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Friends of Portbury Wharf Nature Reserve
Nice to see a Curlew today. Plus a few Red Shank and Dunlin on the mudflats at the start of the Wharf. A handful of Lapwing on North Pool and three or four Stonechat over by the Broadwalk conservation area.
๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐
๐๐๐๐๐!
A ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ-๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ๐๐ถ๐ has recently been recorded making a migration flight of over 12,000 km from Alaska to New Zealand.
The bird left Alaska and flew non-stop across the Pacific Ocean for 11 days, averaging about 33 mph, before landing in New Zealand. It sets a new record for the longest recorded continuous migration flight.
Read more here: www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/oct/13/jet-fighter-godwit-breaks-world-record-for-non-stop-b...
There's always the chance of seeing both Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwits on the mudflats at Portbury Wharf.
Bar-tailed Godwit image by No-longer-here from Pixabay.
The seasonal path will be temporarily closed until 28th October.As part of the Hinkley Point Connection Upgrades, Balfour Beatty (on behalf of WPD) will be carrying out works on the Seasonal Path to improve the ground conditions along this route. This means this path will be closed to visitors between 21st and 27th October inclusive.
Please find an alternative route using the surfaced paths around the reserve. Apologies for any inconvenience.
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 worldโs 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
Walking the dog
Home > Nature Reserve > Walking the dog
This is a popular place for walking the dog and admiring the view. However, please remember that Portbury Wharfย nature reserve and the salt marsh next to it are vital areas for wildlife. Mammals and birds flock here to feed and rest.
So how can we all rub along together?
We must understand the needs of our wildlife and know when it is important to keep a wide berth. So please keep dogs under control (preferably on a lead) and stay on the paths and off the salt marsh. Particularly:
Individually we may not make much of a difference but acting together we can all help our wildlife.
Though, of course, it is not just the wildlife that is afraid of our dogs. Many human visitors are also fearful of them so please never allow your dog to run towards wildlife or other visitors.
So we hope you enjoy walking the dog while taking care of the wildlife and fellow visitors.