See you next spring?

Colin Smale reflects on the future of some of our favourite songbirds.

Note the question mark regarding our summer visitors because this year no swifts screamed excitedly around our houses and no house martins returned to build their nests under my eaves, I wonder why?

Happily, this has not been the case everywhere. Lincolnshire’s fields, hedgerows and marshes have continued to be home to our feathered friends, and now we see their offspring taking to the wing, skimming over our lakes and golden cornfields as they begin their journey south for the winter. But what are their chances of surviving the trip?

Species like the swallow, wheatear, cuckoo, house martin, and swift undertake incredible journeys, often spanning thousands of miles, every second fraught with danger from weather, hawks and, incredibly (especially over countries like Cyprus), shotguns! 

Cyprus is notorious for killing our songbirds. They use guns, lime sticks and mist nets, especially during the autumn migration. Some years over 2 million birds are estimated to have been illegally killed by hunters on the island. Much of this is driven by the demand for ambelopoulia, a banned but still secretly served delicacy made from illegally trapped birds.

Overcoming challenges
These birds must cross vast deserts, mountains and seas, facing exhaustion, starvation, and predation. Many pass through or winter in sub-Saharan Africa, where habitat destruction, climate change, and the increasing use of pesticides impact food availability.

On average, studies suggest only about 30-50% of migrating individuals survive the full round trip. Juveniles face even tougher odds.

But of course many survive these journeys, some for several generations. Recent news from the Lincolnshire Bird Club reports an adult female reed warbler ringed at Donna Nook on 7th August last year was re-trapped at the Kartong Bird Observatory in the Gambia on 6th March this year – a distance of 4,732km. A sand martin chick ringed on 12/6/2004 near Donington on Bain was re-trapped at a roost in the Gironde region of France just north of Bordeaux on 13/8/2004 having travelled 897km!

Swallows and house martins rely heavily on aerial insects, which are in decline both here across Europe and Africa. (Older drivers will have noticed far fewer insect ‘splats’ on their windscreens and number plates in the last few years.)

Poor weather en route can delay migration and reduce feeding opportunities. Swifts, which spend almost their entire lives in flight, are vulnerable to weather changes and the loss of traditional nesting sites in buildings.

The cuckoo, once a common herald of spring, has seen a dramatic decline in the UK – over 65% since the 1980s species – and when did you last hear the gentle cooing of a turtle dove?

Conservation efforts, such as preserving habitats, protecting nesting sites, and providing vital stopping-off points such as the RSPB Frampton Marsh and Gibraltar Point reserves are crucial.

So, bye for now and see you next spring?

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