On February 27th, the bird ringing took place again on the László Országh promenade next to the University of Debrecen. The organization of the event was entirely thanks to the Student Self-Government of the university, including the Environment Committee.
The president of the aforementioned organization, Lili Sztrehárszki, greeted those present. In herspeech, she mentioned that this year is the eleventh bird ringing, and then she expressed her thanks and joy to the large number of interested parties. In addition to university students, kindergarten and school groups also appeared among those present. Lili explained the short history of ringing and then turned to the process itself: each of the birds receives a metal ring, which is attached to their left leg. This ring acts as a kind of identity card or license plate in their future life. The chairman of the commission also touched on the fact that 429 people nationwide deal with this, and they provide their small information to approximately 230,000 birds every year.
After the opening, Dr. Lajos Juhász took over the management of the event.
The shrike got its name from its sound: its characteristic, beautifully ringing voice can be heard by nature walkers both in pine forests and in mountainous areas. While the participants were waiting for new birds to be caught, the organizers entertained both young and old with a variety of games. Given the treacherous weather, as before, those present could enjoy hot tea. Due to the environmental nature of the committee, the visitors were naturally asked to bring their mugs.
The new birds arrived, but before Lajos Juhász put the descriptions on them, he showed the audience the different rings, each of which was the right size for a different bird. As a special feature, he presented a real antique: the ring he presented comes from Helsinki, which was worn by an osprey until 18 years ago.
As a continuation of the ringing, a Sitta europaea was placed in the care of Lajos Juhász. Here he mentioned that the bird is mostly interesting because it is the only bird that can move upside down on tree trunks. A blue tit followed the “newcomer”, in connection with which the head of the department jokingly remarked that he is known as the “little blue killer” in ornithological circles. In the future, the participants witnessed an interesting phenomenon: when the specialist wanted to put the ring on the next specimen, he found that he already had it. He mentioned that this is common, and such birds are called “net fools” because they are simply attracted to the net used to capture them. When ringing another bird, Juhász also drew attention to the fact that the melodious voice of a male bird could be heard in the distance.
The end of the event was closed by Lajos Juhász’s summary and expression of thanks: in his speech, he highlighted that 67 specimens were caught today, which represented 6 species. Because of the great interest, he expressed his immense gratitude, and then indicated that the event would continue in the coming period, and drew attention to a bird ringing event to be held in the Botanic Garden, where other species will also be observed.
(dehok.unideb.hu/Puskás Marcell)
Photos: Eszter Treszkai
