Why Birds Migrate Vast Distances – and How You Can Help During Their Breeding Season

Why Birds Migrate Vast Distances – and How You Can Help During Their Breeding Season
A Barn Swallow flies over the water. Drakuliren/shutterstock
The Conversation
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Now that spring is in the air, the UK is starting to see its summer visitors arriving. Ospreys are already back in their nests, chiffchaffs are singing their song to re-establish their territories, and puffins have arrived at their breeding sites around the British Isles.
Several centuries ago, people believed that swallows spent the winter asleep at the bottom of ponds and lakes, or even on the Moon - but of course, that was complete nonsense.