Ringing? So, You Want To Be A Ringer ....?

[stealthy1 3,964]

Some nice stuff passing through Gib Point at the minute, hopefully heading your way

[stealthy1 3,964]

Any body looking into it?

[fireman 10,934]

I'd love to but can see a whole lot of hassle coming my way if i did ,wouldn't like to think how many times my own birds would have to be caught up and checked by the dickhead powers that be to check there legal and not just wild caught birds i have caught whilst trapping to ring them.A shame but not worth the hassle to my birds or to myself and family..........

[Outlaw Pete 2,224]

I'm afraid you're about dead right there too, Fireman. Whilst I don't believe the BTO exactly encourages us ringers to hold captive bred examples of native birds, nor are they exactly in the habit of knocking on doors.

 

The Arses, however ....? Oh, what joy you could bring to Their days!

 

Anyway, that aside; Yes, Stealths. There was, I think it was three people from here who have got onto the BTO. I know who two are. The third one I've managed to forget!

 

For my own part? Dead as a bloody doe doe here, mate! Just looked out to see the rubber band on my feeder trap's broke again. Blue tit sat on top. Wouldn't mind having him as I don't get that many. Might not even be ringed.

 

But, it's getting to be like people. I can go days on end without seeing one. People or birds. Calm before the storm though. Once it gets colder, it'll all kick off again.

[fireman 10,934]

I myself thought i'd be a quiet time for you Pete apart from the local birds everything else is either going or just starting to arrive for the winter and i'll have a good bet they go straight to the regular out the way feeding grounds first to catch up on the fat levels then we'll start seeing them around our homes a bit more.It is a shame as both worlds could learn so much from each other but another thing the arsepca would ruin given a sniff

[stealthy1 3,964]

Still not seeing any tits Pete, normally have long tail, great, blue and coal, but nothing on my bird table but sparrows, and only house at that

[Mr Wilkes 3,026]

_{Im feeding al least 60 house sparrows each day and a small chime of goldies but nothing else as yet.......}

 

_{stealthy1 it seems a little harder to get a trainer than 1st thought}

[stealthy1 3,964]

Just waiting to see what happens Mr W

[Outlaw Pete 2,224]

Mr Wilkes; I could f**king throttle you!!! Sixty f**king sparrows?! You complete and utter bast@rd! Fancy saying that where I can see it! What I wouldn't give to be able to get amongst that flock! I'd be delirious!

 

Absolutely guts me to hear of anyone having the run around for a Trainer I guess I got lucky, perhaps? Fed the form my details and, in next to no time, this bloke was at my gate.

 

He'd driven across a couple of counties to get here, at his own expense (I bloody soon put paid to That aspect! ) We're the same age. Get on like a house on fire. And this guy walks on water! His ability to read a birds feathers or find a nest is simply unreal!

 

I'll never forget the moment we met. I went to open the gate to him and his first words, in a broad, I imagine, british midlands accent were;

 

" Arraaght, bood? Fooking 'ell!!! What sort of Dog's THAT?! "

 

Within moments, we were chatting about tactical weapons and god knows what!

 

I guess I fell on my feet!

[stealthy1 3,964]

Said I'd have to wait a couple of weeks for a reply, its only been a week, but I think I know some one who knows some one, so I'll have to wait and see how it goes

[Mr Wilkes 3,026]

Stealthy1 I wish you all the luck in the world mate imo there isn't enough guys doing it..

 

This is what got me hooked...

 

When I was young I bumped into a mistnet containing a couple of blackbirds and liberated the pair, I thought it was bird trappers (well.. I was only 10 ) I then hid and waited for their return (the trappers not the blackbirds ), what seemed like an age later a old chap came and took down the net and I followed him home. I waited for him for most days after school and when he did go into the woods ..I followed and released his captives. he would set the net then feck off for a walk. well the inevitable happened and he caught me and raced me home..he told mi mam he was a bto bird ringer and not to let me near the woods again....I did follow him of course but I was too scared to approach him and chat...how I wish I could turn back the clock and speak to the old boy.....R.I.P ..Len pygot..our local bto bird ringer.

[Mr Wilkes 3,026]

Pete, I wish I could get some fecker here to ring them..its a crying shame..i NEED to know what happens to MY sparrows will they stay local or move on ? if so how far....

[stealthy1 3,964]

Stealthy1 I wish you all the luck in the world mate imo there isn't enough guys doing it..

 

This is what got me hooked...

 

When I was young I bumped into a mistnet containing a couple of blackbirds and liberated the pair, I thought it was bird trappers (well.. I was only 10 ) I then hid and waited for their return (the trappers not the blackbirds ), what seemed like an age later a old chap came and took down the net and I followed him home. I waited for him for most days after school and when he did go into the woods ..I followed and released his captives. he would set the net then feck off for a walk. well the inevitable happened and he caught me and raced me home..he told mi mam he was a bto bird ringer and not to let me near the woods again....I did follow him of course but I was too scared to approach him and chat...how I wish I could turn back the clock and speak to the old boy.....R.I.P ..Len pygot..our local bto bird ringer.

 

Cheers mate, will keep you both posted

[Outlaw Pete 2,224]

Mr Wilkes, even just ringing our garden birds can be Such an eye opener! I believe I've spoken of my own Great Tits findings, on here?

 

House Sparrows aren't great movers, in my experience. But, then again, it was still a bitter sweet and fulfilling thing to have one of 'mine', ringed here, found hit by a car up at Pat's place.

 

Frankly, that's much further than I'd have expected her to have travelled to nest. And she was nesting.

 

This is a side of ringing that so many simply don't seem to want to see. Those who want to knock ringing, that is. We have Anti's too. They like to call us " Bird Fondlers " and accuse us of 'Ticking our Victims'. ''Trophy Hunting'.

 

Bollocks. Of course I'd, probably, cry is a male f**king Hen Harrier hit the net! Who Wouldn't die to hold such a thing in their hands for a minute?!

 

But, the plain truth is that I actually ring, re catch, weigh and release an endless stream of bloody Great Tits. We're virtually on first name terms now. Much more and I'll know their ring numbers by their faces!

 

And this is the meat and gravy of it all. Hammering away. Day in. Year out. Processing the mundane. Learning their feathers till it's second nature.

 

A different bird is always a bonus. More to learn. Then, there's the ones we'd like to get amongst. Winter Thrushes do it for me, big time! Fieldfares and Redwings? Few Mistles? F**k, yeah!!!

 

One of these years, I'm sure, my boss will find the time to break away from our more customary works and show me some of that stuff. Meanwhile? I just Love what we / I do.

 

If I have one regret about my own involvement in ringing? It's a plain and simple one: I'm just too dam old now to ever be able to qualify for an 'A' permit and thus put in for a Trainers permit. No Way my shot away old head could hold a fraction of what my boss has absorbed through his lifetime at it.

 

And this is a shame. Because it makes me one less potential Trainer. We Need Trainers! Who else is going to teach the next lot how to do what we do?

 

So, I just have to content myself with doing what I do. Trying to catch my sparrows. In fact catching my bloody great tits. And encouraging you lot to dip ye toes in the water

 

Only; Why not take ye kids or grand kids along ....? All the best start young

[stealthy1 3,964]

I'm looking forward to it, hoping to sort out the brown jobs and the warblers, their recognition just evades me