Travelbugs - Geocaching challenge

3 felt birds on a globe with a beach background

Travelbugs - Geocaching Challenge

We have 3 little birds hidden around Morecambe Bay, and the race is on to see which one can get the furthest north by June 21st!

The Bay: A blueprint for recovery are launching a new challenge over the Easter weekend!

Three little birds; Durrell Waxwing, Boomer Bittern and Amelia Brambling will be stashed at a geocache in our hub areas, and then the challenge is on for them to migrate north. The bird that gets the furthest north by midsummer will be the winner. There’ll be updates on their progress through the next couple of months on this page, and on our social media channels!

They’ll be helped on their way by the geocaching community who will hopefully carry them north on their geocaching adventures, stashing them at the next cache. The birds each have a code for people to enter on the geocaching website so we can follow their flight path. Take a look at the video at the bottom of the page by geocaching.com for more information on how geocaching works!

The race is on

Our team of explorers are on their way north!

Representing Wyre we have Durrell Waxwing, from Morecambe we have Boomer Bittern, and from Barrow we have Amelia Brambling. Check out the info below to meet the birds and find out more about each species.

Name: Durrell (After the famous British naturalist Gerald Durrell)

Mission: Hi, My name is Durrell the Waxwing, I have arrived in Wyre, part of Morecambe Bay, all the way from Scandinavia! I want to travel as far North as possible. Can you help me? I want to meet lots of new friends and learn lots of birding stories along the way. I have challenged my friends, Amelia Brambling and Boomer Bittern to a race. Please help me arrive at the most Northerly point you can by 21^st June!

Waxwings are a winter visitor from Northern Europe and can be spotted in flocks on bushes full of berries - it isn't fussy where the bushes are and frequents towns, car parks and gardens. Waxwings prefer rowan and hawthorn berries, but can be enticed with hung-up apples. Sudden invasions of large numbers of waxwings (called 'irruptions') occur when the berry crops fail in Northern Europe. Can you help Durrell win his race?

Name: Boomer Bittern (After my notable mating call)

Mission: Hi, I'm Boomer Bittern, but don't let my booming voice fool you, I'm a shy and elusive bird! I heard that my friends Amelia Brambling and Durrell Waxwing were having a race and I just had to join in! Can you help me on my journey to see who can get the furthest north by the 21st June?

Bitterns are more likely to be heard than seen, with their plumage making them well camouflaged in the reedbeds they inhabit. Their distinctive 'booming' mating call makes the bittern Britain’s loudest bird. They can be found in large reedbeds such as Leighton Moss, where they feed on amphibians, eels and other fish. Can you help Boomer win their race?

Name Amelia Brambling (after the great aviator Amelia Earheart)

Mission Hi, I'm Amelia Brambling! I've spent the winter in Morecambe Bay, and now want to travel north for the summer months. My mission is to travel as far north as I can, making new friends and having lots of adventures along the way. I'm also in a competition with my friends Durrell Waxwing and Boomer Bittern to see who can get the furthest north by the 21st June. Please help me on my journey!

Bramlings overwinter in (comparatively) warm places like the UK and feed on nuts, seeds, berries, and sometimes insects. In the summer, they fly north to countries such as Norway, Denmark, and Sweden in search of food. Please help this little brambling on her travels!

We'll be doing regular updates throughout this project, including a map and graphs showing who have travelled the most!

If you want to keep in touch, join our Travelbug geocaching challenge Facebook group.