Latest migration news 16th October 2009
| 13:46 UK time, Friday, 16 October 2009
Now then! For all you really keen birders - and anyone who just likes a good story - here's something new. Every week we'll be bringing you the latest bird migration news direct from our friends at the BTO.
While researching Autumnwatch, we talk to the BTO every week. So, we thought, why keep it all to ourselves? So here it is: a look back to events over this week, a look forward to next week with some weird and wonderful stories that have come to light from bird-ringing efforts.
Mid-October is a really exciting time of the year for birdwatchers. The last of the summer migrants can be seen alongside the first of the winter visitors. The arrival of redwings from Scandinavia earlier this week, exactly as predicted by Chris, proved the point.
Large numbers were recorded along the east coast of Britain, from the Firth of Forth to Suffolk, and they were quick to move inland: over 30,000 birds were counted over the Pinnacle in Bedfordshire alone. The west didn't lose out either as birds filtered right across the country.
The BirdTrack weekly reporting rate graph for redwings quickly showed this influx, spiking dramatically from Saturday onwards.
Other notable arrivals this week have included bramblings (a close relative of the chaffinch) and rock pipits (the latter mainly in coastal areas), both from Scandinavia
So what should we be looking out for over the next week? Golden plovers will continue to arrive in force and are likely to become more noticeable in roadside fields, often in the company of lapwings. There should also be more redwings to come and the first major arrival of their close relative, the fieldfare. Like redwings, this species will arrive on the east coast before moving inland, in search of suitable feeding areas. Often the first sign of a flock approaching is the "chak-chak-chak" calls as the individual birds within the flock maintain contact with each other. They will start to tuck into windfall apples and hawthorn berries.
The Ringing Office had some great stories this week. A Manx shearwater ringed on the Isle of Rum in 1984 was retrapped there this summer. What's so amazing about this is that this is the first time this bird has been seen anywhere in the last 25 years, and even more amazing, it will have almost certainly spent the last 25 winters off the coast of Argentina and all its summers on Rum. During its time this bird will have travelled somewhere in the region of 350,000km, this is almost the distance from earth to the moon!
A snow goose, ringed at Port na Luing, Isle of Coll on 6 July 1999 was found dead 54km away on the Isle of Canna. While this is not a great distance, this is only the fourth ever snow goose to be recovered in the UK.
Finally, oystercatcher FV08109 has been retrapped at Waterfoot, Dumfries and Galloway. It was ringed 34 years earlier at Point of Ayr, Clwyd. Tthis is a good age for an oystercatcher, but the oldest beats it by two years. Incidentally, oystercatcher FV08109 is now known as FP82954. Its old ring had to be replaced as it had begun to wear through!
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~53~RS~)
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Some great info and that Manx Shearwater on Rum is an incredible story. I'm certainly going to be looking out for the incoming migrants.
How about a bit concerning our none feathered migrations. Eels have a life-cycle as incredible as any migrating bird. They are also a species in serious decline. Autumn has traditionally been a time when Eels were caught returning to the sea. How about featuring this species and it's incredible life cycle, along with information about its shocking decline on AW.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mbsn/F14197738?thread=7001791
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mbsn/F14197738?thread=6990120
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I was out walking today and, on the lanes on the way to the fells, I kept seeing (and hearing!) flocks of birds swooping down towards the Hawthorn and Rowan trees, twisting away again when they clocked me. They were really twitchy and difficult to get anything but a sense of a thrush sized bird but I presumed they must be Fieldfares or Redwings... I continued up into the fells, musing that I should find out if there was a way to distinguish the two by size or behaviour but, on returning to the car, I had my question answered as the hedgerow trees I was parked by were picked as their target and I got a great view of about 20+ Redwings whilst being showered with berries; they seem to be quite messy eaters! They moved on when a car passed but kept coming back and, continuing to sit quietly by the car, I was rewarded with Blackbirds also after the berries (and seeming to tag along with the Redwing flocks), Blue Tits picking for insects, fighting Robins and, my personal favourite, a Treecreeper about 2 metres away climbing in and out of the holes in the dry-stone wall like a mouse. I really ought to sit still more often. I hope everyone else had a great autumn day out there today too.
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wow.great stories!
never realised birds could live so long.
heard first chakk chakk chakk,feildfare today in the vale of belvoir.
be looking for more this weekend.
like this feature.
any idea if we will be seeing waxwings this autumn?
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We live in the middle of the country (Shropshire), and last weekend saw 3 cormorants on one of our local lakes. We thought they were only found by the coast?! Is this usual for winter?
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We see cormorants at watermead country park here in Leicester.Also we get rooks flying around just like the starlings.They stop to roost at Watermead
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In tonights show 16th oct Chris mentioned a bird called red flanked bluetail. I wa sin the garden a couple of days ago and saw three small birds that i really couldn't identify, however when i saw the picture of these birds on the show I am convinced that is what they were. I am in County Durham. Am I mad or mistaken ?
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While bird ringing this week we caught our first Red Wings both in Northumberland (NE66 3EL) and Holy Island, Lindisfarne (TD15 2SH).
The one in Northumberland must have just came in as it had very depleted fat reserves.
Also while on Holy Island 13/10 we had much increased numbers of Blackbirds, also migrants to the area. So, there you go, Chris' migrant prediction for this week is already looking good.
