As you know, I occasionally volunteer at Barnes wetland centre. This past week, I have been in twice: once to conduct a tour, which was fun, and fortunately the audience asked no really difficult questions; and the other time to help, with many others, with the twice yearly bird catch.
This is a regular event, in order to give all the captive birds - over 200 of them - a health check and any necessary treatment. Now this is a wetland reserve, and although they are captive, these are not tame birds, so you have to get in the ponds and mud with them - and if water and mud is the worst you get on you during the day, you can be jolly glad. But it's good to think the birds are so well cared for, and it's very nice to see the birds up close and get a wonderful view of their colours and forms. A great deal of trouble is taken, of course, not to stress the birds any more than necessary, and they're all returned to their watery homes within 20 minutes or so.
Below, a black swan is put in its travelling jacket and carried off to the vets - your friendly blogger is deep in the mire, and about to get deeper - and a few of the birds, calm and relaxed again back on their own patch (these are a pair of Carolina duck and red-billed whistling ducks). The pictures are not great, but wielding a camera when often waist deep in water and mud, carrying a large net and often with handful of duck, goose or even swan, is not easy!
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