Rings And Other Things.

The 'other things' have taken me over again since Friday, though I got rid of them yesterday and had a good session of birding, so good that in fact I don't think I ever encountered the thousands of birds on and around the Lune Estuary between Conder Green/Glasson Dock/Cockersands/Bank End that I did on Tuesday ever before.

But I ran out of time for blogging and have posted this draft I did a few days ago with the birds of Tuesday having to wait until later. Meanwhile....  

Black-tailed Godwit. Martin Lofgren.

On Thursday 5 February c.155 Black-tailed Godwit were on the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock, amongst them I found my first two marked birds this year. Disappointingly they were at a distance and the readings were to say the least difficult, the result being that one bird is being regarded as a 'possible' which - although not indicated - is how the history reads below. The combination is correct, but the missing detail is a Yellow ring which I should have seen above the Yellow flag, at the distance, if the ring is still in place it appeared to me blended in with the same coloured flag.

My thanks go to Böðvar in Iceland for his excellent and prompt response to my reporting this to him, the details he sent me show the amazing movement of a bird only in its third year and having already visited Ireland, Spain, and England.   

Ringed as a chick....

Red over Green ring on the left tibia

Yellow ring over Yellow flag on the right tibia

RG-YYflag 27 June 2012 Austurey, Árnessýsla, S Iceland

RG-YYflag 20 July 2013 Blennerville, Tralee, County Kerry, SW Ireland

RG-YYflag 5 February 2014 Isla Mayor,Veta la Palma, Huelva, S Spain 

RG-YYflag 5 February 2015 Glasson Dock, River Lune, Lanc's, NW England

Thanks to Martin at Wild Bird Gallery for the stunning Black-tailed Godwit. The birds I saw in winter plumage will soon look as smart as this one.