Young country diary: A bird in the hand

Yorkshire Dales: My morning helping with a study of local birds will help them in the future - I even got to hold themWe got up before sunrise and went over the fields to join John and Beryl, the bird ringers. They were setting up long nets and we put speakers around the nets, playing birdsong to attract the birds. The birds couldn't see the nets and so they flew into them. John and Beryl carefully untangled the birds from the nets (the birds weren't hurt) and we carried them in little bags to the table with the ringing equipment.Each bird was checked and John put a tiny metal ring on its leg. I read out the ring number and Beryl wrote down all the details. My favourite moment was when I set the birds free. I held each bird with a finger on either side of its head, and put my other hand underneath. Then I let go of the neck, and the bird flew away. Continue reading...