For those of you disappointed about the Ringing Demonstration being Postponed until Sunday October 10th 2021
Here’s one we did earlier. This young song thrush has two ticks feeding on it – they feed on the host’s blood and eventually drop off when they are full up. Taking the blood doesn’t harm the bird and it soon makes up the tiny amount removed. However, ticks can pass on blood-borne disease from an infected bird to an otherwise healthy one.
Ringers are not permitted to remove the ticks (any physical or medical intervention is banned as we are not trained vets). However, from time to time licences are issued to do so (or take blood samples) in order to track diseases potentually harmful to other animals or humans, such as avian flu.
PS. The demonstration is postponed because of the current wet and windy weather. Fingers crossed for the following weeek!
