Possible MARTI RAS

I've been looking at the possibility of starting a RAS (Retrapping Adults for Survival) project on Marsh Tits based on the woods of Wyken Hall near Stanton in Suffolk, and have just agreed to run it as a provisional project for 2012 to see if there are enough individuals in this area to register it as a full project beyond that.

We've got 6 woods on the estate, and I've already ringed some pulli in a couple of nest boxes, plus a few adults. I've also started colour-ringing today, with the intention of marking birds throughout the winter months, and resighting them as part of the RAS during the breeding season.

So, I opened a net in the back garden just to see what went in, and within half an hour I'd colour-ringed the first 2 Marsh Tits of the project (LBR,M;RBR,R & LBR,M;RBR,Y). Both of these two birds had already been ringed with a metal ring (L671503 & L671508) - both as pulli from the same brood of 8 chicks in Wyken Wood, in a nest box just 800 metres away from my house. So, good to make a bit of a start with this!

Marsh Tit LBR,M;RBR,Y - metal ring No. L671508