Wednesday 2 October 2024. Speaker Mr Peter Archdale, Ornithologist
The first speaker of the new year was Mr Peter Archdale. Peter is an ornithologist who takes a keen interest in local bird life, trapping them, ringing them and releasing them back into the wild. His talk was illustrated by photographs of the Mist Nets which are used to catch the birds, and pictures of the many species and varieties caught in the nets. Up to 40 birds could be ensnared in an hour or so on a calm sunny morning. Between June 2022 and June 2024, 1064 birds were netted in Peter’s garden. Each one was identified, weighed, measured and given a health check before being released unharmed. In all 35 different species were recorded; most were common varieties such as bluetits, and finches but also trapped were some rarely seen in gardens such as goldcrests, jays, and great spotted woodpeckers.
Mr Archdale’s talk was entitled “Why ring birds”. The data which he and his fellow enthusiasts collect is fed into a national database which provides an overall picture of the health of the bird population in Great Britain. When pooled with similar data from other countries in Western Europe, Africa and North America an amazing picture emerges that informs conservationists about which species and regions need special consideration. During his talk Peter went online to demonstrate a number of websites with fascinating information about local and national birdlife. Of particular interest is the website of the British Trust for Ornithology, www.bto.org. Well worth a visit, as is www.bto.org/cuckoos.
Recently Peter hosted a group of volunteers from different parts of Northern Ireland. In addition to training about the techniques of bird ringing ethical behaviour in conservation was emphasised.