![]() ![]() There is a lot to do and it will take up a lot of time. Most Trainers and groups share chores with everyone getting involved. Habitat management at ringing sites, maintenance of equipment and stocking winter feeding stations are all essential jobs. The ringing process involves much more than you might imagine, preparation and planning to catch and ring birds is essential. A good morning’s ringing may take you through to lunchtime, but there’s always the possibility of catching birds coming to roost or even catching at night. ![]() Most ringers catch birds when they’re at their most active, which is often early in the morning, so sessions starting at 5am, or earlier, are commonplace and ringing sites can rarely be reached using public transport. What do sessions involve?ĭepending where you are, you could get involved with ringing seabirds on Scottish islands, owl chicks in nest boxes or catch a variety of passage migrants on the coast, tits or finches early on winter mornings or, even earlier in the morning, warblers in the breeding season. Young ringers can start to train as soon as their potential Trainer feels they are ready - there is no lower (or upper) age limit. Who rings?īird ringers come in many guises, from individuals working in urban areas, to large groups working in a wide geographic area - with ages ranging from under 10 to over 80. A BTO ringing permit is also a legal requirement for anyone ringing birds. Progress is assessed by an independent ringer so the BTO Ringing Scheme maintains very high standards of bird welfare and scientific data. Essential skills include the safe and efficient catching and handling of birds, identification, ageing, measuring and record keeping. ![]() You learn as an 'apprentice' for at least one or two years, but usually rather longer depending on the person training and how much time they have to ring. Ringing is carried out by skilled ringers with the utmost consideration for the birds’ welfare and can only be learnt by practice under the close supervision of experienced ringers. About twenty percent are ringed as chicks in the nest this is valuable because their precise age and origin are known. Birds can only be removed safely from mist nets by experienced ringers who have received special training. The method most frequently used to catch fully-grown birds is the mist net, erected between poles, and is designed to catch birds in flight. Many studies have shown that birds ringed during the breeding season quickly return to incubating eggs, or feeding chicks, once they are released, and long distance migrants continue to travel thousands of miles between breeding and wintering grounds. It is essential that birds are not affected unduly by the fitting and wearing of a ring if they were, ringing would not tell us how normal birds behave. Ringing has little effect on birds because relative to the bird’s weight, wearing a ring is similar to a person wearing a watch. ![]()
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