uncle aj
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My Friday outingToday I went with a group of people to Jarim Islands in the Arabian Gulf. Our main objective was to ring lesser-crested terns and we managed to do 450. I have just got back and I'm very tired so I'll just post a few preliminary pictures. More to follow soon.
One of the two Coastguard boats we used, this one carried a documentary film crew.
A bridled tern coming back to its nest scrape.
One of the bridled terns watching its nest.
Just some of the thousands of lesser-crested terns on the island.
Our certified ringer, Dr. Brendan Kavanagh with one of the 450 birds we ringed today.
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uncle aj
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Here are some more pictures of the trip.
On the way
The island appears out of the dust
Bridled terns
Lesser-crested terns
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Tools
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Great adventure...
And some great shots..
I really like the one of the approach and landing on the rock.... 
Looks like the landscape around here...minus any birds... 
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ABS
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Great pictures! How do you catch the birds to "ring" them?
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uncle aj
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| ABS wrote: | | Great pictures! How do you catch the birds to "ring" them? |
With the baby terns, you just pick them up off the ground. Here's a few in a plastic basket, ready to be ringed.
These guys had just been released
Any stragglers were ushered back into the crèche, it was marvellous to watch.
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ABS
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How cute... but I thought humans weren't supposed to touch baby birds? 
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uncle aj
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| ABS wrote: | | How cute... but I thought humans weren't supposed to touch baby birds? |
We have a registered bird ringer, in fact he's a ringer trainer as well. He has the permission from the British Trust for Ornithology and the Bahrain Natural History Society to carry out the task.
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ABS
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| uncle aj wrote: | | ABS wrote: | | How cute... but I thought humans weren't supposed to touch baby birds? |
We have a registered bird ringer, in fact he's a ringer trainer as well. He has the permission from the British Trust for Ornithology and the Bahrain Natural History Society to carry out the task. |
Okay I get that, but don't the mother birds abandon the babies with human scent?
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uncle aj
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| ABS wrote: | | uncle aj wrote: | | ABS wrote: | | How cute... but I thought humans weren't supposed to touch baby birds? |
We have a registered bird ringer, in fact he's a ringer trainer as well. He has the permission from the British Trust for Ornithology and the Bahrain Natural History Society to carry out the task. |
Okay I get that, but don't the mother birds abandon the babies with human scent? |
No, that doesn't happen. You can see from the pictures that they round up any stragglers and guide them back to the crèche. We ringed one two years ago that was picked up in Mumbai. Most birds are trapped in mist nets, ringed and released but with terns, your only opportunity is when they can't fly. We have peregrine falcons nesting in my home town in England and these were ringed in the nest and the parents did not abandon them. All care is taken to make the process as quick and stress free as possible. This is why there's a long training period and tests carried out before you are allowed to do it.
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