Tagged Kites and Ringed Raven

Thanks for the tagged kite records Elfyn. All Gigrin regulars on this occasion and from fairly local nests too - but good to have the sightings anyway. The raven is perhaps of more interest this time as there aren't that many colour-ringed ones left - despite the fact that I colour-ringed/tagged over 3,000 chicks in nests in mid Wales and Shropshire up to 1999.

I used Lime Green rings in 1997 so the bird you saw is now over 13 years old. It's still a bit short of the BTO longevity record of 17 years 11 months and 15 days though and only just over half way to the European record of 21 years and 11 months for a Norwegian Raven but its doing alright. I didn't use O or Q though (as they are easily misread) so the most likely candidate is DA which was ringed on 20th April 1997 at Llanafan near Beulah - no records for distance travelled then!