www.northwalesbirding.co.uk

Thought you might find this interesting - if you haven't already seen it:

http://www.bto.org/home/nightingale_migration.htm

Cheers all

It is of course extremely interesting, but i am unsure of the scientific reasons for modern tracking and ringing of birds. Most scientific data points to a lack of rainfall in sub-saharan wintering areas as being a strong factor in the decline in most migratory birds. Ok, we now know that, so, what can we possibly do about it ? Not a lot i would suggest.

The first step in even contemplating to do something about the declines of our summer migrants Steve, is to understand the range of issues facing them which isn't merely just down to a lack of rainfall and an expanding sahel region. The efforts of ringing and tracking the birds is being matched by the BTO with surveys of the wintering grounds (through the Out of Africa Appeal) and then bringing all the data together to build up a more vivid picture of the situation.
Without firm data there is simply no chance of raising awareness of the issue, or of bringing in international legislative improvements as has been successfully demonstrated with the RAMSAR convention for waterbirds.
Thanks.
Henry.

Whilst I love reading stats and information collected by the BTO and other birding groups I feel that some information is not required, birds like the Nightingale have breeding territories why they have to be trapped after the long journey home or when they arrive on breeding grounds so many times is beyond me......I have seen at close hand the same BTO trappers capture the same nightingale male on his return 9 times in only a few days they measured and weighed him and took photo's, he was a male bird returning for the third year running.....The birds have a stressful enough journey as it is without being subjected to a daily examination.....I am a BTO member and RSPB member plus other groups and org's and the majority of the work is good but I can't help feeling that some parts of the field work is not needed.

Tom

Hi Henry

Im not sure the Ramsar initiative is a good example to quote, as it appears to have little power here at least. There is a large, well known Ramsar site near me, which has had over 200 illegal homes built on it, along with boat marinas. If an area is designated as such, surely it should also be apportioned the relative protection.

Regards

Steve

Over time won't the birds that usually migrate south of the Sahara just stay north?

Swallow's are wintering in Spain/Portugal and even staying in Southern England until December, so as 'Global warming' takes effect, surely different species of birds will adapt, over time, to the increase in food further north throught the winter.

We humans have very short memories, this has been going on for hundreds of thousands of years, nature adapts. Although I'm sure they find it hard to adapt to a shotgun pointed at them by a Maltese 'hunters', but thats a different story.

You are correct Wally many species adapt easily to changes in the seasons and plenty of migrants now stay in Southern England.

Tom

In the last few hundreds of thousands of years Wally, the earth as a whole has probably not seen change on this rapid a time scale. To us this change might feel slow but on a geological time scale this is rapid. The ice ages took 10's-100's of thousands of years to sink in and out of. Blips in the time series are often localised to regions but not globally significant.
It's true that some nature adapts, for example Chiffy's and Blackcaps overwintering in large numbers in the UK are a clear sign of this, but they could be classed as fairly generalist migrants and can turn their hand to many things (they'll eat nuts, seed and berries to survive). This is obviously going to benefit them. Hopefully we start to see other species also chosing new migration strategies which benefit their fitness too.
It's the specialists and longer distance migrants (including the Nightingale) that seem to be struggling. Evolution is indifferent to their plight and with the level of human caused change they are facing, many stand not to make it if we do nothing to intervene as we cannot be sure they'll adapt.
I think it's a case of 'we created the mess, we've got to sort it out'. The summer migrants are so welcomed by many of us. Is a silent spring is an option?
How we go about trying to specifically implement international scale conservation for these species I don't know, but there are precedents to look at and improve on.
Thanks. Henry.

Henry having kept and bred many migrants/small softbills over the years providing there is food. In an open aviary with no heat at all the following species winter over in the UK with no problems.....Spotted and Pied Fly's, Nightingale, Whinchat, Wheatear, Yellow Wagtails, Common Redstarts to name but a few I've wintered them all over with no problems and birds have come into condition and bred so I think it has to do with the lack of insects during the cold months.......the diet for small softbills in aviculture is not insect based and thet get by fine with a few insects, maggot or mealworms supplimented to the birds daily diet.

We don't have winters like we used too as a liitle one I remember snow past my knee caps and many ponds froze solid for eeeks.

Tom

I remember finding it surprising when I realised that the "Iron Age" that we all heard about when we were children only started around 2000-1000 years BC. This just goes to show that "civilisation" as we know it has only been around for a few thousand years.
In that time, mankind's population growth and our effect on the planet has been profound. It's not surprising that these activities have had an effect, and, indeed it has happened only in the last few moments of time, on a Geological timescale.
When the fossil fuels run out and plastics become hard to manufacture, perhaps we will be forced to become more resonsible and return to to an "eco" age.
At the rate of change visible at the moment, I do worry about the effects that my own children are going to see in their lifetimes.

Really interesting to hear that all those species can survive the British winter when given supplementary food, Tommy. Perhaps in time if we begin to get a series of warmer winters then the insect prey may be there for these species alternatively gardens may provide the sustenance needed.
Thanks. Henry.

Henry I know some aviculturists who give no live food at all during the winter and is only offered during the breeding season and those birds do equally aswell, I added grated cheese and tiny trout pellets and sponge cake to my softbill mixture and was readily accepted and taken by all birds.....I still offer this mixture to the wild birds during the Autumn and Winter months the mixture must be kept dry under a canopy or bird table.

Having kept and bred these birds it gave me a good understanding and insite into the behavior of different species during different times of the year......The funniest site I ever seen was with the Nuthatches when during breeding the male would break dance many times around the female wooing her....An awesome site.......I have so many fond and great memories, they are priceless....

Tom

Tom