4.3.7Clap-nets and whoosh-nets
Although in special circumstances mist-nets can be used horizontally (e.g. man-
ually to catch or “flick” swifts), they are generally not so used. Clap-nets and
whoosh-nets, in contrast, are always set furled horizontally on the ground, and
whereas the mist-net is a passive capture method (the net is static), the clap-net
or whoosh net is thrown rapidly over the birds by powerful elastic bands. The net
is also “fired” actively by the trapper who decides when birds are safe (i.e. away
from the elastics and leading edge) within the catching area; they can then be
removed immediately after capture. Although clap-net material is heavier than
mist-netting, care must be taken to check that it will not become snagged in
vegetation during the net’s release. Failure to deploy it properly will reduce the
catching area, and so also the size of the catch.
Clap nets can be 2–10 m^2 in area, and more than one can be operated simul-
taneously. They are extremely effective for trapping any flocking species that
feeds or roosts on the ground, including finches, buntings, starlings, and shore-
birds. Clap-net sites are best if pre-baited for a few days, but remember that when
clap-net elastics are set under tension, they can be dangerous to the trapper as
well as the birds.
4.3.8 Cannon-nets
A development of the woosh-net, used to trap waders, gulls, and wildfowl in
prodigious numbers, is the cannon-net; basically a large woosh-net powered by
gunpowder. Four projectiles fired simultaneously from small cannons are attached
by ropes to the leading edge of the net. When fired, the net is carried out over the
heads of the birds, which are subsequently trapped beneath the net. Hence, the
angle of the cannons is critical: it must be set higher for long-necked species
(e.g. geese) than for small waders. While all the other traps and nets covered in
this chapter can be operated by a single worker, a cannon-net needs a team of
people. The weight of four cannons, the net, associated wiring, charges, firing
box, and all the keeping bags (or sacking cages) for the birds, is considerable; and
the need to remove large numbers of birds and dismantle the net quickly in advance
of the tide means that experience is, again, essential. There is also the legal issue of
holdingthe gunpowder charges.
4.3.9Capture by hand
If accessible, the adults of many species can simply be captured at night while at
roost; small passerines in nestboxes offer an example. If this is done, processing is
best done in silence, with minimal use of artificial light and the bird should be
94 |Birds in the hand