Contact us at
info@fpwnr.org
Friends of Portbury Wharf Nature Reserve
Birds migrate to find the best ecological conditions and habitats for feeding, breeding and raising their young. When conditions become unfavourable, it is time to fly to regions where conditions are better.
Most birds in colder northern countries migrate south to escape harsh winters. In temperate regions, such as the UK, about half the species migrate. For example birds that eat insects will not be able to find enough food here in winter so they fly south. While tropical birds have less need to migrate as they have a more constant food supply and conditions.
When do birds migrate?
Migratory birds generally migrate twice a year, once in autumn and again in spring. In autumn they will be flying to find a good place to spend the winter and in spring a favourable region to nest and raise their young.
PS the photo is of hundreds of winter dunlin by Portbury Wharf salt marsh.
DID YOU KNOW?
At least 4,000 species of birds migrate, that is about 40 per cent of all the world’s birds. Bird migration is a perilous business as they often have to fly hundreds or even thousands of miles.
The birds that are winging their way to Portbury Wharf in this autumn migration will be escaping the frozen north. Our winters are balmy in comparison to Iceland, Siberia and other northern latitudes!
Tomorrow, Saturday 10 October, is World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD). So this month, in celebration, we will be posting lots of stuff about migration and Portbury Wharf 's winter birds. If you have any interesting bird migration snippets you want to share please join in.
PS this photo is of a fling of dunlin. They are like shoreline starlings flocking at the tide's edge in mesmerising formations.
Portbury Wharf is a great place to visit and it is not just us human visitors that think so! It is a popular destination for our endangered winter birds too.
The autumn bird migration is one of nature's miracles. A time when shoreline birds, thrushes and more fly incredible distances across oceans and continents to escape harsh arctic winters. Some of these new arrivals will stay on the estuary edge and salt marsh as there is lots of food there. Others will prefer the pools and hedgerows on the nature reserve.
To make it through the winter they will need to feed and rest undisturbed. So we can all help by giving them plenty of space. So if we, and our dogs, keep to the main paths and don't walk across the salt marsh, they will have the best chance of survival.
This guy is a fairly regular visitor to the Reserve but i dont normally get the chance to video him at such close quarters.https://youtu.be/pHBAqWOf6y0
Well more of our wintering friends are returning and today a snipe was making his presence felt on the south pool
Join the call for a better future!
Sign the petition to #ReviveOurWorld
e-activist.com
Nature is in crisis and we need Government action. I’ve signed the petition for legally-binding targets to #ReviveOurWorld. Will you? Sign and Share... e-activist.com/page/67273/data/1?ea.tracking.id=facebook-sharenice to see some old friends back - 3 shovellers still in the summer plumage and 4 gadwall mid moult from summer to winter coats. Both on the south pool
they are like buses - get one sandpiper and more appear. There were 2 green sandpipers on the south pool yesterday and they flew up to the North where they joined 3 common sandpipers. This video is of the green
Leave a Comment
Last Updated: August 25, 2019 by fpwnr
Nature Trail – What do I eat?
Don’t miss our next Nature Trail!
This Nature Trail – What do I eat? is on Portbury Wharf Nature Reserve from Saturday 24th August to Sunday 1st September. Find the 35 trail boards dotted around the reserve. Answers the questions then lift the flaps to reveal the answers to see if you are right.
Each trail board features a different species, from birds to mammals and insects to plants. These are species that you might see on the nature reserve. So see if you can identify them and guess what they eat or what eats them? The trail is on for 9 days so, if you don’t find them all in one visit, you can come back another day to find the rest.
You do not need a map to find the boards, you can just have a wander and enjoy the ones you come across. However if you want to know in advance, here is a map showing the approximate, anticipated locations:
We hope you enjoy the trail
and learn something interesting about the wildlife here.
Share this on Facebook
Category: nature trail
Recent Posts
Be safe, keep our wildlife safe and follow the Countryside Code