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Recent Colour Ringed Sightings - May 2019

OHB Admin

Head Geek
Staff member
During their recent visit to North Uist, Peter and Caroline Grey saw and recorded eight colour-ringed Sanderling at Balranald between 11 and 17 May. All have been entered on Animaltrack and have been linked to individual birds. Of the eight, seven were ringed in Iceland and one in north eastern Greenland.

Details are below In order of time since first capture (oldest first):

(i) Sanderling G1WRGR Metal ring ISR 897101 Sighted at Balranald 13 May 2019

First captured 26/05/2010 south west Iceland. Sighted on 42 occasions in all (if you include capture)! Thirty of these sightings in south west Iceland in four of the years since capture, almost always in May. Plus another ten sightings along the Britanny coast scattered over the period September to March. Just two sightings in the UK - one on Blakeney Point, North Norfolk in August 2012 and then our sighting on 13 May 2019. (Picture of this showy bird below).

(ii) Sanderling B1YWBY Metal ring DKC 8261514 Sighted at Balranald between 11 and 17 May 2019

First captured 16/07/2013 Ostgronland, north eastern Greenland (coords 75.150177, -19.72068). There had been no sightings of this bird until we saw it at Balranald on 11 May 2019. We were lucky to see this bird every day as we did a morning walk along the shoreline (picture below).

(iii) Sanderling G3BRYW Metal ring ISR 8108463 Sighted at Balranald on 17 May 2019

First captured 22/05/2016 south west Iceland. Sighted in six occasions in total (again including capture). Twice on the Brittany coast in August last year and twice in Dorset in August 2016 plus Balranald on 17 May 2019.

(iv) Sanderling G4WRBB Metal ring ISR 8109585 Sighted at Balranald on 12 May 2019

First captured 22/05/2016 south west Iceland. Sighted on four occasions in total. Other than its initial capture the three other sightings have all been at Balranald, including by us on 27 April last year and again on 12 May this year!! Another observer (do not recognise the name) reported it at Balranald in September 2018.

(v) Sanderling G4YRBG Metal ring ISR 8109529 Sighted at Balranald on 13 and 14 May 2019

First captured 22/05/2016 south west Iceland. Sighted in four occasions including Brittany in March 2018 and our two sightings on 13 and 14 May.

(vi) Sanderling G4YRWB Metal ISR 8109524 Sighted at Balranald on 15, 16 and 17 May 2019

First captured on 22/05/2016 south west Iceland. Sighted on eleven occasions. Six times in Brittany between the months of July and December, twice in Iceland and then our three sightings.

(vii) Sanderling G4YWBR Metal ring ISR 8109520 Sighted at Balranald on 13, 14, 16 and May 2019

First captured on 22/05/2016 south west Iceland. Sighted nine times - once in Iceland, three times in Brittany (October to February), once on Sanday, Orkney in May 2017 and then our sightings at Balranald in May 2019.

(viii) Sanderling G3BBBR Metal ring ISR 8109708 Sighted at Balranald on 15 May 2019

First captured on 18/05/2017 south west Iceland. Sighted four times - once in Iceland, twice at Formby Point, Merseyside in September 2018 and then again on 17 April 2019. We saw it just under a month later on 15 May 2019.


Another bird of interest was an Oystercatcher found dead on Askernish machair on 23 May this year. It had been ringed at Pembrey Sands, Cefn Sidan, Carmarthenshire, Wales on 16 November 2008, as an adult of at least 3 years [euring code 8] making it over 13 years old [see map]

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Colour ringed Sanderling © and courtesy of Peter Grey
 
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