Northumbria bird ringers track 330,000 birds over 50-year history

18:30, 26 FEB 2016

BY TONY HENDERSON

Durham British Trust for Ornithology garden wildlife conference hears of group's conservation feats

Northumbria Bird Ringing Group members with birds from the Gateshead kittiwake nesting tower

For 50 years, volunteers have followed the fortunes of hundreds of thousands of birds in the North East.

The efforts of the Northumbria Ringing Group were outlined at the Garden and Urban Wildlife conference at Durham, organised by the British Trust for Ornithology.

The event was held in recognition of the increasing importance of gardens for wildlife, which is also having to adapt to creeping urbanisation.

“Private gardens in Britain cover about 270,000 hectares, more than all the designated National Nature Reserves put together. This means they are increasingly important habitats for wildlife as our countryside changes due to development,” said Clare Simm, one of the BTO conference organisers.

The Northumbria Group has ringed an estimated 330,000 birds across 209 species in the last 50 years in the North East and north Cumbria.

The group has 30 qualified ringers and 10 trainees, who carry out their work all year round., with the data being fed to the BTO to assist in conservation work and plotting long term trends.

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