Colour ring sightings and ringing recoveries April - July 2022

[MisterT]

A colour ringed Redshank seen at Frobost, South Uist on 21-April-2022 was indeed a long-lived bird with quite a remarkable history. It was originally ringed at Kinneil on the Inner Firth of Forth on 17-November-2008, aged at the time as a first calendar year. It was one of a small number of birds that were colour-ringed and radio-tagged to assess the effects of disturbance (through bridge construction) and also artificial light. It has since been seen twice where breeding in Iceland at Kaldaðarnes on 24-June-2013 and again on 23-June-2021. The image below was taken in Iceland in June 2021.

The findings of the study can be found here


Redshank, Kaldadarnes, Iceland 23-06-2021 (C) John Calladine

 

[MisterT]

A Colour ringed Oystercatcher seen at Stoneybridge, South Uist on 23-April-2022 was an old friend having been seen here before in September and December 2018. This bird was 1 of 2 chicks ringed in Iceland in June 2018 but unfortunately, they were both given the same colour combination, hence the double entries on the life history.

 

[MisterT]

An Oystercatcher seen at the same time as the Redshank above at Frobost on 21-April-2022 was not quite so old, having been ringed at Sandymount Strand in Dublin Bay on the 02-February-2022.

 

[Hawkeye]

A Goldfinch ringed at Askernish on 19-December-2021 was unfortunately found dead at Leurbost, Lewis on 27-April-2022 after a duartion of 129 days and a distance of 119km (74 miles in old money)

 

[Hawkeye]

A juvenile House Sparrow was colour ringed (V44) at Askernish, South Uist on 27-June-2021 and not seen again until it was found dead at Northboisdale, South Uist on 24-April-2022, a duration of 301 days and a distance of 6km. It was unfortunately a victim of avian pox that has affected the sparrows on the islands recently. On the posative front, this has been the only report of an affected bird in April, so hopefully this outbreak is nearly over.

 

[MisterT]

A ringed Shag found dead recently at Kilpheder, South Uist had been ringed as a nestling on Canna on 28-June-2021, a distance of 54km and a duration of 283 days

 

[Hawkeye]

2 colour ringed Dunlins seen at Balranald recently were both heading north having come from different parts of Spain.

The first, seen at Balranald on 30-April-2022 was an adult was ringed on 07-August-2021 in San Fernando (Cadiz) south west Spain. There have been no other sightings.

The second, seen on 1st and 2nd May 2022 was ringed as a first-calander year bird ringed at Arnosa, Sanxenxo (Pontevedra), Spain on 11-September-2020. Aside from a couple of immediate recaptures at the ringing site there have no other sightings.

 

[Hawkeye]

A colour ringed Sanderling seen at Balranald on 26-April through to 04-May-2022 was ringed on 22-May-2016 in south western Iceland. It has been seen at Balranald (and no where else) nine times including 27-April-2018 and 12-May-2019 during the spring and twice during the autumn in September 2018 and October 2020.

 

[Hawkeye]

A Grey Heron ringed as a nestling on 13-May-2018 at Carnan-Ard Wiay, Benbecula wasfound long dead at Liniclate, Benbecula on 04-May-2022, as distance of 8km and a duration of 1452 days. Who knows where it had travelled during its lifetime?

 

[MisterT]

This colour ringed Oystercatcher seen on 11-May-2022 was originally ringed in January 2020 in Dublin Bay and is no stranger to Askernish where it was found, having been seen there the previous year. The bird paired and was still present in June when it was seen with 2 chicks.

 

[MisterT]

The colour ringed Oystercatcher (HVA) seen on Kildonan machair, South Uist on 12-May-2022 was another bird ringed in Dublin Bay in February of this year.

 

[MisterT]

We have been colour ringing Collared Doves here in Askernish for several years now having seen them arrive, sometimes in large numbers, only to be gone the next day only to be left wondering where they go. In that time, there has been just one seen elsewhere and that was a bird (A13) seen in Unst, Shetland in 2018. So, to control a Collared Dove (a bird ringed elsewhere) raised the pulse rate.

This bird was ringed at Brevig, Barra in October 2017. While not the long distance traveller we hoped for, this is the 27th bird found to travel between Barra and Askernish since 2015 which is quite amazing, especially when looking at the species involved.

The list now stands at 7 Greenfinch, 5 Chaffinch, 5 House Sparrow, 3 Lesser Redpoll, 2 Goldcrest, 2 Goldfinch, 1 Blackbird, 1 Song Thrush, 1 Collared Dove.



Movements of Collared Doves and A13, photographed at Unst, Shetland

 

[MisterT]

A Collared Dove ringed on 23-May-2022 was seen on St Kilda on 02-June. Apart from the control here in Askernish of a bird ringed in Barra (see post above), this is only the second resighting from this project, the other being on Unst in June 2018. Are these birds confined to islands?

 

[Bruce]

A colour ringed Redshank that's breeding on Vatersay was ringed at Chichester Harbour in Sept '16 and has been recorded there again in subsequent autumns.

DD51467​	G+G//LW​	N​		03/09/2016​	Thorney Island, Chichester Harbour, W Sussex, S England	Farlington RG Pete Potts et al
DD51467​	G+G//LW​	S​		17/09/2016​	Thorney Deeps, Chichester Harbour, Sussex	Anne de Potier
DD51467​	G+G//LW​	S​		15/12/2017​	Emsworth, Chichester Harbour, Hampshire, S England	Peter Milinets-Raby
DD51467​	G+G//LW​	S​	?	04/08/2020​	Northney, Hayling Island, Hampshire	Anne de Potier
DD51467​	G+G//LW​	S​		20/09/2020​	Northney, Chichester Harbour, Hayling Island, Havant, Hampshire, S England	Pete Potts
DD51467​	G+G//LW​	S​		04/06/2022​	Isle of Vatersay, near Barra, Outer Hebrides, W Scotland	Bruce Taylor