Autumn migration 2011

With migration pretty much over, now is the time to reflect on what kind of autumn it has been. An autumn is often defined by the number of rare and scarce migrants that are found in the UK and as such this autumn will probably go down as one of the best ever. However, for those that observe the visible migration of common migrants, this autumn didn't disappoint either.

Buff-breasted Sandpiper by Joe Pender

Mid to late September saw two hurricanes sweep across the Atlantic, bringing North American waders and landbirds with them, a flock of 26 Buff-breasted Sandpipers gathered at Tacumshin, Wexford, on the 27^th, whilst on the Isle of Scilly an early Red-eyed Vireo was joined by Northern Waterthrush, Black-and-white Warbler and Baltimore Oriole.

Red-eyed Vireo by Joe Pender

After the storm came the calm, and with high pressure stretching all the way from the UK to North Africa, and the resulting light winds during early October, our departing summer visitors were provided with ideal conditions to move. Large numbers of hirundines, warblers, finches, chats and flycatchers were reported at coastal watchpoints, with records being broken at many sites. By the 4^th 76,000 Meadow Pipits had been counted flying south at Spurn Point.

From the middle of October the wind turned more easterly and continued to come from this direction on and off through to the end of the month. Large numbers of finches, thrushes and geese began arriving but the most notable feature was the arrival of Short-eared Owls on the east coast. Fifty were seen to come in off the sea at Titchwell, Norfolk, on the 13^th.

Short-eared Owl by Mark R Taylor

As September started, October finished, with some mouth-watering rarities from the east and west being found. It all kicked off on the 1^st when Britain’s fourth Siberian Blue Robin was found dead on Foula, Shetland. The rest of the month saw the second Eastern-crowned Warbler, second Rufous-tailed Robin, fifth Ovenbird, the ninth Siberian Rubythroat and ninth and tenth Scarlet Tanager.

Whilst all this was happening, visible migration watchers were also kept busy as the finches just kept coming. Large numbers of finches continued to move throughout October, mainly involving Goldfinches, Linnets, Siskins and Redpolls, with a smaller but significant movement of Crossbills.

Barnacle Goose by Jill Pakenham

As October gave way to November, geese became the highlight as Pink-footed, Greylag, White-fronted, Tundra Bean, Barnacle and Brent geese arrived in force, check out the BTO identification workshop for tips on how to separate grey geese in flight Waxwings provided the first hint of what might turn out to be another Waxwing winter; around two to three hundred arrived in early November.

Waxwing by Andy Mason

The unseasonable temperatures may well have contributed to an impressive array of summer migrants lingering into November. Swallows, House Martins, two or three Redstarts, a Pied Flycatcher, a Nightingale, several Lesser and Common Whitethroats, at least half-a-dozen Willow Warblers, good numbers of Wheatears, and around thirty records of Swift, both Common and the much rarer Pallid were all still here.

Wheatear by Andy Mason

As for the rarities, they keep coming too. The last week has seen Blackpoll Warbler, Greater Yellowlegs, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, and at the time of writing, there is a Veery on the island of Muck, Highland.

And, it’s not over yet. As the temperatures fall in Eastern Europe and Western Russia, we should see more of our winter visitors arrive, escaping the cold for the relative warmth of a British winter, birds like the Bewick’s Swan, Pochard, Goldeneye and Smew, along with more geese and thrushes.

Bewick's Swans by Andy Mason

This week sees the 10th Conference of Parties of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), in Bergen. Populations of long-distance migratory landbirds are rapidly declining in the African-Eurasian flyway. Between 1995 and 2008, the populations of four summer-visiting birds declined by more than half, Turtle Dove(–70%); Wood Warbler(–61%); Nightingale(–53%); and Yellow Wagtail(–52%), and during the last twenty-five years we have lost over half of our breeding Cuckoos too. For more on what the BTO is doing in Africa and it’s work on Cuckoos click on the links.

It's far from over yet!

With the wind having a small amount of east in it on Friday afternoon (and through to at least lunchtime on Saturday), in the south-east and East Anglia at least, it was looking good for birds to arrive from across the North Sea and from further east. We were not to be disappointed.

Linnet by Jill Pakenham

Saturday morning saw a good arrival of Fieldfares, with flocks of over 1,000 birds recorded at some localities. These were accompanied by smaller numbers of Redwings and finches, mainly Linnets, Chaffinches and Goldfinches. We will have to wait a bit longer to see if this winter will be a Brambling winter; so far only a small number have arrived.

There are still a few Swallows and House Martins around, and both species were recorded on migration watches on the east coast this weekend,heading south of course.

Eastern Crowned Warbler by Mike Beatley

Although we were expecting birds from the east this weekend, it was the rarities that grabbed the headlines with the multiple arrival of Pallas’s and Yellow-browed Warblers. At least eleven of the former and around thirty of the latter were found between Shetland and Scilly. A Steppe Grey-Shrike also turned up in Shropshire but is was Hertfordshire that set rarity hunters pulses racing with the appearance in a mist net of Britain’s second ever Eastern Crowned Warbler. Sadly, upon release this bird was not seen again. Eastern Crowned Warbler breeds from eastern Siberia through to south-eastern China, Korea and Japan, and winters in south-east Asia south to Indonesia.

With the wind set to turn easterly again from mid-week we could be in for another busy weekend. With light north-easterlies forecast for Saturday Woodpigeons should begin to move across the country. This can at times be spectacular with flocks of birds tens-of thousands strong heading south-west. Nobody is quite sure where these birds are coming from but one popular theory is that the majority of these birds are continental birds that are cutting the corner on their way to France.

Goldeneye by Edmund Fellowes

Pochard and Goldeneye may well also take the conditions as a cue to get moving, although temperatures are still quite high in Eastern Europe, so we might have to wait until these drop before we see any appreciable movement of these diving ducks.

The weather conditions ought to be good for Starlings and Woodcock too, and who knows we may yet see more far-eastern waifs and strays.