Bird ringing has been undertaken in Alderney since the mid-1940s, largely down to the members of the Channel Islands Birds ringing scheme (CIBRS). This has produced extremely valuable and comprehensive data concerning our seabird colonies including the Island’s two Gannet colonies (Les Etacs and Ortac). Gannets have been ringed on a regular basis, providing some of the longest time series data on Gannet chicks in the British Isles. Other seabirds, with a long data time series of ringed birds, include European Storm Petrel and Lesser Black-backed Gull (the latter is subject to an on-going colour ringing study of both chicks and adults breeding on the island).
The monitoring effort takes place over the summer, starting with fitting of colour rings on Cormorant chicks on Little Burhou. Then a visit is made to the offshore islet of Coque Lihou to ring Shags and Guillemots and then in the second half of July the focus moves to the Gannet chicks (on Ortac and Les Etacs) followed by a Burhou visit (timed to avoid disturbance to the breeding Puffins). That Burhou visit focusses on colour ringing Lesser Black Backed Gulls by day (a programme started by the CIBRS in 2009) and Storm Petrels at night.
