One man and his metal detector

Finding a British ring and a Dutch ring in the pellets below an old Peregrine's nest almost 15 years ago sparked a passion for Mark Lawrence.  Searching below nest sites with a metal detector, Mark has managed to collect an impressive number of bird rings — adding valuable data to the ringing scheme in the process. Amongst the many rings he's found, there have been a significant number from foreign ringing schemes:

Starlings from Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania (5), Russia, Estonia, the Netherlands and Sweden; Redwings from Belgium (4), France, Sweden and the Netherlands (2); A Dutch Song Thrush; Blackbirds from Germany, and the Netherlands (2); Fieldfares from Norway and Finland; a Black-headed Gull from Lithuania; Common Terns from the Netherlands and West Africa; a Chaffinch from the Netherlands; a Sandwich Tern from Sweden; and Chaffinch, Woodcock and Sand Martin from France.

The full story of Mark's metal-detecting can be read on the BTO website: http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/taking-part/volunteering/volunteer-stories/winters-tale