Much has been discovered about birds by watching and counting them, but such methods rarely allow birds to be identified as individuals. This is essential if we are to learn about how long they live and when and where they move, questions that are vital for bird conservation. This is why birdringing is undertaken.... and no, Birds are not  affected by the birdringing process, as ringing is carried out by skilled ringers who have the utmost consideration for the birds welfare in mind.

Why ring birds?  

Bird Ringing entails catching birds (either in mist-nets or heligoland traps - see below) and placing a small, weightless ring on the bird’s leg. The ring has absolutely no effect on the bird’s ability to fly, feed and breed as has been proved by long term tests. Each person involved in the ringing of birds has to go through a rigorous training programme with highly experienced ringers before becoming licensed by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) to ring birds on their own. It is illegal to catch wild birds without a ringing licence. 

Fine nets, called mist nets, are used to capture birds so they are unharmed. They are then taken out of the net by skilled ringers, before being fitted with a unique numbered ring which identifies the bird. Details such as age, sex, weight and wing measurements are taken quickly and carefully. The bird is then released.

The marking of birds, be it ringing with a small metal ring or a coloured ‘darvic’, the use of a wing tag, neck collar, or temporary dying of feathers, is all about identification of the individual. For it is only by being able to identify a specific bird can we start to gather information about its movement, breeding, feeding, lifespan, etc.

Thinking about collecting the information is simple, actually getting it is a little more difficult – one has to catch the bird. Capturing young birds, pulli, is relatively easy once a nest has been found, but catching adults, or free-flying birds, is a bit more challenging.

A number of capture methods are routinely used in this country, they range from simple walk-in or drop traps, through to erected mist-nets, cannon-fired (large) nets or static structured traps like the heligoland shown below.

Once a bird is caught, not only does it have a small ring attached – which is only a fraction of its bodyweight (much like you putting on a single sock) but a lot of ‘biometric’ information is collected also. For example: how old is the bird, what sex is it, is it breeding, is it moulting, how much does it weigh (how much fat or muscle does it have), what condition are its feathers in. All of this information tells us what condition the bird is in – is it fit and healthy or not. Occasionally other information is collected also such as does the bird have any parasites, mites or diseases.

Catching the bird once provides a ‘snap-shot’ of its existence at that one moment in time, much more advantageous is if the same bird can be repeatedly caught. If the bird is resident we can collect data to see how it is feeding through the year, if it bred, how long it lived, what weather conditions affected it over seasons and, if so, how. If it is migratory we can assess its health before, during and after its migratory flight. How much fat and muscle did it need to survive the journey – and then breed and then moult!

The ring

Rings come in a whole range of sizes so that each bird is fitted with the most suitable in consideration of its weight. The smallest ring – known as an AA – is fitted to small birds like Wrens, Long-tailed Tits and Goldcrests. The next size up – the A ring – is used on nearly every other small bird – all the Tits, Robins, Dunnocks etc. B-rings are used on sparrows, nuthatches and Greenfinches and C’s on Blackbirds. D’s, E’s, F’s G’s etc are used on progressively bigger and bigger birds. Interestingly sometimes a young bird is given a bigger ring than normal as its leg goes through a ‘thick’ stage too large for a more normal A ring. For example a Great Tit chick is fitted with a B ring while an adult only requires an A ring. So, catching a Great Tit with a B ring and you automatically know it was ringed as a chick.

Each ring carries a unique reference number identifying that one bird. Numerous studies have demonstrated that placing a ring on the leg of a bird does not adversely affect its welfare – it is still able to move, breed and feed as normal. All ringing in the UK is monitored by the BTO which holds the huge database of birds ringed in this country since ringing started nearly 100 years ago. Nearly a million birds are ringed or recaptured every year,

Some ringing projects use colour rings to allow individual birds to be identified without the need for them to be caught – they being ‘scoped’ by eagle eyed birdwatchers.

