First Foreign Recapture of a Barn Swallow at Umzumbe

Updated



30.11.2011 will go down as the day the first foreign recapture of a Barn Swallow occured at the Umzumbe Barn Swallow Roost. We have previously had one recapture which was a bird that I had ringed there 2 years previously.

Adult Barn Swallow

During one of the many ringing sessions that will be held at the roost that hosts approximately 1.5 million birds, a total of 57 birds were caught of which one bird already had a ring on its right Tarsus. The ring had the inscription "BRITISH MUSEUM LONDON SW7" with the ring number X111901.

Barn Swallows flying around the nets

The information has been sent to England and we are waiting for the information as to who, where and when the bird was ringed, when this information comes through we will get to know the distance that the bird has travelled. Information returned by the BTO is that the bird was ringed in Retford, Nottinghamshire by the North Notts ringing group on 16th September 2011 as a first year bird. The straightline distance from Retford to the Umzumbe roost is 11 167km. The bird obviously has travelled further than this due to migration routes.

The British ringed Swallow

The Ring

The Ring

For more information please visit my website listed under the links "Barn Swallow Research"