Interesting resightings and recoveries of ringed birds (updated 4 April 2007)

Hobby (Falco subbuteo)

S-272.146 was ringed as a nestling (one of the three in this brood) in Pälkäne, southern Finland on 19.7.2006. It was found dead (electrocuted) in the Republic of South Africa on 7.3.2007. The distance between the ringing and recovery site is 9650 km. This is the second Finnish Hobby found in Africa (the first was found in Egypt). This may also be the first recovery of a Hobby ringed in Northern Europe and found south of the Equator.

Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus)

E-15.052 was ringed as a chick in Valtimo, central Finland on 16.7.1989. It was identified from its ring in Jönköping, Sweden on 28.3.2006. With the age of 16 years, 8 months and 12 days, this is the oldest Finnish Whooper Swan. Whooper Swan is the national bird of Finland.

Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis)

DT-028.283 was ringed as a breeding adult in Turku, southwestern Finland on 24.6.1988. The bird was identified from its ring close to the ringing site on 18.9.2006. This is the oldest Finnish Barnacle Goose with the age of 18 years and three months.

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

A breeding female Mallard HT-044.356 was ringed in Kirkkonummi, southern Finland on 4.6.1978. More than 19 years later (19.6.1997) and 315 km away from the ringing site it was predated upon by an Eagle Owl in Sweden.

Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)

HT-059.392, a breeding female, was ringed in Virolahti, Kymenlaakso, on 25.5.1984. She was checked at the ringing site during nesting season every year between 1985-1998 and most recently 26.6.1999, when she reached the record age of 15 years and 1 month, making her the oldest Finnish Goldeneye (world record: 16 years 11 months)

White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla)

E-3.948 was ringed as a chick in southwestern Finland on 19.6.1973. More than 25 years later (29.7.1998), the bird was found dead in the same area. The oldest Finnish White-tailed Eagle.

Greater Spotted Eagle (Aquila clanga)

M-23.684 was the first Greater Spotted Eagle nestling to be ringed in Finland. This milestone was reached near the city of Oulu on 15.7.2005. Unfortunately, this individual was not very successful in its life as it died in a traffic accident in Malmöhus, Sweden on 22.3.2006. The eagle was overdriven by a car when it was feeding on a carcass of a cat - killed by a car...

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)

M-237 was ringed as a chick in Hauho, southern Finland, on 7.7.1964. It was found sick in Kangasala, near the city of Tampere, on 1.8.1990. With the age of more than 26 years this is the oldest Osprey in Europe.

Hobby (Falco subbuteo)

S-185.578 was ringed as a chick in Rääkkylä, eastern Finland, on 17.7.1997. Slightly more than nine years later (14.8.2006) it was found dead in Hartola, southern Finland. The oldest Finnish Hobby.

Common Crane (Grus grus)

M-2.479 was ringed as a chick in Hailuoto, near the city of Oulu, on 7.8.1972. The bird collided with electric cables in Hungary on 1.11.1989. It is still the oldest Finnish Common Crane with the age of more than 17 years.

Temminck’s Stint (Calidris temminckii)

This bird, KT-52.936, was caught at its nest in Enontekiö, northern Finland, on 21.6.2004. In addition to the normal steel ring, it was equipped with an individual combination of colour rings. The bird was sighted for the next time in Salo, southwestern Finland, 17.5.2006 and it was seen again on the breeding site in Enontekiö on 30.6.2005.

Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata)

CT-113.009 was ringed as a chick in Kauhajoki, South Ostrobothnia, on 10.7.1997. The bird was found dead on the Canary Islands in December 1998 (4573 km SW) - the only Finnish Curlew recovery from the region.

Arctic Skua (Stercorarius parasiticus)

S-052.362 was ringed as a chick at southwestern Archipelago sea on 28.6.1969. During the next summer (2.6.1970), it was found in poor condition in Brazil, 10889 km from the ringing site.

Long-tailed Skua (S. longicaudus)

ST-116.017 was ringed as a nestling in Enontekiö, Lapland, on 1.7.1992. The bird was found dead 2735 km SW in Morbihan, France, after only 48 days, on 18.8.1992. The news of the recovery, however, came seven years later. This is the only sighting of a Finnish-ringed Long-tailed Skua.

Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus)

S-049.023 was ringed in Sääksmäki, Häme, on 17.6.1968. The bird was found dead in Zuid-Holland (1578 km SW) on 17.2.1999, and had been identified as a Black-headed Gull by the finder. The bird was 30 years and 8 months old and is the oldest Black-headed Gull in Europe.

Black-headed Gull (L. ridibundus)

ST-178.394 was ringed as a fledgling on 29.6.1996 in Hämeenkyrö county, Pirkanmaa. The metal ring was sighted with a telescope on 3.1.2000 and 7.1.2000 in Fort Worth, Texas (USA). This is the westernmost recovery of a Finnish bird, as well as being the first Finnish-ringed bird sighting in the USA. The bird was back again to it's wintering quarters in Texas on 30.11.2000.

Common Gull (L. canus)

CT-014.051 was ringed as a chick in Yläne, southwestern Finland, on 18.6.1974. The bird was seen in good condition in Denmark on 8.2.2007. This is the oldest living bird in Finland, and with the age of 32 years and 8 months, it is also the second oldest Common Gull in the world.

Herring Gull (L. argentatus)

HT-193.972 + CN22 was ringed in its nest in Pälkäne, Häme area, on 1.7.1996. The first sighting of the colour ring was recorded near the ringing site (5 km SW) in Valkeakoski on 15.8.1996; the second on 6.5.1998 in Västerbotten, Sweden (336 km NW); and the third on 26.5.1999 in the mountains of Longyearbyen, the Spitzbergen, Norway (1914 km NNW), our northernmost sighting ever.

