I ddarllen y blog yma yng Nghymraeg cliciwch yma os gwelwch yn dda
As Chris Rea puts it every year, “Driving home for Christmas” makes us think of finishing work for the holidays and taking that often long journey back home to our families for fun-filled festive celebrations. And as we travel home to open presents and eat too many mince pies our birds also head off on their travels – or in fact, they may have already completed them. Although, some birds like the red and black grouse are lucky enough to remain on home soil, others are thousands of miles away, unable to make it back home due to the weather and seasonal obstacles.
Image: Hen harrier by Mark Thomas, rspb-images.com
On our uplands we have hen harriers who move off their breeding territories prior to winter. You may have read recently that back in August we tagged hen harrier chicks for the first time in Wales. Following the tagging process we discovered that one tagged harrier headed from mid Wales all the way to the south of France.
Golden plovers and curlews also migrate from the uplands prior to Christmas. The former journey onto lowland fields, often keeping company with the spikey haired lapwings, whilst the latter leave the uplands at the end of their breeding season, heading off to winter in and around the Welsh coast. It seems as though golden plovers and lapwings prefer more rural destinations, whilst curlews seemingly prefer seaside resorts for their festive celebrations.
Elsewhere, we have some who arrive in the UK just in time for the merriment. Greenland white-fronted geese arrive on the Dyfi Estuary from their breeding grounds in October/November, and are also the most southerly flock in the UK. Redwings also arrive around the same time, heading over to the UK to make use of our warmer climates. They normally roam the countryside, feeding in fields and hedgerows, until March or April. They are joined by parties of chattering fieldfares, who also holiday in Wales at the same time, before heading back to Scandinavia.
Image: Redwing by Chris Gomersall, rspb-images.com
While some birds head towards the UK for warmer weather, some can’t wait to get away from the cold temperatures on offer. The small, black and white coloured pied flycatcher nest in Wales, but migrate in July. They undertake the harrowing journey back to warmer destinations around the Sahara and the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa. Another of our friends who enjoy Wales’ woodlands is the wood warbler. These wonderful little birds enjoy our mature beech trees and western oakwoods in spring and summer, before heading back towards Africa when the short Welsh summer disappears.
Therefore, whilst we enjoy our festive celebrations with our families this Christmas, spare a thought for the birds who will be enjoying Christmas in Wales, or possibly a lot further afield.