Bill Haines catches and rings a Black-Headed Gull

Bill Haines, an official bird ringer who is doing a survey of the movements of birds in the park, neatly catches a Black-Headed Gull, puts on a standard BTO metal ring and a plastic ring for his survey, measures it and weighs it in a bag while his wife records the figures, and releases it.

[trucid]

I love watching people who are good at their job. Bill is very good.

[SwanFamilyandFriends]

We have a black-headed Gull ringed 2XJH that is a regular visitor to Stobsmuir Ponds, Dundee. I think it may have been ringed in Norway? They never breed at Stobsmuir.

[aprioriontoast]

Beautiful little creature make funny noises too, I'm sure it's a little traumatic for him, I hope he got filled up on the food given to him to make up for it.

[birdsinparadise]

Ew! What a cruel man for the birds!!! What did this man catch that black headed gull by hand for?

[hobouk]

May i ask where this was happening at which park?

[liliaaaaaaaa]

Poor bird probably traumatised for life and will never want to go near a human for the rest of its life. Apparently they overwinter from Siberia. I have no idea why this human feels the need to catch and ring birds. You can participate in the RSPB birdwatch and report how many birds you've seen as part of their official census without any need to catch or traumatise them by ringing. I rescued a lost RPA racing pigeon last summer that had been ringed and had its leg permanently injured and paralysed due to nerve damage by the ring. Birds are living sentient creatures, not toys. I'm sure that bird would have been much happier left alone. Birds can die from trauma from being caught by humans so even if it flew off after its ordeal the bird will still be permanently scarred and traumatised by its experience.