Colour-ringed Cormorant at Lavell's Lake

19 Sep 2002 | Marek Walford

A Cormorant with a white ring and black writing was first seen at Lavell's Lake on 11th September 2002. The observer had tried to read the number but couldn't read the first character. The following day I saw the same bird and was able to read the number as "H18".

A quick internet search located a website detailing Cormorant colour-ringing projects in Europe. I easily found a contact email address for a scheme in Denmark that uses the same format as the Lavell's bird. I sent an email and within an hour I had a reply detailing the date the bird was ringed and a list of all previous sightings.

The bird is a male and was ringed as a chick on 16th May 1988 in a colony at Vors�, Horsens Fjord, east coast of Jutland, Denmark, 55.52N-10.01E.

Sightings from inside the breeding colony
First DateLast DateYoung fledged
09.05.200209.05.2002 
21.03.200007.07.2000 
17.06.199917.07.1999 
30.03.199830.03.1998 
05.03.199714.05.19972
06.06.199604.08.1996 
27.02.199523.03.1995 
05.03.199420.09.19941
31.03.199316.07.1993 
03.06.199215.07.19923
25.03.199105.07.1991 
23.03.199012.07.1990 
09.04.198920.07.1989 
08.06.198810.07.1988 
Sightings from outside the breeding colony:
DateLat/LongLocation
13.09.200351.27N-00.52WLavell's Lake, Berkshire, United Kingdom
26.01.200351.27N-00.52WLavell's Lake, Berkshire, United Kingdom
18.09.200251.27N-00.52WLavell's Lake, Berkshire, United Kingdom
12.09.200251.27N-00.52WLavell's Lake, Berkshire, United Kingdom
11.09.200251.27N-00.52WLavell's Lake, Berkshire, United Kingdom
19.02.199551.18N-00.44WFrimley Gravel Pits, Surrey, United Kingdom
13.02.199551.18N-00.44WFrimley Gravel Pits, Surrey, United Kingdom
15.01.199551.18N-00.44WFrimley Gravel Pits, Surrey, United Kingdom
13.02.199451.18N-00.44WFrimley Gravel Pits, Surrey, United Kingdom
06.02.199451.18N-00.44WFrimley Gravel Pits, Surrey, United Kingdom
16.01.199451.18N-00.44WFrimley Gravel Pits, Surrey, United Kingdom
31.01.199351.18N-00.44WFrimley Gravel Pits, Surrey, United Kingdom
24.01.199351.18N-00.44WFrimley Gravel Pits, Surrey, United Kingdom
17.01.199351.18N-00.44WFrimley Gravel Pits, Surrey, United Kingdom
20.12.199251.18N-00.44WFrimley Gravel Pits, Surrey, United Kingdom
28.02.199251.18N-00.44WFrimley Gravel Pits, Surrey, United Kingdom
08.12.199151.18N-00.44WFrimley Gravel Pits, Surrey, United Kingdom
20.10.199151.26N-01.00WDinton Pastures Country Park, Berkshire, United Kingdom
13.07.199155.52N-09.51EN�rrestrand, Jylland, Denmark
27.01.199051.32N-01.22WFarnborough North Railway Station, Hampshire, United Kingdom
11.12.198951.17N-00.50WFleet Pond, Hampshire, United Kingdom
03.12.198951.17N-00.50WFleet Pond, Hampshire, United Kingdom

This article was updated on 22nd October 2003 following receipt of further sightings