I fantasized a bit that I might get to do some more interesting Wildlife Refuge type things.

[caption id="attachment_181" align="alignright" width="300"] Scott Rowin- Refuge Biologist[/caption]

I wasn’t sure what that might look like but I can say the Balcones has not disappointed. The Biologist Scott Rowin has been more than willing to share his knowledge and allow me to participate in a hands-on way from time to time.

Today was truly one of the coolest mornings of my life.  Not only was I allowed to accompany Scott, John Harrington and two interns, Brian & Michael, to do what is called Mist Netting, but they very patiently let me actually do some of it which included being able to take birds from the net and learn the proper way to hold them in different ways and release them when we were done.

[caption id="attachment_185" align="alignnone" width="300"] Scott teaching me how to hold the bird for banding, and photographing.[/caption]

The first thing I learned is what a mist net is.  It looks a little like a tall badminton net with a loose honeycomb style weave. It stretches from about 2 feet off the ground to about 7 feet and was around  20 feet wide.

[caption id="attachment_187" align="alignnone" width="300"] Brian and Scott at the net[/caption]

The netting is very thin and as Scott explained it looks a bit like mist to the birds as they fly into it. They use these to net birds so they can band them and in some cases, put very small GPS tracking device harnesses on them to track their migration routes.

We set up two mist nets 300 or so yards apart, one near a creek and another in a low area out of the wind.  Once the netting started we simply moved back and forth between the nets.  Every few minutes one would fly into a net and the work began.

Brian proved to be a very patient teacher to me.

[caption id="attachment_186" align="alignnone" width="300"] Brian Cole[/caption]

After watching several times, I was allowed to handle the birds and remove them.

[caption id="attachment_191" align="alignright" width="300"] Freeing a Goldfinch from the net[/caption]

The first two tries I was unable to free the bird in a reasonable amount of time, so for the bird’s sake I let Brian take over and quickly free it so as not to cause any more stress than necessary.  I did successfully free two on my own before the morning was over.

They taught me the proper way to handle them when removing netting from different parts of their body to prevent injury to them. I was taught the proper way to hold them for banding, and photographing and finally how to properly release them.

I grew up in a timbered area heavily populated with birds and have watched them from a distance my entire life. Up till this morning, close was considered close enough to take a good photograph or perhaps one landing on the deck railing briefly. After a career in retail and banking,  I never dreamed I would one day hold a wild bird in my hand and feel it’s heart beating against my finger, know how soft they are and look directly into its eye as I worked with it. To hold something so small and fragile was indeed humbling.

I learned today that Cardinals will bite and bite hard.

[caption id="attachment_188" align="alignright" width="300"] Scott and Michael working with a Chickadee.[/caption]

Chickadees are quite hyper and fight the net, pecking the handler the entire time. I watched with amazement as the guys very patiently worked it free without harming it as his companion flew about scolding us the whole time.

[caption id="attachment_183" align="alignright" width="300"] Me with the Chipping Sparrow[/caption]

The Chipping Sparrow I held was so passive that when I set it on my hand to release it he just sat there for a moment, almost  like he was happy there in my hand. Realistically he was probably to scared to move, I know I would be if something 100 times bigger than me had me in it's hand. I worked with a Field Sparrow a Chipping Sparrow and 2 American Goldfinches before the morning was over.

What was just another work day in the life of a biologist was a real treat for this nature loving RV Volunteer who stumbled into a great gig with people willing to share their knowledge and let this rookie tag along. I’m not sure yet, but in terms of experiences, Balcones may have set the bar high for future places we volunteer. I didn't specifically seek out a Refuge opportunity this time around it just kind of worked out that way. In the future however, I think I may have found a niche of RV Volunteering that will feed my soul. Something tells me this won't be the last time I come to a refuge to volunteer.  My heart is happy here this winter.

We have four weeks left, I wonder what else I will get to be a part of?

Until next time…