Portland Bird Observatory
and Field Centre

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Bird Ringing - an introduction

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A programme of bird ringing has been carried out since the earliest days of ornithological exploration at Portland in the 1950's. 

  

A Willow Warbler trapped in a mist-net and shortly afterwards being ringed with a uniquely numbered metal ring.

Bird Observatory staff and suitably qualified helpers use ringing as a tool to assist research into the migration patterns, population changes, biometrics and longevity of birds. The majority of ringing is carried out within the grounds of the Bird Observatory, where over 150,000 birds of 185 species have been trapped and ringed to date. There have been subsequent recoveries of birds marked at Portland from as far north as Finland, as far south as Ghana and as far east as the Republic of Georgia in the former USSR.

The 'Ringing Garden' seen from the Observatory tower.

 

If you would like more information about bird ringing, or are interested in training to become a bird ringer, please contact the British Trust for Ornithology who organise the British and Irish Ringing Scheme.