Surprise with rings of truth

Ringing in the New Year has a wholly different meaning for a devoted band of birders advancing the frontiers of ornithology.

- With STUART WINTER

Come rain, come shine, the crack of dawn starts and nothing will deter the small army of 3,000 licensed bird ringers from their mission these coming 12 months. Not even the flesh-tearing antics of ferocious blue tits.The simple act of fixing uniquely numbered alloy rings to birds' legs has revolutionised our understanding of the avian world.

For more than a century, ringers have been making remarkable discoveries about bird migration, longevity and, importantly, survival challenges, in an age of climate change and human sprawl.