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During the past eight or nine years and working under the auspices of the North East Swan Study Group, a study of our local swan population has been initiated. Individual swans are caught and fitted with a coloured Darvic (plastic) ring inscribed with a unique combination of three letters/digits and also, on the other leg, a metal British Trust for Ornithology ring also stamped with a unique number. Since 1996 the EDRG has ringed an monitored as many swans as possible in the Ripon/Knaresborough/Harrogate area and already there have been several intriguing movements around the countryside. We have been surprised to find that some birds have crossed the Pennines, having been seen on Lake Windermere, in Fleetwood Docks and at Carnforth. We have discovered that some non-breeding birds move north to join the semi-resident flock at Berwick-on-Tweed; most subsequently return, often accompanied by birds originating from Northumberland. Birds ringed in our area have also been reported from Fairburn Ings, Hornsea Mere, Wheldrake Ings and sites in South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.
All biometric data taken from the swans is used by the NE Swan Study Group to build up a picture of northern swan populations, their movements, preferred breeding habitats and life expectancy - overhead power lines have been shown to account for many swan deaths.
Sightings of colour-ringed birds from waters in the Harrogate & Distrist Naturalists' Society study area, or from adjacent waters, would be welcome and the correspondents will be informed about the origins of such birds - please contact Jill Warwick
All swans ringed are fitted with a red or blue darvic ('sighting') ring as well as a standard BTO. A list showing the letter and number combinations of the coloured plastic rings used by the group is shown below: