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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
Portbury Wharf’s Birds
Home > Portbury Wharf’s Wildlife > Portbury Wharf’s Birds
Portbury Wharf’s birds – there are so many. We have the usual garden and hedgerow birds but because we are on the coast we also have lots of visiting wildfowl and waders.
According to the RSPB, 1 in 4 UK birds are now on the Red List of Conservation Concern as numbers have dropped considerably. Eighteen of the birds that we regularly see among Portbury Wharf’s birds are on this red list with another 23 on the amber list (not quite as bad as the red list). Click here to read about the red and amber lists.
What to look out for at Portbury Wharf
Below is what you might see on the reserve, or close by, but of course this is not exhaustive. There will always be unusual visitors to keep an eye out for like avocets and bitterns. We have divided the lists seasonally so you know what you are likely to see and when.
What you may see at anytime of the year
What you will only see in the spring or summer
What you will only see in the winter
NB birds marked with * or ** may also be “Passage” birds ie passing through at other times of the year
We will be adding photos and more information about each bird in due course. Though with so many species this will be a labour of love and will take a little while to detail all of Portbury Wharf’s birds. So please be patient with us.
You can download our A5 spotting card to take with you to the reserve. You will find it on our Wildlife Monitoring page.
Birds you could see at any time of the year
The Summer Birds
These birds fly from Africa and beyond to spend the summer here. They will nest and raise their families before flying back to warmer climates for the winter.
* these are Passage birds ie on their way through in spring and summer.
The Winter Birds
These birds fly from northern and arctic regions to spend the winter here. So they will escape the worst of the cold harsh conditions to spend a relatively mild winter here. In spring when the arctic temperatures rise and the light increases they will fly back north to nest.
Dunlin**
Wigeon
** these are also “passage” birds ie on their way through in spring and summer
Bird Posts
January – What to look out for
Happy New Year! It’s January and a new decade starts here. This month I thought we would concentrate on one species of bird which is on the reserve in big numbers at the moment. There are a number of… Read More
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Murmuring starlings or whispering dunlins?
It was twilight. The stars had faded away but it was not yet sunrise when hundreds of pairs of wings purred past my shoulder. What were they? Where had they come from and where were they going? I… Read More
Gordano Valley Lapwings
This morning at sunrise I watched 18 lapwing lift off from the North Pool. Once upon a time you would have seen flocks of a hundred strong. Sadly over the last 20 or so years, numbers have fallen… Read More
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Winter Birds
Look out for the winter birds: From August onwards lots of birds migrate here to escape the harsh northern winters. These winter birds will stay until the spring before heading back up to breed so in the meantime… Read More
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