I grab everything with my bare hands. I don't care.

The ring is easily decipherable. It's just 7 digits. If you throw it in the online database here in NL, you get the owner's phone number returned.

I carry a pair of scissors with me. But this is for removing string around the claws of living pigeons. I'll upload a pic on that on my next post.

The owner was happy to have the information. Most pigeons that don't return are presumed dead. But it gives the owners more info on the flight track and cause of death. Some pigeons do straggle and have a second life in another new city 'in the wild'. I had one case where the owner wanted the ring back. Probably because it has a chip in it and he can fly another pigeon with it. It's really cheap. I didn't send it because I wanted a finders fee, because he was not very courteous. He didn't pay.