Autumn grounded manx shearwaters - always worth ringing!

Most autumns, a number of juvenile Manx shearwaters become grounded somewhere shortly after fledging. They get attracted to lights, pools in the road etc and some just get driven inland during stormy weather. The Pembrokeshire Ringing Group (usually via John Hayes) often ring such birds handed in. Then, at a suitable headland on a dark settled night, they are sent on their way again - off to an uncertain fate!

So it is always pleasing to know that it is all worthwhile. Today, I received recovery details in the post of a ringed Manx shearwater FR43184. I ringed this grounded juv in August 1988 and released it at around midnight at Freshwater East. In July 2007 it was controlled alive at the Skomer colony (probably where it had been born in 1988 and where, presumably, it was breeding 19 years later). I wonder what the chances of finding it again amongst thousands of others are!

Whilst this is nowhere near a record age for a Manx, it was non-the-less pleasing that it had made it through its ordeal, successfully re-orientated and survived! Someone had found it in a garden in Pembroke, had taken the time to care for it and pass it on to be ringed and released.

Hopefully FR43184 continues to survive. If so, perhaps it is already back on Skomer by now this spring; if not, hopefully it will be not far away - on the last leg of a long journey from its wintering area (probably somewhere off the Brazilian or Argentinian coast). If so maybe it will continue to survive for another couple of decades or more.