The Winter Ringing Project

Winter Ringing Project
The Methodology:
• The Winter Ringing Project is the first standardised ringing project to focus on monitoring passerines in winter.
• The project began as a pilot scheme over the winter of 2020/21, using a similar methodology to Constant Effort Sites (CES), but with fewer visits and allowing the provision of artificial bait.
• The aim of the Winter Ringing Project is to provide survival trend information and make more structured use of the passerine ringing data collected outside of the breeding season.
NCRG Winter Ringing Location:
• The North Cornwall Ringing Group started to partake in this project during the winter of 2023/24 at one of their regular sites at Cardinham Woods.
• The woodland here encompasses a rich mix of planted conifers, with pockets of native broadleaves and open ground, in the steep sided stream valleys around Cardinham Water.
• The group have been regularly ringing at the superb feed station maintained by Forestry England, since 2020 and have been paying particularly close attention to the breeding Siskin population.
• Other species that are frequently caught during our operations include Marsh, Coal, Great and Blue Tit. As well as Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Nuthatch and the occasional Great Spotted Woodpecker.

A more in-depth summary of the Winter Ringing Project can be found here: https://www.bto.org/our-science/projects/bird-ringing-scheme/ringing-surveys/winter-ringing-project