We have been ringing birds in Britain and Ireland for nearly 100 years. Ringing over these  long periods reveals changes in bird populations.  Ringing allows us to study how many young birds leave the nest and survive to become adults, as well as how many adults survive the stresses of breeding, migration and severe weather. Changes in survival rates  help us to understand the causes of population declines, we have  recently discovered the  dramatic decline in the numbers of Song Thrushes has been caused by a reduction in the survival rate of young birds; This information will help us to identify the environmental factors responsible for this decline.  

Ringing shows us a birds migration path, the important ‘stop off’ points and the wintering and summering grounds of our migrating birds. This is additionally important as this will help us with our efforts to preserve these important  areas for future bird generations. 

  Ringing can also show us how long birds can live. For example a Lesser-black-backed Gull ringed in 1965 as a nestling was recovered deceased 35 years later!  Ringing also reveals how birds die. Of 24 Robins reported as dead, no fewer than 9 were killed by cats, 2 were road casualties, avian predators killed 3 and 2 flew into windows. 

How are birds caught for ringing?  

Birds are caught in a variety of ways. About twenty percent are ringed as chicks in the nest not requiring capture is is valuable because their precise age and origin are then known) and the rest can be caught by a number of methods on entrapment .  

Mist- Nets

The method most frequently used nowadays to catch fully-grown birds is the mist-net. This is a fine net, of varying length but always about 4 metres high, erected between poles that is designed and constructed to safely capture and trap birds in flight. It is very effective, but birds can only be removed safely from mist-nets by experienced ringers who have received special training.  Mist nets can be used to capture most passerines with heavier versions available for capturing waders or ducks /geese.

Heligoland traps

The heligoland trap is designed to attract birds to feeding stations inside. The birds are then ushered   to the catching box at the end of the trap where they can be safely extracted and ringed.

Interested in learning to ring?  

Though you definitely don’t need to be a bird expert to ring, it does help if you have some prior bird knowledge. There’s a lot to take in when you first start training, so having to learn the difference between a Siskin and a Greenfinch when you start to ring can be taxing, but is still possible.  You’d be surprised how many good birdwatchers can identify that little brown job flicking around that bush but struggle when the bird is in the hand under their nose!

Are you an early riser or an night owl ?

Most ringers catch birds when they’re at their most active, which is often early in the morning, so many  sessions start around dawn -nice in the winter but exhaustingly early in the summer.  If early mornings are not for you there are other opportunities. During the breeding season many ringers turn to nestboxes or ‘nesting’ in order to ring pulli /chicks in the nest and again, in the autumn, ringing of birds occurs as they come in to roost at night. Sometimes there are even specialist sessions when ringing is actually undertaken throughout the night. You’ll no doubt find that ringing is a very satisfying activity. Not only will you be adding to nearly 100 years of data used directly by conservationists, but enjoying the experience of seeing birds close up. Whether you want to train to ring birds in nest boxes, to ring your garden birds, or to ring everything at your local patch, your contribution is vital.

What do you need to become a ringer? Motivation, dexterity and access to transport – or at least a nearby ringing site, or someone who can give you a lift.

The skills necessary to become a ringer can only be learnt by practice under the close supervision of experienced ringers. 

In order to take up ringing seriously you first find a trainer who has the time and space to ‘take you on’. You then register as a Trainee with the BTO and, under the supervision of your Trainer, you learn all that is necessary to become a competent ringer - safe and efficient trapping and handling of birds, learning to recognise and minimising stress for the bird, identification, ageing, sexing, measuring, record keeping, reporting, plus also monitoring wind and weather when trapping.

For these reasons, ringers undertake a period of initial supervised training lasting at least one or two years. If they become competent enough they can then apply for a permit advancement to a ‘C’ permit which, although still under the tutelage of their trainer, permits them to undertake some ringing independently. After a further period of training and independent assessment they can then advance to an ‘A’ permit which allows them unsupervised ringing. 

