Pigeon Ringer

Further to the recent talk on Woodpigeons found bearing rings, I would add that there is still a great deal to learn about Woodpigeons and it is through people like yourselves reporting the details of dead birds that the facts will be established. As a percentage of the population only a small number are ringed. which makes every report so valuable. It would be very beneficial for many more to be ringed. Although the ringing of Woodpigeons is organised by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), other organisations such as the British Association for Shooting and Conservation and the Game Conservancy use the information for helping to monitor the Woodpigeon population. When reporting a Woodpigeon ring, if informing the BTO by post, then write down the full ring number (even if sending the ring in as well, some get lost through the post) and as much information as possible about the finding circumstances. Each year, I ring about one hundred nestlings in suburban Liverpool as part of a monitoring programme of the population here. I am also looking at the interactions of the birds with agricultural operations. The birds in the suburban area certainly fly out to feed on farmland (minimum 7 kilometres away) at certain times of the year and I have had a number of birds reported as shot in these areas. It sounds like one of your forum members has shot several of these. In the interests of further knowledge about Woodpigeons, I would be very grateful if anybody shooting a Woodpigeon bearing a ring would report the details. Thanks in anticipation Pigeon Ringer