Cannon netting is a method of catching large numbers of animals, often birds, usually to band them, or otherwise tag them, as well as acquiring biometric data (measurements), in order to find out about their movements, migration routes, survival rates and metabolism. They are often used in areas where large numbers of birds, especially waders, terns and gulls roost on beaches at high tide, or for places (which may be baited) where waterfowl or cockatoos feed. Cannon netting may also be used as a capture-for-culling method for perceived pest species such as cockatoos. Mammals such as deer and macropods may be cannon netted. Bird ringing (also known as bird banding) is an aid to studying wild birds, by attaching a small individually numbered metal or plastic ring to their legs or wings, so that various aspects of the birds life can be studied by the ability to re-find the same individual... Flock of Barnacle Geese during autumn migration Many species of birds undertake seasonal journeys of various lengths, a phenomenon known as Bird migration. ... Overview of the citric acid cycle The citric acid cycle, one of the central metabolic pathways in aerobic organisms. ... Families Scolopacidae Rostratulidae Jacanidae Thinocoridae Pedionomidae Burhinidae Chionididae Pluvianellidae Ibidorhynchidae Recurvirostridae Haematopodidae Charadriidae Dunlin (Calidris alpina). ... Genera Sterna (Gelochelidon) (Hydroprogne) (Thalasseus) Chlidonias Phaetusa Anous Procelsterna Gygis Larosterna Terns are seabirds in the family Sternidae, previously considered a subfamily Sterninae of the gull family Laridae. ... Look up gull in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... High Tide was a band that was formed in 1969 by Tony Hill (guitar, keyboards, and vocals), Simon House (violin and keyboards), Pete Pavli (bass) and Roger Hadden (drums). ... Falcated Duck at Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands centre, Gloucestershire, England Wildfowl or waterfowl, also waterbirds, is the collective term for the approximately 147 species of swans, geese and ducks, classified in the order Anseriformes, family Anatidae. ... Genera Probosciger Calyptorhynchus Callocephalon Eolophus Cacatua Nymphicus A cockatoo is any of about 20 species of bird belonging to the family Cacatuidae. ... Fawn redirects here. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

Methodology

Cannon nets are nets pulled rapidly by explosively-driven projectiles to cover a pre-determined area of ground and presumptively capture any birds (or other target animals) present before they have time to escape. An alternative is the use of rocket nets, the only significant difference being the method by which the projected nets are pulled over the catching area. In the case of cannon netting the projectiles that are attached to the net are fired simultaneously from smooth-bore cannons by electrically-detonated cartridges. A full-sized cannon net may utilise four or more cannons to pull the net over the target birds. Smaller nets with fewer cannons may also be used. A small cannon on a carriage, Bucharest. ...

Catching waders

When cannon netting is carried for the purpose of catching large numbers of waders or shorebirds for banding and release, it requires an experienced team to coordinate and manage not only the catch itself, but also the subsequent care and processing of the birds to their eventual safe release. Catching is usually conducted on tidal beaches with nutritious tidewrack, or adjacent to coastal mudflats, though occasionally other locations, such as salt lakes or sewage treatment lagoons, are used. Mudflats in Brewster, Massachusetts extending hundreds of yards offshore at the low tide. ... A salt lake or saline lake is a landlocked body of water which has a concentration of salts (mostly sodium chloride) and other minerals significantly higher than most lakes (often defined as at least 3,000 milligrams of salt per liter). ... Sewage treatment, or domestic wastewater treatment, is the process of removing contaminants from sewage. ...

• Planning. In the days preceding a catch, known and likely high-tide roosting sites are reconnoitered to establish the best prospective site for a catch, although a final decision may not be made until immediately prior to net-setting. Consideration of expected maximum tide height and wind direction may affect the precise placement of the net.

• Setting the net. The net is usually set during low tide when the birds are dispersed and feeding. The mesh of the net must be free of any obstacles such as twigs, leaves and shells that might obstruct its deployment when fired. The bunched net is laid in a line with pegged 'jump ropes' attached to the back edge. Markers are set to indicate the extent of the catching area. The heavy iron projectiles are attached to the projectile ropes that will pull the leading edge of the net, and are inserted in the partly-buried cannons behind the net. The previously cartridge-loaded cannons are connected by an electrical circuit to a firing box in a hide which may be some distance away, though with a good view of the catching area. After setting, the net is often concealed with sand, seaweed or other light debris.

• Setting up the catch. If the birds do not fly or walk readily into the catching area of the net when coming in to roost, it may be necessary, through the judicious placement and movement of people or vehicles, to encourage the birds to move into position where they can be safely caught. Team members coordinate their efforts through radio contact.

• Firing. The net is fired when it is judged that an appropriate number of birds is catchable, and that none will be endangered during firing. The number of birds caught should not exceed the capacity of the team to deal with them.

• Extraction. The birds are extracted as speedily as possible from the net and placed in temporary fabric holding cages to await processing in a sheltered environment. Depending on weather conditions, shadecloth may be used to cover the holding cages. The aim is to minimise stress to the birds.

• Processing. This includes the attachment of individually numbered bands to the birds' legs, sometimes with site-specific colour-bands or plastic leg-flags. Measurements are made of wing-length, head and bill length, weight, as well as degree of moult or signs of breeding plumage. Retraps of previously caught birds have their band numbers recorded and are similarly processed. Evidence of age is noted in order to estimate seasonal breeding success. Sometimes blood samples or cloacal or tracheal swabs are taken for epidemiological studies, such as government programs monitoring the incidence of avian influenza. All data are logged on field datasheets and later entered on a computer database. Details of catch conditions are also recorded. Following processing, all birds are released.

Human blood smear: a - erythrocytes; b - neutrophil; c - eosinophil; d - lymphocyte. ... In zoological anatomy, a cloaca is the posterior opening that serves as the only such opening for the intestinal, urinary, and genital tracts of certain animal species. ... Windpipe redirects here. ... Epidemiology is the scientific study of factors affecting the health and illness of populations, and serves as the foundation and logic of interventions made in the interest of public health and preventive medicine. ... Avian influenza (also known as bird flu, avian flu, influenzavirus A flu, type A flu, or genus A flu) is a flu (influenza) due to a type of influenza virus that is hosted by birds, but may infect several species of mammals. ...

External links

• Australasian Wader Studies Group
• Victorian Wader Study Group
• Wash Wader Ringing Group
• Broome Bird Observatory
• BirdLife International - Avian Flu surveillance