Following the journeys of the Solent's seabirds
Working alongside a network of licensed bird ringers across the Solent, and in partnership with the RSPB on Little Tern conservation, we contribute to one of the UK's largest long-term colour-ringing programmes for breeding seabirds.
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By colour-ringing young birds before they leave the nest, we can identify individuals throughout their lives without the need for recapture. Every sighting adds to our understanding of where these birds travel, where they spend the winter and whether they return to breed in future years.
Working Together
This project is part of a wider collaborative ringing programme involving licensed bird ringers from across the Solent. By working together and sharing observations, we are building one of the most comprehensive datasets on the movements of breeding terns and gulls in southern England.
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Working in partnership with the RSPB, particularly on Little Tern colonies, ensures that ringing is carried out as part of wider conservation efforts to monitor and protect these vulnerable breeding populations.
Little Tern 'T6S'
Sandwich Tern '409'
Our Research
Colour-ringing allows individual birds to be recognised throughout their lives using unique combinations of coloured rings that can be read through binoculars or telescopes.
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By collecting sightings from birdwatchers, researchers and ringing groups across Britain and beyond, we investigate:
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Post-fledging dispersal – where young birds travel after leaving the colony.
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Migration – the routes birds take and where they spend the winter.
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Breeding site fidelity – whether birds return to their natal colony or establish new breeding sites.
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Survival and longevity – how long birds live and how often they return.​
Every observation helps build a more complete picture of the lives of these remarkable seabirds.
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What Have We Learned?
The project has already provided fascinating insights into the movements of Solent breeding birds.
Recoveries have shown that birds ringed in the Solent disperse widely around the UK and Europe before many continue to winter along the Atlantic coast of western Africa. Other individuals return to the Solent in subsequent years, demonstrating remarkable fidelity to their breeding colonies.
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As the dataset continues to grow, our understanding of the movements and ecology of these species becomes increasingly detailed.
Post fledging dispersal of Lymington hatched Sandwich Tern chicks (2025)
Winter dispersal of Lymington hatched Sandwich Tern chicks (2025)
Supporting Conservation
The information gathered through this collaborative project helps conservation organisations better understand how breeding colonies are connected, how young birds survive after fledging and how important sites are linked throughout their annual cycle.
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By contributing to long-term monitoring, the project provides valuable evidence that supports the conservation of Little, Common and Sandwich Terns and Black-headed Gulls both within the Solent and across their wider migratory range.
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Did You Know?
Some Sandwich Terns ringed as chicks in the Solent have later been recorded wintering more than 8,000 kilometres away along the coast of Namibia before returning to breed in Britain just a few years later.
Little Tern H74, Ringed as adult, Senegal 03/04/24, Image taken in courtship, Normandy Lagoon 11/05/24 (c) Jamie Ward