On the Move

On the Move

by

Rob Read

Above: I photographed this Chiffchaff in the spring, I would imagine it had not long arrived from its wintering grounds. Like many migrants, these birds are now making their journeys back south again for the winter. ©Rob Read.

Yesterday I heard a Chiffchaff calling from the trees that fringe our garden as I let the dog out of the back door for her morning constitutional. Its onomatopoeic call accompanied the drizzle and chill wind, reminding me that autumn is about to make her presence felt and that my Chiffchaff was no doubt on its way south for the winter. 15 minutes later, I walked Skye beneath the canopy of our neighbouring woodland to the sound of more ‘chiff-chaffing’, confirming that there was indeed a group of birds on the move.

Autumn is a dynamic season that witnesses a changing of the avian guard. For anyone with an interest in birds, the migration period can be an exciting time, with all sorts of interesting species turning up in both expected and unexpected places. It is a time for birders, many of whom will be glued to the bird reports, scanning for anything unusual to add to their annual or life ‘ticks’.

The Swifts that call our village home have long since departed, taking their screaming calls with them. It’s incredible to think that they will stay on the wing constantly for the months they are away, never landing until they return next summer to nest. The Swallows remain, but in increasingly fewer numbers, their calls as they fly over the house in search of insects over the neighbouring field shortly to be silenced as they too make the perilous journey southward.

Having wings makes you so much more mobile. While many of our species are resident birds which stay all year round, many more move seasonally to take advantage of more favourable conditions and more plentiful food supplies. All this seemed like a good excuse to share a bird photograph and to point you towards our first quarterly eMagazine, within which Paul Stancliffe shares a more detailed article on bird migration. The magazine is free and packed full of great articles, so click the links and download a copy in either PDF or ePUB format. Enjoy.

Rob Read. September 2021.