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South Leicester mid- week two flocks of 50+ & 30 birds, prob Redwing flying West very fast passing over Knighton smaller groups seen later in the week. Yesterday disturbed by chance a Woodcock Knighton. Sat 17 x 2009,10:55 just had 4 Swallows pass over back-garden in Braunstone Town Leicester.
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Hi AW
Please mention the Eel, migrating as we speak, a species that has declined dramatically since the early eighties. Stocks in Europe are down by almost 99%. This species is on the IUCN red list and is the most at risk vertebrate in the country. It is a keystone species upon which all the usual favourites like Otters, Bitterns etc rely. I think more coverage should be given to our not so cute and cuddly creatures.
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As well as seeing and hearing our first redwings here near the north cornish coast this week we have also seen the return of small (50 or so) flocks of starlings. Each year it seems the the starlings leave us about two weeks before the first swallows arrive in the spring and ... in the autumn return to us roughly two weeks after the last swallows have left. Which did seem to be the case this year until we saw 5 swallows flying south over us on Tuesday 13th October. We believe our migrating starlings form part of the enormous flocks of starlings which roost at Davidstow, near Camelford and come foraging over farmland during the day time in the winter. In about a months time we would expect to have flocks of 1000+ starlings chattering in our beech trees and feeding in our pastures by day.
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Just back from working offshore on an oilrig in the North Sea,weather was a bit foggy the last few days 13,14 and 15/10 so a few bird starting to show up,mainly small groups of Redwing with a few Fieldfare,Blackbirds,Brambling,Robins and even a Long Eared Owl and Sparrow Hawk with 3 Herons one morning along with Goldcrests,Pipits and Skylarks.
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I now live in the south west of France just 20 miles south of the Dordogne and 70 miles east of Bordeaux. It is on the migration route of cranes and other birds, particularly swallows. On the evenings of 29th & 30th September this year, I witnessed not a flock but a 'swarm' of swallows circling every which-way above our house. There must have eventually been 2000 - 3000 birds, maybe more, some high some low and as I watched them for perhaps 30 minutes, I saw only a couple of adults, the remainder being this year's youngsters, identified by their short outer tail feathers. They eventually disappeared and it seems from the calls that I could hear that they had settled to roost in a maize field across a river at the bottom of our garden. Unfortunately they were obscured from my view by shrubbery and trees.
The cranes have just begun their autumn migration south and like Simon with the barnacle geese, when I see them overhead and calling (similar to geese) it makes the hair on my neck stand up!
We also have redwings and fieldfare this far south during the winter. I'll record when they arrive this year.
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A dozen Barnacle Geese are amongst over 50,000 Pinkfooted Geese in Montrose Basin.Redwings appeared a couple of weeks ago,no sign of any Waxwings yet,but with the wind coming from the North we may get some.
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Swallows, young ones I think, seen flying around at Dunwich cliffs, Suffolk today.
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Every autumn, and on cue this week, the first of a few regular Stonechats has arrived at my local gravel pit patch in Oxfordshire and will stay for a few months. Perhaps winter movement within UK rather than true migration.
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Fieldfare clacking loud enough to hear over my noisy bike gears near Beadnell ( N Northumberland ) on Sunday 18th. Perhaps I would notice more stuff if I oiled them!
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Do birds of prey migrate? I live in a fairly urban area in Northampton, midlands, and have never seen anything like it - what I think was a buzzard "crash landed" into a conifer in our garden about 50 meters from dual carriageway and then flew off. I went outside to investigate and found at least 6 birds of prey circling high overhead. Were they likely to be travelling somewhere? Larger than kestrels, grey colouring.
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I was at Portland on Sunday 18/10/09, nice sunny day if a bit chilly. Saw a bank of ivy with a number of Painted Lady butterflies - surely they must have been migration bound to be on Portland? Also saw a last few swallow stragglers - hope they've got off OK.
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hi team i have question
speaking of winter migration near me there has been a Red throated Diver that just decided to land on a park lake http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=red%20throated%20diver&w=32829028%40N06 . the odd thing is that one of its eyes was red and the other was black (you cant tell from the pictures because there all taken on the same side)but does that mean its eye is damaged? and why would it just land on a ornamental lake.
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Hi,all at autumn watch it is a sunny afternoon oct 21st here in south pembrokeshire,and i am watching hundreds of swallows and martins heading south. Is this late as i do not recall seeing them around the back end of oct.
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I live in West Sussex. Where is the best place for me to view the incoming migrants?
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You don't need roadside fields for Lapwings and Golden Plovers. In the Greater Manchester region, mixed flocks of both (usually with Starlings too) can be seen roosting on rooftops in town centre buildings.
Should the BBC want to film these urban roosts, I'm happy to show them where to look!
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Hello to everyone. My family and I are great fans of Autumnwatch. Yesterday on our way in to Derby from our home we saw a large flock of geese heading the same way as we were. Could these have been Barnacle Geese? If so, where would they have been heading, as they didnt seem to be going in any direction which would have taken them to the usual wintering grounds? It was late afternoon so the light wasnt very good and the only thing that I could see were their black necks.
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Birds Birds Birds... Don't get me wrong I love m. But when I was a boy I got a Ladybird book called 'What to look for in the Autumn',Autumn for me was a time to watch Eels in the ponds and ditches near my home in somerset. In the last 30/40/ years the run has all but stopped. I've seen one in the wild this year and I had to drive to Devon to see that! I think it would be a great change for the AW team to make some noise about there plite.
Please Martin, as a Bonny 750 fan, Raise the subject, we've lost 99% of our Eels PLEASE HELP...
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