During the migration period, avian species head southward.
Autumn whispering its approach, as summer starts to bid adieu. Gathering spots for migratory birds are filled with feathered travellers, readying themselves for their voyage to the south. Pioneers of this annual exodus: the swifts and swallows.
Officially, summer ends on the 22nd of September, but early migratory birds from Germany have kicked off their southern journey now. Major participants in this expedition are the fleet-footed swifts, as per Thomas Norgall, a member of the German environmental and nature conservation association (BUND) in Hesse.
These temporary German residents only stay for a few months annually to breed, post which they return to their wintering grounds south of the Sahara. Due to global warming, they're making their arrival a week or two ahead of schedule and are delaying their departure southward for Africa.
"Swifts are true aerial acrobats," says Norgall, a BUND nature conservation expert. "They reside, dine, and procreate all while hovering in the sky. Sustenance for these dark-brown, feathered speed demons consists solely of flying insects."
Swift as a racing car
While swifts share flight patterns akin to swallows and share hunting tactics, they are not kin. Swallows are melodic songbirds, while swifts belong to the swift order. "The first swallows too are embarking on their journey south," Norgall continues.
Meanwhile, storks too are gathering for their joint exodus to their southern winter habitats. "You can see more of them now as young ones have also joined," explains the BUND expert. However, due to climate change, some storks opt to remain in Germany throughout the winter. Constructing their nests on chimneys, roofs, poles, and church towers, their diet consists primarily of mice, worms, and insects.
Despite the early arrival of swifts due to global warming, other migratory birds like storks are still following their traditional scheduling. These storks, with their young joining the exodus, create a sight to behold as they prepare to leave for their winter homes.
As autumn slowly but certainly takes over, other migratory species begin their preparations as well, diligently following the patterns of their ancestors in this annual mass migration.
