Interesting Information

Summer Birds

If you have ever been for a walk in Bushy Park and the Woodland Gardens, you may have noticed the enormous number of birds who use the park as much as we humans do, and some of whom have made it their home. They are a lively bunch of squawkers, chirrupers, chatterers, quackers, warblers, and who between them can make more noise than you do when you are let out of school.

...and by the way, who is that hammering on a hollow tree trunk?

Some of the birds you will see are permanent residents to the park, such as the kingfisher, woodpeckers, wren and pied-wagtail, who can be seen all the year round. Others though, like the swallow, swift, house martin, chiffchaff and blackcap come from the Mediterranean and Africa to spend the summer here. Like many other animals, birds travel in order to find a good place to raise their young and to find plentiful sources of food. Often they will fly many thousands of miles, as they migrate between their breeding grounds and over-wintering areas. How they manage not to get lost over such long distances is still something of a mystery. scientists have found that some birds may use the sun and stars to guide them, and they can also use a special magnetic sense to detect the earth's magnetic field. Birds also memorise the sights and sounds of familiar landmarks, just as you do. Swallows are amongst our favourite seasonal visitors because when they arrive in April they herald the start of spring. Unlike some birds that travel non-stop, swallows take a leisurely two to three months, stopping every few days to rest and feed. Look out for them between April, through to August, when they make their return journey to their wintering grounds in Africa. Have you seen swifts diving and swooping upwards high in the sky at enormous speed on their curved wings, giving a superb aerial acrobatic show? Just imagine how far they have travelled for you to be able to watch them - all the way from Africa! Can you imagine flying that far and how many times you would have to flap your wings? What must it be like to glide on a warm air current hundreds of feet above the sea?

...and did you know by the way that swifts are able to sleep when they are flying?

Sometimes it is difficult to know whether you are seeing a swallow or swift. If you look carefully to see if the bird has white under parts and a brick red throat, you will know that are looking at a swallow.

©Nigel Reeve

Like their close relative the swallow, house martins also arrive in Britain during April. Maybe you will have seen the nests they build tucked neatly under the eves of houses and watched their busy comings and goings as they feed their ever-hungry chicks.

When you are next in your local park or out in your garden, see how many summer visitors you can spot, and maybe keep a daily log of them. Look at the pictures below to help you identify them.

Some WOW migration facts

• The Arctic tern travels the longest distances, totalling 35,000 kilometres (22,000 miles) each year
• Before they migrate, many small birds double their body weight to enable them to fly non-stop or over very long distances. Large birds cannot do this however as they would not be able to get off the ground!
• Some small birds fly up to 90 hours non-stop
• Most birds fly at less than 3,000 feet above the earth, but pilots have reported seeing them at an astonishing height of 26,000 feet