Inglorious Bustards..........................................................................Niki Williamson & Simon Tonkin

Inglorious Bustards

What does bird migration mean to you? A quick dash to the nearest headland to catch a glimpse of a wayward migrant? The marking of the seasons? Questions about where they are coming from or going to? Or just simply the wonder of it all? For us it’s all of those things but also importantly it’s a promise of return – yet it’s a promise that increasingly is failing to be fulfilled. Migrant birds traverse huge distances on their perilous journeys and they unite nations with their borderless movements. Yet despite their epic and wondrous annual marathon, we often fail to show them the admiration and respect they deserve, instead placing ever-greater obstacles in their way, including hunting, deforestation and changes in farming methods, all of which have deleterious impacts on their populations. We know that many of our UK migrants pass through countries such as Cyprus and Malta, where infamously birds are shot and trapped without mercy and without any feeling for the splendour of migration. A good number of long-distance migrants however pass over the narrow stretch of water between Spain and Morocco that is the Strait of Gibraltar. Whether it is a thermal-loving raptor or Stork, relying on the land to give uplift, or a small bird needing cover and food; this perilous sea crossing is one of the biggest natural obstacles they face on their long journeys. Whilst at just 14km the crossing point at the Strait is narrow, it is fraught with danger. Strong cross-winds can blow birds off course, making the journey much longer, and tired migrants often drown, whilst raptors can be harassed by Gulls requiring from them an even greater expenditure of their precious energy reserves. However, this meeting point of the continents of Europe and Africa offers some of the best birding in the world: Eagles, Vultures, Storks and European Bee-eaters fill the skies and cross to their new homes in various parts of Africa. To witness huge numbers of migratory birds soaring just metres above your head is a truly spectacular event that cannot easily be matched. We recently were lucky enough to experience this event with raptor guru Dick Forsman and urban birding celeb David Lindo. The latter, when asked what he thought when 20,000 plus Honey Buzzards, Black Kites, White Storks, Short-toed and Booted Eagles swirled overhead with supporting groups of Black Stork, Egyptian and Griffon Vulture replied simply: “leave me here”. The ‘Inglorious Bustards’, Niki Williamson and Simon Tonkin, are giving a talk to SOG about their experiences and tours in Spain and North Africa, on January 26th at The Cedars Hotel in Stowmarket.