Do you love nature? And do you encourage your children to love nature? If you are from South Bohemia, you can include a great event in your vacation plans. Held regularly at the end of July at the Rezabinets Pond, about 10 km southwest of Pisek, it is not a one-day event, but lasts about a week, so you can visit any time of the year. The organizer is the Natural Science Department of the Placheni Museum in Pisek, and a sort of tent village is set up at the site, where ornithologists gather to monitor the bird population by capturing birds with the nets set up. This event is calledAcrocephalus – research and bird ringing.

The captured birds are removed from the net at regular intervals and weighed. Birds that already have rings are recorded and later used to track their movements. To weave the birds out of the nets, there is always a large group of children with canvas bags who collect the birds and bring them to the camp. The children are well trained and can rescue the birds without harming them. They are the children of ornithologists who regularly attend this event every year. They can come right up to the actual singing tent, and the children will love being allowed to release the birds of a singing feather back into the wild.

And what species are most likely to be caught in the net? Because the nets are located on the edge of the pond and often lead to reeds above the water\’s surface, the most common are reed warblers, sandpipers, and kestrels, but you may be lucky enough to see kingfishers or nightingales. Admission is free, so you can bring your children along for an interesting sighting. However, it is best to avoid the windy hours. During this time, the nets will be taken down and the singing will not be heard.