Migration news 13 October 2010

I have to agree, in Hartlepool on the East Coast of Cleveland, not only did we get the Red Eyed Vireo but also the 1st time i can remember having Red, Grey and Woodchat shrike in the same Autumn. Also numerous Yellow Browed Warblers, Barred Warblers and more Redstarts, Redwings and Ring Ouzels etc than in many a year. In Spring we had quite a few wintering birds staying late, Fieldfares and Redwings etc, could there be a link?

I live in Gorleston, near Gt Yarmouth, on the Norfolk coast and I too have had the pleasure of seeing a goldcrest this week. I was so pleased to see this little vistitor in my garden, and I can only imagine the journey he had to make to get there. I've also seen and increase in the goldfinch population in my garden, going through over a kg of niger food in three days says something about that.

Having just listened to the information about Nightingales and their migration, that does in fact answer part of the questions my wife and i were asking at the end of June, when traveling in our motorhome. We stayed a few days in a campsite on the Costa Brava and we treated to some wonderful song by this small light brown bird. we half suspected it was in fact a Nightingale, although never having heard one, let alone see, we were left perplexed. NOW, having watched Autumnwatch, we now know that was in fact what it was. The ONE remaining question really is whether it was on it's way to the UK or further up into France, or whether it would stay where it was.....

The article about Nightingales was interesting as it suggests that they go round the coast of Africa rather than crossing the Sahara. However I would think that habitat problenms in Britain are a major cause of the decline as they are still remarkably common in parts of Europe where the agriculture is less intensive. Two years ago, on the Hortobagy, Hungary there seemed to be singing Nightingales in nearly every clump of bushes, and other songbirds equally common. and have also seen good numbers in Bulgaria where they sung in village gardens. Further norh and east their place is taken by Thrush Nightingale. Interestingly reading articles about the battle of Messines (1917)several slodiers letters comment on the singing of Nightingales in the ten minute lull between the barrage and the firing of the huge mines that accomparied the advance.

Afcbpete - given that you were visiting the Costa Brava in late June I'm fairly sure that the Nightingale you saw would be at the northern-most point of its journey as the British breeders arrive here in mid to late April and would be incubating or even feeding young by late June.



Child of Herne - we certainly suspect that there are issues in the UK (such as increased deer-grazing removing the understory of a lot of our woodland) but we really don't know whether it is issues here or on their wintering grounds in Africa that are having the biggest impact on the population, hence the Out Of Africa appeal and research project. Its worth noting that southern England has long been at the edge of the Nightingale's range and so you'd expect these birds to be first to disappear as the whole European population declines (which it is doing in all but the east of its range - see the BTO Bird Trends for more information).



Cheers

Nick Moran

On autumn watch Chris thought the reason for the abundance of berries and fruit was perhaps due to the very cold last winter, our local forester has told me in the past that the prolonged dry spell as we had this year would make the trees think that they could die the reaction is to produce as many seeds or fruits as possible to ensure the continuation of the species.