Life on the East Asian Flyway
Countless birds fly north from Australia to the Arctic. But Nature’s greatest migratory route is in deep trouble.
One of the great wonders of the natural world is in deep trouble.
Millions of shorebirds fly from Australia and Southeast Asia to the Arctic every year. They follow the planet’s most gruelling migratory route – the East Asian Australasian Flyway.
Join Ann Jones as she watches wading birds such as curlews, godwits and sandpipers prepare for their epic journey. They fatten up on clams to the point of obesity, to fuel the flight. They grow bigger hearts and flight muscles. Just before departure, they shrink their digestive organs to become the most efficient flying machines for their first 7 day non-stop flight.
The birds’ lives are full of danger and the most serious threats are man-made. The flyway is in peril with many species plummeting towards extinction. As you’ll hear, it’s enough to make a grown man cry.
The series is a co-production from the Â鶹ԼÅÄ World Service and Australian ABC Radio National.
Image: Waders readying to migrate north at Roebuck Bay, Western Australia, Copyright: Ann Jones
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Clips
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How shorebirds prepare to fly 7,000 miles
Duration: 01:07
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‘Literally I burst into tears’
Duration: 02:04
Broadcasts
- Mon 6 Jun 2016 21:32GMTÂ鶹ԼÅÄ World Service except East and Southern Africa & News Internet
- Tue 7 Jun 2016 01:32GMTÂ鶹ԼÅÄ World Service Americas and the Caribbean
- Tue 7 Jun 2016 02:32GMTÂ鶹ԼÅÄ World Service UK DAB/Freeview, Online & Europe and the Middle East only
- Tue 7 Jun 2016 03:32GMTÂ鶹ԼÅÄ World Service East Asia & South Asia only
- Tue 7 Jun 2016 04:32GMTÂ鶹ԼÅÄ World Service Australasia
- Tue 7 Jun 2016 06:32GMTÂ鶹ԼÅÄ World Service Europe and the Middle East & East and Southern Africa only
- Tue 7 Jun 2016 14:32GMTÂ鶹ԼÅÄ World Service except News Internet
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