Redwings at night!

Last night saw a major movement of Redwing in eastern England. Several hundred birds were counted in under an hour from 10pm onwards in Thetford, Norfolk. With few reports from anywhere west of Cambridge, it looks like a band of cloud with some very light drizzle may have concentrated birds that were already on the move.

BirdTrack reporting rate for Redwing

Observers also noted small groups of Fieldfare, Snipe and Song Thrush, as well as less expected species in the form of Teal, Wigeon and even Coot passing overhead in the dark. With similar conditions forecast for this evening and the rest of this week, it is well worth having a listen after sunset for Redwing on the move.

Redwing by John Harding

If you are not familiar with the flight calls of Redwing, here is a good example:

http://www.xeno-canto.org/243650

Fieldfare call: http://www.xeno-canto.org/350645

Later this week could see another movement of migrants, with southerly winds on Wednesday likely to help birds move across the Channel. Some more unusual arrivals could well put in an appearance, perhaps more Alpine Swifts after last weeks sightings?