The Miracle of Migration

Around the globe billions of birds shuttle annually north and south. Familiar birds to many - like Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus, Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica, Wilson’s Phalarope Steganopus tricolor and Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica – undertake amazing feats of endurance to chase suitable conditions, and find food to rear offspring. “Their epic flights connect us all - crossing our borders, cultures and lives”, said Dr Marco Lambertini – New Chief Executive of BirdLife International (Change at the top).

More than 40% of migrant birds which fly between Africa, the Middle East and Europe have declined in the last three decades. Of these 10% are classified as Globally Threatened or Near Threatened by BirdLife on behalf of the IUCN Red List.

Despite these sobering messages, reading BirdLife’s March news stories shows just how powerful conservation action is, and how the global BirdLife Partnership is producing stunning results.

A new report produced in association with Audubon (BirdLife in the USA) described remarkable recoveries of waterfowl after more than 30 million acres – equivalent to 181 million tennis courts - of wetlands were restored and managed. On the whole, 39 species of waterfowl have increased by more than 100% during the past 40 years, showing that successful waterfowl conservation is a model for widespread habitat protection (The state of America's birds).

BirdLife is also continuing to have considerable success in addressing illegal and indiscriminate hunting. After years of hard work, BirdLife International and BirdLife Malta (BirdLife in Malta) were delighted that the Maltese Prime Minister has announced a spring hunting ban (Malta bans Spring Hunting).

Alarming images of Sociable Lapwings (Critically Endangered) shot by hunters in north-east Syria - one of the bird's most important migration sites – were uncovered recently by RSPB (BirdLife in the UK) and the Syrian Society for Conservation of Wildlife (Hunting danger to one of the world's most threatened birds). However, we were greatly heartened by the quick response of the Syrian authorities and by evidence that hunters are willing to spare the lapwings once educated about their plight.

Often the first step in educating people about bird conservation is to help them to recognise the many species; leading to a greater awareness of their beauty and the problems which they face. Field guides are key to this process, however many countries round the world don’t have guidebooks. This is no longer the case for Syria following the launch of its first dedicated field guide jointly produced by the SSCW and BirdLife International (First Syrian bird book launched).

Many species of migratory waterbird depend on interconnected networks of wetlands. These sites also benefit people by providing clean water and opportunities for fishing, agriculture, recreation and tourism. However, despite their importance, wetlands are amongst the world’s most threatened ecosystems – something which delegates at a recent Ramsar meeting are seeking to redress (South-East Asian nations share Ramsar experiences).

Along with organising the Ramsar workshop, BirdLife and its Partners have been joining-up waterbird conservation efforts with the Wings Over Wetlands (WOW) project. It was great to hear that WOW has helped the first African Transboundary Ramsar Site to be declared by the Governments of The Gambia and Senegal (BirdLife News-Byte #5). March also saw BirdLife help to launch the new WetCap project – spreading WOW successes into key wetland sites in North Africa (North African waterbird conservation gets a boost).

Identifying and seeking the protection of key sites continues to be a pillar of BirdLife’s global conservation action. Our Important Bird Areas (IBA) programme continues to go from strength to strength with news stories about IBA directories for Mongolia (IBAs guide Mongolia's sustainable development), Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan (New IBA directories for Central Asia) along with excellent work by the Azerbaijan Ornithological Society (BirdLife in Azerbaijan; Young researcher identifies new potential IBAs in Azerbaijan).

BirdLife seabird conservationists also achieved big results in March. We reported how the expansion of industrial fishing into all US waters north of the Bering Strait has been prevented (US fisheries act to protect Arctic and Albatrosses), and how a ground-breaking set of best practice guidelines to reduce the accidental deaths of seabirds in fisheries has been agreed (UN set gold standard for reducing seabird bycatch).

Seabirds in the Pacific are widely threatened by invasive alien species. BirdLife has already eradicated rodents from nine IBA islands in Fiji, and has now received a grant from the UK Government’s Darwin Initiative to work alongside our Partner in Palau (Palau Conservation Society) to expand our eradication work (Communities protect Fijian forests).

Sitting here in Cambridge, an estimated 16 million migratory birds are slowly returning back to their UK breeding grounds. Five days ago I saw my first Barn Swallow, and I can’t wait to hear my first Common Cuckoo, Wood Warbler and Common Nightingale. I truly hope I will.

Each year fewer and fewer migratory birds are returning and successfully breeding. In response to these worrying declines, BirdLife has launched the Born to Travel Campaign to protect migratory birds along the African-Eurasian flyway. Please visit the website, watch the video, read about how 70 BirdLife Partners are working on joined-up conservation projects and find out how you can get involved (BirdLife campaigns to save migratory birds).

“In coming back year after year after year, against all the odds they face, the spring migrants are testaments to the earth’s great cycle”, wrote Mike McCarthy - Environment Editor for the Independent. “They remind us that although death is certain, renewal is eternal; that although life ends, new life comes as well”.