The Manx Ringing Group (MRG)

Manx Shearwater
Manx Shearwater

The Manx Ringing Group operates under licence by the Manx Government’s Department of Environment, Food & Agriculture and its ringers hold a current permit issued by the British Trust for Ornithology.

Kev Scott is the group leader and Mark Fitzpatrick is group secretary.

Mute Swan
Mute Swan
Key contact

Any ringers planning to visit the Isle of Man should contact the group to sort out the details as a separate licence issued by the IOM Government is required to ring any birds on the Isle of Man.

The ringing group can be contacted via Mark Fitzpatrick.

MRG Annual Report

The MRG's annual ringing report is published in Peregrine. A selection of past reports is available for download from the following links: 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006 and 1997-2005.

Ringing projects

The group coordinates a number of ringing schemes, including colour ringing projects for Chough, large Gulls, Mute Swan, Cormorant, Rock Pipit and Twite; as well as Storm Petrel ringing, Wader/Tern ringing, several nest box studies and garden bird ringing. Read about the MRG's current colour ringing schemes.

Red-billed Chough

Ringing pullus Choughs using colour rings enables birds to be individually identified after they have fledged.

Hen Harrier pullus

Working with the RSPB, young Hen Harriers are ringed. The Isle of Man supports a healthy population in the hills, curraghs and at the Ayres.

Rock Pipit

A project on Rock Pipits has commenced, looking into dispersal and site fidelity of the local and migrant populations of the Island.