Again the birds fly away, see you in the spring

The current hot August has broken the usual idea of ​​​​the end of summer, and it’s hard to believe that the rainy and cold season is just around the corner. But you can’t fool our smaller brothers, birds and animals, they know for sure that summer time is over. And again, it’s time for someone to gather in distant countries, and someone is already on the way. Who is the first to fly away from our lands, and who is not in a hurry yet? Why do they do it? Today we will try to answer these questions and observe the beginning of the departure of birds.

Of course, even in childhood, many of us asked these questions, marveling at how birds manage to overcome great distances and return home and how they understand that the cold will return. The departure of summer in the forest is especially rapidly felt. Although, somewhere else on the edge you can hear the chirping of elegant goldfinches flying from one birch, already touched by gold, to another. And above the already compressed oat field, the sound of well-fed families of field thrushes is heard. Having got away from the hustle and bustle of the city in the autumn forest, the first thing that seems unusual is silence. What is unusual about this silence? Why, there are no mosquitoes, annoying flies and horseflies, the buzzing of which fills the summer forest. And of course, the birds are not at all happy about this. That’s why they are becoming less and less heard. After all, the main reason for their flight is starvation. Many birds are not afraid of the cold, because under the feathers they have a dense downy pillow that warms them even at sub-zero temperatures.

Most adult pack members already know where to go. As a rule, by the time of departure, the birds gather in flocks and the young go after them and remember the way.

Birds flying high, such as swifts, are the first to feel the lack of food. Swifts fly to spend the winter on the island of Madagascar and southern Africa. These are the only places where these amazing sickle-winged birds winter. They can reach speeds up to 130 km per hour. Before departure, birds gather in groups of 15 individuals. And they migrate exclusively during the daytime, when they can catch insects along the way.

It is very difficult for these birds to fly over cities where birds can crash into the walls and windows of houses, catch on wires. Despite the high maneuverability, due to the high speeds, the swift cannot always cope with the control, especially in strong winds or in a thunderstorm. The swift’s paws are too short, each of them has 4 fingers, and all are directed in one direction, so sitting on the ground, it is difficult for him to keep his balance. But he clings well to vertical surfaces. Also, the length of the legs is not enough for him to fully flap the wing from the ground. Therefore, if you see a swift on the ground, help him, because he will not be able to return to the sky on his own.

We once happened to help such a swift sitting on the ground.

Carefully catching the swift, be especially careful with the wings, he could damage them when falling or colliding. Most likely, when you touch his wing, he will fold them himself and it will be convenient for you to take him. Raise it in the palm of your hand, if it is not injured, it will immediately fly away.

Just do not try to throw it up, it can get injured if it falls.

If he doesn’t fly away or look injured, he’s most likely dehydrated or suffering from heatstroke.

Take him home, give him water and some rest. Under no circumstances put in a cage. In a cage, he will panic and fight, he can damage the plumage, without which he will not be able to fly. Let it rest for a couple of days, after which you can try to release it again.

You need to feed him only insects – crickets, mealworms, grasshoppers, flies and mosquitoes – the rest is harmful to his health. Swifts do not eat well on their own, as they are used to catching insects on the fly, so it takes a little patience to feed them. You need to feed an adult swift every 1-3 hours, drink boiled, cool water, for convenience, you can use a syringe or pipette, and squeeze it out drop by drop onto the edge of the beak. 10-15 drops are enough per day. If the swift has no bruises, dislocations, fractures, then most likely it will fly away in a day.

Even the birds flying off the first echelon include robins, field larks and nightingales. And the swallows fly away a little later, because they fly lower than the swifts and they begin to feel the lack of food later. Moreover, swallows fly back to last year’s nests and continue to use them as a place of residence.

After swifts and swallows, birds fly to warmer climes, for which plants serve as food.

Our Red Book endemics, black-headed and herring gulls, are also preparing for departure in large groups. Most gulls winter in the Caspian or Black Seas. Some part flies to the Mediterranean and African countries. Part flies to Japan or China, as well as to the area of ​​the Sea of ​​Okhotsk or the North Sea.

But waterfowl and ducks do not need to rush, because they find food in reservoirs even before the formation of an ice crust on the water. So they are the last ones to leave.

Geese are easily recognizable in the sky as they fly in a wedge formation in a clear formation. More than 10 individuals fly in one school, there is a leader who leads the rest.

And of course, who doesn’t get a heart attack at the sight of a caravan of cranes flying south. Usually they eat seeds and herbs, and in order to always have this food, they also have to go on difficult and long flights to countries with a warm climate. Running up, with loud cries, they soar into the sky. It is very difficult for them to rise from a place, and the cranes make a long run up to several meters in length. During the summer, cranes must gain a lot of strength, because their flight takes place non-stop, during the day and at night, and when they reach the wintering place, the leader himself chooses the territory to stop, where the whole flock lands.

The departure of cranes indicates that frost is very close. And just like in the old days, I want to run and shout, as children did after these beautiful birds flying away, choosing a partner for life: “Come back soon, the road is a wheel!”.

Alina Fedorova.

Author’s photo