Rectory Farm

Education in the Countryside

Wildbird research

Research at Rectory Farm is conducted on behalf of the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) involving the regular Ringing of birds. Ringing aims to monitor survival rates of birds and collect information about their movements. This information provides vital support for conservation efforts as it helps to understand how these processes influence population sizes over time and identifying these mechanisms is the first step in reversing declines of many farmland birds.

The British and Irish Ringing Scheme is organised by the BTO. Over 900,000 birds are ringed in Britain and Ireland each year by over 2,600 trained ringers, most of whom are volunteers. You can also help by reporting any ringed bird you find which will be a valuable contribution to this research. Click here to report a find.

Ringing birds is essential if we are to learn about how long they live and when and where they move to. Placing a lightweight, uniquely numbered, metal ring around a bird’s leg provides a reliable and harmless method of identifying birds as individuals. At Rectory Farm over 1000 birds are caught and ringed every year. Birds are caught by using mist nets placed across there flight path to and from the wild bird food crops grown extensively on the farm. Many of the birds caught at Rectory Farm are of significant conservation concern such as Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting and Tree Sparrow.

 

Mr George Eaton, Rectory Farm, Tingewick.

Website by Andy Hack. All photography (except where credited) by Sara & Andy Hack Copyright 2010