Migrating British Birds.

[Dinger2]

I'm not a twitcher, but I'm getting more fascinated by our feathered friends every day. Can anyone tell me do ALL British birds migrate south for the winter or some (crows,ravens,magpies,sparrows) stay at home ?
Also,what, if anything can anyone (incl,EU.) do about the annual CULL (Bird "hunting" season) in Malta ?

[Canary42]

No, not all. Lots stay here, including robins, sparrows, blackbirds and (surprisingly perhaps) pigeons.

[Svejk]

I definitely see magpies around here(S. Wales) throughout the winter.

[Buenchico]

Not all birds migrate. See the 'Status' column here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_birds_of_Great_Britain

Further, those that migrate don't all fly south for winter. Some species spend summer near to the Arctic Circle, come here for the winter and then fly north for the summer again. Others have migratory patterns which are closer to an east-west axis than to a north-south one.

[Milvus]

And just to add to the fun, we have some species here that have a resident population and a migratory population, like the starling. Difficult to see what we can realistically do about small bird hunting outside of the UK. Here we work on the basis that all UK birds are protected, the we take out in-season game birds and proscribed birds. We have a ban on hunting with dogs but do nothing about the pet cats that kill some 200 - 300 million animals a year, of which 50 million plus are birds. But does this affect the general population? The scientific response is no. I suspect the Mediterranean mist netting is in the same vein sadly.

[vetuste_ennemi]

Love birds. Love cats. A bit *** off, Milvus, about the contradiction.

[vetuste_ennemi]

And many types of rodents in our previous and current house butchered by our cats. Italians shooting honey buzzards. I ought to be, but am not, a vegetarian. i am disgusted by myself and my fellow human beings, Dinger. We should do better

[vetuste_ennemi]

And end a sentence with a period.

[Jackdaw33]

And end a sentence with a period.

I presume you mean full stop.

[vetuste_ennemi]

Yes, friend.

[bunkmoreland]

oh for the days when ab was just a simple question site :-( no agenda

[malagabob]

I believe some robins that are seen in Britain, have themselves migrated here for British winter from Northern Europe.

[Chipchopper]

I think a lot of our resident bird populations are joined by others from colder climes, basically due to food being easier to find in milder regions.

There was a sharp frost is morning, which has caused extra visitors to my peanut feeders and I'm now out of peanuts.
Luckily though I have plenty of fatballs to tide them over, until I can get to the shops.

[Togo]

Same here chipchopper. The feeder has been packed, both woodpeckers have been for the fat block. I find that the dried meal worms are favoured most and even scatter some on the ground for the blackbirds ad robins. If the pheasants don't get there first. The woodpeckers are amazing. There are sparrowhawks that occasionally target the feeder, so one sits in the trees as lookout then they switch as the other feeds.

[Togo]

Dinger the RSPB produce a great pocket guide to British birds for about a fiver. It is packed with info and pictures to help identify birds. Just a warning once you start watching it stays with you for ever.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/RSPB-Pocket-Guide-British-Birds/dp/1408174561

[gness]

You're hooked, Dinger........join the RSPB if you can......you'll get so much information from them.....

As for Malta......what can we do?......This disgusting carry on is a top priority for the RSPB so support them and never, ever give your money to the Maltese tourist industry......holiday elsewhere..........☺

[Togo]

http://i68.tinypic.com/14cz909.png

As we were speaking the woodpecker came back. Not very clear I'm afraid. The shot was taken through the kitchen window on a phone.

[Chipchopper]

Just saw your photo, Togo...Looks like you have an almost identical bird feeder set up to mine.
It said "click on image to enlarge" but unfortunately that didn't work when I tried it but thanks anyway!

Now its time to feed myself.