21 October 04

In the Zone

Attaching a radio transmitter on an American crowI’ve written earlier about a project my Wildlife Health Center colleagues have been undertaking to try and catch corvids, take samples, and radio collar them to track the spread of West Nile Virus in the Central Valley. This is easier said than done: crows, magpies and jays have resisted repeated attempts at capture by a net gun, by large traps, by small traps, and anything in between.

Yesterday, though, was different. They caught three crows.

I watched as these women worked almost silently, dancing around each other with a calm and clear purpose. Their confidence quieted the crows they were handling. It was like watching a rite, a ritual: the tone was reverential.

This was, in essence, women doing science. I’ve never seen anything like it.

Posted by at 08:04 PM in Miscellaneous | Link |

  1. ... because great science looks like art, and vice versa ….

    j

    — Jarrett    21. October 2004, 22:00    Link
  2. It sounds fascinating. Pica, can you tell if the crows are unhappy or badly affected by being caught. I expect the distress is very temporary and wears off relatively quickly. Is that right?

    — Coup de Vent    23. October 2004, 12:51    Link
  3. I think it’s temporary. It’s really important to handle the birds well, confidently, without inflicting more stress on them than they already have (which is why watching these gals was so amazing). One of the birds was trying hard to get his radio-backpack-thingy off after he was released. But they’re all still chugging along; we were able to track two of them very near our house this morning on the radioscanner.

    — Pica    27. October 2004, 11:18    Link

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