The Changing Of The Guard As the nights are starting to draw in and the sun’s warmth is beginning to dwindle, the chaos of the breeding season is settling into a calm. As we move into September, sunrise which was once filled with the dawn chorus, is now quiet and birds are turning their attention to winter, abandoning their nesting grounds in search of food, or readying themselves for migration.
But whilst the changing of the guard sees our summer visitors leave, autumn migration has birds arriving that bring excitement & anticipation! Waders from the arctic are dropping in for a stopover enroute to destinations further south, with Green Sandpipers, Common Sandpipers and Greenshank all having been spotted at The Nunnery Lakes in recent weeks. Berries that have been ripening in abundance will soon be swooped upon by the first thrushes from Scandinavia who are arriving for their winter holidays. And what would winter be without the arrival of tens of thousands of geese, filling the air with honks and cackles. With so much to see (and hear!), from summer warblers to winter thrushes and much more in-between, it’s no wonder Thetford is considered an international travel hub for migrant birds. It has become a great place to not only watch birds, but also learn more about the migratory patterns of many species.
Photo: Philip Croft / BTO
By recording the birds that we see, using tools such as the BTO’s BirdTrack app, we can have a big impact on our understanding of the movement patterns of different species, but also the value of the sites we see them in, helping us to protect and conserve the nature that we love. To learn more about BirdTrack, visit: www.bto.org/our-science/projects/birdtrack Thetford Raj QP August 21.qxp_Layout 1 05/08/2021 1 Emily Cuff, BTO
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Whilst it seems like only yesterday scores of summer visitors were arriving in Thetford to breed, many birds are already starting to pack their bags in preparation for migration to their winter grounds. Our skies will soon be empty of the screeching cries of Swifts, Swallows and Martins as they begin their journey back to warmer climes. You may have already seen Swallows beginning to look restless and gathering together on telegraph wires. Cuckoos are long gone and are now south of the Sahara (www.bto.org/our-science/ projects/cuckoo-tracking-project).
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