In the name of "science" it is disgusting to see how this bird must be suffering with an infected leg obviously due to some careless ringing technology. When is this going to be stopped as this in no way can improve birds life conditions?

Hello Eigil.

If this bird really is suffering how can it still be alive after all these years? And how can it made the migration year after year if it’s not in a good condition?

Do people with a ring on their finger also suffer?

Maybe some married couples do. But I don’t think it’s because of the ring… :)

/SSC

Now I see what you mean about “infection”
Are you sure it’s not a purple ring between the orange ring and the metal ring?

/SSC

I prefer to continue this conversation in danish.
Til Eigil. Dette er jo selvfølgelig et meget dårligt eksempel på ,hvad der kan ske ,når mennesker sætter ringe på fugle.Der bør generelt aldrig sættes ringe over hælleddet.Det bør dog ikke være et generelt eksempel, ringmærkning er meget vigtigt og har bragt, og vil også i fremtiden bringe megen information.
Til Simon. Jeg tror ikke du har set ordentligt på billedet.Fuglens venstre ben er helt opsvulmet og misfarvet mellem den normale metalring og den orange hønsering, der er ingen tvivl om at dette må være meget ubehageligt for fuglen der dog har overlevet.
Så, ringmærk endelig en masse fugle,men ikke på denne måde.....

Okay. First I only saw it as a purple ring. Sorry, Eigil.
Maybe you are right about the infection. 3 rings on one tibia are also more than ringers usually use….

Maybe the photographer can explain more?
Is this bird really ringed in 2001? And then seen again in the area in 2008?

/SSC

Hi Leander,

Very interesting and informative photo

Thank you for sharing ;-)

Others,

Leander kindly wrote "Tringa glareola 2000" project and a quick search on that topic gives the pasted information:

“Since 1997, ringing stations that take active part in the project, apart from the standard metal ring, have marked birds with combinations of four colour rings (two at each leg, above the tarsal joint).”

The project has come up with some very interesting results…just search and you shall find.

The bird looks healthy and definitely in great shape judging from the plumage, but maybe it’s tired from the migration; it’s probably not in pain ;-)

After reading Kent's info of this project I made a second revue of this picture and I must admit that it can be interpreted different with this information in mind as the "damaged" looking of the leg could probably be a moistured pink plastic ring, but my imagination was not big enough to consider somebody to place 5 (five) rings to a minor bird no matter with which intention this was made.
I am not generally against ringing birds but some ethics standards should be established if not already done to avoid unnecessary harm of individuals.
By the way it is a fine informative picture...

Hi all!

I didn't expect this image to cause a discussion! The purple "infection" is indeed a lilac-colored ring - that's however how I observed it and that's the combination (orange-yellow on right; orange-lilac-aluminium on left leg) of the bird, ringed in 2001 at a lake Atanasov, some km away. I sent the ring combination to the coordinator of the project and received the info of her - so this bird indeed exists.

kind regards, Leander

Hi Leander.

Thanks for your comment!
Now we all know the bird isn’t infected.

And also that it has survived many years of migration. A bird in bad condition will probably not be able to live for so long…

/SSC

I think this 7+ years old bird looks like a 1 cy!

When seeing the photo first time, that was my thought as well. But the bird is in non-breeding plumage which is superficially quit similar to first winter plumage. There are though some differences, the scapulars are wide and rounded in adults like the one in the photo whereas first winters have smaller and more pointed feathers. The upper parts lack the first winters buff notches but has instead white fringes broken by dark bars. Furthermore the breast is smooth grey and mostly without the neatly arranged and coarsely streaks seen on first winters. The cap and the dark loral stripe in front of eye are not as pronounced and significant as seen on typical first winters. Therefore the bird is definitely an adult.