RUTLAND NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY
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11th October 2009
Bird Ringing
On Sunday 11th October Rutland Natural History Society held an outdoor meeting at Rutland Water Egleton Reserve.
At 8.00am it was dull with a slight drizzle but 15 people met to watch a demonstration of bird ringing. This was given by Martin Kermin who is the reserve warden and also a member of the Rutland Water Bird Ringing Group.
This year marks the 100th year of bird ringing in the U.K. Many of the people present had attended a very interesting illustrated talk on the subject given by Mr. Kermin to RNHS the previous Tuesday. So it was equally interesting to watch the talk “in action” so to speak.
A short walk from the Egleton Centre brought members to the place where the mist nets, used to catch the birds, were being set up. Everyone then gathered round so that Martin Kermin could explain how the rings were placed on the birds’ legs. He also showed the various ring sizes used and the different metals used in their manufacture. For instance very small sized rings are made of a soft alloy, whereas a hard metal which can withstand salt water is used for the rings of wading birds.
After being extracted from the net the birds caught are placed in separate cloth bags prior to ringing. As each individual bird is ringed records are kept of the ring number used, species, age, time caught, weight, length of wing and if possible, sex.
Bird ringing is an extremely skilled art and it is illegal to ring birds without a permit. To train for a permit takes at least 2-3 years, all under strict supervision, and Martin Kermin said that the extraction of the birds from the nets is often the hardest part to learn.
However, bird ringing records are invaluable in the work of conservation as well as providing fascinating insights into the movements of birds. From ringing it is known that terns from Rutland Water fly to the Ivory Coast, The Gambia and Senegal. Blackcaps reach southern Spain and tufted ducks reach parts of Russia near Siberia.
After having explained the equipment and actual ringing procedure Martin Kermin returned to the nets to see whether any birds had been caught. Over the course of the visit people watching the ringing were able to see juvenile goldfinches, a dunnock, a greenfinch and the highlight a great-spotted woodpecker, being ringed, weighed, records taken and then released. An unusual and informative outdoor meeting for RNHS.
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