Curator's Corner: Cannon, 'Ding' Darling, el Camino and More
How to Catch Lots of Ducks
In 1948, refuge manager Herb Dill and maintenance worker Howard Thornsberry invented the first cannon-projected net trap to catch numerous waterfowl for banding purposes on Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Missouri. On their first attempt, they caught 20 geese with their cannon that cost less than $70 to build. They said that it took several experimental runs with doses of explosives of potassium chlorate and sugar to get the charge right. Initially they suffered lots of big explosions or fizzles! This innovative tool is still widely used today, and it’s invention was another example of clever field employees inventing something others said could not be done. We have several old cannons and nets here in the museum. The nets come to us in a very dirty state, and it is always fun to watch the volunteers try to vacuum away the bird feathers and poop.