One of the most interesting aspects of ringing with WWRG is the information that we receive on birds that we have ringed which turn up in different places both in the UK and elsewhere. These may be re-sighted from colour marks on the legs of a bird or from the bird being re-caught, either through mist netting or cannon netting, by another ringing group. Increasingly we are also receiving reports from individual birders who have read the metal ring of a wader in the field, an indication of the quality of modern optical equipment and the interest of birders in the finding of ringed birds.
The following are some of the more interesting observations from Europe during the last two months:
Greenshank (DE41539) ringed and colour marked as an adult at Holbeach St Matthew, Lincolnshire on 31 August 2015 was identified through its colour ring at More og Romsdal, Norway on 9 May 2017, a distance of 1,169 km from the ringing site.
Oystercatcher (FP98753) ringed as a juvenile at Heacham, Norfolk on 8 March 2008 was identified in the field through reading of its metal ring by an observer in Rotterdam, The Netherlands on 1 May 2016 (264 km).
Oystercatcher (FP08218) ringed as a juvenile at Friskney, Lincolnshire on 1 August 2000, was captured in Rogaland, Norway on 30 May 2017 (706 km) when it was given a new metal ring (519855) and was also colour marked.
Dunlin (NT28612) ringed as an adult at Terrington Marsh, Norfolk on 1 August 2003, was caught at Santarem, Portugal on 27 April 2014 (1,708 km)
Oystercatcher (FP32568) ringed as an adult at The Wash, Norfolk on 17 December 2003, was identified in the field by its metal ring at Nordland, Norway on 23 June 2016 (1,645 km)
We have had three Dunlin recaught at Öland, Sweden this summer:
Dunlin (NT89307) ringed as a juvenile at Gedney, Lincolnshire on 15 September 2016, caught at Öland, Sweden on 28 July 2017 (1,109 km).
Dunlin (BT59382) ringed as a juvenile at Snettisham, Norfolk on 21 September 2016, caught at Öland, Sweden on 25 July 2017 and again on 26 July 2017 (1,092 km),
Dunlin (BT19023) ringed as an adult at Leverton, Lincolnshire on 22 August 2016, caught at Öland, Sweden on 15 July 2017 (1,105 km).
At the other end of the spectrum, we receive information of birds that have been found almost exactly where they were ringed:
Curlew (FH30538) ringed as an adult at Ken Hill, Heacham on 21 August 2012, found dead at Heacham North Beach on 15 October 2017 (4 km).
Knot (SR46700) ringed as a juvenile at Snettisham, Norfolk on 6 December 2009, found dead at RSPB Snettisham on 14 October 2017 (4 km).
We also have some interesting captures of birds ringed elsewhere in the world:
Sanderling (H364161) ringed as an adult at Parc National de Banc D’Arguin, Mauretania on 9 January 2013, caught by WWRG at Heacham, Norfolk on 26 July 2017 (3,946 km).
Sanderling (8108173) ringed as an adult at Gullbringusýsla, Iceland on 31 May 2013, caught by WWRG at Snettisham, Norfolk on 25 July 2017 (1,819 km).
Sanderling (8M60789) ringed as a juvenile at Rogaland, Norway on 19 August 2012, caught by WWRG at Heacham, Norfolk on 26 July 2017 (724 km).