Bridled Tern ringing recovery from Saudi Arabia

Palak Thakor from Surat in Gujarat State, India found a ringed Bridled Tern that was totally dehydrated and was not able to fly. It was seen in the late evening of 7 September 2011 and brought to Palak on 8 September 2011. It was fed with small fishes and by evening it was ready to fly so was taken to Hazira beach area and released. This information was passed onto me by Dr. Raju Kasambe of the Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India as he knew I ringed with NCWCD rings. I contacted Abdullah H Alsuhaibany, who together with Peter Symens ringed terns in the Arabian Gulf in the 1990’s and he mentioned he ringed more than 50,000 terns between 1991 and 1996 (mostly Lesser Crested, a few Bridled & White-checked and very few Swift) with NCWCD rings. Most of the ringing was on Karan Island, with very few birds ringed on Kurayen, Jana and Jurayed. The exact data for this bird had been lost as the database/server on which the information was kept has been damaged and is unrepairable. Abdullah did say that he was involved with Peter Symens in all tern ringing in the Arabian Gulf offshore islands, every year between 1991 – 1996, and they ringed about 200 Bridled chicks (with very few adults) and the ring number mentioned suggests it was ringed in summer 1993 or 1994.    

Bridled Tern
Ring Number: E001886 NCWCD, RIYADH.
Ringing date: Summer 1993 or 1994
Ringing Place: Gulf Coral Islands probably Karan Island (Co-ords: 27°44’N, 49°50’E)
Age: Pullus
Ringer: Abdullah H Alsuhaibany & Peter Symens
Finding date: 7-Sep-2011
Finding Place: Gabheni, Surat, Gujarat, India (Co-ords: 21.0850615N, 72.8269848E)
Finding Condition: Bird found exhausted, rehabilitated and released
Duration: 17 years & 2 months or 18 years and two months
Distance: 2430 Kilometres
Direction: 106 deg (ESE)
Finder: Palak Thakor

Bridled Tern ringing recovery route

Bridled Tern

Bridled Tern