1. Migration

2. Learning Objective To use a map to locate the world’s countries, continents and oceans. To understand why some animals travel long distances around the world.

3. Steps for success To plot the migration route of a bird. To name the countries, continents and oceans the bird will fly over. To identify the hazards that a migrating bird might encounter.

4. Discuss In pairs, discuss what you already know about migration. Think about What is migration? Which animals migrate? Where do they migrate from/to? Why do they migrate? When do they migrate? What problems might they encounter?

5. What is Migration? Migration is when animals move from one place to another and usually back again Migration is usually seasonal Lots of species migrate, such as wildebeest, pacific salmon and painted lady butterflies In this lesson we are going to focus on one of the most commonly seen migrants that visit the UK – birds We will look at when and why they visit the U.K.

6. Summer Migrants Who? - Many species, such as cuckoos and swifts. When? - They arrive in the UK during spring and leave in the autumn. Where from? - From the south (e.g. the Mediterranean and sub-Saharan Africa). Why? - They come here to breed. There is more food (insects) and more light to search for it the further north birds travel. When this food becomes scarce here in the autumn and winter they return south. By Alan Manson [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons Swift John Bridges (rspb-images.com) Cuckoo

7. Winter Migrants Who? - Many species, such as Fieldfare, Redwing also many types of geese or swan including the Bewick Swan. When? - They arrive in the UK during the winter and leave in the spring. Where from? – From the north and east, places such as the Arctic, Scandinavia and Russia. Why? – For food. Food is often hidden under snow and ice in their breeding grounds at this time of year. The milder weather in the UK means that food is easier to find. They return north to breed in the spring. By Sciadopitys from UK - Bewick's Swans, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20414364 By Si Griffiths (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons Fieldfare Bewick swans

8. Passage Migrants Who? - These birds stop off in the UK during their long journey north or south, like arctic terns, sanderlings and little gulls. When? - They arrive in the UK for a few weeks between spring and autumn. Where from? – These birds travel thousands of miles from places such as the Arctic, Greenland, West Africa and the Antarctic. Why? – They come here to rest and refuel. Passage migrants travel such long distances between their breeding and feeding grounds that they need to use the UK like a service station on their long migration. They stop off for a few weeks between spring and autumn to rest and find food before continuing to their destination. Andy Hay (rspb-images.com) Arctic Tern Sanderling Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)

9. How Do Birds Navigate? Migrating birds can cover thousands of miles in their annual travels, often travelling the same route year after year. First-year birds often make their very first migration on their own. Somehow they can find their winter home despite never having seen it before, and return the following spring to where they were born. We don’t fully understand exactly how birds are able to navigate so accurately.

10. Some scientists think they use the earth’s magnetic field Others think they might use the sun Some think that birds use familiar landmarks to navigate It ’ s still a mystery but it just shows how amazing these animals are! Simon Watterson (rspb-images.com) By Hubi [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons By Immanuel Giel (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by- sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

11. Migration Hazards Taking a journey that can stretch to a round-trip distance of several thousand miles can be dangerous for any animal, there are various hazards that they can face including… Exhaustion - Birds fly hundreds of miles during migration, often covering large distances without rest. Exhaustion can make the birds less wary of potential threats, and tired birds are more likely to collide with obstacles or falter in flight. Starvation – Lack of food causes starvation among migrating birds every year. This may be caused by habitats where they can find food being destroyed or it may be because there are large numbers of migrating birds competing for the same food source.

12. Collision - Tall man-made objects can be deadly to migrating birds. Lighthouses are one example. Birds reaching the coast are attracted to the light, but as they get closer they become blinded and crash into the tower – sometimes in their thousands. Skyscrapers, television aerials, radio masts and power lines also kill many migrating birds each year. Hunting - In some parts of the world, people kill huge numbers of migrating birds. Once this was for food; now it is mostly for sport. This is a particular problem in the Mediterranean,especially in Malta, Cyprus, Italy and parts of France. Many, many thousands of migrant birds die each year in Malta alone. Many of these birds are protected by law, but it can be difficult to stop the hunters.

13. Getting Lost – Despite their superb navigation skills birds do get lost. Youngsters on their first journey south can easily go astray. Many are too weak to survive for long, and few find their way home. Bad weather - Bad weather is bad news for migrating birds. In tropical regions, sandstorms and wildfires can cause similar problems, while storms at sea can drive birds into the waves, where they drown. New arrivals need to start feeding quickly, so bad weather at their destination, such as late snowfall, can also spell disaster.

14. Migration is an amazing journey. The thought of tiny, birds travelling thousands of miles is mind boggling! In groups, you are going to plot the route of some of these birds on your map. Where does the journey begin and end? How far does your bird travel? What countries, continents and oceans do they cross? What potential hazards do you think your bird might face and why? Present your findings to the rest of the class.