Birding in Somerset is relatively well served by those who monitor the diversity and distribution of birds but, for a large county, holds very few ringers. For those that don’t know, bird ringing involves the fitting of a lightweight, individually-numbered ring around a bird’s leg. Subsequent reports of these ringed birds can tell us a great deal about the survival and movements of wild bird populations within the county. Using this information, together with that from other BTO schemes, we can begin to understand and explain changes in bird populations.
Ringing generates information on the survival, productivity and movements of birds, helping us to understand why populations are changing.
How can you help?
Anyone can help to collect data by looking for ringed birds. If you find a ringed bird, please report it to the BTO. They will send you details of when and where it was ringed.
Learn to ring
The skills necessary to become a bird ringer can only be learnt by practice under the close supervision of experienced ringers. Essential skills include the safe and efficient trapping and handling of birds, identification, sexing, ageing, measuring and record keeping. For this reason, ringers undertake a period of training of at least one or two years, during which they are only allowed to ring birds under supervision.
As they learn more skills they progress through a series of permits, with independent assessments at each stage. In this way, the BTO Ringing Scheme maintains very high standards of bird welfare and data collection. A BTO ringing permit is a legal requirement to catch birds and is, in many ways, similar to a driving licence although it has to be renewed annually.
If you are interested in training to ring you can look for a trainer near you and have a 'taster session', or attend a ringing course for beginners.
Become a Nest Recorder
Many of our ringers are also nest recorders, find out more information on nesting success by visiting the Nest Record Scheme.
Latest Hot Bird Recoveries
Sometimes birds are re-trapped elsewhere in the county, abroad, or at the same site many years later. And occasionally we ring one of the rarer species.
Species | Age Ringed | Date Ringed | Location Ringed | Ringer | Date Rec'd | Location Rec'd | Age Rec'd | Comment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chaffinch Siskin Great Tit Great Tit Blue Tit Pied Flycatcher Pied Flycatcher Siskin Siskin Dunnock Chaffinch Siskin Siskin Chiffchaff Siskin Dunnock Siskin Siskin Blue Tit Siskin Coal Tit Great Tit Chaffinch |
Adult 2nd year 2nd year Pulli Juv In nest Pulli 2nd yr 2nd yr Juv 2nd yr 2nd yr 2nd yr Juv Juv 2nd yr Juv Juv Pulli Juv Pulli Juv Adult |
14/06/2016 12/06/2014 19/01/2017 20/06/2013 26/06/2012 07/06/2015 26/05/2011 14/04/2016 24/02/2016 30/11/2012 20/03/2013 06/03/2016 21/02/2016 21/01/4014 04/07/2014 04/05/2012 08/09/2014 30/07/2015 20/05/2015 19/07/2015 26/05/2014 18/08/2012 17/04/2010 |
Hedmark, Norway Bratton, Minehead Bratton, Minehead Langport Sewage Works Langport Sewage Works Barlynch Wood Dunsford, Devon Bratton, Minehead Bratton, Minehead Langport WTW Rodhuish, Minehead Ashridge Farm, Devon Straight Mile, Romsey Merryfield Airfield Bratton, Minehead Langport WTW Bratton, Minehead Bratton, Minehead Wellington School Cnoc, Argyll and Bute Nr Minehead Langport WTW Five Bells |
Stavanger RG Denise Wawman Denise Wawman Doug Miller Doug Miller Denise Wawman DJ Price Denise Wawman Denise Wawman Doug Miller Karen Murray Peter Burston NR Jones Roger Dickey Denise Wawman Doug Miller Denise Wawman Denise Wawman Anna Jolliffe Rob Furness Denise Wawman Doug Miller John Webber |
22/02/2017 18/02/2017 17/02/2017 10/11/2016 10/11/2016 13/06/2016 26/05/2016 04/05/2016 29/04/2016 28/04/2016 26/04/2016 14/04/2016 12/04/2016 03/04/2016 30/03/2016 08/03/2016 08/03/2016 29/02/2016 15/02/2016 11/03/2016 12/12/2015 12/11/2015 11/11/2015 |
Langport Sewage Works Honiton, Devon West Down, Devon Langport Sewage Works Langport Sewage Works Bovey Valley, Devon Barlynch Wood Drummonf, Inverness Llanfynydd, Carmarthenshire Langport WTW Cymer, Neath Port Talbot Bratton, Minehead Bratton, Minehead Alderney, Channel Is Chestfield, Whitstable Langport WTW Greenham, West Berkshire Black Dog, Crediton Voxmoor Bratton, Minehead Sadborrow, Dorset Langport WTW Cameley, Bath and N.E.Som |
