Yellow-browed Warbler Invasion

The migration story of the week was the remarkable arrival of Yellow-browed Warblers on Flamborough Head, East Yorkshire on Wednesday, with a minimum of 139 recorded during the day. A narrow band of north-easterly wind across the North Sea appears to have funnelled the warblers onto the headland of Flamborough.

There have been plenty of reports elsewhere in Britain, though for the moment, the majority are being noted along the east coast of Britain. In the weeks ahead, the birds should begin to filter south and west, and with more records inland in recent years, there is a chance you may find one on your patch even if you are not near a prime coastal migration site.

Yellow-browed Warbler by Stephen McAvoy

The arrival of Yellow-browed Warblers in the last few days is also reflected on the reporting rate on BirdTrack:

Commoner migrants have also been on the move, with Pink-footed and Brent Geese beginning to arrive in numbers. Meadow Pipits continue to move through, with over 1,000 logged at Christchurch Harbour, Dorset on Wednesday, and 1,200+ at Sandwich Bay, Kent on Monday. Several sites also reported good 100+ counts of Blackcap and Chiffchaff during the week. The 484 Snipe recorded on North Ronaldsay, Orkney on Thursday would have also made a very interesting sight!

Snipe by Liz Cutting/BTO

Looking ahead, the weather looks set to be dominated by westerly airflow, so there is a chance a Nearctic warbler or vireo could make an appearance on a headland or island in Ireland or western Britain. The first Ring Ouzels should also start to arrive at migration points fairly soon, as should the first returning Redwing and Fieldfare.

Ring Ouzel by Paul Hillion/BTO

Paul Stancliffe and Stephen McAvoy