How it started
Oxford local, Alice (licensed to ring birds by the British Trust for Ornithology BTO – https://www.bto.org/our-science/projects/ringing) contacted us in 2020 about the possibility of gathering basic data on species presence at Hogacre Common. This provides information on survival, productivity and movement in order to help understand why bird populations are changing. At a site level, bird ringing can provide information about which species occur on a site, when they are present and how they use the site (e.g. to breed, on passage, to feed, etc.).
Alice said: “Having visited Hogacre Common recently, it seemed that sustainable local production was well-balanced with biodiversity encouragement, and there was lots of wildlife to enjoy. I would therefore like to provide a means of monitoring bird populations here, to see how they change over time as the project develops and the landscape changes. I would also be happy to talk to passers-by and members of the community project to show them what I am doing.”
Read Alice’s report!
Hogacre Bird Ringing Report 2022
Central Oxford Ringing Group report 2023
You can listen to the wonderful bird songs in the morning here: Dawn Chorus