Lesser Redpoll Recoveries

Ringing recoveries can give us important information about species which is then used by the British Trust for Ornithology to improve understanding of how birds live and how this affects populations; knowledge vital for conservation.

The interactive map below shows our ringing recoveries for Lesser Redpolls during 2013, some lines represent more than one bird.  The blue lines show where a bird has been ringed at Foxglove by the Swaledale Ringing Group and then caught by ringers elsewhere. The red lines show a bird ringed by another group at a different location and then controlled by the ringers here on the reserve.

Click on a coloured line for more information about each recovery. One bird of particular interest was ringed as a juvenile in October 2008 in Derbyshire and then controlled here in April 2013, making it 5 years old. The typical lifespan for this species is 2-3 years.

View Lesser Redpoll Recoveries 2013 in a larger map

Lesser Redpolls are a red listed species in the UK due to their recent breeding population decline; however, they are becoming more common in gardens as small seeds such as nyger are put out.  Their fine beaks are adept at handling small seeds, favouring areas rich with Birch and Alder trees as well as young conifers.  These are very sociable birds, moving in flocks outside of the breeding season and not being very territorial even when nesting.