A Year in the Life of a Bird Ringer

Wryneck

2023 was a fantastic year for the Stanford Ringing Group and once more we beat previous records individual species ringed as well as the total number of birds ringed overall. The teamwork has been terrific and paid dividends. Personally, 2023 was also a key year for me as a ringer with many highlights.

January through to March saw a large area of blackthorn and willow at Stanford being cleared to allow grasses and scrub to regenerate and suitable habitat for migrants to use for nest building. I always enjoy the hard work and camaraderie that this entails.

I was also delighted to finally have my own site to use as a C-ringer at the Kelham Bridge Reserve owned by Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust. Ringing as a group builds knowledge but the solo catching and ringing of birds builds confidence and a deeper understanding. I was also fortunate to have the advice of Nigel Judson who had previously ringed at the site and the help of LRWT volunteers to clear some of the net rides.

Ringing at my site alone without support in January was exciting and at first a little nerve racking. Winter ringing is a cold activity with few birds in the nets. However, on my second session in late January I was delighted to catch a Willow tit. It was interesting going through the process of looking for the distinguishing features and taking biometrics to verify that this was indeed a Willow tit and not the almost identical Marsh tit. It is the only verified record of the species at Kelham Bridge for the past two years, although previously it was known to breed at the site.

Willow tit at Kelham Bridge

Kelham was proving a great site in the winter for birds such as Redpoll, Reed bunting, winter thrushes, and the ubiquitous Blue tits, Great tits, Wrens and Robins. Slowly the number of species I was ringing at the site was increasing.

Male Bullfinch, Kelham

The winter season is a good time for ringing waders and, in March, I joined the Wash Wader Research Group for the first time for a weekend. WWRG run regular cannon netting and mist netting weekends. The large team is composed of experienced wader ringers and lesser experienced participants. On Friday evening, after a briefing from the team organisers, everyone set out after dinner to set up the cannon nets at Heacham Beach ready for the high tide early the next morning. It takes skill and experience to align the small cannons so that when they are fired the net traps birds safely.

Before dawn we all assembled once more at the beach and I was assigned the job of ‘long stop’ to to keep walkers away until after the cannons were fired. As the tide slowly came in a large group of Oystercatchers and Bar-tailed godwits were nicely positioned moving in towards the nets. At about 8am all was set and ‘3-2-1’ the nets were fired, at which time everyone leaped up from behind the dunes to gather in the nets and birds. The extraction and processing of the birds was efficient and professional. Less experienced ringers ringed the birds, a second team fitted colour rings and flags and the final team recorded biometrics. By midday the last bird was processed and released.

Oystercatcher ringing with Wash Waders

Bar-tailed godwit

There was no time for relaxing as the conditions were right to set mist nets for an evening catch and by 6pm we were all heading out onto the marsh in the dark to extract the birds. A large catch produced a mix of Oystercatcher, Dunlin, Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-tailed Godwit, Grey Plover, Knot and a single Curlew. Birds were efficiently ringed and processed in a nearby cowshed and I clocked up five new species. Thank you to all the ringers at Wash Waders for sharing their knowledge.

During the spring, we see a steady change of bird species as winter birds depart north and migrants return from their wintering grounds further south. Kelham Bridge feels like a mini version of Stanford Reservoir and I caught a similar range of the more common species such as Blackcap and Whitethroat. Aging returning migrant birds requires a good understanding of the moult strategy of each species. Ringers will be looking for different plumage characteristics and feather condition in the spring than in the autumn. Also, as the spring unfolds, ringers look for signs of breeding which can be used to identify the sex of a bird. There is a lot to learn!

As summer approached, I applied for some overseas ringing experience. In 2022 I had had the opportunity to demonstrate bird survey techniques and ringing to students at the Knepp Estate in Sussex as part of an Operation Wallacea (OpWall) expedition. In 2023 I applied for a volunteer post as Ornithologist for one of OpWall's overseas scientific expeditions. I was delighted to be contacted by the Regional Manager for Honduras who asked if would I be interested in ringing in Honduras? Wow!

