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Hundreds of 1000’s of those long-legged and long-billed wading birds cross by means of the UK every year on migration, noticed of their largest numbers alongside our estuaries between November and February.
Despite weighing simply 300 grams (the equal of half a dozen eggs or two oranges), the Bar-tailed Godwit has one of many longest migrations of all birds. Last yr, one Bar-tailed Godwit set a brand new world report with a continuous flight from Alaska to southern Australia over simply 11 days.
Now, conservationists are seeing how our native counterpart compares, with GPS tagging shedding new gentle on the place these birds journey and the important position that England’s East Coast Wetlands – a possible Natural World Heritage Site – play of their survival.
Using the latest non-invasive technology, five Bar-tailed Godwits from The Wash, an area of the East Coast Wetlands, have been tagged in the UK first project, with the data collected helping to support future conservation efforts. The birds have been tagged by the Wash Wader Research Group (WWRG), which has been studying wading birds using The Wash since 1959, working closely with the RSPB and supported by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust and Natural England.
Having recently joined the UK’s Tentative List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites as a part of England’s East Coast Wetlands, the Wash is the UK’s most essential estuary for migratory waterbirds, home to England’s largest widespread seal colony and an essential fishery. These critically essential websites sit on the East Atlantic Flyway, one in every of simply eight ‘superhighways’ for migratory birds across the globe, utilized by thousands and thousands of birds, together with Bar-tailed Godwits, every year.
Dr Guy Anderson, Migrants Recovery Programme Manager at RSPB, stated: “We’re lucky to have an amazing array of wildlife here in the UK, and The Wash is one of our globally important sites for migratory birds taking a pit-stop on their globe-spanning journeys, but for some – like the Bar-tailed Godwit – we don’t know much about where they go when they’re not here. This project will help build our understanding of one of the most important migratory bird populations that use The Wash.”
The group have already begun following the actions of the birds, with one grownup male, named ‘Clive’ after the founding father of the WWRG, exhibiting behaviour utterly new to conservationists.
Clive recently set off on its mammoth journey from Norfolk and looked to be heading for Mauritania in West Africa, approximately 2500 miles away. Tracking data and meteorological charts studied by the project team however revealed that the bird flew an incredible loop covering more than 2000 miles over 4.5 days back to where it started. It is believed the journey, which has stunned the team, occurred as Clive attempted to navigate around a rapidly approaching unseasonal storm.
The route took in Birmingham, North Wales, the Irish Sea, Ireland, the Atlantic, France and the Bay of Biscay close to Spain, before returning to the same feeding grounds in The Wash via the Thames Estuary.
Dr Nigel Clark from the WWRG, said: “It is absolutely incredible what this project is already revealing about the increasing hazards faced and choices birds have to make on their long and challenging migrations – it’s much more complicated than we ever imagined or would have predicted.
“The undeniable fact that Clive has returned to The Wash and the wealthy feeding areas of the East Coast Flyway in England goes to indicate simply how essential these coastal wetlands are for his or her survival. The Wash actually is the place to be when you’re a Bar-tailed Godwit within the autumn.”
It is expected that Clive will remain on The Wash to feed and fatten for a few weeks before attempting the journey again.
Of the five birds tagged, two are likely to stay on The Wash for the winter and two, including Clive, may venture to West Africa. It is not known what the fifth, a juvenile, will choose to do. All of the birds should return to Europe in early May, before moving to their breeding grounds in Scandinavia or Siberia by early June. The team hope the study will uncover more about these movements and how and why some of our native bird species use the East Coast Flyway.
Michael Copleston, RSPB England Director, added: “It’s actually thrilling to begin to uncover among the mysteries of those birds’ journeys but in addition sobering to see how modifications in our local weather and surroundings might be impacting them. The significance of areas like The Wash to those birds is evident and we have to do every thing we will to make sure these locations stay for future generations of birds and other people to take pleasure in them.”
There are 4 species of long-billed and long-legged godwits (Limosa) on the earth. Two often happen on the east coast; the Bar-tailed Godwit and the Black-tailed Godwit. Both these species are of world conservation concern; categorized at ‘Near Threatened’ by IUCN and BirdLife.
For common updates on Clive and the opposite chicken’s journey’s comply with RSPB England on X/Twitter @RSPBEngland.
