West Midlands Ringing Group

Breeding Barn Owls have been scarce this year, so it was a real boost to hear from @LeedhamAlan with news of 2 healthy chicks ready for ringing. Here’s hoping 2026 brings a better season for these incredible birds! 🦉💛

Some more brilliant news from the region! We have successfully ringed three more Osprey chicks, meet 4R3, 4R4, & 4R5. This is the 3rd year the adults have been successful with all 3 birds fledging. Let's hope we see them back in 2027!! Those talons!!

One of our members had a surprising sighting reported: a Starling they ringed in their Stourbridge garden was dropped mid-air by a Peregrine Falcon, also ringed by the same member that year! 🐦🪶 #birdringing #peregrinefalcon #starling

Good news from Staffordshire! 🎉 Another successful visit to @SthStaffsWater Blithfield saw 17 more Common Tern chicks colour-ringed, making it 35 ringed so far this year! 🐣 💚 #WildlifeConservation #CommonTern #Birds

Another Nightjar nest found and chicks ringed today in North Staffordshire! 🐣✨ Brilliant to see the project growing into new survey areas. And honestly… how can anyone say these little fluffballs are ugly? 😍 #Nightjar #Conservation #Birds

A session at Venus Pool with @SOS_Birds at the weekend saw us ring 8 Reed Warbler 2 Cettis Warbler 4 Blackcap 1 Robin 1 Garden warbler 7 Chiffchaff 1 Wren Great to see recently fledged Cetti's warbler, showing recent breeding success! But an absence of recaptures was unusual?

Fantastic to receive this image from our @ZEISSBirding trail cam this morning! Great to see young Common Terns fledging from the rafts at @SthStaffsWater Blithfield Reservoir. Really positive news for the site! 🐦📸

Wow! Great use of thermal

These are white-hot clips, I prefer the black-hot for marine mammals, it’s easier to spot them Pulsar Telos XL50 thermal imaging device. 800m offshore #MarineMammals @tjfocus_ @SurveysThermal @PulsarWild

Brilliant night in Staffordshire recording for a future radio programme 🎙️ Celebrating 15 years of our Nightjar project with @ForestryEngland 🌙 Great to showcase our thermal monitoring, plus we caught a young Nightjar, confirming successful breeding! 🐣#thermalbirding

Whilst we take a pause from ringing due to the weather, please keep your eyes out for any of our colour ringed projects: all fitted with black colour rings with white engraving. Common Tern, Peregrine, BH Gull & Stonechat. Thank you 💚🔥

It’s a cooler day at the @GlobalBirdfair this morning. We look forward to seeing you on the @PulsarWild today.

Join lots of fantastic speakers at the @PulsarWild stand in Falcon F7. Looking forward to seeing you all. It’s a scorcher 🔥@GlobalBirdfair

It’s @GlobalBirdfair time. Looking forward to seeing everyone again this year. Find us at the @PulsarWild and @SurveysThermal stands. We are doing several talks and are always available to talk thermal and birds! Come and see us

With @No1FarmerJake @OverburyEnt at the weekend, added to the Barn owls we ringed 16 Swallows 8 Sedge Warbler 6 Blackcap 1+ 5r Reed Warbler 5 Great tit 4 Wren 2 Robin 2 Chiffchaff With singles of Reed Bunting, Whitethroat, Blue Tit, Dunnock, Blackbird & Song thrush.

Barn owls have had a tough year. Checks of our boxes with @No1FarmerJake at @OverburyEnt have seen us find 1 brood from 6 boxes, although adults have been noted at the boxes. This week we ringed a brood of 3, but did catch a bird that we ringed on the estate as a chick in 2023!

Cuteness alert! 🐣 Two more Nightjar chicks successfully ringed after being discovered with our thermal drone. Incredible to witness these elusive birds thriving this breeding season! 💚 #Conservation #NightjarWatch #Nightjar

Each year we monitor @SthStaffsWater Tern rafts at Blithfield Reservoir using modified @ZEISSBirding trail cams. This season we’ve spotted A12 & A13 (ringed in 2021), 0A0 (2022), and two other from different sites & ringing groups. Incredible journeys, incredible returns 📸🦤

Last night we had the privilege of catching and ringing two male Nightjars in Staffordshire as part of our long-standing project. These elusive birds are usually only known by their eerie calls. What a magical moment to see them up close. 💚 #nightjar #conservation

This is something we keep pushing as a message to dog walkers. Birds are already struggling, so help them out and keep your dog on a lead during breeding season.