A Batch of Recoveries

After ringing nearly 5000 birds last year I had hoped for more recoveries than I have currently received, but got a recent batch of 13 recoveries that has redressed the balance somewhat.

The first four were all Mallards - three of which were all juveniles which had been ringed on 6th June 2010 at Warnham LNR, two of them were shot just 3km away in Warnham on 31st December 2010, whilst the third was shot 18km away in Pulborough (furthest movement so far).  The fourth was an adult male that was ringed at Coot Pond, Horsham on 28th November 2010 and was shot at Warnham again just 2km away on 21st January 2011.  These are the 2nd - 5th recoveries of this species; with the first in 2009 also being a juvenile shot in Warnham.

The next two were Grey Herons from the Warnham LNR colour ring project as follows:

1504256 (A04) ringed in nest CP15 (one of four chicks) on 28th March 2010 found freshly dead 'Taken by Animal' in Westbury, Wiltshire 129km W on 4th Oct 2010 (map below).

1505253 (A35) ringed in nest MP5 (one of three chicks) on 28th May 2010 found freshly dead 'caught up in fishing line and weights' at Burton Millpond, West Sussex 24km WSW on 30th October 2010.

These are the 4th and 5th recoveries of the Grey Heron project and so far gives absolutely no trend for dispersal from the colony as one moved close E to Weir Wood Reservoir, West Sussex, one moved far NE to Rainham Marshes, Essex, one moved close N to Capel, Surrey, then the other two as above!  The only direction not taken is South.

The next was a nestling Woodpigeon ringed at Horsham Hospital on 14th July 2010 was found in Horsham on 30th July 2010 with a broken femur and taken to a local vets where it was looked after.  Although not a great story, this is actually the first recovery for one of my Woodpigeons.

An exceptional juvenile Great-spotted Woodpecker ringed at Chesworth Farm on 14th June 2010 was found freshly dead 'Taken by Animal', possibly a cat, on 2nd November 2010 86km E in Ivychurch on the edge of Romney Marsh, Kent!  This is a huge dispersal for this species which generally doesn't move any further than a couple of kilometres and makes you wonder whether it would have eventually migrated across the Channel if it hadn't died (map below)!  This is just the third recovery of this species for me for which the other two also died and moved no distance at all.

A Long-tailed Tit ringed on 22nd December 2011 at Warnham LNR was found dead having hit a window 2km away on the edge of Horsham on 12th February 2011.  Again, this is my first recovery of this species.

Two Blue Tit recoveries show different movements - a juvenile ringed at Chesworth Farm on 28th June 2010 found freshly dead in Horsham just under a month later on 23rd July 2010 having gone less than a kilometre whilst another juvenile ringed at Warnham LNR on 3rd September 2010 was caught and released by another ringer 10km away in Slaugham, West Sussex on 4th March 2011.  This again being my furthest movement of this species.

A first year female Great Tit ringed in my Warnham garden on 21st March 2010 was caught and released by another ringer 15km away in Gomshall, Surrey on 8th February 2011, again the furthest movement of this species for me.

The last was yet another first recovery for a species being a Goldfinch that was ringed as a breeding first year male on 14th June 2010 at Chesworth Farm and found freshly dead 'Taken by cat' just 2km away in Horsham on 22nd December 2010.

What will come next?