Bird ringing is an incredibly useful tool in the conservation world, aimed at understanding the drivers of population changes and providing evidence on which to base conservation efforts, and regular readers of our page will be aware of the work undertaken by the ringers working on our NNRs and in the wider area.
In the Lower Derwent Valley we are fortunate to have the opportunity to study so many key species that are under-represented elsewhere, as well as having the sites which allow us to be able to monitor these species, not forgetting also having so many dedicated volunteers that give up their time in order to do so, despite the early mornings and late nights, and the cold and wet conditions.
An incredible amount of effort goes into data collection by the team here, and so it is pleasing to see in the recently published (2025) BTO national ringing totals, just how valuable everyone’s efforts have been. The report shows that 57% of all Shelduck and 50% of all Pintail ringed in Britain have come from the LDV, with other notable contributions including 30% of the UK’s Ruff, 24% of both Wigeon and Teal, 22% of Quail and 18% of Black-tailed Godwits. However, it’s never about the numbers ringed – it’s about the valuable information and data that the ringing produces. The report also lists three species, Greylag Goose, Shelduck and Black-necked Grebe, for which the LDV holds the UK longevity records for (more information can be found on the BTO website).
Huge thanks as always to our fantastic team for contributing to such an important data set.
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