Tuesday 1 October 2013

Epic Journeys


The time has come for swallows, martins and swifts to leave the UK and embark on their epic migration to South Africa, so make the most of the last few in the skies. 



A final preen . . .


Swallows indicate the end of the summer when they depart for warmer climes and that is where our swallows are currently headed.  They undertake an impressive 6000 mile migration between the UK and South Africa twice a year in search of food. They nest in the UK in the summer, but as they only feed on aerial insects (the majority of which are large flies, such as horseflies and bluebottles), their food source starts to run out in the autumn.

Faced with the prospect of little or no food, they start to head south during September and October. 

It’s no walk in the park for these tiny birds as their extreme migration takes them south through Europe and across the Sahara desert.

They cover approximately 200 miles a day, generally at about 20mph – the maximum flight speed recorded was a whopping 35mph. 

During their epic journey, swallows easily fall prey to starvation, exhaustion and extreme weather conditions, not to mention being trapped and killed in Southern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa in their hundreds of thousands during the migratory period.  (The July issue of National Geographic covers the slaughter of birds in detail - don’t go there if you are at all squeamish)


 . . .  are we ready . . . 

. . . let’s go.
See you on the other side of the world.

The disappearance of swallows and other migrants in the autumn was for long a great mystery. Some firmly believed that they hibernated at the bottom of lakes or ponds, and others that they hid and remained torpid until spring.

In the Northern waters, fishermen often draw up in their nets an abundance of swallows, hanging together like a conglomerated mass. In the beginning of Autumn, they assemble themselves together in the reeds by ponds, where, allowing themselves to sink into the water, they join bill to bill, wing to wing and foot to foot.”

Olaus Magnus, History of the Northern Nations, 1550


But in 1776, in the Naturalist’s Journal, Gilbert White asked:

But if hirundines (swallows) hide in rocks and caverns, how do they, while torpid, avoid being eaten by weasels and other vermin?"



34 comments:

  1. I used to see swallows all the time on the farm I grew up near...I miss them :(

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  2. I used to look forward to their arrival when in France: the nests on the beams in the coachhouse would be extended and we would soon have the pleasure of hearing the chirps of baby birds.

    The farmer over the road - infested by rats - used to knock the nests off his beams....said they were untidy.

    We see swallows here....not so many as friends lower down whose place is alive with them - and now I shall have to see where this lot migrate to!

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  3. 6000 miles! I didn't know that. Remarkable!

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  4. What a bit of wonderful historic mythology to add to this. Our little birds also are beginning to depart although I do live in a more temperate climate. The departure of the swallows is the most noticeable for us non-observers. Nat Geo had a show following the larger birds, such as storks, across Europe which was really fun to watch. We still have nats and such, but I have not been seeing our swallows. Maybe they are gone?

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  5. The song "When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano" was popular in the 1940s, when I was born, and the 1950s, when I was young. I somehow got a picture into my head of Capistrano being somewhere near the white cliffs of Dover, so that's what I pictured whenever I heard the song.
    It turned out that the song referred to San Juan Capistrano in California, and that I, when very young, had mixed them up with the "Bluebirds Over the White Cliffs of Dover." Obviously, I hadn't checked my idea with my musician father, who dearly loved an opportunity to impart knowledge.
    I will certainly shy away from the July issue of National Geographic. The comment above about the farmer knocking swallows' nests down makes me think of the two starling nestlings I found on the cement behind our garage. Their mother must have nested in the eves of the garage. That end of the building takes a beating from the prevailing winds in this part of the prairie.
    I hope you are still well.
    K

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  6. I am always blown away by the epic journeys that so many birds and animals take. Back to their place of birth, to warmer climes... It is simply awe-inspiring.

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  7. Heroic. I've always loved the barnacle geese growing among the reeds of the pond, but fear the fierce manticore! As always, dear, your post is a fresh as today, while redolent of long experience and the joys your voracious reading adds. My day is richer for this visit. Thank you, Friko

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  8. I had no idea that swallows were in danger during their migratory period, apart from the natural dangers of traveling so far. These are wonderful photos. I hope every one of yours makes it back next spring.

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  9. I could not look at that picture, because I feel these things way too deeply. But I love the beauty of these pretty swallows and wish them well in their monumental journey.

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  10. whew...200 miles a day...that is a brutal pace for flying i imagine...how sad on them dying of exhaustion or starvation....def hope the best for them on their long journey...

