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NEWCASTLE KZN: Which summer birds are flocking to your garden? (Part 1)

'Bird lady', Sylva Francis explains migration patterns for some of the birds currently in our sky.

December 28, 2020

Bruce Douglas 2 minutes read

The yellow-billed kite is among the first raptor species to migrate.

With the Southern Hemisphere enjoying the warmer side of life, birdlife is also adapting to a change in weather conditions, migrating to where insects and daylight are now more plentiful.

According to Newcastle ‘bird lady’, Sylva Francis, migrant birds fall into three general types: inter-town, inter-Africa and Palearctic (which fly to mostly Europe and Asia). Some of these birds also use the opportunity of migration to breed.

Approximately 100 species of birds are migrant, explains Francis. Just more than half of these species are Palearctic and the remainder are inter-Africa migrants.

In part 1 of this series, Francis discusses some of the birds Newcastle residents may see in their gardens and in the area, and more about these fascinating species.

Many species of raptor (birds which kill for food) are known to migrate, including eagles and falcons. A migrant raptor residents may recognise is the Amur falcon – this bird migrates to areas of Asia including east Siberia, Mongolia, North Korea and China to breed, and returns in summer due to the lack of food abroad.

The Amur falcon is a Palearctic migrant – image supplied.

The Amur falcon crosses near the Arabian Sea – the only bird species to do so – and the amount of time they spend in South Africa depends wholly on when the arrive here. They could migrate in early November or mid-December at the latest.

“The red-footed falcon also comes here due to a lack of food. They are seen more to the west of the country but we do sometimes see them in the eastern parts of South Africa.”

The yellow-billed kite is the first raptor species to migrate (Palearctic). Identifiable by its V-shaped tail, this bird is more common towards coastal areas where heat aggravates insects, and may even remain if food is plentiful enough. Some choose to breed by travelling to Madagascar.

The steppe buzzard is named after the steppes it migrates to and from, arriving in South Africa when the Northern Hemisphere experiences winter.

Francis explains that bird species mostly migrate north-south or south-north, apart from sea birds which can be blown off course. No species attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea – birds tend to cross into Europe either at the Suez Canal or near Spain, where the sea is narrowest.

“There is record of an osprey however, which crossed the Mediterranean by landing on boats and making it across the sea.”

The migration patterns of many bird species have been confirmed through bird ringing, where trackers can be used to chart movements across countries and even continents.

Francis adds that a freshly dead flamingo found in Kenya was found to have been ringed at its nest in Namibia almost 50 years earlier. She is fascinated knowing the bird probably made trips of inter-Africa migration many times over the course of five decades.

“There are two types of flamingo: lesser and greater, named for their size (greater flamingos are larger and have a darker beak). The pink colour is determined by their protein intake; flamingos are pinker in zoos because of the food they are given. Only the lesser flamingo migrates (inter-Africa).”