An avocet ringed at RSPB Titchwell in 1990 has returned to north Norfolk at the age of 23.
Ancient avocet returns home to RSPB Titchwell Marsh reserve – after 23 years
By CHRIS HILL, Rural affairs correspondent
Saturday, March 16, 2013
7:00 AM
An elderly avocet has returned home to its north Norfolk birthplace – 23 years after it was first recorded there.
The bird, which was ringed at Titchwell Marsh on the July 2, 1990, was spotted on the same RSPB reserve on Wednesday, making it one of the oldest avocets ever recorded in the UK, as the species has an average lifespan of just seven years.
It was originally one of three chicks which fledged from the nature reserve in 1990.
Subsequent sightings suggest an eventful life for the well-travelled bird, spending winters in Suffolk, Kent and Essex and even as far as the Exe Estuary in Devon, while returning to north-west Norfolk in the spring to breed.
Titchwell Marsh visitor officer Pernille Egeberg, said: “It is great to see this old friend return to the reserve. We have always managed Titchwell Marsh with the avocet in mind and we know we’re doing something right when the same birds come back again and again.”
When the RSPB first established the reserve in 1973, the population of the avocet, one of the UK’s most striking wading birds, was extremely fragile.
The avocet became extinct as a breeding bird from the UK in 1893 and it was an important turnaround when the first breeding pair was reported again in 1941.
Since then, the population has recovered well, with about 10pc of the UK’s 877 breeding pairs nesting at Titchwell Marsh every year.
The long-lived bird is among 70 avocets currently on the reserve, many of which will be breeding on the freshwater marsh. In a good year there can be up to 80 pairs nesting on site.
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5 comments
I believe this photo and information was provided by Andy Thompson. Shame he hasn't been acknowledged again :(
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Katy Thompson Batten
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
This is an example of Avocet humour at its best. The ring has been passed down over the years and one of the young Avocets (who are notorious japesters) has put it on and flown to Norfolk just to get the birdlongevity argument going. They are all laughing uproariously back in Avocetania.
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backwoodsman
Saturday, March 16, 2013
I should also say that bird ringing is a vital conservation tool that enables us to understand more about the birds, the areas and habitats that are particularly important for them, and things that affect their survival and breeding success. This knowledge is vital in helping people to develop effective conservation for the birds we all love.
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Lucy
Saturday, March 16, 2013
In response to the previous comment - a LOT of work has been done to ensure that rings do not affect birds and there is no effect on to the birds from having rings on their legs. The weight of the ring compared to the bird means it is similar to a human wearing a wrist watch - it doesn't affect their survival or how long they live. The reason that there is so much variation in birds' lifespans is that most of their lives are ended either by a predator, a disease, cold weather or starvation. Very few die of "old age". We humans, especially in the western world, have managed to find lots of ways to get around the problems that cause birds to die before they reach their dotage.
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Lucy
Saturday, March 16, 2013
We are being told the Avocet has an average life-span of just seven years, yet this one has lived for 23 years, could it be the others had their lives shortened by the rings wrapped around their legs? The difference between 7 years and 23 years is nothing short of extraordinary - if we humans came across someone living way beyond their life expectancy someone would be asking questions.
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Stop Press
Saturday, March 16, 2013