Chris Monk
Well-known member
From the Eastern Daily Press:
Tracking path of little harrier
The marsh harrier is fitted with its radio transmitter harness.
RICHARD PARR
13 July 2005 10:16
Ornithologists turned detectives yesterday, as they fitted a tracking device
on to the back of a young marsh harrier so they can follow the bird's every
move.
When the month-old bird leaves its nesting ground in the reedbeds of the
Sculthorpe nature reserve, near Fakenham, its journey will be monitored, -
providing a lot more information about its behavioural patterns.
Using a radio aerial, ornithologists all over the country will be able to
pick up the bird's signal when it enters a 20-mile radius of them. They will
then be able to track the bird and move closer to its location.
It is believed to be the first time that such a tracking device has been
used to monitor the marsh harrier in Norfolk.
Yesterday, experts from English Nature and the Hawk and Owl Trust at
Sculthorpe Moor Reserve were faced with the task of netting the young bird
and then attaching the small transmitter to its back like a rucksack.
The device is fitted as a harness around the bird's body and the transmitter
is glued to a Teflon ribbon. Its batteries should last for up to a year.
Ornithologist Stephen Murphy gently and carefully attached the transmitter
to the harrier's back, making sure it was fixed in place properly before
returning it to its nest.
Marsh harriers in Norfolk have been in the news recently after one of the
protected birds of prey was shot at Raveningham, near Loddon.
The RSPB says it has received a number of allegations concerning the
shooting of marsh harriers in Norfolk and Suffolk.
Hawk and Owl Trust East of England conservation officer Nigel Middleton, who
has publicly criticised people who have shot marsh harriers, said that the
tracking device could help in tracing those responsible.
Scientific officer for the trust, Dr Roger Clark, said that the project,
known as Operation Circus, is aimed at trying to find out about the survival
patterns of the young birds after they leave their nests at about two months
old.
Tracking path of little harrier
The marsh harrier is fitted with its radio transmitter harness.
RICHARD PARR
13 July 2005 10:16
Ornithologists turned detectives yesterday, as they fitted a tracking device
on to the back of a young marsh harrier so they can follow the bird's every
move.
When the month-old bird leaves its nesting ground in the reedbeds of the
Sculthorpe nature reserve, near Fakenham, its journey will be monitored, -
providing a lot more information about its behavioural patterns.
Using a radio aerial, ornithologists all over the country will be able to
pick up the bird's signal when it enters a 20-mile radius of them. They will
then be able to track the bird and move closer to its location.
It is believed to be the first time that such a tracking device has been
used to monitor the marsh harrier in Norfolk.
Yesterday, experts from English Nature and the Hawk and Owl Trust at
Sculthorpe Moor Reserve were faced with the task of netting the young bird
and then attaching the small transmitter to its back like a rucksack.
The device is fitted as a harness around the bird's body and the transmitter
is glued to a Teflon ribbon. Its batteries should last for up to a year.
Ornithologist Stephen Murphy gently and carefully attached the transmitter
to the harrier's back, making sure it was fixed in place properly before
returning it to its nest.
Marsh harriers in Norfolk have been in the news recently after one of the
protected birds of prey was shot at Raveningham, near Loddon.
The RSPB says it has received a number of allegations concerning the
shooting of marsh harriers in Norfolk and Suffolk.
Hawk and Owl Trust East of England conservation officer Nigel Middleton, who
has publicly criticised people who have shot marsh harriers, said that the
tracking device could help in tracing those responsible.
Scientific officer for the trust, Dr Roger Clark, said that the project,
known as Operation Circus, is aimed at trying to find out about the survival
patterns of the young birds after they leave their nests at about two months
old.
