Members of the BOS get involved in various activities outside of our chosen study area. One of our members, Andy Turner, frequently travels to the refuse tips in Essex to join up with the North Thames Gull Group (NTGG).
The project involves catching and ringing samples of gulls feeding on the landfill sites serving parts of London and Essex. All birds caught are fitted with the standard individually numbered BTO metal rings. Individually numbered colour rings are also fitted to sample catches of the larger gull species. The number and letter combinations of the colour rings can be read in the field with good binoculars or a telescope and sightings are reported back through the normal channels at the BTO.
The colour ringing is already showing it's value with many birds being subsequently re-sighted from various locations home and abroad. One Great Black-backed Gull ringed by the group was re-sighted just outside of our own study area. A Lesser Black-backed Gull was report from the southern coast of Norway within a few months of being ringed.
Details of the NTGG’s activities along with details of the re-sighted birds can be found on the group’s website.
The BOS has been pleased to offer a degree of financial support to this worthwhile project.