The
routine swan weigh-in was due today, so I assisted our wildlife supervisor
Andrew, with this task. Together we rounded up all the swans on pool three,
guiding them slowly into the holding area. This is tricky to do without ending
up with several other ducks and geese inside the holding area as well, but we
managed quite nicely, with only one Canadian goose in the mix!
Next,
Andrew had the strenuous job of reading the ID tag on each swan and recording
the weight of individuals from the electronic scales (!) I had the leisurely
task of chasing, cornering and capturing the swan, hoisting the beast under my
arm, marching onto the scales, standing there with said swan, and then
releasing it again without getting wing-whipped or caught up its flippy-flappy-feet....And
I loved every minute of it!
Monitoring
weight, body condition and overall health is a fundamental aspect when
assessing a swans’ suitability for release (and an assistant’s suitability for
carrying out strenuous weighing activities!).
Sponsors of Stapeley Grange's Summer Wildlife Assistant Position
No comments:
Post a Comment