Change of Lifestyle

It Is Now That We Start Noticing A Change In The Activity Overhead

Our skies throughout the spring and summer have as usual been an arena of wheeling, diving birds, as swallows, swifts, and house-martins have chased the flying insects upon which they rely for food. Arriving in April/May, they began to rear their young, and of course, as soon as the chicks arrived, the poor parents had to redouble their hunting to sustain their offspring and themselves.

Off to Africa

After one or two broods have been reared and fledged, things calm down a bit, and the birds have some time to gather on telegraph wires. Then we know that we are going to bid farewell to our charming entertainers. But where do they go?

And why?

Strangely, it is the young birds that leave first, and the older birds that remain for a week or two longer. But eventually all must go, simply because the insects upon which they rely are no longer flying. They have to judge the moment to leave, because they will need insects on their journey south. Unlike ground-feeding birds that have to fatten themselves for the journey, swallows, swifts, and martins can fuel-up in flight.

The journey they make is epic. The swifts go first, in about July, and fly to subSaharan Africa, where they spread out around the Congo region and down as far as South Africa. The swallows and housemartins leave later, and are usually gone by the end of September. Noone is quite sure where the house-martins go, but although some swallows stop off and overwinter in southern Spain, most of their fellows spread out across sub-Saharan Africa in a similar pattern to the swifts. Many of the birds avoid flying over the

Sahara Desert, but some attempt the overflight and many of these starve to death. A lot of research is in progress at the moment to determine migration routes, final destinations, etc. using tiny geodetectors the size of a small button, that are attached to individual birds and record location and other useful data day-to-day. The detectors are retrieved when the birds return in the spring, the data is downloaded, and much can be learned about the bird’s hidden life.

The autumn journey is a reasonably leisurely affair. Although the speed of flight is 25 -30 mph, the birds wander about a lot and seek the best places for food. When they return to breed, however, things are more urgent. They must find nest-sites and mates, so they return to Europe with far more purpose, and greater directness.

See you next year

Why do they return in spring? Could they not breed in Africa? Surely the insect supply is as least as plentiful, and lasts longer.

It seems that the overriding concern is safety. Africa teems with predators such as snakes and small mammals that are very efficient at stealing young birds. Because of the swallows’ method of nesting in crevices, and of having to leave their young unprotected while the parents hunt for insects, it is safer to rear a family in the Northern hemisphere, where predators are fewer. Thus, these birds make a double journey each year, guided by instincts and navigation skills that we still do not understand, to ensure the safest upbringing for their young. Who needs insects?

Meanwhile, the other birds that brighten our gardens, having also finished their summer family rearing, are being presented with a new source of nourishment. The season of mellow fruitfulness should now be upon us! However, the dry spring and summer we have had this year may mean that the supply of berries on the shrubs and trees may not be as plentiful as usual. Normally, the rowans, the elders, the junipers, the blackthorns, and the brambles would be offering, in their due time, a harvest of fruits for birds, animals, and mankind, but the lusciousness and quantity of the fruit can be affected by the quality of the summer that has gone before. We all know how dry this year has been in our part of France; we must wait and see, although as I finally revise this in August there are indications that my pessimism may be misplaced. My

ByMikeGeorge

Mike George is our regular contributor on wildlife and the countryside in France. He is a geologist and naturalist, living in the Jurassic area of the Charente splendid Editor tells me that in her home hedgerows blackberries are swelling and ripening in shoals! We just need a bit of rain.

Indeed, it may be necessary to reinforce Nature’s contribution. There is no need to stop feeding your birds additional nourishment even through the summer (though always ensure that they cannot take large food fragments back to their young, whose tiny digestive systems cannot cope with them). Always remember to ensure (as I am certain that you do) that the feeding-area is kept clean and the food is always as fresh as possible. Also be aware of the local cats, who are ingenious in taking advantage of anything that attracts birds to a given spot. Also, there is a strong mental conflict when you see a beautiful squirrel scoffing the expensive bird-food you have provided. It is possible to buy feeders that exclude small mammals and even larger birds. At least in our part of France we are rarely bothered by seagulls. This is the time to think about nest-boxes, too. When you are sure that your birds have finished raising families (and they may run to two families or even three in a good year), get the nest-boxes down and clean them out (never a pleasant job).

When they are clean and dry, please put them back out. Many birds will continue to use them during the cold and wet months of winter, if only to keep warm and dry.

To sleep or not to sleep?

Small mammals will also be starting to feed up or store supplies for the long winter famine. Few mammals in our environment truly hibernate, that is, enter a comatose condition where vital processes are slowed to conserve energy. Most alternate between deep but normal sleep and occasional bouts of foodseeking. Hedgehogs, of course, hibernate. At the other end of the size scale, bears (and there are a few brown bears in the Pyrenees) also hibernate, but it is a myth that they manage to give birth and suckle their cubs whilst hibernating. This would be one skill many human ladies would envy! If you would like to read about the myth, and the facts of bearcub raising, check this website: www.bearsmart.com/blog/wanna-bear/ Most of the butterflies and insects will be finishing their laying of eggs and will succumb to the cold as winter sets in, leaving their offspring to continue the line. Some, however, will succeed in surviving the winter to greet the new spring. Some of the larger flies can hide in crevices; it can be disconcerting to open a window in an old property during winter to find the space between the halves of the window stuffed with large black flies! Some moths (notably the Herald Moth) can see winter out suspended from the roof of an underground chamber such as a mine adit. One can find them, grouped together and covered in dew, but surviving. Butterflies can spend winter in remote corners of buildings (the Red Admiral and Peacock, the Comma and the Tortoiseshells are good at this) while the Brimstone hides in thick ivy clumps, where its shape and colour render it almost invisible.

So, although Nature still seems to have a lot going on, and we still have the autumn ahead of us with its fruits and nuts and mushrooms to gather, the World is starting slowly to wind down towards its winter sleep.