From: Colin Jackson <colin.jackson@arocha.org>
Date: 2013-06-18 16:13
Subject: ancient Lesser Flamingo
The Ringing Scheme of East Africa has just received news of a Lesser
Flamingo that was found freshly dead at Lake Baringo on 13th
February this year with a ring. The incredible thing about it is
that the ring was a BTO ring (British Trust for Ornithology) that
was one of those rings used on a batch of several thousand Lesser
Flamingo chicks that bred at at Lake Magadi in....1962!!
This bird was in fact ringed by none other than the very well-known
Leslie Brown on 1st November 1962 making it 50
years, 3 months and 25 days old!
It must surely be the oldest recorded Lesser Flamingo and quite
stunning that it lived for so long. A few years ago there was one
recovered also at Magadi that was about 45 years old - there may be
one or two more out there with rings from that time!
If anyone receives this who knows more about that ringing event of
Lesser Flamingo chicks in 1962 - or was perhaps even there and took
part, it would be really interesting to know the full story. I
believe many of the chicks had got 'anklets' of encrusted soda
formed around their legs which were acting as a 'ball and chain' and
were killing the birds. Rescuers were breaking the balls of
encrusted soda off and putting rings on thus saving the lives of
many flamingos - some to live to over 50 years later!
The person who found the flamingo is Nick Armour of Swavesey,
England, to whom we are indebted for reporting the ring. The
distance from ringing site to recovery site is 242kms.
We need to spread the word of what ringing is about so that members
of the public who find ringed birds know what to do with them - i.e.
report them to the ringing scheme / museum. If anyone reading this
has opportunity for publishing stories or reports in newspapers /
magazines / report on radio etc, please do so. There must be dozens
of rings found by the public that are never reported due simply to
ignorance of what they are.
--
-------------------------
Colin Jackson
A Rocha Kenya
Christians in Conservation
Cell: +254 (0)722-842366
Land: +254 (0)20 260 0731
www.arocha.org
www.assets-kenya.org
Blog: www.arochakenya.wildlifedirect.org