Collared trogon (female).
Cusuco National Park, Honduras

Living in Cusuco cloud forest in Honduras for 5 weeks during June and July was an amazing experience. Living conditions were basic but the scientific community was enthusiastic and everyone was happy to share their knowledge. As well as the bird team there were teams investigating mammals, invertebrates herpetofauna (snakes, amphibians and reptiles), habitat, fungi and bats. There were seven researchers in the bird team from the UK and Central America. Morning activities consisted of either walking steep transects through the forest recording all the birds we saw or heard alternating with mornings spent mist netting and ringing. The iconic bird of the region was the Resplendent quetzal which teased us with its fleeting appearances in the upper canopy. Mist netting recorded forest species such as Collared trogon, Black-headed nightingale-thrush, Slate-colored solitaire and a number of hummingbird species.  Although hummingbirds may appear delicate, they are in fact quite robust when handled carefully. We often gave them a drink of sugar water from a pipette to boost their energy before release. I was also excited to extract and ring a Barred forest-falcon, similar in size to a Sparrowhawk. As a ringing experience it was interesting and slightly confusing to be ringing to the American system that records age by moult cycle rather than calendar year. Bird surveys have been carried out in Cusuco for 20 years and it was a privilege to contribute to the research as well as train student scientists.

Blue-throated goldentail.
Only the second to have been recorded in Cusuco

The autumn migration season is always busy and returning home I was soon involved in ringing again at my own site, other sites across Charnwood as well as at Stanford Reservoir. Ringing entails very early morning starts and I was often having to get up at 3am to get to Stanford by 4.30 to erect nets  early to catch roosting birds. However, for ten consecutive days in August we camp out at the reservoir for Stanstock, the highlight of the ringing year. This is a hectic time with hundreds of warblers, mainly blackcaps, being ringed and processed as well as the occasional rarity. And, at last, it was my turn to ring the annual Wryneck. A bird that has been on my wish list for several years and well worth the wait.

Assessing the age of the Wryneck

At Kelham Bridge I was pleased to be catching juveniles of Reed warblers, Reed buntings and Cetti’s warblers which shows the breeding potential of this site. I loved the early mornings and tranquility of Kelham whilst I was ringing. It felt good to be efficiently extracting and processing birds and using my steadily increasing skills and knowledge. As the autumn progressed the mass flocks of migrating birds dwindled. However, the early winter saw the influx of Goldcrest, winter thrushes, Redwing and the first Fieldfare ringed at Kelham. I was delighted to recapture a control Goldcrest ringed at Flamborough Head eleven days earlier.

8 Cetti's warblers were ringed at Kelham during 2023

Since getting my C-permit in 2020, I have had a wide range of ringing experiences and gradually built my skills, knowledge and confidence. Consequently, it was suggested that I try for my A-permit which requires an assessment by an independent assessor.

The final months of the year were taken up in collating my ringing records, completing application forms and getting reports from Adam, as my trainer, and finding an assessor. I had two meetings with Colin McShane. The first comprised of searching for Jack Snipe using thermal imagers and a long discussion about my experience and future plans as a ringer. The second was a practical assessment of mist netting and processing common passerines. Finally, just after New Year, I received notification that I had been awarded my A-permit by BTO License Committee. It has taken hard work, dedication and commitment to the point of obsession to reach this point. There is still more to learn and more projects to work on but the future for bird ringing is exciting. I have new plans for 2024 both at home and overseas.

Jack snipe ringed as part of my A-permit assessment

Thanks to all ringers and birders at Stanford for patience, training and support. In particular Adam Homer, my trainer, and Mick Townsend, lead ringer at Stanford. Many thanks also to Nigel Judson, who has added to my training, and LRWT and other landowners who let us ring on sites in Charnwood.