Herring Gull (L. argentatus)

HT-017.100 was ringed as a chick in Dragsfjärd, southwestern Finland, on 9.6.1973. It was killed almost 33 years later (30.4.2006) at a waste disposal site in Parainen, southwestern Finland. This bird holds the longevity record of birds ringed in Finland.

Lesser Black-backed Gull (L. fuscus)

This bird, C-61.741, was ringed as a chick in Simo, near the city of Oulu, on 13.7.1957. More than two years later (25.9.1959) the bird was found shot in Cocos Islands, northwest of Australia. It has travelled a distance of 10478 km and is still the furthest recovery of Finnish Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)

AT-150.635 was ringed as a chick in Kuopio, central Finland, on 30.6.1996. Half a year later it was controlled by a ringer - in Australia! The distance from the ringing site to the site of recovery was 15240 km.

Common / Arctic Tern (S. hirundo / paradisaea)

A-138.332 was ringed as a chick in Pernaja, southern Finland, on 30.6.1961. On Christmas day 1972, it was found in Tasmania, Australia. With the distance of 15777 kilometres, this is so far the furthest recovery of any bird ringed in Finland.

Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo)

E-4.559 was ringed as a chick in Lohja, southern Finland, on 1.6.1975. It was found dead in Kemiö, southwestern Finland, on 3.1.2002. Time elapsed from ringing to recovery was more than 26,5 years. This individual holds the longevity record for Eagle Owls ringed in Finland and in the whole Europe.

Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium passerinum)

This bird BV-29.280 was ringed as a nestling in Eura, southwestern Finland, on 17.6.2004. It was controlled for the first time in Lapua, south Ostrobothnia, on 2.11.2004. Measurements revealed that it was a male. The next time he was caught at his nest in Lapua on 27.5.2006. Then, quite surprisingly, only two weeks later (9.6.2006) he was caught at another nest situated approximately two kilometres away from the first nest. This is probably the first documented case of polygamy in the Pygmy Owl in the whole world. On 6.11.2006 this male was captured from his prey storage, again in Lapua.

Tawny Owl (Strix aluco)

D-72.229 was ringed as a chick in Hausjärvi, southern Finland, on 22.5.1988. This bird was caught at its nest in Kärkölä 23 km away from the ringing site on 20.5.2006 and was then identified as male. With the age of 18 years, he is the oldest Finnish Tawny Owl.

Ural Owl (S. uralensis)

D-47.397 was ringed as a chick in Tampere on 24.5.1972. It was found in poor condition near the ringing site on 6.4.1996. With the age of almost 24 years, this is the oldest Ural Owl ringed and found in the whole Europe.

Common Swift (Apus apus)

AA-22.447 was ringed as a nestling in Lehtimäki, South Ostrobothnia, on 27.7.2005. Only two weeks later it was controlled in Latvia, 665 kilometres south from the ringing site. The finding circumstances for this bird were very unusual: it had flown into the local bird ringing centre through an open window!

White-backed Woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos)

A-554.077 was ringed as a female in Hartola, southern Finland, on 26.3.1988. It was identified from its colour rings near the ringing site on 1.1.2004. This is the oldest European White-backed Woodpecker.

Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

X-935.365 was ringed as a first-year bird in Tuulos, southern Finland, on 22.8.1997. On 11.7.2006, it was caught at its nest approximately 10 km away from the ringing site. With the age of 8 years, 10 months and 20 days, it is the oldest Finnish Barn Swallow. By the summer of 2006 it had visited its wintering grounds (probably somewhere in South Africa) nine times!

Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica)

JL-110.137, an old male Bluethroat, was ringed in Helsinki on 14.5.2004. Unfortunatley, he was shot in Waziristan, Pakistan, on 11.4.2006, 4490 km from Helsinki. This is the first recovery of a Finnish bird in Pakistan.

Sedge Warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus)

V-637.074 was ringed as a young bird in the EURING Acro project in Laajalahti, Espoo, southern Finland, on 11.8.1988. Observed during the spring migration to Kaliningrad, Russia on 5.5.1992 and 9.5.1992 (615 km SSW), and most recently during the autumn migration in Donji Miholjac, Croatia (1668 km SSW) on 27.8.1998, this bird attained the world record for longevity of this species: 10 years!

Goldcrest (Regulus regulus)

Ring recoveries show that even the smallest birds can travel very quickly over large distances. For example, LL-23.598 was ringed at Lågskär bird observatory on 7 October 2006 at 9 a.m.. Only one our later it was controlled at another bird observatory, Signilskär, situated 52 km away. As another example, LL-51.766 was ringed at Hanko bird observatory on 12 October 2006 and was controlled in Stockholm during the next day, after having travelled 195 km. And finally, TL-60.556 was ringed in Mietoinen, southwestern Finland, 16.10.2005. It was controlled 761 km away in Poland only three days later.

Willow Tit (Parus montanus)

With the age of 11 years and 5 months, X-382.866 is so far the oldest Finnish Willow Tit. It was ringed as a nestling in Haukipudas near the city of Oulu on 18.6.1994 and controlled near its ringing site on 17.11.2005.

Red-backed Shrike (Lanius collurio)

PA-04.026 was ringed at Rönnskär bird station in Kirkkonummi, southern Finland, on 10.5.1998. She was killed in Mwinilunga, Zambia (7927 km S) in the following autumn, 13.11.1998 - the furthest recovery of a Finnish Red-backed Shrike.

Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris)

X-733.794 was ringed as a second-year bird in Pernaja, southern Finland, on 15.6.1997. The bird was controlled almost nine years later, on 25.5.2006, at its ringing site. It is the oldest Finnish Greenfinch.