thanks to Nick at the RSPB for the following:
Hi Mark,
Some really nice photos, we're lucky that you captured this colour ringed bird. Yes, this is one 'our' birds from the south Pennines. It has the combination left: yellow over metal, right: orange over white, and was ringed (X647893) as a nestling at Slaithwaite Moor, nr Huddersfield, W Yorkshire on 9 June 2010. It was seen locally after fledging, but this is the first record of it since the summer.
We have been colour-ringing Twite in the south Pennines for the last three years as part of a Twite Recovery Project funded by RSPB and Natural England. This project is undertaking conservation work with landowners to halt, and eventually reverse, the decline in the south Pennines Twite population. The birds have been ringed as part of our monitoring work to assess the effectiveness of the recovery project. We have used unique colour-ring combinations so that we can collect information on the number of nesting attempts made by individual females in a single season. Records of these birds outwith this however are valuable for further understanding their movements and survival. As you may know, the east coast from Lincolnshire south to Essex / Kent forms the main wintering area for the south Pennines breeding population.
Many thanks again for reporting this record.
Regards
Nick
