It’s an exciting time for nature as migrants arrive
VISITORS to the Sefton coast cannot fail to notice an increase in birdsong and calls as spring gathers pace.
The fresh descending notes of singing Willow Warblers, arrivals from African wintering grounds from mid-March, have been drifting over the dunes for a fortnight now.
Their distinctive songs will become louder as spring progresses. Although they sing from high exposed branches, these olive-brown little birds nest close to the ground.
The closely related Chiffchaff is also a spring migrant, but good numbers winter here too as the climate warms.
Their distinctive “zip-zalp” song can be heard from even the smallest patch of trees or bushes as birds stake out territories for the breeding season.
While they look similar to Willow Warblers at first glance, watch out for their habit of “tail pumping” - it gives this species away every time.
Boldly coloured male Wheatears
are one of the first migrants to appear from mid-March onwards.
In the next few weeks a host of migrants drifting up from sub-Saharan Africa will start to appear in the dunes - some like the dazzling male Redstart and striking Ring Ouzel generally occur in small numbers and won’t be staying.
They may stop off and feed up for a few days or pause briefly before pushing north again.
These birds tend to hug cover and are easily overlooked, especially the wary Ring Ouzel, but overhead other visitors pass through.
Whinchats, Yellow Wagtails, Grasshopper Warblers and Whitethroats are all eagerly looked for as the season progresses, welcomed back like old friends that have been away for far too long.
Our first swallows began to appear in mid-March this year in the local area - about normal for this much-loved but declining species - and the related
Photo by John Dempsey
Sand Martin and House Martin are whizzing through too.
Aerial feeders par excellence, they bring the promise of summer on their wings but are outdone in the acrobatic stakes by larger swifts, which generally start to arrive in a week or so.
These are familiar birds to many, but with changing population dynamics other bigger species are becoming commoner. Time was seeing an osprey was unusual along the coast, but as their breeding population increases in this country they are becoming a far more regular sight as they move north in spring.
With breeding in the north west on the increase, more of these dramatic birds of prey pass overhead on their way north each year.
Crosby Coastal Park is one of the best places to look out for them in April as they often cruise across the bay from North Wales, but they can be encountered anywhere along the coast.
These birds often drift over very high, but their presence is invariably betrayed by the calls of resident gulls, which will mob the ospreys as they pass through.
If you are lucky a rain shower will push these birds and other migrants lower down allowing for excellent views if you’re in the right place at the right time.
The spectacle of movement and travel is one of the most exciting times in the natural calendar.