EMP - Dorset coast 'significant' for bird ringing by RSPB

Dorset coast 'significant' for bird ringing

In pictures: Bird ringing at Radipole Lake Bird ringing - placing a numbered ring on a bird's leg to help identify it - is an important tool in learning about the county's changing bird population. The south coast of Dorset is a key stop for migrating birds on their journeys to and from warmer climates. Nick Tomlinson, site manager for the RSPB's Radipole Lake nature reserve, said: "The south of Dorset is a significant place for bird ringing. "The geography of the coast acts like a funnel, directing the birds here." Migration   Nick Tomlinson: "Bird ringing tells us how birds use the world." RSPB staff at Radipole Lake in Weymouth, a unique nature reserve because of its reed bed habitat in a town centre location, carry out bird ringing all the year round, but spring is a particularly busy time as birds are migrating back to Britain. Nick said: "Ringing also takes place at Abbotsbury Swannery nearby, and down at Portland Bill as well. "But if you think of the Dorset coast around here, from Lyme Bay to Poole and then down to Portland, it's like a funnel. "So when the birds arrive in Spring they spread out from here and on through the rest of the country, and when they leave in the Autumn, they come back through here. "We can have thousands of reed warblers at Radipole Lake, feeding up on aphids in the reeds before they head off to Africa so it's a really important staging post.   The birds are caught using large banks of fine netting. "That's why we bird ring - to try and capture the detail of that information." Netting The birds are caught using large banks of fine netting, which at Radipole can be up to 80ft (23m) in length. The birds fly into it, become entangled, and are then carefully removed. All bird ringers undergo training overseen by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO). Each bird has a pre-stamped ring placed around its leg, before it is weighed, has its wing span measured and is then released back into the wild. Nick said: "It can tell us literally everything about a bird. How long they live for, where they migrate to and from - their life's history. "It helps us identify the locations that are important for our birds so we can protect those sites as well. "Because of bird ringing, we know so much more now about how birds use the world." The RSPB Radipole Lake Springwatch Weekend takes place on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 June at Radipole Lake in Weymouth.