Regular readers of our blog will recall my post detailing our Retrapping Adults for Survival (RAS) project on sand martins earlier this year – if not, please see here…. http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/langfordlowfields/b/langfordlowfields-blog/archive/2013/07/29/sand-martin-study.aspx
In total we ringed 269 birds over the course of four evening ringing sessions in July and August. Soon after ringing, the birds departed on their southward migration and this week, we have received news from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) of six of our birds that were found en route to Africa, in East Sussex.
These birds were controlled – caught by ringers at a site different to where they were ringed – between 21st August and 2nd September at Icklesham, East Sussex by members of Rye Bay Ringing Group. Icklesham is 268km from Langford and represents the beginning of a long journey to wintering grounds in the western Sahel. The birds took between 11 and 45 days to reach Icklesham from Langford.
Sand martins should start returning to Langford within the next 4-6 weeks and later in the year, our RAS project will continue. We are looking forward to seeing how many 2013 ringed birds return to breed in our bank on Phase 2.
Many thanks to our ringer in charge, John Clark for organising the RAS, to all the ringers who have helped with the project and to the members of Rye Bay Ringing Group and staff at the BTO for reporting the controlled birds to us.
For more details about bird ringing or the RAS scheme, please contact either myself or Michael Copleston on our office number, 01636 893611, or visit the BTO website at www.bto.org.