A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush they say, so I leapt at the chance to accompany a friend, Tom Simon from the WSCC Conservation Volunteer Group at West Grinstead, to join a group of local bird ringers in action. Our contact turned out to be none other than local avian expert Val Bentley who you may remember has hosted our Dawn Chorus events in the past.

A motley flock of a meticulous nature sporting winter plumage. The wooden frame at the rear has labelled hooks corresponding to the nets placed on the site. When birds are taken from the nets, they are placed in draw-string cloth bags and hung on the appropriate hooks until measured and released.

A specialised pair of ringing pliers with grades of hole for different birds and a ruler for measuring from the carpal to the tip of the final primary.

I had never seen bird ringing carried out before. I was curious to see how such elusive and fragile animals could be trapped, handled and released without harm and I was attracted by the prospect of seeing many species up close which all too often tantalise us with just a fleeting glimpse or distant trill from a hidden perch.

On arrival at the study site, Tom and I were greeted by Val and introduced to Ralph and Phil. All three are veterans of the art and have been bird ringing for many years. Phil told us that he started ringing as a teenager and has been recording bird data at the same site for over 20 years. He explained that all data is recorded and forwarded to the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and contributes to a nationwide appreciation of the ongoing health of our bird populations. The site is situated on the disused course of the Downslink railway just outside of Steyning and hosts a mixed habitat of reedbed, willow scrub and grassland.

Numbered rings are stored in sequence on straws ready for use.

Anatomy of the Upperwing

The location of nets have to remain more or less constant over the years to provide consistency to data recording. In addition, the BTO issue a calendar of sampling dates which bird ringers work to as closely as possible in order to provide like-for-like comparisons year-on-year. Phil had already set up several nets next to bird feeders around the site at specific locations. The group had assembled at an old wooden picnic table next to a rack of labelled hooks. Each row of hooks represented a particular net but it was unclear at first what they would be used for.

After a quick cuppa, I was invited to inspect the nets for the first time. The nets are of a special soft cord weave designed to gently entrap passing birds while leaving them unharmed despite their best efforts to free themselves. We had a well known and rather reluctant visitor. A robin swung suspended in the fine cord mesh. At first it seemed quite lifeless but as Val took it gently into her hands and released it strand by strand with meticulous care it twitched and struggled endearingly.

My first thoughts of concern for our entangled captive soon turned to delight once Val had freed the robin and held it safely between her fingers for our closer inspection. This privileged view proved to be short-lived however, as Val produced a small drawstrung cloth bag from her duffle coat pocket and proceeded to stuff the unwilling animal gently inside. The bags are a safe way to constrain the birds caught by the net and are used to transport the birds with minimum stress from the nets to a place where their details can be recorded.

On return to the picnic table, it was soon revelealed what the hooks were for, as Val's bag and its suprisingly calm contents were strung from hook 'R2' awaiting inspection. When several birds are trapped by a net, bagging them acts as a convenient way to retrieve them all in one visit because each bagged bird can be clipped safely to a bird ringer's coat as the ringer moves on to free the next bird. Similarly, several birds can 'wait in a queue' for recording without increasing the stress caused.

Bird-ringing procedure is necessarily strict. Every precaution is taken to minimise the birds' time in the net with regular net visits. This is vital as body temperature can plummet at an alarming rate if a bird is left unnaturally exposed to the chill of a breeze. Birds are disentangled, held, bagged and carried in the proper way to avoid the unthinkable consequences of mishandling. Even the time spent measuring the birds and recording their biostatistics is kept to a minimum before immediate release.

It was explained to me that before they are allowed to ring birds unassisted, bird-ringers normally train for up to 18 month 'apprenticeships' during which time they need to gain experience in handling a variety of birds including those known to be more difficult to work with.

As Phil put it, "The birds come first."

It proved to be a fascinating morning which both gave me insight into the quiet and conscientious dedication of those who monitor bird populations and deepened my appreciation of birds as animals at a level of detail that binoculars can never achieve.

The Birds:

Dunnock has a suprisingly red eye when you see it up close. Males are known for aggressive 'wing-waving' displays and both males and females can pair with several mates.

Wren is a fighter, a very muscular bird in the hand despite being smaller than a blue tit. Severe winters may reduce populations by as much as 70%. Sexes are alike. Always found in undergrowth hence its Latin name 'Troglodytes troglodytes.'

Blackbirds are very vocal and panic when handled more than most. This female was no exception, so to minimise stress to the bird it was released immediately after measuring. Blackbird, thrush and robin are known to frequently entangle their tongues in nets as they attempt to free themselves, so extra care is required when freeing them.

The depth of blue in this blue-tit's crown despite the early season suggest this individual is a male. Blue-Tit is invariably tricky to extricate from the net due to its habit of holding a perch close to its body, thus entangling itself further as it struggles.

The bluer edges to the wing feathers; glossiness of the black colouring and broadness of the chest stripe distinguish the male from the drabber female great tit.

Identified by its minute stubby bill and extremely long tail, the long-tailed tit is often seen in extremely active family groups or larger flocks. Monitoring numbers of long-tailed tit is important since this species can suffer mortality rates of up to 80% in harsh winters. Although not a true tit, it shares its acrobatic abilities with its cousins. Sexes are alike.

This female chaffinch can be distinguished from the juvenile of the species by its less brown mantle and darker underparts. Finches are very gregarious in winter, feeding in flocks of more than one species often with sexes in separate flocks.

The key to distinguishing the sexes in goldfinch is that in the male, the red on the face will extend slightly further back above and below the eye. This is a male.

The dusky mask of adult greenfinch gives it a frowning expression. Stocky and aggressive, it often drives other small birds away when competing for food.

Although it is solitary during the breeding season, in winter it will form feeding flocks with other finches and sometimes buntings.

On the day there was much excitement over a visit from some siskin.

Winter numbers vary depending on numbers of continental immigrants.

The black on the head indicates this is an adult male.

A very small, neat and slender finch weighing only between 12-18g – half that of a greenfinch.

As its name suggests, the reed bunting breeds in wet areas such as reedbeds, marshes and river banks. Also increasingly in dry habitats including young conifer plantations.

Reed bunting will overwinter in gardens, farmland or scrub but roosts communially in marshes.

The underparts of the male are buffier in winter.

The female lacks the black head of the male.

Reed bunting is an example of a species that acquires a distinct summer plumage without the energy-expensive process of a pre-breeding moult. Instead, pale fringes of the winter feathers wear away to reveal the darker feathers beneath. This process is noticeably more advanced in the male on the right.

- by Mark Schofield