What's Involved

Good bird-watching experience and expertise is necessary before anyone considers becoming a ringer as correct identification is vital.

By its very nature ringing is a practical activity and the training is akin to an apprenticeship. For someone interested in becoming a ringer it probably begins by seeing it taking place, perhaps at a nature reserve or when visiting a bird observatory. It also gets wide coverage these days with television programmes such as Autumnwatch and Springwatch.

Progression is from helper, through a series of permit grades and endorsements, to finally becoming a fully-independent ‘A’ ringer and possibly a Trainer. There is no hard and fast rule about how long it takes to become a qualified ringer but typically, for people that are taking it up recreationally, a couple of months are spent as a helper, two years as a trainee and two to three years as a ‘C’ ringer, making it around five years in total.

The training at Chew Valley Ringing Station can provide enough experience for a permit to ring passerines and near passerines, ducks, birds of prey and rails. However, for other species such as seabirds and waders the appropriate training has to be obtained elsewhere. However, the ringing scheme can be flexible and it is possible to qualify quite quickly for a ‘restricted’ permit for projects not involving the use of mist nets. For example, an experienced nest recorder may wish to broaden their study by ringing nestlings, or a carer at a bird hospital could qualify to ring rehabilitated birds on their release.