U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Southeast Field Station School of Forest Resources, University of Georgia Athens, GA 30602 ince mist nets were first introduced to North America in the late 1940s (Austin 1947}, several types of port- able net poles have been used (Bubb 1960, Peterson 1960, Bleitz 1964, Ludwig 1968, Howell 1969, Castrale and Karr 1981, Jackson and Schardien 1982, Trichka and Varza 1982, Keyes and Grue 1982}. The most common pole now used for this purpose is a 10-ft length of electrical con- duit of l/z- or a3-in diameter. Transporting this length is difficult without a truck or station wagon, however, and most small aircraft are too small to accommodate objects much over 6 ft. in length. I devised simple methods to modify 10-ft portable net poles and construct containers in which the poles can be transported or shipped by commercial means. These pro- cedures were developed specifically for a research pro- ject on the Kirtland's Warbler (Dendroica kirtlandii) in the Bahama Archipelago, West Indies, where mist nets had to be moved from place to place on an island and from island to island. Others may also find these procedures useful for their banding operations and research projects. tailed metal file. The cut ends were beveled just enough to remove sharp jagged edges. The s/s-in steel or aluminum rod was cut into 12-in pieces and the midpoint of each 12-in section marked with a pencil. Each section of rod was beveled slightly at both ends to remove the sharp edges and to make it easier to insert into the conduit. One of the 12-in rods was then tapped halfway into an end of the shorter piece of conduit with a hammer. Using the steel punch and hammer, four indentations were made in the wall of the conduit where the 6-in section of rod had been inserted. Two indentations were made in line at i and 4 inches from the end of the conduit and the same done on the opposite side. These 4 indentations in the thin- walled conduit prevent the rod from moving. These in- dentations (in lieu of nuts and bolts or screws} permit the loops of the mist net trammels to be moved unimpeded up or down the poles and eliminate entanglement of the net on sharp edges or projections. To assemble the mated pieces of conduit for the full 10-ft length of pole, simply slide the longer section over the exposed 6-in rod until the two sections of conduit meet. The tools and materials needed to construct the net poles and the transport containers are listed in the table. Elec- trical conduit is available at most hardware and at all elec- trical supply stores. Four-inch polyvinylchloride IPVC} pipe and 4-in PVC fittings are commonly used for sewage systems and are available at most plumbing supply com- panies. The 4-in PVC pipe and s/8-in diameter steel round stock Irod} are available in 20-ft lengths, but many com- panies will cut and sell shorter sections. Hardwood dowels are much less satisfactory than steel or aluminum rods because they often break when the net is stretched tight and they also swell when wet so that they must be broken to take the poles apart. Schedule 40 PVC pipe is recom- mended because it is thick walled and less subject to cracking or breaking. The mist net poles were constructed by placing the con- duit in a bench-mounted vise and cutting it into 57- and 63-in lengths. The cut ends were smoothed on the out- side with a flat metal file and on the inside with a rat- The transport or shipping container is made from a sec- tion of 4-in PVC pipe cut with a hacksaw to 61 in. Slight- ly bevel the cut inside and outside lips with a wo6d file to remove the rough edge. Cut a 4-in circle of 2-in foam rubber with a knife lor scissors} and insert flush into one end of the 4-in pipe. Glue the 4-in slip-joint cap over the same end of the pipe with PVC cement. At the opposite end of the pipe, glue the 4-in coupling in place with PVC cement Ischedule 40 PVC pipe requires a coupling to con- nect the clean-out fitting}. Then, remove the threaded cap of the clean-out fitting and glue the fitting to the coupl- ing with PVC cement. When gluing the fitting to the coupl- ing, make sure that no PVC cement gets on the threads. If it does, immediately wipe the threads clean before the cement reacts with the PVC, otherwise it will damage the threads and the screw cap may not seat properly. Cut a second 4-in circular piece of 2-in foam rubber to insert into the clean-out fitting after the container is loaded. The container constructed is now complete and ready for use, since the PVC cement sets in several minutes. Each transport container holds 10 sectioned poles (20 pieces--enough for 5 nets using 2 10-ft poles per net), weighs about 48 lb fully loaded if steel rods are used (43 lb with aluminum rods), and has an overall length (with threaded cap in place in the clean-out fitting) of 671/2 in and a maximum diameter (where fittings are attached) of 5A in. The container will hold 12 sectioned poles, but with that number it is difficult to get them in and out of the tube. The two foam pieces fill the excess space at the ends of the container and help reduce movement and noise when poles are transported. This container is compact, easy to handle, and easy to load and unload. It keeps the poles together, affords protection to the poles, and eliminates any exposed sharp metal edges. Acknowledgments I thank Danny Bystrak and Kathy Klimkiewicz for review of an early draft of the manuscript. Literature Cited Austin, O. L., Jr. 1947. Mist netting for birds in Japan. Natural Resources Section, Rep. 88, General Head- quarters, Supreme Commander Allied Powers, Tokyo, Japan, pp. 1-24. Bleitz, D. 1964. Some notes on the construction and use of easily portable net poles and related equipment. Western Bird Bander 39:3-6. Bubb, R. 1960. Methods of mist net erection. Eastern Bird Banding Assoc. News 23:83-85. Castrale, J. S., and D. V. Karr. 1981. A versatile set of in- expensive mist net poles. N. Am. Bird Bander 6:48-49. Howell, J. C. 1969. An additional comment on portable net poles. Inland Bird Banding News 41:49. Jackson, J. A., and B. J. Schardien. 1982. On the use of electrical conduit for mist net poles. N. Am. Bird Bander 7:15. Keyes, B. E., and C. E. Grue. 1982. Capturing birds with mist nets: a review. N. Am. Bird Bander 7:2-14. Ludwig, E E. 1968. Easy-made portable net poles. Inland Bird Banding News 40:142-143. Peterson, L. A. 1960. Notes on mist-netting. Inland Bird Banding News 32:40-41. Trichka, C. J., and D. Varza. 1982. Another mist net pole variation. N. Am. Bird Bander 7:16-17. Tools and materials for construction of portable net poles and transport containers) Tools Needed Hammer 41/z-in steel punch Knife or scissors Measuring tape, 6 ft or longer 12-in wood file 8-in rat-tailed file 6-in flat metal file 10-in hacksaw Graphite pencil Materials Portable Poles 10-ft 1A-in (diameter) galvanized thin-walled electrical conduit 2 %-in (diameter) smooth hot-rolled steel round stock or %-in (diameter) aluminum rod Transport Containers 4-in (diameter) schedule 40 polyvinylchloride (PVC) pipe 4-in PVC coupling 4-in PVC slip-joint cap 4-in PVC clean-out fitting with threaded cap Heavy duty clear PVC cement 2-in (thick) foam rubber 'English units of measure are given because all tools and materials used were of that system. 2The inside diameter of what in the construction trade is called 1/2-in thin-walled conduit is actually % in. The E. Alexander Bergstrom Memorial Research Fund of the Northeastern Bird-Banding Association, Inc., promotes research on birds. Small grants, usually not exceeding $200, are available to cover expenses (but not salaries or overhead charges to institutions). Details and application forms may be obtained from Dr. Valerie M. Freer, Chairman, NEBBA Research Committee, Science Department, Sullivan County Community College, Loch Sheldrake, NY 12759. Deadline for applications is 15 February 1986.