As summer eases into autumn the natural world is all change. As I set off for work this morning an excited straggle of swallows swept over the house, no doubt just beginning their flight to winter warmth in Africa.
Around our coasts and on wetlands other international travellers are stopping off to stock up on food or arriving to spend the winter. The epic natural spectacle of migration is well underway.
The juvenile sanderling (below) I photographed last weekend at Farmoor Reservoir near Oxford may never have seen a human being before (and was, by the way, my son’s first ever sanderling). This tiny wading bird may well be on its way further south to spend the winter having hatched this summer in the Arctic.
The individual stories of these long journeys help to bring to life why the UK’s coast and wetlands are of such significance to the lives of not just one sanderling but hundreds of thousands of wildfowl and waders that depend on these special places for their survival.
As the Thames broadens beyond London its mudflats and saltmarshes are a home for over 300,000 birds in winter – the reason the Thames Estuary is specially protected in recognition of the vital role it plays in the future of these international travellers.
As the Thames Estuary starts to fill up with feathered travellers (like the brent geese and oystercatchers in the picture above, by Eleanor Bentall)– the focus is once again on whether its the right place to build a new airport.
The Government’s independent Commission on aviation expansion and airport capacity has been impartial and objective so far, but several of the 50 or so proposals they have received are particularly worrying, given the impact they would have on special places such as the Thames Estuary.
The Commission has called for comments on the proposals so we now have a brief window of opportunity to encourage them to take our environment, nature and climate into consideration as they narrow these proposals down to a short-list.
Help defend the future of vital sites for wildlife by emailing the Commission today
Apols that the link didn't work - have fixed it now.