The past couple of days have been rather eventful for Bev and I - life is good! What little debt we had is now consigned to the history books and we can get on with the rest of our lives. On getting back from Ramsgate, we'd been into Lloyd's to draw a line under the proceedings, I settled down in my study, coffee to hand, watching the activity around the feeders. Starling numbers are starting to build and it was during a particularly frenzied gathering that I spotted a juvenile bird sporting a silver leg ring. Quickly the camera was pressed into service and I managed to rattle off a few shots which have allowed me to see that it is a BTO ring with the starting code of LK3........? Most likely to have been ringed by the guys at Sandwich Bay Obs, but I can't discount the possibility that Chris and Anne Hindle, over at Reculver, might be responsible?
Well the bird reappeared just after I made the original post and I'm able to add a little more to the ring code. I now know that the ring is LK3724.....?
Just got in from a late shift and downloaded another bunch of images that I'd taken just before leaving for work. Looking through this new bunch of pics has finally allowed me to put together the complete ring code of this bird. The final combination has been revealed as LK37249. Although I've already contacted Sandwich Bay Obs, I'll send this info to the BTO and see what I can find out about the journey this bird has made to reach my feeding station.
Intriguing, Dylan- I took a photo of a goldfinch over on Black Dyke a couple of months back. This bird was also ringed... I'll have to upload the image and go close-up on the ring number...
ReplyDeleteIf it was near Black Dyke you'll need look no further than SBBOT for the origins of its' leg jewelry? You catching any perch?
DeleteHello Dylan- Sorry for this late reply, mate! I've mainly been bassing of late but I managed one perch session last week. I was using my bass spinning rod as it's fairly light and it was all set up. I took a perch of about 12 oz using a 'Black Minnow' lure. Bit weedy but I'd like to do more lure fishing there. On this occasion I was just sink & drawing it up and down in front of those two sluices near the seaward end. But I had tonnes of follows down near Vigo Sprong... Autumn soon... Time to concentrate my efforts!
DeleteDyl, I'll need to get hold of a bigger lens for my own camera. Where I live there are at least three Starlings with rings out of a flock of maybe a dozen.
ReplyDeleteNo idea who is ringing them. Must be a local. I've also had a Bluetit and a Blackbird with rings as well.
Ric,
DeleteI have to confess that I'm no fan of the BTO-type ringing scheme. As a rule birds need to be recaptured or found dead in order for the details to be of any use. The fact that I managed to decipher the ring code, using a series of images taken at 5 metres with a 500 mm lens just confirms this.
It would appear that there are plenty of active ringers operating outside of the observatory network and, I guess, it is one such individual/group doing so in your vicinity?
Great to hear from you - take care & stay safe - Dyl