100,000 encounters

Richard du Feu writes:

On the 17th December 1972 John McMeeking made his first ringing visit to Treswell Wood, Nottingham. Soon afterwards systematic ringing began covering seven standard sites around the wood along with visits to additional rides when time allowed. 41 years less two days later the 100,000th encounter (ringed and already ringed) record of birds ringed within the wood was made. Rather fittingly this bird was a Treecreeper which has been the logo of the group for the last few years. The photo below is of John McMeeking holding encounter number 100,000. Remarkably this was one of six Treecreepers caught simultaneously within 30 metres of netting.

John McMeeking with a Treecreeper - taken by John Clark

Initially John had said he wanted to find out what was in the wood and maybe get a paper or two out of ringing in the wood. It is safe to say that the latter has happened. The most noteworthy of these papers was the first paper to show that CES (Constant Effort Site) data did successfully monitor juvenile abundance. The various papers have only been possible because of the continual systematic monitoring, recording and hard work of all the CBC (Common Bird Census) recorders, nest recorders and ringers.

Updated 22/12/2013.

Just nipping to Spain

In 2010 our ringing scheme ringed 2,331 Redshank and lots of these birds have gone on to be seen or recovered in other countries. Foreign ringed Redshank are found less frequently in this country. Click here to see recovery reports in more detail.

Redshank, 3M009051, was ringed and colour ringed on 13th February 2011 as a juvenile at Fianteira, Sanxenxo, Spain (42'27N 8'50W), (blue pin). This bird was seen at this location up to the 20th March and was then reported to us being seen alive at Seaforth Nature Reserve, Liverpool (red pin) on 27th April (1296km). This is the first Spanish ringed Redshank to be recorded in the UK!

View 1st Spanish ringed Redshank in a larger map

Interestingly it was then seen very close to where it was colour ringed on 29th July (green pin). This bird must have been wintering in Spain and recorded on its migration north to breed. There has been quite a lot of movement of birds between the UK and Iceland to the north, and the UK and France to the south but very little further south than this.

Thanks to Richard du Feu for letting us know about this.

Sand Martin Shenanigans

Richard du Feu is currently taking part in a Retrapping Adults for Survival (RAS) study on Sand Martins at Whittington, Lancashire. Little did he expect that one of the breeding males L334091, ringed at the site on 08/07/2010, would be later re-caught by ringers, whilst wintering in Africa, at Parc National du Djoudj, Senegal on 13/12/2010 (4363km in 158 days).

Amazingly he retrapped this same bird, on Tuesday night, at the original breeding site, just 15 metres from where he ringed it last year.


Richard also had two French ringed Sand Martins so far this year and two British controls with several birds moving up to 15km along the river lune. Higher than average numbers of adults have returned to many colonies this summer so the prospects for a productive breeding season are looking good.

Thanks to Richard for letting us know and to Jez Blackburn for the photo.