"It was ringed by the Clyde Ringing Group as age at least 1 year, sex unknown, on 2 June 2007 at Hogganfield Loch."
The BTO advise that ringing not only helps generate information about bird movements it also helps us understand why bird populations increase or decline - vital information for conservation.
You don't have to be a ringer or an expert to help. The BTO organises various surveys where members of the public can participate.
The easiest is probably their 'Garden Birdwatch' survey whereby volunteers record the highest number of birds seen in their garden every week of the year - you can also record butterflies, mammals, etc. We participate in this and it proves to be enjoyable as well as informative.
Last week, we had a total of 14 different bird species visit our garden, including this Willow Warbler ...........................................
When you add the 'non-birds' we had a total of 18 species visit our small urban garden.
Indeed, thanks to their computerised records I know that, in terms of the species that they want us to monitor, we have had a total of 76 species visit our garden. We have had more but these include moths, hoverflys, etc!
Other monitoring and survey schemes are available such as BirdTrack which allows you to submit you bird records by location. In turn you can then download facts and figures for your specific sites. For example, I can view or download all my records for Millichen 2012 and this confirms that I have seen 52 bird species so far this year.
For more information see www.bto.org
One of the aspects of Birdtrack I appreciate is that you can download a species list for an area/ grid square, making it easier to plan site visits, and even choose what sites TO visit. The garden birdwatch subscription came with an excellent book that was well worth the fee on its own.
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