Monitoring birds today to help protect them tomorrow

Established in 2022, the New Forest Ringing Group (NFRG) is a dedicated team of licensed bird ringers and trainees working across the New Forest and surrounding areas. Through a range of long-term monitoring projects, migration studies and conservation initiatives, the group contributes valuable scientific data to improve our understanding of Britain's birds and support their long-term conservation.

Working under permits issued by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), the group undertakes a variety of research projects, ranging from nationally recognised monitoring schemes to local studies of breeding birds and migration. Every bird ringed, every survey completed and every recovery recorded adds another piece to the picture of how our bird populations are changing.

Meet the Team

The New Forest Ringing Group combines experienced bird ringers with enthusiastic trainees, creating a supportive environment where knowledge and skills are passed on to the next generation of conservationists.

The group is led by Marcus Ward as trainer and currently includes:

Andrew Colenutt – A Permit Holder
Tommy Saunders – A Permit Holder
Jamie Ward – C Permit Holder
Emily-Louise Griffin – Trainee
Rob Farnworth – Trainee
Tara Squire – Trainee
Amy Squire – Trainee
Katarina Saleiko – Trainee
Elliot Frost – Trainee
Willow Bloomfield – Trainee
Sam Walker – Trainee
Felix Walker-Nix – Trainee

Training new bird ringers is a key part of the group's ethos. By investing in the next generation, we help ensure the long-term future of bird ringing and conservation research within the New Forest.

Our Research

The New Forest Ringing Group undertakes several complementary projects throughout the year, each designed to answer different questions about bird ecology, survival and population change.

Constant Effort Site (CES) – Keyhaven Marsh

Since 2017, the Keyhaven Marsh Constant Effort Site has formed one of our most important long-term monitoring projects. Standardised mist-netting is carried out every ten days between May and September, providing information on breeding productivity, adult survival and annual population trends.

Because the survey follows exactly the same methodology each year, it provides an invaluable long-term dataset that helps reveal subtle changes in bird populations over time.

Winter Constant Effort Site – The Manor at Sway

Established following a successful trial in 2025, the Winter CES at The Manor at Sway monitors resident and wintering bird populations between November and February.

Using the same standardised methodology as the summer CES, the project is helping improve understanding of winter survival, habitat use and seasonal changes in bird communities.

Migration Monitoring

Migration is one of the most exciting times of the year for any bird ringer, and from late summer through autumn the team regularly monitors migration at key sites around the New Forest and Solent.

Weather conditions often dictate where and when ringing takes place, with visits carefully planned to coincide with periods of active migration. Species such as warblers, chats, flycatchers, wagtails and finches provide valuable insights into migration timing, productivity and the condition of birds passing through southern England.

Colour-ringing Projects

Alongside standard ringing, the group undertakes a variety of colour-ringing projects on selected species.

Colour rings allow individual birds to be identified in the field without the need for recapture, providing valuable information on survival, movements, breeding site fidelity and dispersal. Recoveries from colour-ringed birds have revealed fascinating movements both within the UK and across Europe and Africa, contributing to wider collaborative conservation projects.

Treecreeper

Nightjar

Sandwich Tern (409)

Pied Flycatcher

Why Bird Ringing Matters

Bird ringing is one of the most effective tools available for understanding wild bird populations. Each individually numbered ring allows a bird to be identified throughout its lifetime, enabling scientists to study survival, migration, longevity and breeding success.

Combined with standardised monitoring schemes such as CES, ringing provides essential information that cannot be gathered through casual observation alone. The data collected by NFRG contribute directly to national monitoring coordinated by the British Trust for Ornithology.

Highlights from the Field

Every year brings new discoveries, and long-term monitoring continues to build our understanding of the New Forest's birdlife.

Recent highlights include:

Continuing one of the New Forest's longest-running Constant Effort Sites.
Establishing a Winter CES to monitor seasonal changes in bird populations.
Monitoring migration through the New Forest and Solent during spring and autumn.
Training the next generation of licensed bird ringers.
Contributing thousands of ringing records to the British Trust for Ornithology.

Supporting Conservation

Every bird ringed contributes to a much larger picture.

The information collected by the New Forest Ringing Group is submitted to the British Trust for Ornithology and contributes to national monitoring programmes used by researchers, conservation organisations and land managers throughout the UK.

By understanding how bird populations are changing, where birds travel and how successful they are at breeding, we can make better-informed decisions that help conserve both species and the habitats upon which they depend.

Did You Know?

Less than one per cent of Britain's birdwatchers are licensed bird ringers. Becoming a qualified bird ringer takes many years of supervised training, ensuring that every bird is handled safely, ethically and with the highest standards of welfare.

A full report describing the survey methods, results and conclusions is available to download below.

Read our 2025 New Forest ringing update blog here