Preparation for bird tracking study

This year, the Tweed Foundation are going to be tracking the movements of Goosanders throughout the catchment during the smolt run to find out where in the river they are feeding most often. 

Goosanders are pisciverous birds and are thought to be one of the main predators for smolts on the river.  By attaching radio tags to a sample of ten Goosanders, the Tweed Foundation are hoping to discover whether they are feeding in particular sections of the river more than other sections.  This would enable us to target our efforts in preventing smolt losses to areas where Goosanders might be congregating most.

However, for the study to go ahead, the Goosanders need to be caught first.  In the coming weeks, the Tweed Foundation are going to be working alongside specialists to capture and tag birds throughout the catchment.