1st September 2012
Kids go back to School and Godwits Return to Ireland for Another Winter
After what seems to have been a better breeding season for the Icelandic Black-tailed Godwits than last year most are now on their way to or already on their wintering grounds in Ireland and other western European countries. This also means another year for the International Schools Godwit Project. While the kids in Iceland and Ireland are settling back into school some of us have been out looking for colour ringed birds following our summer break while the birds were in Iceland. Sightings of colour ringed birds have been coming in to us in good numbers. If you come across a colour ringed godwit please send us in the sighting details so that the students on our schools project can find out for you where they have been.
Harper's Island has featured in our news on many occasions and Jim Wilson was luck enough to go out there twice in the last week to look for colour ringed godwits and he was not dissappointed. He counted over 1600 godwits and six had colour rings. He also managed to see a colour ringed Redshanks. Here are some photos from his visit.
Just some of the 1600 Black-tailed Godwits at Harper's Island, Cork, Ireland on the 31st August.
(photo © Jim Wilson)
OYGRflag (Orange Yellow Green Red flag) at the high tide roost at Harper's Island on the 30th August. (photo ©Jim Wilson)
GWGGflag (Green White Green Green flag) at the high tide roost at Harper's Island on the 30th August. The green flag is clearly visible on its right leg but it was covered in mud. This bird was ringed in Portugal in March 2010. (photo ©Jim Wilson)
It's not only godwits that can have colour rings. Here is a colour ringed Redshank at the high tide roost at Harper's Island on the 30th August. (photo © Jim Wilson)
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