This time last year, I wrote about taking a walk along the river Rother in bitterly cold winter conditions and experiencing both sunshine and blizzards. I did a similar walk this year in the very mild winter weather and what a contrast. Last year there were Snipe, Meadow Pipits and Skylarks in the adjoining fields, Wigeon, Shoveler and Goosander on the river. This year I did not see any of these species and the bird watching aspect of the walk was extremely uneventful. This winter has been generally good for bird survival but disappointing for those of us hoping to see more unusual and diverse species coming to our gardens, ponds and streams in search of food.

Bird ringing has been a well established practice for more than a hundred years and has increased our knowledge of bird migration massively in that time. The discovery of a British ringed Swallow in South Africa in the first decade of the last century must have been enthralling news and finally put to bed those who thought that Swallows hibernated under water! This was certainly the belief in Gilbert White’s days. Sussex rings more birds than any other county and last year 82,660 were ringed. In comparison, Kent only achieved 29,000. The Rye Bay Ringing Group account for more than half the total and operate at nearby Pett Level. Needless to say, only a very small proportion of these birds are ever recovered to add another tiny bit to our knowledge.

Satellite tagging, for example the five Norfolk Cuckoos mentioned in previous reports, is accelerating our knowledge. The Sussex ringing report has just been published for 2010 and always makes interesting reading, with amazing recoveries such as a Honey Buzzard ringed as a nestling in Sussex found dead in a trap in Ghana two years later. It is the much more common species that make the most interesting reading. There were four reports of international recoveries of Robins. The first, an old report, has come to light of a Robin ringed in Holland in October 2007 and killed by a cat in Eastbourne in November 2008. The second was ringed as a juvenile at Pett Level in October 2008 and shot in Spain January 2010. The third was a bird ringed at Pett Level in September 2009 and found dead in Guernsey in Feb 2010. The last was a Danish bird ringed in September 2010 and found dead in Chichester just 24 days later. In addition to these records was the exceptionally quick movement of a Robin ringed in Cumbria in October 2010 and re-trapped at Pett Level just six days later. There were four notable Blackbird recoveries with two adult males ringed at Pett Level and found dead in Denmark the following year. An adult male ringed in Sweden was killed by a cat in Brighton the following year and a Pett Level bird ringed in 2008 was found in Sweden in 2010. There were also two exceptional reports of Song Thrushes with one ringed in Norway in October 2001 and found dead in Brighton in March 2006 and an immature ringed at Beachy Head in October 2010 and was shot in Portugal 12 days later. There were three reports of Chaffinches from previous years. One was ringed in Northern France in March 2006 and found dead near Heathfield in July 2007. The second was ringed at Pett Level in November 2008 and found dead in Loire, April 2009. The third was ringed in the Scottish Highlands in June 2009 and found dead in Crowborough in January 2010. Britain’s smallest bird the Goldcrest had one report with an immature female ringed in Northiam in November 2008 and found dead at Saint Sauveur le Vicomte, France in February 2009. The above reports are the more exceptional for our local species and there are many recoveries of local birds which demonstrate that the vast majority stay very much in one place for their entire lives.

The report contains many reports of recovered birds caught by cats, so next time your moggy comes home with a bird, please check for leg rings; it might have an incredible story to tell.

Charles Trollope cetetal@aol.com