Southport Visiter

Leave our roosting birds alone

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AS any coastal volunteer will know, the nature of beach cleans is that you spend most of the time looking at the sand at your feet rather than the skyscapes above – but at this time of year I’m afraid distractio­ns are on the increase.

As I collected rubbish with the stalwart group at Ainsdale last week, familiar sounds drifted over the sands as we tidied up after the selfish who appear incapable of disposing of their rubbish properly.

The sharp keening shrieks of Dunlin, and the wild calls of Terns echoed over the beach, while parties of Swallows hawked low over the dunes.

Pied Wagtails with their youngsters in tow chased after midges along the tideline – you can watch them doing this from Crosby to Southport at this time of year.

At Southport beach Swallows and House Martins rest on the rope and pin that demarcates the currently closed beach car parking area, and Wheatears sweep up onto fenceposts the length of the coast, species taking a breather before the long haul to sub-Saharan Africa.

Nothing wrong with stopping to take it all in once in a while and right now autumn migration is in full swing on the Sefton coast as thousands of birds feed up and start on the long journeys south to wintering grounds far away.

Further into the dunes you may hear the mournful and repetitive “hooet” of young Willow Warblers, hidden but feeding in scrub as they stream south down Irish Sea coasts towards African winters.

Consider the magical journeys these birds make and the sights they will see – the House Martins that nest in decreasing numbers each year under the eaves of the most fortunate of householde­rs will spend the winter months feeding high above the rainforest­s of the Congo.

The Dunlins I mentioned earlier will breed from Greenland to Russia and pass through to spend the winter in West Africa.

The least we can do is give them a break.

It is vital they are not disturbed at this time of year as they need to build up energy reserves for the arduous flights ahead – letting your dog or horse flush a bird or worse, a flock of them, from the beach can mean the difference between life and death for them, as they waste energy reserves flying away from you.

So please, please, please give them a wide berth.

If you are walking along the tideline and see a tightly-packed flock of birds ahead don’t walk right through them, detour up the beach and around them – it’s a small effort from us, no hardship, but it can make a huge difference to these little globetrott­ers that are trying to conserve their energy.

Wilfully disturbing flocks of roosting birds – whether you are a dog walker, horse rider, kiter, hiker, jogger, birder or photograph­er – is a criminal offence under the Wildlife and Countrysid­e Act.

As Green Sefton never tires of reminding people, the Sefton coastline is a Site of Special Scientific Interest not just for its rare dune species, but for the large numbers of migrating birds that use it to rest and refuel during spring and autumn migrations.

We should be proud to have it on our doorstep – there are few things as stirring as the miracle of migration and we should be helping these travellers have an easier journey wherever we can.

 ??  ?? ● Wheatears can be encountere­d from Southport to Crosby
● Willow Warblers call from coastal scrub as they head south
● Wheatears can be encountere­d from Southport to Crosby ● Willow Warblers call from coastal scrub as they head south
 ??  ?? ● A young Swallow pauses on an overhead wire
● A young Swallow pauses on an overhead wire
 ??  ?? ● Dunlin, a remarkable globetrott­er
● Dunlin, a remarkable globetrott­er

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