The colour ringing of Twite at Heysham produced excellent re-sightings this summer with two seen at Sanda (one a male seen, the other a female that was controlled i.e. caught and the ring read- it had been ringed at Heysham 21/3), one seen on Staffa by Tony Soper (27 June) and one on Eigg (21 April).  This is consistent with other movements of UK Twite which are generally moving SSE in direction from their breeding sites.  To get 4 results within a few months of ringing is fantastic especially as they are the first sound evidence of where our coastal Twite come from and the first significant movements from their Scotland haunts.  It is going to be very interesting to see what happens this winter.

The rest of this article is an adaptation of one sent by Roy Rhodes of United Utilities and covers a wide range of Twite issues.

There has been a  long-term decline in numbers of breeding Twite on the South Pennine Moors and county-level Biodiversity Action Plans feature the species as needing widely co-ordinated effort to try to reverse the decline.

In 1997, Brian Leecy, a Halifax birder, started to put seed out on a moorland site above the 1200 ft contour to see if he could attract snow buntings to feed.  It worked and birds showed up eventually, but were outnumbered by Twites.  A flock of around 70 Twite now winters in the area, not leaving even when snow cover persists.

When the Lancashire plan for Twite was being put together, it became obvious that a United Utilities' reservoir catchment estate in the east of the county had probably the largest breeding colony, but details were sparse. Using Brian's idea and a range of seed, with the idea of making them easier to find and watch, a few feeding stations were established at the 900ft contour as birds returned to the hill in Spring 2002.  They soon took to the free supply and eventually showed a preference for Nyjer seed.  The feeding stations have been operated continually since then.

Estimates put the number of breeding pairs at 14-18, but post breeding/moulting numbers at the food exceeded 200 birds in September and October.  At this point we believed there was through passage and counts suggested the possibility of movement between the two feeding stations some 13km apart.  For the first time for more than 20 years, as far as we know, a flock of up to 60 birds wintered in the area, but there was a two-week period in March when birds were apparently absent - which may indicate a departure to other breeding grounds.  Linda Williams and Peter Grice were feeding and monitoring sites daily, noting small numbers reappearing later in the month, building to a maximum of 80 birds in April and an estimate of around 25 pairs breeding.

Using Dave Sowter's experience, a proposal for a ringing programme including colour ringing was formulated in autumn 2002, funded by United Utilities and put into operation at the end of the year after the North Lancs Ringing Group found they had a small flock of birds wintering around Heysham.  There were actually more about than it seemed, since 199 birds were ringed and colour ringed there before they dispersed to breeding grounds in Spring.  Ringing began on the two hill feeding sites in late March, with 160 and 54 birds respectively being marked prior to breeding getting into full swing.  Each bird carries a colour for site and one for year.  Immediate results were sightings and retraps which confirmed one-way movement between the feeding stations, possibly suggesting an easterly or south-easterly dispersal on to the breeding grounds, but no birds ringed on the Lancashire coast were seen on the hills.

Realising the potential uses of feeding stations and with copious support from CJ Wildbird Foods, Tim Melling from the RSPB managed to establish a network of similar hill feeding places in Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Greater Manchester, all run by local birders.  Seed was also supplied to the lowland wintering areas on the Lancashire coast between the Ribble and Lune.

In April there was great news when English Nature were able to fund a three-year PhD studentship to review a 1993 study on three Twite breeding areas in the South Pennines and to capitalise on the fieldwork we already had under way.  Andre Raine took up the post in March and we were able to adapt the ringing scheme to individually mark nestlings as the breeding season got going.  Thanks to lots of birders putting in hours of searching to date, from 60(?) nests, 125(?) nestlings have been ringed (45  ? broods) and adult breeding birds from both feeding stations have been seen in widespread locations at nests.

To get the range of individual combinations needed, colours on nestlings appear on both legs and include some striped combinations.  Twite are not "leggy" birds and rings are not easy to see unless ground cover is short or the birds are on fences or walls but remember, even the colours seen on one leg will give us vital information on the biology of the birds.

Completion of nest records, analysis of droppings from nestlings, locating of seed meadows and other English Nature upland surveys are generating sightings of ringed and unringed Twite - but the project could not work without all the local birders who are helping to unravel the inter-related factors involved in the decline of South Pennine Twite.

The United Utilities estate has a very positive and helpful tenant and the 3000 acres are a current contender for Countryside Stewardship which will include hay meadow management, control of stocking densities and moorland regeneration over the next 10 years if the application succeeds. This is good for all moorland birds, but especially Twite.  On a herb-rich demolition site, small test plots of sacrificial seed crops, including Flax, Quinoa, Triticale and a wild bird mix, are under way to see if they are viable in an upland situation.  It is known that Twite in central Scotland flock on similar crops on lower ground in winter.

We are making great progress in getting the information that's needed but we need lots more help.  In particular, sight records of birds dispersing from the breeding grounds and on their wintering grounds are absolutely essential.  If you see Twites anywhere please check them for rings and colours on both legs and send any details you can get via e-mail to andre.raine@uea.ac.uk  or by snail mail to Roy Rhodes, United Utilities, Rivington WTW, Bolton Road, Horwich, Bolton, BL6 7RN. Tel. 01204 664305.  If you can see what they are eating, how many birds, how many seemed to have colour rings and can give a grid reference for the site, that would be even better.  Any other information would also be welcome.  We will pass on data referrable to other projects.  It could be worth looking in set-aside or game crops sown on the coastal shooting estates in Lincoln, Norfolk and farther south

We guarantee to let you know all we can about where your bird came from if you provide your address. Traditionally, South Pennine birds have moved south-east to the Wash, estuaries further south and into the Low Countries for winter.  Their response to artificial feeding and seed crops elsewhere does show a possible route to supporting populations while we try to get the habitat mix and distribution right again on the breeding grounds.

There is an even bigger ringing programme underway on wintering Twite in Scotland which has also included some colour marking .