RUTLAND NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY
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6th October 2009
100 Years of Bird Ringing.
RNHS members were treated to an entertaining overview of bird ringing by Martin Kermin, warden at Rutland Water nature reserve, for the first indoor meeting on 6th October. With wildfowl numbers increasing at the reservoirs and the imminent arrival of winter thrushes, Martin’s presentation was very timely.
Since the early 1900’s, bird ringing has become a vital tool for ornithologists and conservationists. We were shown how ringing had helped to determine where migrants go when they leave our shores for warmer climes – warblers and Swallows to Africa and wildfowl and waders to breeding grounds in the Arctic. Manx Shearwaters winter off Brazil and Arctic Terns journey to the Southern Ocean. Such information is vital if important bird areas are to be conserved.
Ringing had shown how Britain supports two populations of Blackcaps – birds from central Europe in winter and Mediterranean birds which breed here. The speed of migration was also revealed with Sedge Warblers moving from Rutland Water to Sussex in only three days. The use of brightly coloured rings carrying individual letter and number codes on wildfowl and waders had made it possible to identify geese and swans without their recapture.
Members were informed how birds were caught in mist nets and ‘processed’ before release – ringed, weighed and measured; this also providing data on moult and the success of the breeding season. Ringers are trained to handle birds safely over several years – it is a skill to remove birds from the fine mesh of a mist net. Everyone can play their part in furthering the success of ringing by checking dead birds for rings and reporting back to the British Trust for Ornithology.
Martin’s talk was well illustrated by maps and excellent slides of the birds he discussed and was followed up by a demonstration of ringing at Rutland Water on 11th. October.
Terry Mitcham
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