 The British Ringing Scheme is run and administered by a Partnership between the BTO and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (on behalf of Natural England, Countryside Council for Wales , Scottish Natural Heritage and the Environmental and Heritage Service Northern Ireland). The Ringing Scheme is financed by the JNCC, the BTO and the ringers themselves (of which there are approximately 2000 in the UK all of whom are volunteers). The BTO, via the BTO ringing scheme, maintains very high standards of bird welfare and collection of scientific data.

Reporting ringed birds that you find. 

The information on the metal ring is the minimum required to identify the bird as an individual. All metal rings will have abbreviated addresses on them where details of the found bird should be sent. In Britain this will either be British Museum , London or BTO, Thetford UK . For larger newer rings it gives a web address www.ring.ac . Foreign rings will have different addresses but ALL rings can be returned to ANY address as all ringing schemes worldwide communicate with each other.

1.    Write down the ring number and, if the bird is dead, please enclose the ring taped to your letter. The ring will be  returned to you if you wish to keep it. If it is not a BTO ring (address starting BTO or British Museum) please give the address as well.  

2.    Give the location the bird was found including the name of the nearest town, village or farm and a grid reference if possible. Give the date the ringed bird was found.  

3.    Say if the bird was alive or dead. If dead, please give the cause of death if known, e.g. was it hit by a car, hit window, brought in by a cat, Sparrowhawk kill, or found oiled on a beach? . Also note if the bird was freshly dead or long dead, decomposed etc. If the bird is alive please say what happened to it.  

4.    Write down the type or species of bird if known (sex and age if possible)

5.       If you found the ring only i.e. in an owl pellet or a body long since gone please return this also.

Don't forget to give your name and address so that you can be sent the information about when and where the bird had been ringed. Details will normally be sent within a month, but there may be delays at busy times of year.

Ringing and the Law.  

In simple terms it is an offence to disturb or handle any wild bird. Obviously common-sense prevails if one is acting in the best interests of the bird concerned, but after that one is breaking the law.

Bird-ringing is the only birding activity that is licensed by law. In order for someone to handle and ring birds they have to undergo a period of supervised training, handling birds of all ages and sizes under a range of conditions, reach a standard that is assessed, and then submit an application to the BTO for consideration to be awarded a permit. Permits are not for life but are renewed annually.

If you see anyone handling and ringing birds and you are unsure as to their authenticity ask to see their permit. Anyone genuinely ringing birds will be more than happy to show it to you. If they cannot show you their permit, and cannot give a good reason for not doing so, they are, or may be, committing an offence. Depending on your interpretation of events either: report them immediately to the police, or later to the BTO, giving as much relevant information as you can.

Please send the details to The British Trust for Ornithology, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2PU, UK or E-mail ringing@bto.org

If you send a report of a ringed bird by E-mail, please include your postal address.

Thanks to Dr Bob Harris  BTO Regional Representative, Ringer and Records Officer for the Merseyside & Member of BTO Council.  Additional material in this page is from a leaflet distributed by the BTO

  RINGING LINKS

  Merseyside Ringing Group  Members of the group ring wild birds, mostly in the counties of Cheshire, Merseyside, Flintshire, Denbighshire in North West England & North Wales.

  Hilbre Bird Observatory and Ringing Station  Established in 1957, set up primarily for watching, studying and ringing birds on and around Hilbre

  North Lancashire Ringing Group  Formed in 1957 to study the birds of the Lancaster and District Birdwatching Society's area, using ringing as a research tool.    

   Landguard Bird Observatory   Landguard Bird Observatory of Felixstowe, Suffolk. Famous for rarities, an exciting place to visit in Spring & Autumn when migration is in full swing.

  drbob  Our Bob's Birding Blog.  Lots of good stuff about The BTO in Merseyside, Ringing with the  Merseyside Ringing Group, Bob's general birding activities and  anything else that grabs his  interest at the time!.

   John Gramauskas  Bird Ringers Web Page, John's photographs of ringed birds showing feather/plumage  differences indictating the age & sex of the birds.

Please remember, if you see a healthy wild bird wearing a ring, feeding on your bird table for example, you must not try to catch it. In these situations you may be able to read the ring number through binoculars/a telescope.