A Truly Astonishing Migration

This is how the RSPB reported the story on 9th January 2014 

Hazel C said:

For interest, what are the benefits to the bird species apart from going in the guiness book of records!!

Conservation of populations of migratory birds requires knowledge of where they spend their time. Studies of breeding populations often cannot identify any reasons for decline, or may show that despite high breeding productivity relatively few individuals return each year. Knowing migratory routes, and wintering areas, then becomes essential if the reasons for declines that occur because of poor survival away from breeding areas have any chance of being identified.

In this case, without this discovery, it would never have been thought that British bred Red-necked Phalaropes would travel to South America for the winter - this sort of information is generally only found through tagging studies of one sort or another, direct observation cannot help. Results from further studies will be interesting because it may turn out that the Scottish population all winters off South America, or it may be that some winter off Africa, or in the Arabia sea.

I still don't see how tracking helps. I would have thought that the presence of these birds in S.America or Africa was known before tracking. If they are in danger then these areas can be looked at for protecting the species. OK they may not know exactly where Scottish one's go, but is this really necessary. You can't stop them going there & send them somewhere else instead. I agree all information is useful but how many birds did they have to trap in nets to try & recatch the one's with the trackers.

I've seen how they catch birds with nets for ringing & frankly it's horrible. I've seen birds injured & I've been told (by a ringer) sometimes they die. I really don't think tracking or ringing should be done unless all else has failed & the species is 'endangered'.

However this is not the place for this discussion & I won't change my opinions so dicussion isn't on the cards either.

Thanks a lot anyway for responding Roy.