Net vandalism

Nets damaged at Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory

Last Saturday morning, three people ignored the signs restricting entry to the net area at the Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory (PEPtBO) and began cutting the delicate netting in a misguided attempt to free the birds that had been captured. When confronted by bander- in-charge Phillip Mercier, the three were unapologetic and very adamant about their actions. They were not aware of the bird banding program and the purpose of the station. “We had a conversation about what we do, and two of them were understanding and we could agree to disagree about the way we do what we do, except one of the people were a little more hostile towards us, making exorbitant claims that we were harming wildlife,” said Mercier. “That individual was verbally aggressive towards us and very confrontational.”

Mercier said that many other stations encounter this same problem, and the damage to the nets here will incur a significant expense to have them replaced. “The net material is very fine and elastic, which is important for bird safety, and when people cut our nets it’s very damaging for us as a non-profit organization. Our nets are very expensive, so it’s a big deal to have vandalism happen like that.” Additional signs prohibiting entry have been placed at several other places along the trail within the net area to deter further unauthorized incursions.

Staff and volunteers at PEPtBO have been trained to safely extract the birds from the nets in a way that cause minimal stress. When birds fly into the nets and are caught, there will be a few moments of initial struggle, and then they will simply wait. One volunteer said she has even found birds that had fallen asleep. The protocols for extracting the birds from the nets and handling them afterwards has been constantly updated to minimize handling and stress to the birds. The nets are not deployed in inclement weather. “We’ve trained people on the best techniques to extract birds that eliminated some of the things that could have caused problems. We’ve limited the time between checking the nets so the birds aren’t in the net for so long. Every day we keep up with our craft and we ensure our volunteers are being safe and we don’t do anything to harm the birds,” said Mercier. “The stress we cause the birds is very limited, but the information that we gather from these birds is very valuable. It gives us precise numbers on bird populations, and it gives us a lot of information you just can’t get from visual observations.” By combining visual observations with information gleaned from captures, researchers can better estimate population sizes across an entire area. There are some birds that are very stealthy and will neither be seen nor heard, but will still be captured in the nets. Other birds may be seen and heard, but not captured. When these data are combined, it provides a more accurate picture. “When we do this from year to year, we are better able to influence conservation policies or conservation lands, both federally and provincially,” said Mercier.

The Spring Birding Festival begins on Friday and continues until Monday with demonstrations, special events and guided walks, plus a Mother’s Day program. The Kaleidoscope Catering food truck will be on site. There are also guided walks on May 20 and May 27. For more information, please visit peptbo.ca