An adult bird ringed left white R18 and a vertical T, ringed as pullus at the nest, July 6 1991, now in 12cy by 2002 and in 13cy by 2003.

A strong bird, indicating this is a male in 2002 and seen together with a smaller bird in 2003, so again indicating R18 is a male. Note the odd shape of the p10-mirror. The outer primaries show small white tips. These are oldest type of rings used in the Maasvlakte - Europoort ringing project. Since the white rings have no pigmentation, they last longest, unlike the green rings used in the same years (early 1990's). Much has changed over the last decade, with the total breeding population expanding 20% annually, now reaching about 50.000 breeding pairs year 2001. 

image right: April 29 2002

image below: April 2002