On Wednesday 1st February, Green Lancaster hosted the first ECOWild Adventure of 2023! We spent the afternoon looking at birds on Aldcliffe Marsh.

The skies and shores of the UK come alive in winter with the sounds of millions of migrating birds. They come from colder northern latitudes of the Arctic, Iceland and Northern Europe. They are attracted to the UK for its milder winter temperatures which makes food easier to find. Some species stay for the winter whilst others continue further south to warmer climates of Southern Europe and Africa.

The winter migrants we spotted included Little Egret, Redshank, Tufted duck and a Golden Eye. Little Egrets are a small white heron with yellow feet and Redshank can be distinguished from other waders by their orange-red legs and bill-base. Tufted ducks have a small crest, aka "tuft", and the males are black with a white belly and sides. Male Golden Eyes are a very beautiful black and white duck with a greenish-black head and circular white patch in front of the yellow eye.

The endurance of migrating birds is astounding, many fly thousands of miles non-stop over the ocean for several days until they reach their destination. This is particularly impressive for the Knot, the UK's smallest wader which migrates from the Arctic to the UK. Elsewhere in the world, a Bar-Tailed Godwit was recorded flying for 11 days from Alaska to New Zealand, the longest known non-stop flight of any bird!

The Little Egret holds historical significance in Lancaster! Its magnificent white plumes were once more valuable than gold as it was fashionable in the mid-1800s to wear feathered hats. Emily Williamson, from Lancaster, co-founded with a group of women the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) which continues to help conserve and protect birds like the Little Egret.

If you want to see winter migrating birds make sure to go for a walk soon as they start leaving from February-March! We recommend going to Freeman's pools and along the River Lune Estuary.

Join us on our upcoming ECOWild Adventures. We will be exploring Walney Island on the Cumbrian coast on Saturday 18th February and we will be following the river Lune from from Halton to Caton on Wednesday 22nd February.

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