Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Scotland And A Manchester Connection

Our ringing of migrant Siskins at Oakenclough paid off with an interesting recapture of ring number Z470850, a second year male Andy and I caught and ringed on 23 March 2016. This bird was recaptured by other ringers just 21 days later on 13 April 2016 near Fortrose, adjacent to the Moray Firth in the highlands of Scotland. This was a distance of 416kms. 

Google Earth shows this part of Scotland to be eminently suitable for breeding Siskins but it is not beyond the bounds of possibility that the Siskin had further to go to its final destination, perhaps even Norway. 

Siskin - Oakenclough to Moray Firth

 
Siskin

We recently received information that a ringed Lesser Redpoll caught at Oakenclough had been ringed earlier in the same month of 2016 near Manchester. Details of this were published here on Another Bird Blog.

Now comes a similar recovery, a Lesser Redpoll with ring number D700694, another one ringed in the Manchester metropolis, this one on 11 Jan 2014 in a Walkden, Manchester garden. We recaptured D700694 more than 2 years later on 18 March 2016 at Oakenclough, 50 kms from Walkden. 

Lesser Redpoll - Manchester to Oakenclough

Lesser Redpoll

This recapture shows how ringing often provides clues as to what an individual bird may be up to but cannot always tell the full story. Where had this redpoll travelled to and from in the intervening two and a bit years? 

There is yet another outstanding Lesser Redpoll recovery beginning D948, details of which will reach us soon.  What’s the betting that this will prove to be another Manchester ringed bird? Ringers often buy in their rings in amounts of a thousand or more at a time, especially if they anticipate ringing lots of birds or if the price of rings is due to increase!

It’s staying cold with northerly winds here “Ooop North”, conditions which aren’t favourable to ringing but I’m hoping to get out birding tomorrow. If so read about it here on Another Bird Blog.

Linking today to World Bird Wednesday.

15 comments:

  1. Great post, Phil! Both the Siskin and Redpoll are beautiful birds. You are a dedicated birder and ringer. Happy Tuesday, enjoy your day!

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  2. Interesting post on the recapture and how far the birds went.

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  3. Great pics of the Siskin and Redpoll. Always interesting.

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  4. Glorious captures of beautiful birds, Phil!

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  5. Interesting post again.Great photos of Siskin and Lesser redpoll.

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  6. Fascinating stuff, and proves the worth of ringing. We can learn so much from being able to track a birds movements.

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  7. Hope you can ring a few interesting species this spring Phil...........

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  8. I have contacts in Manchester and Scotland ... but none are siskins :)

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  9. Those tiny little birds lead amazingly adventurous lives! It really does make one stop and think. Thanks to you and others for the research you do. I remain in awe.

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  10. Good to read how far they travelled.
    Wonder what sights they have seen too!

    Your photo's are lovely, the colouring in the birds never ceases to amaze me.

    Hope you are keeping warm "Oooop North"

    All the best Jan

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  11. I find this SO VERY interesting!! The travels, the area, the time frame....and questions evolve. Like "How many feeding stops? Where did it fly to to travel the distance...which directions, what it encountered. So many questions.

    Loved reading this Phil.

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  12. Always loved getting these kinds of retrap /control results. I saw a good number of C egrets down in Somerset the last time I was back in the UK. Seemed very strange to me!

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  13. That is quite a trek. Interesting flight patterns these birds make. The routes are everything. Weather patter, habitat change It has to be quite satisfying finding out all of this information. Every year that I am a birder, I am much more aware about the subtleties of migration. As always, thanks for sharing your data with us.

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  14. I can only wish for you my friend a return to good weather and lots of interesting birds in your nets.

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