Wood pigeon with transmitter on its back and ringed leg

Hi Ray, I looked on internet & came across this site although it is some years old it does describe fitting wood pigeons with satellite transmitters
animalmovement-canmove.blogspot.com/.../pigeon-project.html
Might be worth contacting them to see if any recent work being carried out!

 

 2013 photos & vids here

eff37 on Flickr

Many thanks Wendy,
I'll have a look, I get a fair few wood pigeons here in my garden in Cornwall but this was quite a shock with a big red and grey transmitter on its back between the top of its wings, it flies off before you can get anywhere near it!!
I'll let you know if I find out anything

Kind regards
Ray

Look forward to any more info you can get Ray!

Clicked on their 2015 blog & saw this ...

 

 2013 photos & vids here

eff37 on Flickr

Hi Ray I asked the BTO about the transmitter and got this rely from them.
twitter.com/.../1643617585559134209
Is the ring a metal BTO one or a coloured one with a code on it?

My Flickr photos

Hi Alan,
Many thanks for that, interesting! I'll try and get a look at the colour of the ring but the pigeon flies off if you go to close to the window, Is there any significant difference if it has a coloured ring on it?
Kind regards
Ray

Hi Ray
The BTO metal ring can mainly be read if the bird is recaptured or found dead, the colour rings will usually signify a monitoring scheme and can be read at a distance.

My Flickr photos

In reply to WendyBartter:

Hi Wendy,
I contacted the above site and had a reply which read that all of the wood pigeons they had monitored were now dead, they suggested it may be a French bird as they have been monitoring wood pigeons for many years but they also mentioned that they are difficult to communicate with as they are a closed group affiliated to some hunting association.
I will try and and get close enough to photograph it and post it on here for anyone else who may be interested in having a look.
Kind regards
Ray

Many thanks for the info Ray, would be good if you could get a pic of said Woodie!

 

 2013 photos & vids here

eff37 on Flickr

Further article covering European Woodies fitted with Argos transmitters (rather OTT, further down the pzge)
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/.../
Argos transmitter
www.argos-system.org/.../
Does not say if any Woodies were tracked to UK!

More here on recent birds fitted with trackers, maybe not beyond the realms of possibility that one could have come over here?

 

 2013 photos & vids here

eff37 on Flickr

UPDATE............
The said wood pigeon has either flown on it's way, found a partner and have taken out a mortgage for a nest or ( and I certainly hope that it's not the case) but been caught by the neighbours cat!!
Alas I will never knew where it came from but while it was here it gorged everyday on the bird table so if nothing else I can say it went on it's way with a full belly lol