Annual report to EURING 1998-1999
for the Copenhagen Bird Ringing Centre

Short annual report for EURING GM at Helgoland, 29 September 1999

Copenhagen Bird Ringing Centre has undergone significant changes during the past year. It is now jointly financed by the Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen and the Ministry of Environment and Energy according to an agreement that runs in periods of three years. The first period started 1 August 1998. The contract is to be renewed by both the museum and the ministry in December 2000. As a consequence of this new structure and due to a general modernisation of the ringing centre, the Copenhagen ringing scheme has produced a detailed strategy plan for its administration as well as ringing activities for 1999 through 2001. Simultaneously, new general guidelines for ringers were also produced and published.

The main point in the new general guidelines is that every ringed bird can now be traced back to a specific project and purpose. That is, every ringed bird is now justified in an approved project with specific aims prior to the ringing event, following general guidelines approved by both the museum and the Ministry of Environment and Energy.

General ringing "without a specific purpose" does no longer occurs. However, most general ringing of earlier days is now justified through our new "Background Ringing Project." The aim of this project is to collect information through general ringing on target species of which we still do not have sufficient ringing material to answer even basic biological, phenological and natural history questions. Approximately 170 species can be ringed on a license for this project. Another 20 species which are considered to be "minimally covered" with respect to the above, may still be ringed, but now only following the approval of a project. The same rules apply to ringing of Red Data Book-listed species (68 spp.). Additionally, all colour-ringing projects must now be approved by the Copenhagen Bird Ringing Centre, based on a project description and the activities enrolled on The European colour-ring Birding (D.Raes/EURING) web site.

The new rules and strategy were implemented as of 1 January 1999 after discussion with ringers on meetings throughout the country in late 1998.

Also, from 1 January 1999, all metal-ringing in Denmark is conducted with Copenhagen rings (i.e., Kalø metal rings are no longer used) and all ringing recoveries of metal rings are processed in Copenhagen (also those regarding old Kalø rings.) The databases and files concerning National Environmental Research Institute, Bird Ringing Scheme Kalø’s metal-ringing activities have been transferred to Copenhagen. Bird Ringing Scheme Kalø continues with their ringing activities using Copenhagen metal rings, but they still administrate and use their own colour rings, radio-transmitters, data loggers, etc.

Numbers of birds ringed

During 1998, 71,757 birds in 183 species were ringed in Denmark and on the Faeroe Islands (figure for 1997 was 86,715 birds in 185 species). The most abundant ringed species in Denmark in 1998 were Robin with 6,089, Greenfinch with 5,166, and Herring Gull with 5,135. On the Faeroe Islands, British Storm-petrel was the most common species ringed with 2,231 specimens.

Numbers of recoveries

Copenhagen Bird Ringing Centre received and handled 2,885 recoveries (incl. retraps and controls) of birds ringed in Denmark and on the Faeroe Islands during 1998 (figure for 1997 was 3,252) plus 775 recoveries of birds ringed abroad (607 in 1997). The vast number of readings of rings in connection with the very large colour-marking projects on Mute Swan and gulls is handled separately with the help of the project holders. The most abundant recovered species in Denmark in 1998 was Greylag Goose with 580 (incl. reading of colour rings,) Herring Gull with 461, Black-headed Gull with 188, and Greenfinch with 166 recoveries. On the Faeroe Islands, British Storm-petrel was the most abundant with 49 recoveries. The figure for Mute Swan is not yet known.

We are in the progress of specifying which recovery data we want to include in our database, especially with regard to controlled/recaptured birds. Many Danish ringers follow the traditional ‘rule’ to only report birds ringed by themselves if there are more than 30 days between ringing date and recapture date, or if the distance between ringing site and recapture site is more than 10 km. Our goal is to include all recoveries, including retraps, but lack of software for the ringers and our outdated software at the ringing central prevent this.

Numbers of ringers, ringing groups, and ringing stations

During 1998, the Copenhagen Bird Ringing Centre had 185 licensed ringers, five ringing groups, and six ringing stations. At present (Sep.1999), we have 175 ringers, six ringing groups, and six ringing stations. This is a 5% drop in the number of active ringers between the two years. The reason given by ringers for not renewing their license is mainly lack of time and/or interest. Only two ringers have given the new guidelines as reason for stopping.

Staff at the Copenhagen Bird Ringing Centre, Zoological Museum

Allocation of time by permanent Zoological Museum staff:

• Carsten Rahbek, Ph.D., Lecturer in Ornithology, Head of the ringing scheme, part-time.
• Jan Bolding Kristensen, Assistant Curator, part-time.
• Berit Ree, Assistant Curator, part-time.

• Jesper Johannes Madsen, M.Sc., Research and Project Co-ordinator, full-time.
• Kjeld T. Pedersen, Assistant Curator, full-time.
• Eddie Fritze, Assistant, full-time (until July 2000.)

All recovery data (incl. retraps, controls, and readings of metal rings) are stored in databases, except short-term retraps at the ringing site. Ringing data are still handled manually. It was our hope to introduce one of the existing ringing- and recovery programmes used at other ringing centres in 1999/2000, as we have no funds to redevelop a new database system. We are still working on that option. A solution is needed before the end of our first three-year contract, as a renewal probably depends on our ability to store electronically all retraps and especially all ringing data.

Ringing projects

In addition to our own research projects, we are pleased to announce that Denmark in 1999 is participating in the EURING Swallow Project (with three breeding sites and one roost site.) It is our hope that next year we will be able to add a few more sites. Of external projects following the new guidelines we have in 1999 (until September) approved 14 colour-marking projects, one radio tracking project, two experimental projects, 10 projects on Red Data Book species, 22 projects concerning ‘minimally covered’ species, and eight various other projects. All these projects are external projects managed by amateur ringers or professional researchers from Denmark as well as abroad.
 
 Jesper Johannes Madsen and Carsten Rahbek
September 1999