mhs

ajohn

This is potentially a very interesting record, as it may be quite an old ring. Thank you for posting the photos and congratulations for getting such a good view that the ring is readable.
I need to check the database to work out which individual this is, and where and when the bird was ringed. Can you please give details of where and when the bird was photographed.

mhs

Thanks ajohn,
17 Dec. 2009, MP
10:50am - 1058am

ajohn

Congratulations mhs and thanks again for posting this photo.

The ring number on this bird is RJ44619, revealing that the bird was ringed on 8th February 2003 in gei wai 8 at Mai Po (I am especially pleased about the resighting, because it was me who originally ringed this bird!). It has also been retrapped once, on 23rd April 2005 on the bund between gei wai 6 and 7. It would be interesting to know where in the reserve it was photographed.

By my reckoning, the photo was taken 6 years and 312 days since ringing. This smashes the previous longevity record for Long-tailed Shrike in HK, which was 3 years and 311 days (and has stood for 16 years).

A very useful piece of data which shows how these high quality photographs can sometimes be useful in recording ringed birds to gather details of movements or longevity without the requirement to retrap the bird. If anyone else has a set of photos in which the ring number is readable, please either post them here or contact me with details. Thanks you.

mhs

Thanks ajohn, very useful info.
addition info: photographed on pond 8.