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  11. The swallows disappeared from these parts while I was away - and they were just in time to beat the bad weather.

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  12. Usually I see the swallows arrive here at roughly the same time I hear they are leaving the northern hemisphere. Haven't seen any here yet, so I have their arrival to look forward to. Last year when they migrated, two got left behind, I'd never seen that before. But they didn't last long, I guess they weren't well to start with.

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  13. It's a miracle there are any left at all, with them facing so many dangers from all directions, poor things. Apparently, some species of birds that used to migrate for the winter have stopped doing that over the past few decades and stay where they are all year round, I've read that somewhere but can neither remember where nor which birds they were talking about.

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  14. What brave little birds they are, and I hope they continue to survive. In Maori lore, the cuckoos were thought to burrow into mud during the winter also. They too however migrate and fly long distances into the northern hemisphere.

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  15. Thank you so much for this post, Friko. I love watching these little birds as they swarm and prepare for the onslaught of the their long and dangerous flight to warmer climes... Hadn't realized before how dangerous this is for them. My favourite photo is the picture 'on the wire'. I used to see them just like this in France -- but not for several years now.

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  16. It is always amazing to me the distances covered by our feathered friends
    Hugs
    SueAnn

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  17. I watch round about me, as the swallows gather heavily on the hydro cable these past days - usually lasts for approx week, as they gather in great swarms and fly about in hundreds together. I am always amazed by their antics in the air - same as a school of fish, if you have ever watched. They amaze us with their aerobatics and during this week of their pre flight destination, all feeders in the neighbourhood are filled n busy. Wonderfully informative post Friko - thank you :)

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  18. heerlijk om zoveel zwaluwen bij elkaar te zien.

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  19. H Friko .. those little creatures just stagger me - and how and where and why they go ... it's so sad to see so many being slaughtered unnecessarily or just dying out of sheer exhaustion ...

    I really want to get down to Selborne, Gilbert White's museum, - next year I suspect now ... cheers Hilary

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  20. I love the concept of swallows hibernating in ponds. One of Patrick O'Brian's books has (I think it was) Charles Lamb addressing the Academy on the subject (which he considers to be conclusively proven,)

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  21. It's amazing how birds, animals and insects have adapted to changing seasons and geography.

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  22. Fascinating bit of back ground on these birds. I had no idea.

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  23. Ja, wünschen wir den Schwalben einen guten Flug und eine sichere Wiederkehr im Frühling 2014!
    Dir einen schönen Tag - auch wenn das Wetter zur Zeit wohl nicht so gut ist!
    Luis

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  24. Wow, so much goes on in their world. We don't realize how methodical nature can be.

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  25. No swallows here, miss them and the magpies over on this side of the Atlantic. The slaughter of birds? Oh my. Wouldn't want to look. Love your photos.

    XO
    WWW

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  26. It's an amazing journey they take!

    =)

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  27. It's a lovely image ... all the swallows grouped together underwater , wing to wing , beak to beak . Like something by Escher .
    But the senseless slaughter of thousands of migrating birds as they fly south is a much less happy thought .

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  28. Dear Friko, for the past three weeks, I've been watching a series called "Earth Flight" on PBS (public television). It's the tv station that brings British comedy and drama to the States. The series is a marvel of photography and has covered in each episode one of the continents. The episode on Africa also took in Europe because of the migrations of swallows and storks. It's all quite fascinating. Peace.

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  29. When I think about the flight of the swallows in fall and spring, I get goose bumps. How utterly amazing is their existence.

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  30. I remember from my childhood how my mom always became very sad when the swallows got together on the wires and then took off for the winter. Now I live in a place where birds from the North come to stay the winter... But we also have birds who leave for warmer areas like Mexico - the orioles are long gone. In the winter I usually have more birds in my garden than in the summer.

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  31. Our apartment building is covered with swallows every year and I miss them when they depart. Before they leave it seems like all the new brood and some of the parents dance and swoop with glee in the wind outside my window on third floor. They do so all year long, but in the fall they gather en masse and it is such a joy to watch them play in the updraft. I don't think I want to see how they are hunted and killed anywhere.

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  32. There is a flock of sparrows who live out by the lake and sometimes they all fly around me as I walk.

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  33. The migration instinct is amazing in every bird and insect. I will miss my hummingbirds but look forward to the wintering over of juncos.

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  34. I wish I could fly with them and escape the winter !

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