Correspondence of the Ringing Centre

Anyone who finds a bird ringed in Finland - and also the ringer of the bird found and a ringer who forwards a recovery made by a non-ringer - receives a computer printed personal thank-you-letter, which includes the ringing and the finding details plus the previous possible recaptures and/or resightings of the bird. In addition, copies of letters concerning rings found abroad are sent for the appropriate country's ringing centre, even if the original recovery report has not come through that centre. The recovery letters are printed optionally in ten different languages, namely Danish, English, Finnish, Flemish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Spanish and Swedish. Every year ca. 17,000 recovery letters and 3,000 recapture letters are printed about Finnish rings

The Ringing Centre also sends the complete data on all foreign rings found in Finland to the appropriate country's Ringing centre. When a reply is received the Ringing Centre passes on the thank-you-letter to the Finnish finder. The correspondence regarding foreign rings amounts to 900 thank-you-letters and 600 contacts with foreign Ringing centres every year.

Dozens of requests for data from both domestic and foreign researchers and authorities are received every year. The Centre also conducts the necessary correspondence with both finders and ringers regarding the preliminary checking of the data.