Great Spot

This week-end Bob Sheppard and I retrapped a female Great Spotted Woodpecker at Bourne Wood that we had ringed nearly nine years ago.
Out of 57 Great Spotted Woodpeckers ringed at Bourne Wood, 37 (or 65%) were ringed during their first year. Just under a third, (18 or 32%) of these have been subsequently retrapped in the wood but several of these have now been retrapped after a good number of years. One, at 10 yrs 333 days after ringing set a new British longevity record for this species at the time. To date the time between ringing and recapture of six individuals have been 10 yrs 333 days, 9 yrs 57 days, 8 yrs 346 days, 7 yrs 59 days, and two over 4 yrs. Bourne Wood is clearly a great spot to grow old in if you’re a Great Spot!

Alan