JOE WOODMAN WILDLIFE
  • BLOG
  • ABOUT
  • VIDEO & AUDIO
  • ACADEMIC PUBLICATIONS
  • CONTACT

Wildlife & Science Communication Blog

Chick Ringing and the End of the Field Season

21/6/2021

0 Comments

 
It's been an incredibly busy past couple of months, but I'm relieved to say that today I ringed my last brood of chicks of the field season. In total that makes just over 550 chicks of 4 different species!
Here in Wytham, we mark all chicks nesting in the boxes with a BTO metal ring, each of which has a unique number-letter code and is placed on their leg. They are extremely light so as not to cause any discomfort to the birds, comparable to the weight of a mobile phone in our pockets. The rings provide really useful information, allowing us to collect data and determine the birds' movement and survival when caught again in the future, both in Wytham and beyond. Additionally, we place a PIT tag onto the second leg of all great tit chicks. These are special rings (also extremely light) which allow a bird to be identified without even having to catch it. They are essentially small magnets that don't themselves actively emit any information, but when they pass through a specific signal they disrupt it in a uniquely identifiable way. This allows the birds to be identified without capture, for example, at specialist bird feeders and nest boxes, therefore making it possible to really accurately track the movements, habits and life histories of individuals.
I've really enjoyed this field season, and have learned much more about how the breeding phenology and habits of these four woodland birds operate. For now I'll take a break from fieldwork, returning to more of the analysis and writing-up of my DPhil project, but I'm looking forward to doing the season this time again next year!
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Joe Woodman

    A blog of my ideas, photography and research of the natural world. 

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    December 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    January 2020
    July 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    May 2018
    July 2017
    April 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • BLOG
  • ABOUT
  • VIDEO & AUDIO
  • ACADEMIC PUBLICATIONS
  • CONTACT