The last few days have seen a large movement of thrushes
(mostly Fieldfares) and Starlings across the North Sea,
prompted by high pressure and resultant light winds from the east coast of
Britain to the Continent.
Fieldfare and Redwing by Anne Cotton
Falsterbo Bird Observatory in southern Sweden have also
experienced a large movement of birds but of different species. Goldcrests. Long-tailed Tits and Robins have dominated there.
The weather forecast for the next week is for predominantly
westerly airflow, strong at times as weather fronts cross the UK. However, in
between these fronts the winds will become lighter and although not enough to
allow Goldcrests to cross the North
Sea, we should see further arrivals of thrushes and Starlings. There does seem to be a small window of light easterlies
forecast for the middle part of next week and we could see a mass arrival of Goldcrests and Robins then, not to mention Short-eared
Owls.
Short-eared Owl by Amy Lewis
There is also a chance that we could see some frosts, and if the
conditions are clear, with light easterly wind we could see what for me is the
greatest autumn migration spectacle: large numbers of Wood Pigeons making their way south and west. This species is
responsible for my own largest visible migration count, an almost continuous stream
of around 50,000 birds migrating west over Hengistbury Head, Dorset.
If we do get the promised easterlies, we might see a Desert Wheatear on the east coast too.
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