In many countries peregrine falcons travel for long distances. The peregrine’s name comes from the Latin word peregrinatory which means ‘wandering’ but in Britain peregrines usually only move short distances in the winter. The peregrines using nesting platforms on the church in Bath and the Cathedral in Norwich will probably stay near their nest sites through the autumn and winter because there is plenty of food for them in cities.
The hobby is the only British falcon that migrates long distances. Hobbies hunt dragonflies and swifts over our Shapwick Moor Nature Reserve and Sculthorpe Moor Community Nature Reserve and they fly all the way to Africa in the winter. Hobbies are usually only seen in Britain between April and September, the other half of the year is spent south of the equator.
Many Marsh Harriers are also expected to migrate south during the autumn but in more recent years marsh harriers can be seen in Britain over the winter. Groups of marsh harriers can be seen on the Norfolk Broads and on the North Norfolk Coast and we do not know if these are birds that have nested in Britain or if they are moving in from somewhere else. This year young marsh harriers from Sculthorpe Moor Community Nature Reserve have been fitted with green wing tags that can be seen through binoculars. People who spot the wing tagged birds over the winter will be able to tell us where they see them and we will find out where the young marsh harriers go to. Please let us know if you spot any harriers with wing tags. (Photograph: Rod Smith)
Some of our other birds of prey move around in the autumn. Many young birds will be leaving the territory where they fledged and looking for territory of their own. This includes barn owl, tawny owl, little owl and kestrel chicks. It is often hard for these young birds to successfully find a new territory and many of them do not survive their first winter.
Some long eared owls do not nest in Britain but in some winters large numbers of long-eared owls visit us. Most of them come from Scandinavia, but some come from as far away as Russia and the Czech Republic. They often sleep together in groups. We also get large numbers of short-eared owls visiting from the Continent in the winter. These owls move because it is easier to find food in Britain during the winter than in their summer breeding territories. (Photo: Chris Sperring)
Hen harriers also sometimes collect together in roosts during the winter. The Hawk and Owl Trust has been involved in monitoring the winter roosts of hen harriers for many years.
