Bird Watch

Niall Hatch from BirdWatch Ireland on how you can help keep track of Ireland’s spring migrants.

This is an exciting time of year for nature enthusiasts, and especially for birdwatchers. Birds such as Brent Geese, that travelled here last autumn to spend the winter with us, are due to depart for their more northerly breeding areas any day now. The first of our summer migrants have already begun to trickle in. The traffic will continue to increase throughout April, until by May all of our breeding visitors will be here and all of our winter migrants will have left us.

Ireland finds itself in a prime location for migratory birds. Our island is at the western edge of Europe and represents either the first or the final port of call for many trans-Atlantic migrants, depending on which direction they are heading. What’s more, it is the last possible landfall for species migrating westwards across from Siberia, as well as an ideal stop-off point for birds travelling between Africa and northern Europe.

The arrivals and departures of many of our long-distance migrants are well documented and widely known. Many people keep a keen eye out for the first Swallow of the year, for example, and soon national newspapers will publish letters from readers proudly proclaiming, “I have just heard my first Cuckoo of the spring – is this a record?”

Migration is a risky business and seems to involve an enormous amount of effort. Why do so many birds put themselves through this? It really all boils down to the availability of food and the desire to raise chicks in as secure an environment as possible. In summer, Ireland and much of northern Europe is full of insect life, and this ensures a rich source of protein that chicks require in order to grow and develop. During summer months, the increased amount of daylight in these regions also allows more time for the birds to locate their food. We have fewer predators compared, say, to tropical regions, which means that vulnerable chicks have an increased chance of survival.

In the winter, of course, it is a different story, as the food supply dries up, the temperature plummets and the number of daylight hours reduces dramatically. Many Irish and northern European breeders must then move to warmer winter quarters such as Africa or the Mediterranean to find food. Their young are now able to fly, so their vulnerability to predators is not such an issue. Some species that predominantly eat insects during the summer switch to a mainly fruit-based diet in winter, as fruit is more readily available at that time of year; Waxwings are a good example of birds that adopt this strategy.

Birds are, of course, not aware of the reasons behind why they migrate, nor do they make a conscious decision to do so. Millions of years of evolution have 'hard-wired' it into their brains. In nature, nothing happens without a reason, and almost everything that wild creatures do is done to increase their chances of survival. There is no doubt that such long-distance migrations are a risky strategy, and the effort required does exact a heavy toll on many unfortunate individuals that sadly perish en route. In overall population terms, however, the benefits to the species as a whole outweigh the risks, as it means that more of their offspring survive to carry on their parents’ genes. This is what biology is all about.

Many different types of bird migrate to Ireland for the summer. It is important for BirdWatch Ireland to keep track of when they arrive, so that we can see if problems such as climate change and pollution are affecting them. This is quite a difficult thing to do, however, especially because the birds travel right across Europe and need to be tracked in each country.

Crosshead: Spring Alive

This is where Spring Alive comes in. This fantastic project is coordinated by BirdLife International and funded by Heidelberg Cement. It allows people all across Europe, Central Asia and Africa to tell us when their birds are arriving back for the summer. It’s very easy for you to take part too: we are looking for your help in tracking five of Ireland’s best-known migrants, the Swallow, Swift, Cuckoo, Sand Martin and Ringed Plover.

When you see (or hear) one of these birds, we would be most grateful if you would please go to the Spring Alive website, www.springalive.net, and enter your observation. You can also use the website to check the progress of the birds as they spread across the continent on a big animated map, and can even play games, watch videos and send postcards to your friends. You can upload your own photos and drawings and share your stories with children across Europe, as well as find out anything you want to know about the Spring Alive species and the journeys that they make.

Of course, the story doesn’t end with the birds’ lives in Europe. In the autumn the birds will migrate southwards again, heading for Africa. Spring Alive will follow their journeys there too, and people in Africa will be adding their own observations of the birds as they arrive from Europe for the southern hemisphere summer.

Crosshead: Conservation

This year we also have a special conservation theme for Spring Alive, encouraging people to keep birds’ nests safe. The nesting season is a very vulnerable time for birds. Factors such as illegal hedge-cutting, exposure to predators and disturbance to their nests can affect them very badly. If you come across a nest in your garden or when you are out walking, please resist the temptation to go closer and take a peek inside. This can cause a lot of stress and anxiety to the parent birds, to the extent that they might even abandon their young, and it also makes the nest more obvious to predators such as foxes and cats, which may be watching or which may follow your scent to find the nest.

Speaking of cats, during the nesting season we at BirdWatch Ireland would urge you please to keep them indoors as much as possible. They are voracious predators of small birds, and young fledglings in particular are especially vulnerable, as they have not yet learned that cats are dangerous and that they should keep a low profile in order to avoid attracting their attention.

Like many Irish charities, the COVID-19 pandemic has hit BirdWatch Ireland very hard, with most fundraising activities cancelled and many of projects postponed. As Ireland’s largest and most active environmental NGO, dedicated to the conservation and recovery of Ireland’s biodiversity, we really need your help. More importantly, the birds need your help.

To find out more visit www.birdwatchireland.ie

Panel – linked to pictures

Head: Know your Birds 

1 Swallow: 

Where: Nests inside sheds, garages, barns and other open buildings. Can often be seen perching on wires. 

Looks: Deeply forked tail with long tail-streamers; red face and throat; dark band across upper chest; very dark blue upperparts, often appearing black; mainly white below 

2 Swift: 

Where: Nests high up in roof-spaces, church spires and other tall buildings. Never perches on wires, or indeed lands anywhere other than its nest. Usually seen flying high in the sky.  Has a distinctive screaming call  

Looks: All dark, with just a small patch of white on the throat visible at close range; very long, swept-back wings; Tail fork is medium, lacks tail streamers 

3 Sand Martin: 

Where: Nests in tunnels which it excavates in river banks or sandy cliffs. Often seen near water 

Looks: Brown, not black or dark blue, above; mainly white below; obvious brown breast-band, contrasting with white throat; tail fork is very shallow, lacks tail streamers 

4 Cuckoo: 

Where: More often heard than seen, Often perches with its wings held in an awkward-looking drooped position. The famous ‘cuck-oo’ song of the male is very distinctive and carries for some distance.

Looks: A fairly large, hawk-like bird, the tail is long and the wingtips are very pointed; largely grey, with fine dark barring on the pale chest; some, though not all, females are rusty-red instead of grey. 

5 Ringed Plover: 

Where: Usually found on shingle beaches, where it nests. Runs around in an unusual stop-start manner. If a potential predator (such as a human) gets too close to her nest, the female will feign a broken wing to divert attention.

Looks: A small wading bird; lovely black-and-white face pattern; striking black breast band; sandy brown wings and back, contrasting with white belly; orange legs, and a black-tipped orange beak