What size mistnets are best? (1 Viewer)

I'm referring to the weave, and want a net that can give me the widest range of birds. I primarily aim at passarines, sm waders, nightjars etc. Very few raptors and always in the bush of Africa, so beige nets won't do in any size.

We have always used 12m nets, 19x19mm and 3m high, but I would be very interested to learn what you recommend. (and why)

B

WobblyWilly said:

I would be very interested to learn what you recommend. (and why)
B

Click to expand...

I see you have not received a reply to your enquiry yet, so let me kick off with a negative. I acquired some "Ecotone" nets from a project that had finished, and began to use them at my constant effort monitoring site in France.

For a couple of years they were OK, but I noticed them slowly increasing in stretched length and had to redesign my layout slightly. Then birds which usually posed no problem began to become very badly stuck around necks and carpals. I had to resort to cutting strands of net to free them in some cases.

Investigating the mesh size I found it possible to easily expand the 18mm taut sides (36mm diagonally stretched) to 21mm/ 22mm (42mm/44mm diagonally stretched) and realised that the material had become quite elastic. This provided an explanation for the almost irretrievably enmeshed birds I increasingly encountered. I now use a policy of scissors first for small species that don't immediately become free, and I no longer bother to repair the holes left, intending to burn these awful nets once they become tattered beyond efficient use.

I've encountered no other nets with this problem, but perhaps others on this forum can tell us?

That's quite worrysome as Ecotone are the only nets that I can find in SA...

I usually use networks passeriformes 16x16 mm mesh and 18 mtrs long for field work unaided .
The networks I have bought them 5 years ago a fellow in my group that produces handmade and exclusively designed for banders .
I can say that attacks mammals except birds trapped in the cloth, I practiced a few holes with the scissors will extract very difficult and tangled birds.
The quality in terms of the threads is very high, you can give an idea of ​​the hundreds of hours he has given the sun here in southern Spain . If indeed never been wet so how are you not networks would behave in rainy countries.
These networks have brake bands windproof and very large bags that hunt very small passerine birds of medium size, sometimes only I could capture larger birds.
If you have scientific bander certificate of his country, I could give you the address of this person . The price of the networks is much cheaper than the brand that you have commented . Regards, Fernando

WobblyWilly said:

That's quite worrysome as Ecotone are the only nets that I can find in SA...

Click to expand...

I should have added that the Ecotone nets I have are the smallest (finest) denier thread they produce. The heavier gauge stuff I can't comment on.

You should be able to get nets through the BTO
http://blx1.bto.org/btos/ringingSales.htmlx
on production of a valid ringing/banding permit. They are selling the North Ronaldsay nets at the same price as Ecotone.

It is rather worrying that they apparently don't know of the problem with Ecotone, otherwise I'm sure they wouldn't sell them. Or perhaps I just got nets from a bad batch. Or perhaps I treat my nets so well they have survived beyond their burn-by date