Ringing owls in my garden
Whenever possible, the owl chicks in my garden get BTO bird identification rings. Scroll down to also watch as barn owl chicks, Nutmeg & Thyme, and tawny owl babies Bramble & Sage get their rings and see for yourself how little they were disturbed during the process. Also, find out why a ring placed on these chicks father, Finn, proved that my owl foster programme is working.
What is bird ringing?
Bird rings are metal tags with unique numbers engraved into them that identify the bird they are clipped to. The reference code inscribed on each ring allows that particular bird to be uniquely identified if it is caught again in the future. I have surveillance cameras installed throughout my garden which mean I can also zoom in on a ring and read the number without disturbing the bird again.
Why are barn owls rung?
Barn owls are a protected species here in the UK. Where possible individual birds are tagged so they can be monitored throughout their lives. This is important for understanding population movements and declines. When a bird is rung the bird ringer also records its species, age, sex, wing length and weight.
Who can ring a barn owl
Bird ringing is strictly monitored by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and only registered BTO ringers are permitted to ring birds. Jean Thorpe of Ryedale Rehabilitation is a trained bird ringer and she regularly visits to ring the owls here at Fotherdale.
How do experts ring barn owls?
A qualified BTO bird ringer clips a small band, with the unique ID number of a bird, onto one owl leg. The bird is also weighed and its sex and location recorded. The ringer works quickly to minimise disturbance and the ring will fit the bird for the rest of its life. It took Jean and myself just 10 minutes from the moment I caught the owlets to placing them back in their nest.
Do bird rings hurt?
It can be alarming to see birds rung, but when done correctly it has little effect on the birds and it means these individual owls can be tracked throughout their lifetime.
When are barn owls rung?
Nutmeg and Thyme are eight weeks old and are yet to fledge the nest. At this age owls are less dependent on the adult birds and are left alone in the nest for longer periods of time. This is an ideal time to ring a bird.
My bird cams make it easy
My nest cams mean I have the advantage of being able to see inside the nest so I know when the parent birds are away and can choose a time to ensure I do not disturb the owl family when I take the chicks out of the nest to ring them.
Nutmeg & Thyme
Ringing gives me the opportunity to verify the sexes of birds. The sparkles on Nutmeg's wings confirm she is a female. She is three days older than Thyme, but he is a heavier bird, at 400gs to her 385g. This is unusual since Thyme younger and females are normally heavier. Thyme is also quite a late developer and has yet to grow his adult feathers. More on the story of these barn owl chicks here.
How I use bird rings to monitor fostered owls
Nutmeg & Thyme's father, a barn owl named Finn, is an owl I rehabilitated in my garden. He was found as a chick and handed to Ryedale Rehabilitation and then on to me for release. I placed him in a wild nest here in the garden for wild owls to raise him. I identified him through his ring when he returned here as an adult and learned that my fostering programme works.
Watch barn owlets being rung
This short film follows the process of owl ringing as barn owlets Nutmeg & Thyme are given their ID rings.
Watch tawny owlets get their ID tags
In this video tawny owlets Bramble & Sage are super patient as their ID rings are clipped on and they are given a health check at the same time.
