Book Description

Migration Hotspots brings the spectacle and excitement of amazing bird migrations to the general reader. Each spring and autumn hundreds of millions of birds - wildfowl, shorebirds, raptors, and passerines - migrate between higher and lower latitudes, or in some cases between high latitudes in the northern hemisphere and high latitudes in the southern hemisphere. In a handful of places around the world, a combination of geography, topography and climate combine to funnel migrant birds into narrow fronts, leading to migration hotspots, places where, for a few days each year, birds seem to be everywhere. The sight of thousands upon thousands of birds is one of nature's greatest wildlife spectacles. Migration Hotspots takes a look at 30 of the locations where the planet's most dramatic bird migration can be witnessed, from raptor bottlenecks such as Veracruz (Mexico) and the Strait of Messina (Italy) to places like Point Pelée (Canada) and Beidaihe (China) where spectacular falls of songbirds can take place. And from wetlands where huge numbers of waders stop over each spring and autumn to the great rarity islands of Scilly and Heligoland. The book covers each of the world's major avian flyways and features stunning photography throughout. The geographical reasons for the importance of each hotspot are explained, with a summary of the different birds that pass through and the best times of year to see them, and an introductory chapter summarises birds' migration strategies.