This may not seem a big deal, but it turns out that the birds had previously been caught on nature reserves in northwest France, as part of their migration from Druridge Bay to Senegal in West Africa.

The two birds were recorded by bird ringing volunteers at the wildlife charity’s Hauxley and East Chevington reserves. Tracking down the origin of the rings worn by the two small sedge warblers, staff at the Hauxley Wildlife Discovery Centre found that they were ringed at two neighbouring sites near Nantes in northwest France, the Reserve du Massereau and Mars-Ouest.

Sedge warblers are tiny songbirds that weigh no more than a AAA battery. They make the 3000-mile trip twice a year to breed in the UK during summer months before heading off to find food and warmth in Africa during winter.

The tiny birds were ringed on the 11^th August 2023 as they migrated south. Having travelled 560 miles just to get to France, they still had another 2300 miles to go, and, thanks to the bird ringing program at Druridge Bay, the bird ringing volunteers now know they managed to get to Africa and back to the Northumberland coast safely.

Needless to say, the Hauxley team will be keeping a keen eye open for them returning next year.

Alex Lister, Northumberland Wildlife Trust Druridge Bay Landscapes Manager says:

“I think these sightings are pretty amazing as they are a wonderful example of how useful bird ringing is. Not only does it help us with tracking the movement and migration routes it provides us with population numbers, but essential information for conservationists also attempting to reverse declining populations.

“Sedge warblers are on the UK Amber Bird List due to the decline of reedbeds which they rely on, so it’s testament to our habitat improvement work at Druridge Bay that these tiny little birds chose to breed and recharge their batteries on two of our reserves, before heading off to spend the winter in West Africa.”