BirdTrack migration blog (30th September - 6th October)

The UK is a great place to witness the spectacle of migration as at this time of the year birds can turn up from almost anywhere on the planet. It’s not uncommon to have birds from the west, as evidenced by the amazingly obliging Common Nighthawk in Oxfordshire last week, which should have been somewhere in the southern United States. Similarly, an Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, which really ought to have been making its way through the Middle East to Africa turned up in Dublin, Ireland, instead. During the next few weeks, arrivals in the UK are more than ever reliant upon the prevailing weather conditions.

Last week several birds from both east and west were spotted, including Long-billed Dowitchers and Buff-breasted Sandpipers from the west and the first rush of Yellow-browed Warblers from the east. On the common migrant front, the first Redwings of the autumn were seen in many counties and other winter visitors such as Pink-footed Geese and Snow Buntings were on the move.