Saturday 18 February 2012

100 and still going strong

No not me, barely half that!

Just 45 days ago, on 4th January, Paul and I colour-ringed the first Golden Plover of our new project looking at their wintering ecology in the Mid-Wales and South Shropshire Hills (part funded by a grant from the Ecology Matters Trust).


Last night B19 became the 100th and the tally of 8 new birds took the total to an amazing 103 colour-ringed and 250 ringed since the start of the winter!

That's about this many!!


To put that in context, here are the ringing totals for Golden Plover for the last 70 odd years from the BTO's online reports (a great new source of data and incentive!). The best ever year was 1986 with a GB and Ireland total of 327 including 270 adults.

 http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/ringing/publications/online-ringing-reports

Golden Plover
Pluvialis apricaria
PullusFull-grownTotal
Grand Total (1909-2010)6,866
1931617
193210010
193335540
193416319
193527027
193634135
193712012
193817320
193919019
1940505
1941303
1942303
1943404
194413013
1945101
1946303
1947101
1948606
194910111
1950707
1951505
195216723
19540016
195519019
195621021
195732133
195811314
195941216
1960262753
19612094114
1962122234
1963262248
1964213859
1965125466
1966222850
1967102636
1968322153
1969135265
1970246993
1971242246
1972346195
19734996145
19746943112
19756297159
1976155100255
197723213245
197814156197
19796763130
19808126107
19816558123
1982562783
1983721991
19846474138
1985104202306
198657270327
198798221319
1988623698
19896834102
199067129196
199151169220
1992345488
199384102186
19948541126
199511190201
199610161162
19978664150
1998473885
1999227698
2000583997
200162935
20023192123
2003242852
20047736113
2005176380
200645100145
200724832
2008146781
200927127154

We've had one or two local sightings so far but it will be great when the more distant records come flooding in, so keep your eyes peeled!



No comments:

Post a Comment

Please feel free to leave a comment on any of the posts featured. All comments are moderated however so may take a short time to appear. Unsuitable comments will be deleted.