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| Bird Ringing
Does ringing affect the birds? The simple answer is no. Ringing is carried out by skilled ringers with the utmost consideration for the birds’ welfare. It is not surprising that ringing has little effect on birds because relative to the bird’s weight, wearing a ring is similar to a person carrying a mobile phone. It is essential that birds are not affected unduly by the fitting and wearing of a ring; if they were, ringing would not tell us how normal birds behave. Many studies have shown that birds ringed during the breeding season quickly return to incubating eggs, or feeding chicks, once they are released, and long distance migrants continue to travel thousands of miles between breeding and wintering grounds. How are birds caught for ringing?
The skills necessary to become a ringer can only be learnt by practice under the close supervision of experienced ringers; effectively an apprenticeship. Essential skills include the safe and efficient catching and handling of birds, identification, ageing, measuring and record keeping. For this reason, ringers undertake a period of training, generally of one or two years, during which they are only allowed to ring birds under supervision. Their progress is assessed by an independent ringer, whose own ability has been judged to be of a high standard. In this way the BTO Ringing Scheme maintains very high standards of bird welfare and scientific data. A BTO ringing permit is also a legal requirement for anyone ringing birds. It has to be renewed annually. Ringing in Britain and Ireland The British and Irish Ringing Scheme is organised by the BTO. Over 800,000 birds are ringed in Britain and Ireland each year by over 2,000 trained ringers, most of whom are volunteers. On average fewer than one out of every fifty birds ringed is subsequently reported to the BTO, so every report of a ringed bird is of value. How to become a bird ringer Click here to use our on-line reporting form The BTO relies on people reporting ringed birds, so if you find
a ringed bird please contact the Ringing Unit – see contact
details below or visit: In your report please include the following information: Ring number Please give the full ring number and, if the bird is dead, please enclose the ring securely taped to your letter. If you wish to keep the ring it can be returned to you. If it is not a BTO ring (address NOT starting BTO or British Museum), please give the address as well.
Where and when Give the location of where the bird was found, including the name of the nearest town or village and a grid reference if possible. Also tell us the date when the ring was found.
Write down the type or species of bird, if you know. Circumstances It is useful for us to know if the bird was alive or dead. If dead, please give the cause of death if known, e.g. was it hit by a car, brought in by a cat, or oiled on a beach? Also note if the bird was freshly dead or decomposed. If the bird is still alive, please say what happened to it. Remember though, if you see a healthy wild bird wearing a ring (feeding on your bird table for example), you must not try to catch it. In these situations you may be able to read the ring through a telescope. Your details Don’t forget to give us your name and address so that we
can tell you when and where the bird was ringed. Details will normally
be sent within a month, but there may be delays at busy times of
year. If you send a report of a ringed bird by email, please include
your postal address. Please remember, if you see a healthy wild bird wearing a ring, feeding on your bird table for example, you must not try to catch it. In these situations you may be able to read the ring number through a telescope. Results from bird ringing are published in a wide range of books, magazines and scientific journals. These include the Ringing Scheme journal Ringing & Migration, which includes the annual ringing report, and the BTO journal Bird Study and BTO News. If you would like more information about bird ringing, or are interested in training to become a bird ringer, please contact: The Ringing Unit, BTO, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2PU; Tel: 01842 750050; Fax: 01842 750030; E-mail: . Part of the BTO Ringing Scheme is funded by a partnership of the BTO, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (on behalf of Natural England, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Countryside Council for Wales, and also on behalf of the Environment and Heritage Service in Northern Ireland),. The Scheme also receives support from Duchas the Heritage Service - National Parks and Wildlife (Ireland).The volunteer ringers give freely of their time and expertise and also provide a substantial part of the Scheme's funding. |
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Much
has been discovered about birds by watching and counting them,
but such methods rarely allow birds to be identified as individuals.
This is essential if we are to learn about how long they live
and when and where they move, questions that are vital for
bird conservation. Placing a lightweight, uniquely numbered,
metal ring around a bird’s leg provides a reliable and
harmless method of identifying birds as individuals. Each
ring also has an address so that anyone finding a ringed bird
can help by reporting where and when it was found and what
happened to it. Some ringing projects also use colour rings
to allow individual birds to be identified without being caught.
Birds
are caught for ringing in a variety of ways. About twenty
percent are ringed as chicks in the nest; this is valuable
because their precise age and origin are then known. The method
most frequently used to catch fully-grown birds is the mist
net. This is a fine net erected between poles, and is designed
to catch birds in flight. This method is very effective but
birds can only be removed safely from mist nets by experienced
ringers who have received special training.
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BTO,
The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2PU,
UK. |
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