example of how the use of colour-rings makes it possible to follow a bird's movements through a series of field records. Unfortunately, not all sightings of colour-ringed birds are reported and there is the frustrating example at the moment of the White-tailed Eagle which frequented the Boyton/Butley area in the winter of 1988/9. Reports at the time were that this bird was colour-ringed and that the rings had been seen well by at least one observer. However it appears that no details of the rings were ever sent in to the BTO and the origin of this bird is likely to remain a mystery. If anybody can supply any information on this bird, please let us know.
Selected List of Recoveries This part of the report is a selection of ringing recoveries received in, or relating to, 1991. Recoveries are arranged in species order, ringing details are shown on the first line — ring number / age and sex / date / locality, and recovery details on the second line — manner of recovery / date / locality with distance and direction of movement. The following codes have been used. Age when ringed:
Sex:
This is given according to the EURING codes and the figures do not represent years. 1 pullus (= nestling or chick) 2 fully grown, year of hatching quite unknown 3 hatched during calendar year of ringing 3J hatched during calendar year of ringing, and still partly or completely in juvenile body plumage 4 hatched before calendar year of ringing, but exact year unknown 5 hatched during previous calendar year 6 hatched before previous calendar year, but exact year unknown 7 definitely hatched two years before year of ringing cr — male 9 = female
In the recovery data, the term 'controlled' refers to a ringed bird which has been caught by a ringer away from the locality where it was originally ringed. Also, where the date of recovery is not known, the date of the reporting letter is shown in brackets.
C O R M O R A N T Phalacrocorax carbo There were two field records of colour-ringed Cormorants in 1991 — at Landguard Point in August and Lake Lothing, Lowestoft in November. Both were first-year birds which had been ringed as nestlings at the tree-nesting colony at Abberton Reservoir, Essex. S H A G Phalacrocorax 1277297 1
aristotelis 18.07.90
Isle of May, Fife Region, S C O T L A N D ( 5 6 0 l l ' N 02°33'W) found dead 19.02.91 Hintlesham, Suffolk ( 5 2 ° 0 3 ' N 01 ° 0 2 ' E ) — 515km ESE This is the second ringed Shag to be found inland in Suffolk in recent years — the other was found at Stradbroke in March 1988 and had also been ringed as a nesding on the Isle of May.
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