In spring 2024, the RSPB ran a series of four webinars for RSPB members about bird migration. You can watch the recordings of these sessions here. They’re each about an hour long, so grab a drink, sit back, and enjoy!
Find out which bird hangs out with Highland cattle here in summer and follows forest elephants in winter. You’ll also learn how you can help Swifts, and how Lundy Island got its name.
And discover some of the migration hotspots on the East Atlantic Flyway – the bird superhighway that stretches from the Arctic, through the UK and all the way to the southerly tip of South Africa.
A spotlight on Swifts
We look to the skies for a much-loved summer visitor, the Swift. In this webinar we learn about Swift migration and discover how people across the country are helping these birds through promoting and installing Swift nesting bricks and boxes. We’re joined by author and Swift campaigner, Hannah Bourne-Taylor, who talks about the Feather Speech campaign to provide Swifts and other cavity-nesting birds with nesting sites in our homes and buildings.
A spotlight on Swifts. Video: RSPB.
Special places for species
Every year, we welcome migrating birds to many different parts of the UK; from our bustling city streets and vast coastal mudflats to rugged islands, lush oak woodlands and wild mountain slopes. In this session we take a journey through a few of these special places, learning about which species visit them and why. Along the way we hear from RSPB staff about what is being done to protect these important habitats and how they continue to play a vital role in welcoming migratory species back to our shores.
Special places for species. Video: RSPB.
Along the flyway – international importance
For the third session in our series, join us on a journey along the length of a migration superhighway used by billions of birds every year – the East Atlantic Flyway. Stretching from the Arctic in the north all the way to the southern tip of Africa, this remarkable route plays host to the epic migrations of nearly 300 different species. With speakers from a range of our Birdlife partner organisations who the RSPB is working with to protect habitats along the Flyway, we hear first-hand just what it takes to restore and conserve these precious places. From the Berg River in South Africa’s Western Cape to the grasslands of southern Iceland via the jungles and savannahs of West Africa, we explore the vital importance of working together on a global scale.
Along the flyway – international importance. Video: RSPB.
The secrets of migration
This session uncovers some of the marvels of bird migration, starting with the myths surrounding migratory birds, before moving on to how technology is helping to shed light on their amazing journeys. We finish by looking at how migratory birds are responding to climate change, including looking at some of the species that have colonised the UK in recent years as their ranges shift northwards.
The secrets of migration. Video: RSPB.
