Animal migration is one of nature’s great events. These seasonal movements from one part of the world to another in search of food, to escape the harsh winter weather of northerly or southerly regions, or to find a mate, occur throughout the animal kingdom. Wildebeest in Africa migrate because the grass really is greener on the other side; salmon- and as scientists are discovering, many other species of fish, including eels- journey thousands of miles back to the very rivers and streams of their birth in order to spawn; even insects like the amazing painted lady butterfly have now been shown to migrate staggering distances twice a year.
Painted lady: a migratory butterfly. Photo by Grahame Madge (rspb-images.com)
The true maestros of animal migration though, have got to be the birds. Birds have adopted the strategy of migration and elevated it to the level of an art-form. Every year, millions upon millions of birds all over the world migrate along thousands upon thousands of ‘flyways’- highways in the sky- to get to and from the breeding grounds. In total, around 40 per cent of the world’s birds are thought to migrate. Here in the UK, some of our best known birds are migrants, and even the blackbirds in your garden might be visitors from a foreign land.
Is the blackbird in your garden really British? Female blackbird by Nigel Blake (rspb-images.com)
And why should our nature reserve be any different? Minsmere is full of summer migrants at this time of year. Birds that have made the herculean journey from their wintering grounds many thousands of miles away back to the reedbeds, heathlands and woods of the Suffolk coast are busying themselves putting on a show for the BBC Springwatch cameramen. But of course all the fuss isn't really for them. For birds (and other animals) migration is about survival. Survival to breed- and that is what the fuss is all about. The swallows at the sluice, the willow warblers and blackcaps in scrubby areas and carr (wet woodland), the nightjars and nightingales up on the heath- all are here for the same reason: to get down to the business of finding mate, building a nest (or nests) and breeding and rearing young.
Many blackcaps, like this male, migrate to the UK from the continent to breed. Photo by Paul Chesterfield (rspb-images.com)
Such heralds of summer as swallows and house martins, swifts and- the increasingly rare- turtle doves will only stay within our shores for a few short months- just long enough to fledge the next generation- before departing on their return migration. In the case of these four birds, it will be back to Africa across the Mediterranean and Sahara Desert. So instead of asking how many swallows make a summer, perhaps we should ask how many miles must these amazing birds travel to be with us while the sun (hopefully) shines.
Nature Minute: Migration
To accompany this blog, we have the second of our 12 part Nature Minute video series, featuring Minsmere assistant warden, Paul Green, waxing enthusiastic about the wonders of a 20 gram bird that makes its way around the world fueled by the insects it catches on the wing. Watch the video here:
While BBC Springwatch allows us a fascinating glimpse into the intimate details of the lives of breeding British wildlife for three weeks this spring, here at the RPSB a small group of volunteers has helped to produce their own series of films introducing some of the characters you might see on you TV, the places they live, the struggles they face and how they are being overcome.Migration is one of nature’s great events. Here, Paul Green, assistant warden at RSPB Minsmere nature reserve, talks about the exciting return of our summer migrants, and the astonishing journeys they’ve made to get here.Unfortunately many migrating birds are declining in numbers due to loss of habitat, decreased availability of food, and climate change, both here in their wintering grounds and the countries they pass through on migration. The RSPB’s Birds Without Borders project aims to improve the breeding success of some of our most rapidly declining summer visitors, ensure safe passage for birds on migration, and deliver sustainable conservation initiatives that provide benefits for both migrant birds and people. Find out more at http://www.rspb.org.uk/birdswithoutbo...
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Find out more about bird migration: http://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenj... Follow @RSPBMinsmere on Twitter for up to the minute news from the Suffolk coast nature reserve, home of Springwatch 2015 https://twitter.com/RSPBMinsmereFind out about the RSPB’s activities in Suffolk on the RSPB Suffolk Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/RSPBSuffolkMinsmere blog – this is where to find daily blog posts from the RSPB team at Minsmere during Springwatch and beyond http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/plac...