Look, but don't touch – why you should oppose the ringing of birds

ONE new year resolution that I have made with reference to wildlife is that the cruelty migrant birds and nestlings have to endure for what is described as scientific reasons is looked into by societies which claim to protect them.

I have written to the RSPB, RSPCA and the BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) pointing out my concerns.

To date, all the replies have skirted around the cruelty involved, all quoting scientific reasons.

I want to give readers an insight as to what takes place every year during the ringing of up to one million birds – yes, that is the figure given.

Each year, millions of small birds migrate from Europe across the North Sea.

For instance the gold crest, a tiny mite weighing just a few drams, migrates across the North Sea each autumn.

They arrive absolutely exhausted and near death after such a long arduous journey. Many do not survive the crossing.

What awaits them on arrival is flying into fine nets and hanging by their feet until collected by a great human hand.

Remember most birds have an inbuilt fear of humans.

They are then subjected to every part of their anatomy being measured before being released.

Every breeding season, young nestlings still in the nest experience similar treatment.

While they are being ringed the parents are completely stressed out at their young being treated in this manner.

How would you really feel if your babies were treated like this?

There is no argument, this is a cruel act.

The societies involved claim that it is for scientific reasons.

I say this is a red herring. Surely after ringing millions of birds over many decades, they have sufficient evidence of birds movements etc.

That brings me to the difference between “twitching” and birdwatching.

Does the public in general know what “twitching” involves?

Twitching is about numbers – how many different species have they seen in the UK – and is very competitive.

There is a “400 Club” and they are classed as the elite.

The ends they will go to are unbelievable, hiring private planes to far outposts in the UK just to get another so-called tick on their lists. They will go to any ends to succeed.

Twitching is the same as people collecting train numbers when I was lad, but do they give a thought about to the bird they are going to tick off?

Bird watching and twitching are two entirely different things.

The former just enjoy watching birds and recording what they have observed – and if an unusual bird crops up it is a bonus.

They do not gallop all over the country to tick a bird off a list.

Bird watching now involves buying expensive equipment, such as binoculars, cameras and telescopes and is a lucrative business with millions of pounds spent every year.

I believe this is the reason that when ringing is brought to the notice of the three societies as cruel, all I get back is negativity.

As well as these societies I have tried to contact a very famous TV naturalist three times and am still waiting for a reply.

To back up my comments, I met a chap ringing nestlings locally from nest boxes, pointing out my opinions to him.

He stated he was a licensed ringer and was not breaking any law.

I asked why he was ringing young birds?

His answer was to find out how many breed here.

My reply was, if you just watch the area you will get a good idea of numbers, but why ring the nestlings?

Can’t you see the distress you are causing to the parents? What if you have caused them to desert their young?

Oh they’ll come back, he said. But what if they don’t? There was silence.

Another case was brought to my mind of a ringer chasing young lapwings on a local moor in the dark, trying to catch them to ring.

I can imagine the stress to all the other breeding birds there, such as curlews, redshanks and snipe.

That was surely an act of cruelty, which appeared to me that the protection societies should investigate.

A ringer once boasted to me how many birds he had rung. I could have rung his neck.

These are just a couple of examples locally. They must be repeated many, many times across the UK each breeding season – and for societies to allow this when they are there to protect our wildlife.

I hope I have brought to your attention the cruelty involved. If you are of the same opinion contact the RSPCA and RSPB as they are the flagships when it comes to protecting our wildlife.

Dave Moore is a wildlife enthusiast from Hutton Magna