3 New Colour Ringed Knot, Leigh Sands, November 09

"Check out the footage above and see if you can locate any Colour Ringed Birds, if so, answeres on a post card or post a comment"

Had a good sitting at the run off of the tide today at Leigh Sands. As the first flocks of Dunlin came in I noticed a Purple Sandpiper amongst them. Knot were flocking up in their usual "smoke cloud" like formation, there was around 2000+ flying in the area with 700+ birds comming in to the feeding area. I noticed 7 colour ringed birds, all as they came in to land with the colour rings visible as they dropped their legs as they came in to land. I could only get 3 full readings. This was due to the fact the birds were very active and were in the water a lot of the time, also very mobile and flighty due to a Peregrine in the area.

Todays readings are as follows:

Knot 1:
Blue colour ring over red colour Ring, Right Leg
Red colour ring over yellow colour ring over red colour ring Left leg

Knot 2:
Yellow Flag over white colour ring over green colour ring, Right Leg
Yellow colour ring Left leg,

Knot 3:
Red colour ring over red flag ring over blue colour ring, right leg, I was unable to the details of the left leg due to the birds position and I then lost in flight shortly afterwards.

I suspect that these birds are apart of the ringing programmes in the Netherlands or Mauritania and of the Race Islandica and Cantus. I have sent the details off to the relevant contact in the Netherlands. I also had a Norwegian bird today but couldn't read the flag ring details. Now awaiting confirmation of details from over-seas.

Also today:
Dunlin 400+
Turnstone 30+
Bar Tailed Godwit 4
Grey Plover 90+