May 113 min read

World Migratory Bird Day

World Migratory Bird Day. 11th May 2024.

Celebrated on the second Saturday in May and the second Saturday in October, World Migratory Bird Day is an annual global campaign dedicated to raising awareness of migratory birds and the need for international cooperation to conserve them.

Nature and wildlife are a constant inspiration for my artwork and, as such, I am passionate about raising awareness. I keep an eye out for "notable days" such as these as an opportunity to research and share what I learn. The sources for this blog are listed at the end, with links, if you want to learn more.

Protect Insects, Protect Birds

The conservation theme this year is Protect Insects, Protect Birds, and focuses on the importance of insects as essential food sources for migratory birds. All around the globe, insect populations are be declining at unprecedented rates, which can directly threaten the survival of bird populations. This World Migratory Bird Day aims to increase awareness about the importance of insects as essential energy sources for birds, and support ways to conserve both insects and birds.

Insects live in natural habitats, such as hedgerows, streams, meadows, and woodlands; in addition, many insects go through a caterpillar stage when they forage on leaves, twigs, buds, or stems. Insects serve so many important roles: pollinators give us food, beetles keep our soil healthy, ladybirds control pests, and butterflies and moths bring us exceptional beauty as well as being important pollinators. 

How You Can Help

Think about providing or restoring bird-friendly habitat with native trees, shrubs, grasses, and flowers.
Mow your lawn later in spring to allow flowers to bloom and help early season pollinators.
Sweep leaves less often and leave leaf piles... dead leaves have so many benefits: they provide habitat and natural foraging opportunities, form compost, make good hiding places from predators, and provide nesting places and materials.
Stop using pesticides and herbicides, which kill or harm insects, birds and the plants that many insects and other wildlife rely on for food.
Convert your lawn or part of your lawn to a wildflower meadow. Aim for 70% native plants to benefit pollinators and other beneficial insects. Less lawn means less mowing, saving time and money and the results are beautiful too! A win-win for you and for wildlife!
If you don't have a garden or lawn, then perhaps use a pot of native plants on the patio or windowsill to help feed insects that help feed birds.
Protect and restore habitats such as woodlands, wetlands, and native meadows where insects live and breed.
Spread the word and help educate others on the importance of insects and biodiversity in our ecosystems and food chains.

Closer to Home

To mark World Migratory Bird Day, I decided to do a little research on the migration habits (or not) of a few of our favourite garden birds which feature on my art merchandise...

Robins

❤️ Robins are a migratory species, but their migration is far more complicated than simply a shift southward. There seems to be a great deal of individual variation in how far they go and where they spend winter. Males are far more likely to remain in the north than females.

Blue Tits

💙 Blue Tits tend to be quite sedentary birds, staying close to where they hatched as chicks. Only a few blue tits travel more than 20km (12 miles) away from their nesting sites each year. Many blue tits never leave the area in which they hatched. There are, however, some individual blue tits that do migrate.

Goldfinches

🧡 Goldfinches have rather strange migrating patterns compared with other birds. And their migrating habits get more and more curious as you find out more. Goldfinches are known as partial migrants. This means that, while some goldfinches certainly leave the UK for the winter, some are more than happy to stay here. Some goldfinches leave the UK for warmer climates in France and Spain, for example, while others don't venture very far at all.

These delightful birds feature on my mugs, coasters, cards and prints and are a beautiful way of enjoying art every day and bringing wild birds into your home all year round!