The 2025 pre-nuptial ringing campaign began at the Jews' Gate at the Strait of Gibraltar Bird Observatory on the 15^th January and ended on the 10^th May.

1655 new birds, and 226 retraps, brought the total of birds processed to 1881 individuals of 52 species, two more than in 2024.  There were approximately the same number of birds ringed and retrapped, but well below the total for 2023, when 2580 birds of 45 species were processed.

A number of species ringed last year were absent (i.e., Alpine Swift, Collared Dove, Golden Oriole, Sedge Warbler, Black-eared Wheatear, Brambling, Siskin and Ortolan Bunting), but ten species were recorded that were not encountered last year. These were Quail, Short-toed Eagle, Kestrel, Great Tit, Barn Swallow, Icterine Warbler, Grasshopper Warbler, Spectacled Warbler, Redwing and Goldfinch.

The start of this season was better than in 2024, reflecting the recovery of wintering birds encountered during the post-nuptial campaign during October and November.  584 new birds were ringed during January and February, with 61 Chiffchaffs, 439 Blackcaps and 27 Robins the main species.  A Redwing was ringed on the 20^th January, and a Wryneck on the 3^rd February.  Trans-Saharan migrants began appearing in mid- to late February, with a Hoopoe on the 16^th and Iberian Chiffchaff on the 19^th.

March began with a period of westerly winds and incessant rain showers, amounting to one of the wettest months on record. This hampered the ringing effort and explains the low number of birds ringed during this period.  Only 324 were ringed, with 48 retraps.  Species totals included good number of Phylloscopus warblers, with 94 Chiffchaffs, 46 Willow Warblers, 35 Bonelli’s Warblers and 12 Iberian Chiffchaffs.  Other trans-Saharan migrants were low in numbers, with the first Nightingale on the 12^th, Woodchat Shrike on the 14^th, Common Redstart on the 20^th, Subalpine Warbler on the 22^nd and Whitethroat on the 30^th. 
  
April was dominated by westerly winds which hampered the catching rate, but there were some days with easterly winds and levanter cloud that produced good daily totals.  553 birds were ringed with 53 retraps.  Phylloscopus warblers again dominated with 86 Bonelli’s Warblers and 162 Willow Warblers. Blackcaps and Garden Warblers accounted for 61 and 46 birds respectively, with Melodious Warblers and Nightingales accounting for 32 birds each.   A fall of migrants on the 12^th produced 80 new birds ringed, including the first of Scops Owl, Wood Warbler and a male Spectacled Warbler. Only 10 days of May were covered for a total of 193 new and 21 retraps processed. The 1^st May, with overcast skies and levanter cloud, produced a good fall of migrants with 109 birds ringed.  They included 47 Willow Warblers, seven Eurasian Nightjars, three Red-necked Nightjars, nine Reed Warblers, seven each of Wood Warblers, Melodious Warblers and Pied Flycatchers, six Bee-eaters and a number of other species.  The rest of the period was dominated by westerly winds, with low catches of migrants.

Among interesting species ringed were a female African Chaffinch on the 24^th March, a Quail that struck a window in the town area on the 2^nd May, a Short-toed Eagle that was recovered from the sea on the 5^th May, a Booted Eagle on the 2^nd April, a Red-rumped Swallow on the 2^nd April, a record 12 Wood Warblers, two Spectacled Warblers, and two Icterine Warblers on the 1^st and 2^nd May.

A special thanks to our resident ringers in charge: Mark Cutts (early period), Chrissi Twitchen (mid-April), Richard Geary (May), as well as to all our visiting ringers.