# @rspb on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/CdjDlSmoBzt
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/34270216-rspb-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/e553b13e9f.jpg
- **Posted:** 2022-05-14T18:00:37.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** RSPB (@rspb) — https://gondola.cc/rspb

## Caption

The spring migration sees some birds fly thousands of miles over seas, mountains and deserts to be with us, in what is one of nature’s most incredible shows of stamina. But which birds arrive here first, who travels the longest and who takes their time? 👉

🤍 The wheatear is one of the first, arriving in the last few days of February and the first week of March. It does indeed have a white behind but the male also has a glowing orange chest and black and white eye stripes. They can be spotted almost anywhere in the UK as they travel to their uplands breeding grounds.
⏳ Sand martins are usually not far behind, heading to our sandy riverbanks, coastal cliffs and quarries to raise their young.
🎵 Chiffchaffs, also return to our shores in early March, where they join others of their kind who increasingly spending the winter with us.
🐦 Swallows, one of the real signs of spring to many, start to soar overhead from early March. Originally cave dwellers, they now are more commonly found in barns, stables or sheds with access to fly in and out.

While some rush to get here, others take their time.

🌙 The nightjar is usually one of the last, arriving in late April and May. Once here, they do their best to pretend they’re not, using their amazing camouflage to almost vanish against the ground where they nest. The best way to spot these nocturnal birds is a walk at dawn or dusk through heathlands, moorlands and open woodlands. You know you’re in the right spot if you hear an unearthly whirring sound! (📷 Andy Hay (rspb-images.com))
🦟 Spotted flycatchers are also late to the party, but easier to see if you know where to look. The small brown bird likes churchyards, cemeteries and mature parks where they find a perch to scan the surroundings. When a fly is spotted close by, they dart out and try to catch it in mid-air, before returning to the same spot. 
✨ Swifts are also one of the later arrivals, returning to our skies in late April and early May. They stay only long enough to raise their young, before heading back south, through France and Spain to southern Africa.

#WorldMigratoryBirdDay #WMBD2022

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 4,492
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 12

## Tags

wmbd2022, worldmigratorybirdday

---
Copyright (c) Gondola