Two baby birds feared drowned at Attenborough Nature Centre have been found alive and well – in Senegal! The Common Terns were living on a specially-built platform when it was covered by rising water during the floods last summer.
Wardens at the reserve feared all the chicks would drown and rushed out in a canoe to try to modify the platform to give the chicks a better chance of survival but shortly afterwards it was covered by the water. It was thought all the chicks had died.
But recent records show two survived – and managed to migrate to Africa. The South Notts Ringing Group contacted Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust this month with the good news. Their records show the terns were ringed on June 19, 2007 on the Church Pond platform at Attenborough.
One of them was about two-and-a-half weeks old and the other was about one-and-a half weeks old and as the flooding hit about a week after they were ringed, the chicks were too young to be able to fly. Experts now believe they swam to a nearby island to escape, where their parents continued to feed them until they could fly and become independent.
The birds then flew 2,793 miles to Senegal last August where they will probably have spent their first winter. Most British hatched Common Terns also spend their first summer and second winter in the northern tropical belt. It is possible that they may return to Europe in 2009 but are unlikely to breed until they are 3 or 4 years old . It is very likely that if the birds survive they will return to the Trent Valley quite possibly Attenborough in the Spring of 2010 or 2011 to breed before setting off again the following August to fly back to their over-wintering ground in Africa – they will then complete this amazing round trip of over 5000 miles each year.
It has taken until now for the records to be returned to the UK by the bird ringing scheme. As both birds were recorded alive by South African bird ringers – Wildlife Trust staff and volunteers are hoping they will both return to breed at Attenborough in spring 2010 or 2011.
Kevin Hemsley, from the South Notts Ringing Group, explained: “Two birds were caught and released by bird ringers in late March and early April this year at La Somone, Senegal (Grid Ref 14 29'N 17 05'W), a distance of 2,793 miles from Attenborough. The record of the captures was sent from the South African bird ringing scheme to the British Trust for Ornithology and then on to the ringing group.”
Tim Sexton from Attenborough Nature Centre, said: “We couldn’t believe it when we found out two chicks had survived. We were devastated when the tern platform was sunk in the floods and feared all the chicks had died. News of the South African ringer’s records were relayed to us earlier this month by the South Notts Ringing Group and its great to know that at least two managed to survive and make the long trip to Senegal. Bird migration is fascinating and lets hope they make it back Nottingham in the future! ”
Terns are among some of the most amazing migratory birds – the Arctic Tern sees two summers each year as it migrates from its northern breeding grounds to the oceans around Antarctica and back (about 24,000 miles). This is the longest regular migration by any known animal.
More amazingly, migratory birds have an in-built navigation system which means they can fly to and from the same place – thousands of miles apart – year after year, even without having to follow others. They are innately equipped to pick the right route, using a complex system which relies on the earth’s magnetic fields, weather conditions and mental mapping.
Although all the terns left Attenborough to fly to Africa for the winter, hundreds of over-wintering birds will be flying in to replace them at the reserve for the winter.