Would you like to see some baby birds in the hand? Join members of the Rye Meads Ringing Group as they monitor and ring the birds breeding in the nest boxes around the reserve.
We have a variety of boxes around Rye Meads which offering nesting sites for little, tawny and barn owls, kestrels, blue and great tits, house sparrow and stock doves. Nature is fickle though, so you may find many other species making use of the space instead! On our guided walk with an expert bird ringer you will have the chance to see a variety of birds up close and personal.
Rye Meads Ringing Group have been studying birds as volunteers on the site since 1960, and usually ring around 65 different species per year. Birds are rung in order to aid research and conservation efforts. This includes many different factors including where they go, how long they live, and helping a better understanding on how to age and sex birds. Only 1-2% of birds ringed are recovered or controlled so continued work ringing new birds is necessary in order to keep an up to date picture on populations, migration patterns, and how they may be affected environmental and climate changes.
For more information on the Rye Meads ringing group please visit https://www.rmrg.org.uk/
https://www.rmrg.org.uk/activities/managing-our-nestboxes/