Sounds and Sights of Summer

Tania Wheatcroft
Tania Wheatcroft Forum Participant Posts: 12
edited June 2017 in Your stories #1

Sounds and Sights of Summer

Summer is the perfect time to see wildlife at its best. Go out birdwatching, enjoy the vibrant colours and explore the countryside and coast.

If you are camping or holidaying at one of the Caravan and Motorhome sites do check out your closest RSPB reserve. As a Caravan and Motorhome Club Member you have free entry to RSPB reserves, the offer is available for up to two adults and two children.

Let us know what you see, post your photographs here.

Some birds you may be lucky enough to see are swifts. There is nothing better than sitting out in the garden at the end of a day and hearing swifts screaming overhead.  It is a delight that is precious to summer months. However, like so many migrants, swifts are in trouble. 

They have declined by a third in recent years, leading to them being placed on the amber list and meaning they are of serious conservation concern.  The causes of the decline are still unclear, but loss of nest sites due to building improvement or demolition is a major problem. 

We're keen to get a better idea of where they are seen and nesting.  This is why we launched the swift survey.  The public response to the call for records has been overwhelming. We've now made almost 25,000 records of swifts around the UK available on the web, via the National Biodiversity Network. It uses the information to encourage developers, local councils and building companies to retain or create nest sites. 

Swifts are not the only migrants in trouble.  Wood warblers (down by 61%), turtle doves (by 70%) and cuckoos (by 44%) are all struggling.  The RSPB is trying to get to grips with the causes of the declines (habitat deterioration on breeding and wintering grounds, mismatches in the timings of seasonal events due to climate change etc) but we remain largely in the dark. 

We're not going to give up trying to get the bottom of the problem.  We'll continue to do what we can in the UK and work with BirdLife Partners overseas. 

Comments

  • Tania Wheatcroft
    Tania Wheatcroft Forum Participant Posts: 12
    edited June 2017 #2

    Now is the perfect time to see these beautiful sights of summer.

    Tania

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176
    1000 Comments
    edited June 2017 #3

    Thanks Tania, we have Swifts who return to our locality in Somerset. we are lucky that there are still a lot of buildings were Swifts can nest. Some of the newer houses have been built with good roof overhangs. We lost a lot of insect habitat when several local orchards and hedges were taken out (that's when we lost our flock of yellowhammers too.) On a good note some new apple orchards are re-appearing, so keep drinking cider and apple juice everyone. smile I've noticed since some of the heavy duty weed spraying has stopped and verges are cut less frequently that our wild flowers are returning and hopefully this improves the general habitat.

    I'll look forward to more information and research coming from the RSPB.

  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,154
    2,500 Likes 1000 Comments Name Dropper
    edited June 2017 #4

    Sign of summer in Norfolk, a Swallowtail at RSPB Strumpshaw

     

     

  • dougscriv
    dougscriv Forum Participant Posts: 14
    edited June 2017 #5

    Just got back from a beautiful evening on Skipton moor north Yorkshire. Sat on a very quiet part of the moor and watched curlews and swifts flying about, There used to be resident short eared owls but I haven't seen one for a few years now. We used to have plenty of deer up there as well but they have been shot by a local landowner,probably the owls went the same way.

    Looking forward to many more nights up there before the atheritis

     sets in.

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