Foreign Ringing Schemes are busy too!

I have just finished processing a batch of records from various foreign Ringing Schemes from around Europe. These concern birds ringed abroad and found or captured in this country. This is not unusual as they send us details every week but what is unusual is the size of this week's one.

My batch has 93 reports (Germany (12), Spain (19), Norway (60)) and I have highlighted some of the more interesting ones below.

• Spanish swallow caught by a ringer in Leswalt, Dumfries and Galloway. 1996km

• Norwegian Arctic Tern caught by a ringer in Teesmouth, Cleveland. 650km

• Twelve Blackbirds, 8 from Germany and 4 from Norway caught by ringers last winter. 1033km maximum.

• Norwegian Gannet found dead at Chesil Cove, Portland, Dorset. 2705km

• Norwegian Kestrel caught by a ringer at Kessingland, Lowestoft, Suffolk. 1165km

• Spanish Spoonbill had its colour rings read by a member of the public at Hackney Marsh, Newton Abbot, Devon. 1508km

• Lots of Spanish Sand Martins all over the place.

So if you are a ringer waiting for the details of some foreign ringed birds then hopefully they will be on their way very shortly.

Thanks to Jez Blackburn for the photo of the Sand Martin.