Adult Adult 2nd yr Adult Adult 2nd yr 5 yrs 2nd yr 2nd yr Adult Adult 2nd yr 2nd yr Adult Adult Adult Adult 2nd yr 2nd yr 2nd yr 2nd yr 3 yrs Adult |
1409 km, 253 days 55 km, 982 days 45 km, 29 days 0 km, 1239 days 0 km, 1598 days 51 km, 372 days 41 km, 1827 days 696 km, 20 days 90 km, 65 days 0 km, 1245 days 62 km, 1133 days 43 km, 39 days 146 km, 51 days 148 km, 652 days 318 km, 635 days 0 km, 1404 days 155 km, 547 days 40 km, 579 days 3 km, 271 days 561 km, 236 days 63 km, 565 days
5 yrs, 208 days |
Blackcap | Juv | 02/07/2015 | Five Bells | John Webber | 03/11/2015 | Faro, Portugal | Juv | 1616 km |
Goldcrest | Juv | 15/10/2015 | Kessingland, Suffolk | NK | 28/10/2015 | Westhay Moor NNR | Juv | 337 km |
Goldcrest | 2nd yr | 27/01/2015 | Langport WTW | Roger Dickey | 04/10/2015 | Heysham, Lancs | 2nd yr | 334 km |
House Martin | Adult | 20/06/2013 | Langport WTW | Doug Miller | 08/09/2015 | Langport WTW | Adult | |
Pied Flycatcher | Pulli | 10/06/2010 | Holford Combe | Andy Harris | 30/05/2013 | Dunsford, Devon | Adult | |
15/05/2014 | Dunsford, Devon | Adult | ||||||
11/06/2015 | Great Wood, Somerset | Adult | 5 yrs 1 day later | |||||
Blackcap | 2nd yr | 16/01/2014 | Somerton | Roger Dickey | 26/06/2015 | Hostovice, Czech Republic | Adult | 1319 km |
Siskin | Juv | 07/10/2012 | Bratton | Denise Wawman | 26/06/2015 | Berriedale, Highland | Adult | 774 km |
Siskin | NK | 06/10/2012 | Bratton | Denise Wawman | 23/05/2015 | Oxwich Marsh, Swansea | Adult | Retrapped 3 times |
Note: Locations to be general and particularly for Schedule 1 species.
Ringing News
Following a sparse April with many birds sitting tight on nests, the May numbers are picking up including the usual migrants. The flurry of Firecrest captures has ended and replaced with Willow Warblers, Blackcaps, Whitethroats and Chiffchaffs. Greenfinch numbers have certainly picked up this year. Redstarts remain evasive. Sadly, the toll of recovered fledglings and adult birds through cat kills is on the rise. It still appears from the table above that Siskins ringed in any part of the UK end up in Denise Wawman's garden.
Below: Ringed 16th Feb 2016 at Bratton
Below: Ringed at Carymoor
EURING
Birds freely cross political boundaries, so international cooperation is essential if they are to be studied. EURING is the organization which ensures this cooperation for all aspects of scientific bird ringing within Europe. EURING was founded in 1963, with the stated aim of organizing and standardizing European scientific bird ringing.
Web address now in use on larger rings
The use of a web address on rings issued throughout Europe is co-ordinated by EURING. In addition to the standard postal address, increasing numbers of rings used on larger species carry the address www.ring.ac. This will take users to a multi-language website where they can enter details of the bird they have found. Finders will be informed about the ringing details of birds that they report in the usual way.
EURING encourages the analysis of ring recovery data
The EURING databank (EDB) holds ring recovery data gathered by bird ringing schemes throughout Europe and is hosted by the British Trust for Ornithology in Thetford. The EDB index, first published on their website in June 2004, and regularly updated, provides a summary of the information that is held in the EDB, including maps of the distributions of ringing and recovery locations. EURING wishes to promote more analysis of these data and welcomes applications to analyze particular data sets. Visit the EDB pages to find out more.
Contact a Ringer in Somerset
All reports of ringed birds should go to the BTO but should you require to contact Somerset ringers (eg ringers from outside the county processing birds within Somerset and wishing to submit data, or checks to ensure there is no one already ringing in an area etc) please contact bird.ringing@somersetbirding.org.uk.