By Martin Garwood
Martin has been thinking about birds from an early age and has traveled extensively in pursuit of various species. He has a specific ardour for Swifts. He not too long ago arrange a charity, Excessive Weald Swifts, to advertise conservation within the UK of this now “red-listed” species. Martin spent his working life in major training, was previously a trustee of Kent Wildlife Belief, and as a eager wildlife photographer, accomplished a Masters’s diploma in pictures in 2015. He lives in Southeast England, writes articles about wildlife for native journals, displays his images, and offers talks. He’s hardly ever seen with no digital camera and binoculars round his neck.
In his movie “The Birds,” Alfred Hitchcock turned flocks of crows and gulls into terrorising mobs crammed with a rapacious blood lust and reaping havoc on an in any other case quiet seaside hamlet. As a birder, I discover it laborious to imagine that there are individuals who actually don’t like birds in any respect and that just a few discover them a supply of Hitchcockian worry, even terror. However some do. I’ve a close to neighbour who belongs to this group, and just some Home Sparrows settling noisily within the bushes within the backyard is sufficient to ship her working indoors. For many of us, nevertheless, seeing an enormous flock of birds crossing the sky is a superb deal with. Right here within the UK going to witness a murmuration of Starlings as they settle to roost of their hundreds at key websites across the nation has grow to be a nationwide pastime; it’s an annual ritual for me too. Spectacular numbers of birds do happen for certain, there are the winter arrivals of geese that happen in Scotland and wintering waders alongside the coast, however witnessing massive flocks is an rare expertise today in our nature-depleted nation. My current late winter journey to Georgia featured some fabulous species and gave me a number of new ones so as to add to my life checklist, however considered one of my enduring reminiscences will probably be witnessing some spectacular flocking behaviours.
Our authentic journey plans for early March wanted to be modified resulting from heavy snowfalls, so the primary a part of our journey took us nearly due south, relatively than north into the mountains, from Tbilisi into the Chachuna Managed Reserve. Right here the rolling fields and steppe have been host to very large numbers of Bramblings, foraging for seeds of their hundreds beneath the sunshine overlaying of snow on the fields. Usually a fowl seen in small numbers, if in any respect, within the South of England the place I stay, right here have been large flocks nearly consistently on the transfer in nice waves in fields both aspect of our car as we drove by means of the reserve, flushing them in whirling clusters from the taller vegetation both aspect of our monitor. It was a rare expertise, nearly as if the entire of Western Europe’s Bramblings have been wintering right here, maybe they have been. With the smaller numbers of larks and buntings additionally current, it was no marvel that Hen Harriers have been a daily and much-enjoyed sight.
A swirl of Bramblings flushed from beside our car
Bramblings and but extra Bramblings
The following a part of our journey took us north after which east from Dedoplistskaro in the direction of the very fringe of this small nation and to the Vashlovani Strict Reserve, designated a UNESCO biosphere reserve just some years in the past. This huge protected space of deep ravines, desert, and steppe on the border with Azerbaijan is the wintering floor for Little Bustard, our essential quarry. Not having seen one earlier than (this was a lifer), the sight of a whole lot flying in large flocks, flashing the massive white patches on their wings, was fairly astonishing. If there may be such a factor as a murmuration of bustards this was certainly what we have been witnessing. As soon as landed, the birds have been laborious to select, matching the steppe vegetation carefully, however as soon as airborne, the cellular teams have been fantastic to see as they sought recent areas to decide on and forage in, and as one flock landed, one other would take off. Our information estimated that there have been a minimum of 6000 birds wintering on this hardly ever visited, distinctive, and gorgeous panorama. Throughout our keep, there was hardly a time when a flock was not gracing the skyline.
One among a number of massive, cellular flocks of Little Bustards
A gaggle of Little Bustards touchdown and nearly disappearing into the steppe vegetation
As soon as the highway north from the capital to Stepantsminda was cleared of snow and open to site visitors once more, we have been capable of drive up into the Caucasus mountains and shift our focus from birds of the steppe to these of the excessive peaks. There have been memorable birds to be seen right here within the gorges and mountaintops, and we managed to see most of our goal species aside from the Nice Rosefinch, which had uncharacteristically spurned its regular winter feeding websites within the berry-rich valleys. Alpine Choughs have been a continuing presence at these heights. In winter, they type massive chattering flocks swirling collectively over the peaks and swarming down over the craggy slopes of their a whole lot, descending en masse to feed on the sun-warmed Sea Buckthorn bushes alongside the valley ground. Retreating on the slightest disturbance, off they might return as much as the peaks earlier than swirling down once more to feed. Choughs are actually high quality birds with shiny black plumage and shiny yellow beaks. Seeing only one or two of their mountain habitat is an actual privilege, nevertheless it was the sheer variety of birds in flight collectively that made the expertise much more exceptional and the stuff of lasting birding reminiscences. Huge flocks have a magic all of their very own.
As a toddler and avid shopper of books about pure historical past, I used to be each fascinated and horrified studying in regards to the extinction of the American Passenger Pigeon, whose large flocks have been reputed to blot out the solar as they handed overhead. Trying again now this was maybe considered one of a number of influences on my growing a priority for birds and their conservation. Maybe this additionally programmed me to be just a little reassured about our pure world after I get to see a extremely good flock of birds.
A flock of Alpine Choughs raiding the berry bushes alongside the valley ground close to Stepantsminda
