Some excellent explanations there.
Ian also mentioned that he sees lots of birds with “shiny new looking flags just prior to migration”, but rarely sees worn flags. Implying, I guess, that they’ve been recently flagged locally, but then never return.
The other explanation is that the flags don’t fade, and always look new, and that the pattern of appearances is due to the early arrival of first year birds. If that’s the case, what’s the explanation for the occasional worn flag? A very old bird? A bad batch of flags?
Peter Shute
