A few unhappy returns

Woodcock ringed at Ceri Forest last winter

It is always a bit sad to get Woodcock recoveries, no matter where they are from, because it invariably means someone has shot and eaten them!  Two such recoveries came in the recent recoveries email from BTO headquarters, both ringed by Terence Lambert at his site near Clywedog Reservoir. One was shot in Russia in September and the other in France in November. It is amazing to think that with over 1,700 Woodcock ringed and some 22 foreign recoveries received (Russia 13, Finland 2, France 2, Norway 1, Spain 1, Germany 1, The Netherlands 1 and Eire 1) none of us has yet experienced the excitement of catching one wearing a foreign ring! With several French and a Belarus bird having been shot fairly locally in the past two winters it can only be a matter of time. 

2 recent Woodcock recoveries - ringing location in green, recovery locations in red

Little Egret recoveries are a happier matter altogether as they usually result from someone seeing the colour-rings on a live bird. Three more such sightings were reported in the same batch as the above two Woodcock, one from Anglesey, one from Lancashire and one from Waterford, Eire. The map below shows all sightings of Little Egrets colour-ringed at Bangor during 2012.

2012 sightings of Little Egrets ringed in Bangor - ringing location in green, recovery locations in red