Last summer I spent one fascinating week at a bird ringing station. The station is led by the Swiss Ornithological Institute in Sempach and it is located in the Swiss alps on the border to France. I did voluntary work which mainly consisted of controlling nets and extracting the tiny and fragile birds from them. After they were weighed, measured and ringed, they were let go to continue their journey southwards.
There were exceptionally many coal tits which was probably due to good breeding conditions in the North. The little birds only weigh around nine grams. They are nonetheless very spirited and dead on target pecking your finger.
During the three months in which the station is open, tons of data is produced that is mainly used to monitor the yearly bird migration. Although a total of 92 species were ringed, the bulk of the ringed birds was made up of the five colorful chirpers above. The small infographic was my way to reflect on a week full of new experiences. It found its way to the Annual Report 2019 of the Col de Bretolet ringing station, which of course got me chirping myself.