Today, 21st June, noted a male house sparrow at Manchester Airport Viewing park with 1 plain metal ring. Where would the ringing activity be, near to the viewing park? Presumably the bird has flown a couple of miles from somewhere in the Bollin Valley, to get it's daily bread.
How far are HSps reckoned to travel for food?

Phil Greenwood.

Ian McKerchar wrote:

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By the way Craig, Pheremone lures sounds intruiging, any use on a night out in town or do you just get mobbed by moths

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Never tried em round town Ian - I'll put it on my list of things to try though

Basically they are for attracting the clearwing moths (wasp immitators) which only fly during the day and are very habitat specific. The Lures were a spin off from those developed for pest control I believe. I must admit, you do get strange looks though as you stand around a little ruber bung dangling from a tree whilst brandishing a big net on a blazing hot day in June. Same type of look you get from the drunks and young couples when you're out 'dancing' round a big light in the middle of a field at 1am. Strange hobby

Ringers: love 'em or hate 'em, the work they carry out is indeed often very interesting and I personally have a fondness for colour-ringed birds which can brighten up the dullest day when you pick one out (it's like finding a little rarity!), but sometimes the relationship between ringers and birders is a strained one due to one not appreciating the others point of view (working both ways). There are many ringers out there as Neil quite rightly points out, that haven't got a clue to field identification of birds and mistakes have been made in the hand due to difference in appearance birds can often look nestling between a couple of fingers as apposed to in a bush, but not all ringers are the same, Per Alstrom, Lars Svennson, (and so many more) not to mention atleast 2 of the current BBRC members are all ringers and lets face it they ain't bad birders either

I've heard many good arguements both for and against ringing over the years but often they do a lot of very good work at observatories creating habitat etc. which benefits ringers and birders alike (just check out Spurn for instance).

By the way Craig, Pheremone lures sounds intruiging, any use on a night out in town or do you just get mobbed by moths

John, I've been a trainee ringer for a few years now. Really I should have moved up in the ranks but other commitments prevent me putting the hours in. But thats another story.

A lot of Blue Tits, Great Tits etc have rings on simply because they are some of the most numerous birds that get caught, and once you've caught it, it gets a ring. To do otherwise would not be fair on the bird - you'd just be catching it for no reason. There are some more selective methods that can occasioanlly be used but a mist net isnt too selective. Believe me, ringing bucket loads of Blue Tits loses its appeal after a while and you yearn for something more interesting. Not neccesarily for a ringing tick, just something a bit different plumage wise for example. Dont forget the ringers pay for each and every ring (and they're not cheap) so just catching loads of Blue Tits which rarely produce any interesting movements (and incidentally can be quite a painfull affair) is never likely to be at the top of anyones to do list. The science involved in ringing is what I love and when you see publications like the Migration Atlas you see how it all fits. Anyone interested should check out the BTO website where there are some really good pages on ringing.

Incidentally I'd consider myself a Birder and Ringer in equal measure and I do run a Moth Trap, and have the pheremone lures and I have a soft spot for Dragonflies as well, but birding has just never lost its appeal. I also know several ringer/birders who are at the top of the game when it comes to anything birdy. I wish I could ID Little Bunt from a flyover call.

Coincidentaly I`ve been reading through the 1987 GM Report this evening (quiet period at work !) and specifically the Ringing Report for that year written by Malcolm Calvert. There`s some very interesting snippets like this one ;
` A Kestrel ringed as a nestling at Leigh in June 1970 perished in a water trough at nearby Bryn in July 1985 ; this is the oldest known Kestrel within the British ringing scheme ! `

And another ;
`A wintering Blackcap is always an exciting discovery but the finding in Marple of a West German-ringed bird was especially rewarding, as it was known to have travelled one thousand kilometres in a north-westerly direction between September and February.`

So, I don`t know about the pro`s and con`s of ringing, but you have to admit it makes interesting reading !

As a birder/ringer/photographer who happens to work for the BTO in Norfolk, I can assure you that there are many people who are obsessed about ringing! Most ringers do keep lists just as twitchers do of birds they've ringed and are ever eager to add new ringing ticks. I know a few ringers who don't go birding very often and could tell you how old a bird is by the wear on a particular feather but wouldn't know a Blackcap from a Garden Warbler on song whereas some ringers are birders first who dabble in a spot of ringing from time to time just to keep their hand in. End of the day, each to their own.

Many birds are ringed for scientific study without which we wouldn't know about migration and although you could argue we know everything so why carry on ringing Blue Tits or Moorhens, well we don't know everything and their movements still surprise us, just flick through the ringing report in the GM Bird report such as the Coal Tit ringed in Swinton in 2004 that was retrapped in Dorset the following year.

From a photographic point of view, just wait for the bird to turn round!

WHY IS IT THESE DAYS ALMOST EVERY BIRD SEEMS TO HAVE RINGS,AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO THINKS IT IS NOT ALWAYS NESSASARY.DO WE REALY NEED TO RING EVERY BLUE TIT,MOORHEN,BLACKBIRD,DUNNOCK,ETC ITS NOT THAT I DON'T REALISE THAT SOME BIRDS DO REQUIRE RINGING ,BUT IT WOULD BE GREAT ONE DAY TO GET A PHOTOGRAPH OF A BLUE TIT WITHOUT A RING I MAY BE BEING A BIT CONTOVERSIAL HERE BUT HAS RINGING BECOME AS MUCH OF AN OBSESSION FOR SOME AS SAY TWITCHING FOR OTHERS,OR TRAIN SPOTTING FOR OTHERSDO THE BIRDS JUST BECOME TROPHIES FOR THE RINGERS TO SAY IVE PUT RINGS ON 400 BIRDS THIS YEAR?AND IVE ALWAYS FOUND IT STRANGE THAT YOU VERY RARELY SEE A RINGER BIRDWATCHING,I MEAN THE OBSESSIVE ONESOR A BIRDWATCHER RINGING.I HAVE HAD MANY FRIENDS WHO WERE GREAT BIRDERS,ONLY TO ALMOST STOP WHEN THE RINGING BECOMES AN OBSESSION.ALSO LOST QUITE A FEW GREAT BIRDERS TO MOTHINGI GET MORE CONFUSED EVERY DAY.BUT TO FINISH MY POINT OFF I LIKE TO SEE BIRDS WITHOUT RINGSWHATS DOES EVERYONE ELSE THINK?