Young Birders

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THE NEXT GENERATION already seen a number of flocks of Cranes arriving throughout the day. Once I returned to Katie, it was clear my attempts at telepathy telling her to look up hadn’t worked, when I asked her if she’d seen them and she answered no. The ones that got away, for now. However, just after sunset, I turned around and there, floating towards us, was the flock. I got very excited, and Katie got to see the Black Kites as they drifted past us looking for a spot to roost. My tweet? “It’s really geeky. Like, really really geeky but... I love migration. Time to get it trending? Birds are just so good. #ilovemigration” I know, I know. But I couldn’t contain my enthusiasm. This is where the geek-fest begins. Now, birds are already amazing. They come in all shapes and sizes, we can see them everywhere, they do incredibly different things, from elaborate dancing displays to woo a mate, to dramatic plunges into water to catch their dinner. Even the fastest creature on Earth is a bird. But what really amazes me about birds? Migration. I just can’t get my head around it. We’re luckier now than we’ve ever been. With advances in technology we can strap GPS trackers to birds and see where they’re going, what they’re doing, how they’re getting there and how fast they’re doing it. Take Bewick’s Swans for example. They spend the winter in the west of England, and head back of to Russia to breed in the spring. They all leave together, but then spread out across Europe. And it isn’t just swans on the go. The BTOtracked Cuckoo Chris spends his winters in the This is where the geek-fest begins. Now, birds are already amazing. They come in all shapes and sizes, we can see them everywhere, they do incredibly different things, from elaborate dancing displays to woo a mate, to dramatic plunges into water to catch their dinner. Even the fastest creature on Earth is a bird Congo (as you do) then heads back to Norfolk to breed, as he has done for the past five years. Don’t believe me? You can track Chris yourself here: bto.org/science/migration/tracking-studies/ cuckoo-tracking/chris Cuckoos and swans might be on the move but so, too, are Swallows, Woodcocks, Goldcrests (which only weigh six grams!), Ospreys and many more, either coming to Britain to breed or leaving Britain after surviving the winter to breed elsewhere. Migration is amazing. Imagine, next time you want to go on holiday, having to walk all the way there. Think of that Goldcrest, weighing the same as a 10p coin, battling its way across the North Sea. Grab some binoculars, and go and try to find a Peregrine, terrorising the local pigeon flock. Or, even closer to home, watch Coots scrapping it out on your local pond, or find some Starlings and be mesmerised by their glamorous plumage. But be reminded, birds are very, very cool. You can see more of Luke’s work at lmasseyimages.com 4 February 2016
Bewick’s Swans Greater Flamingo ONE TO WATCH... OSCAR DEWHURST, 20 BW: What first got you interested in birds and wildlife? OD: Growing up I always showed some interest in nature. There are photos of me feeding ducks in our local park, poring over my dad’s large hardback copy of an AA field guide to the birds of Britain, and one of me showing my grandma (for about the 1,000th time) my favourite photo in a wildlife photography book, which depicted a Grizzly Bear about to pluck a Salmon out of mid air from a North American river. I have been birding and watching wildlife since I was 10; in fact I still remember my first outing with a pair of binoculars. It was to Chiswick House Park with my dad, on Christmas Day 2004. Armed with his old pair of 8x25s and a book given to me two days earlier by my grandma, we clocked up a fairly paltry total of 16 species. I was hooked. Buiten-Beeld / Alamy Starling Kevin Elsby FLPA Luke Massey BW: Which bird surveys/conservation projects are you involved in? OD: My photography takes more time now than pure birding, but that said, I enter most of my records into Birdtrack, and at university in Durham we are in University Birdwatch Challenge for the first time, so we’ll see how that goes! BW: What has been your most memorable birding moment? OD: The first morning I spent up a canopy tower in the Amazon rainforest, where I was spending two months staying at a research station photographing wildlife there. The sounds as the forest woke up were amazing: Forest Falcons, toucans dueting in the canopy, the unmistakable Screaming Pihas and many more, all to the background noise of a troop of howler monkeys in the distance. Add that to the view of almost uninterrupted forest for hundreds of miles in nearly all directions, and that’s why it’s my most memorable! BW: What’s the one piece of advice you’d give to other young birders? OD: Find a patch! It’s great to be able to follow it as the seasons change and you’ll start to notice things you wouldn’t otherwise. The thrill of finding your own birds is far greater than seeing ones others have found, and patching means the most mundane birds can be huge rarities! BW: If you could make one change to the UK’s environmental policies, what would it be? OD: I’d love to see a real commitment to tackling climate change. Things like reducing support for onshore wind and solar power, yet increasing subsidies for fossil fuels the UK’s oil and gas don’t fill me with hope. Nor does the reduction in incentives to buy more environmentally friendly cars and disposal of the green homes scheme. birdwatching.co.uk 5
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Young Birders

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