Coots are really underrated birds. They move far more than people think because these movements are almost exclusively at night. I ringed GC22050 as a pullus (chick) within a few yards of my front door in Orrell on 10/06/10. It was subsequently caught and colour rings were added by Kane Brides in Southport. After that it was sighted at Martin Mere twice and then I photographed it at Pennington Flash, Leigh on 10/06/12. This latter sighting was two years to the day from ringing.
As their main food supply of aquatic vegetation varies in abundance between season and between sites it makes sense for them to know or be able to find potential feeding sites over quite a large area. Artificial food supplies will also influence movements. We think we know a lot but we have hardly scratched the surface even with quite common species like Coot. That is why I love ringing birds.
View Coot GC22050 in a larger map
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