11 Sep Sharing Learning and Good Practice: The Welsh (Bird) Ringing Course 2024

The annual Welsh Ringing Course was run over the long weekend of 6-9 September 2024. The field elements of the course, including site preparation work, landowner liaison, health and safety and daily logistical planning were co-ordinated by BSG Ecology Director and Gower Ringing Group member Owain Gabb.

The course focusses on independent assessment to inform ringing permit upgrades. Two of the 12 participants were assessed for A permits (allowing them to ring completely independently), and five for their C Permit for mist netting / adding a mist net endorsement to their restricted C Permits (a C Permit allows ringers to work under remote supervision). The remainder of attendees came to gain further experience ringing with different trainers and using different techniques. In the absence of courses, of which there are very few across the UK, it can be challenging to achieve permit upgrades.

The itinerary took in various sites on the Gower Peninsula, and included daytime mist netting at Oxwich Marsh, spring trapping on the storm beach at Overton, and dazzling waders at Weobley and Whiteford Burrows on the Burry Inlet.  The weather was very mixed and included ‘biblical’ rain on the Friday evening that put a lot of the marsh under deep water. Despite this, a total of 412 birds of 37 species were processed.  Mist netting highlights for participants included two kingfishers, two tree pipit, several grasshopper warblers and nine house martins. At Overton the catch included a rock pipit (which was colour ringed as part of a research project) and a lovely male wheatear.  Waders captured were 55 ringed plover, 25 dunlin, two turnstone, a curlew sandpiper, and a little stint.

As a result of the course a number of upgrades were recommended, and all participants were provided with feedback on areas to work on in order to continue their advancement. This outcome will almost certainly result in new projects commencing that will provide further important population data to the British Trust for Ornithology, as well as strengthening existing long-running studies.

Owain was given time off work to run the course by BSG Ecology, reflecting the company’s understanding of the importance of the training.

A detailed account of the course is here: Welsh Ringing Course 2024

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