I've researched the origin of the two Roseate Terns (at East India Dock Basin on May 14th 2002) and can confirm that they were ringed either at the Rockabill (600 pairs !) or Coquet Island (45 pairs) colonies - both birds carrying special Roseate rings (taller) on the right leg and BTO's on their left. At Lady's Island Lake colony ( 120 pairs) the special ring is carried on the left leg. Incidentally, many of the Coquet Island birds originated from Rockabill. If we ever get any specific details from the special rings we would know which colony the birds came from and their age, so any such notes taken by birders on the day would be more than welcome. The special rings carry one letter and three digits only. At Rockabill up to 900 terns are individually field identified each year using the codes on the special rings. Regards - Jim Lawrence

A selection of six of Jim's great images are shown below