Redpoll influx (1 Viewer)

CARERY · Dec 11, 2017

At least in Central and Eastern Europe obviously a major irruption of Mealy Redpolls is underway. Lots of them show features of Arctic Redpolls as a several threats in the Bird ID Q&A forum illustrate. When checking trektellen.nl I was surprised how many Arctic Redpolls have been reported/ringed this autumn (http://trektellen.nl/species/totals/0/0/413/20170921/20171211) esp. in the East. Also in Poland and Germany the numbers of Arctic reported are unusually high. I know the ID is controversially discussed and far from easy, but still there must be more lighter birds involved than normal.

How is the situation at your place? Has there been a similar influx in past years? Interestingly there are a few Fringillidae species, like Hawfinch or the Crossbills sp., that seem to irrupt this year. Could this be related somehow?

Nutcracker · Dec 11, 2017

CARERY said:
... several threats in the Bird ID Q&A forum

Has it been that bad? 3

Not many redpolls in Britain, but a few Commons have been around with the Lessers.

jogresh · Dec 11, 2017

CARERY said:
At least in Central and Eastern Europe obviously a major irruption of Mealy Redpolls is underway. Lots of them show features of Arctic Redpolls as a several threats in the Bird ID Q&A forum illustrate. When checking trektellen.nl I was surprised how many Arctic Redpolls have been reported/ringed this autumn (http://trektellen.nl/species/totals/0/0/413/20170921/20171211) esp. in the East. Also in Poland and Germany the numbers of Arctic reported are unusually high. I know the ID is controversially discussed and far from easy, but still there must be more lighter birds involved than normal.

How is the situation at your place? Has there been a similar influx in past years? Interestingly there are a few Fringillidae species, like Hawfinch or the Crossbills sp., that seem to irrupt this year. Could this be related somehow?

It's an interesting situation. As well as the influx of Hawfinch into the UK, there were many more than usual vis-migging in the SW tip of Portugal in late Oct; interestingly, the local birders said there were also more Brambling, Siskin and Bullfinch than normal too. I'd love to know what the exact mechanisms are for these influxes; presumably a failure of particular food sources, perhaps also weather plays a part - and can more than one bird species be affected by the same thing, eg perhaps by cold Spring weather in say Russia preventing seeding by several different food sources (tree etc species)?
I really hope the redpolls move west to the UK, i've got unfinished business from the mid 90s influx with one of those pale ones!....

CARERY · Dec 11, 2017

Nutcracker said:
Has it been that bad? 3

Damn spelling, you Brits love to confuse us poor foreigners, don't you :scribe:?

OK, threads then

...

Warixenjalka · Dec 12, 2017

Here in southern Finland has also more than usually Bramblings, Bullfinches, Siskins and Redpolls (maybe other finches too - only Greenfinches is less than normally).
Can this be the result of a failed nesting of insectivores? Insect food has been more than enough for finches chicks, than in normal years.

CARERY · Dec 24, 2017

Today in Skagen, Denmark a Mealy Redpoll with a ring from China was trapped (https://www.facebook.com/Skagenfuglestation/)!

Surprisingly this is not the first retrap of a Redpoll ringed in China. In Nov 2005 in the Netherlands a bird was caught that was ringed in Nov 2004 in NE China (http://www.birdshooting.nl/en/blog-en/141-redpolls-redpolls-and-redpolls).

To me this are impressive examples how flexible these irruptive migrants can be when choosing where to winter! I bet this year there are none in China as they all seem to be in Europe

...

KenM · Dec 25, 2017

CARERY said:
Today in Skagen, Denmark a Mealy Redpoll with a ring from China was trapped (https://www.facebook.com/Skagenfuglestation/)!

Surprisingly this is not the first retrap of a Redpoll ringed in China. In Nov 2005 in the Netherlands a bird was caught that was ringed in Nov 2004 in NE China (http://www.birdshooting.nl/en/blog-en/141-redpolls-redpolls-and-redpolls).

To me this are impressive examples how flexible these irruptive migrants can be when choosing where to winter! I bet this year there are none in China as they all seem to be in Europe ...

Amazing.....that a China ringed Redpoll was re-trapped in the Netherlands!!!...I thought I'd hit the jackpot several years ago, with a Brussels ringed Redpoll found in a London garden. Clearly irruptive species...know no bounds. :eek!:

Farnboro John · Dec 26, 2017

KenM said:
Amazing.....that a China ringed Redpoll was re-trapped in the Netherlands!!!...I thought I'd hit the jackpot several years ago, with a Brussels ringed Redpoll found in a London garden. Clearly irruptive species...know no bounds. :eek!:

Kinda puts the "everything's an escape" miseries back in their box, doesn't it?

John

KenM · Dec 26, 2017

Farnboro John said:
Kinda puts the "everything's an escape" miseries back in their box, doesn't it?

John

Just a bit John...just a bit. :t:

CARERY · Dec 26, 2017

KenM said:
Amazing.....that a China ringed Redpoll was re-trapped in the Netherlands!!!...I thought I'd hit the jackpot several years ago, with a Brussels ringed Redpoll found in a London garden. Clearly irruptive species...know no bounds. :eek!:

I remember a few years ago I came across an Atlas of ring recoveries of European passerines. I was amazed that the typical irruptive species like Crossbills and Redpoll lacked a pattern in their mean migratory direction contrary to the other species. Their recoveries were scattered all over Eurasia. I'm sure if looking into the data more carefully would reveal a pattern from year to year. Only wish to understand what drives them!?

aeshna5 · Dec 26, 2017

Had a smart Common Redpoll with a small group of Lesser Redpoll on my west London patch on Xmas Eve; today only saw Lessers + fewer of those.

Vincent van der Spek · Jan 16, 2018

CARERY said:
Today in Skagen, Denmark a Mealy Redpoll with a ring from China was trapped (https://www.facebook.com/Skagenfuglestation/)!

Surprisingly this is not the first retrap of a Redpoll ringed in China. In Nov 2005 in the Netherlands a bird was caught that was ringed in Nov 2004 in NE China (http://www.birdshooting.nl/en/blog-en/141-redpolls-redpolls-and-redpolls).

To me this are impressive examples how flexible these irruptive migrants can be when choosing where to winter! I bet this year there are none in China as they all seem to be in Europe ...

I happened to be one of the lucky ringers of the Dutch bird! But there has even been more exchange between Europe and China than the two birds mentioned above! I've summarized all records I'm aware off. It includes a pic of the Dutch bird - though it looks like any other female Mealy Redpoll

Kind regards, Vincent

jogresh · Jan 17, 2018

Fascinating article Vincent, thanks! Several birds moving between the ringing scheme in Heilongjiang and western Europe. And one bird which moved from Michigan to Okhotsk! Interesting that you speculate that individual Mealies are not tied to a particular breeding area but may breed wherever it is suitable. This could explain why there is just the one race of Mealy across it's holarctic distribution. Do you know much about the project at Heilongjiang?..

Vincent van der Spek · Jan 17, 2018

jogresh said:
Fascinating article Vincent, thanks! Several birds moving between the ringing scheme in Heilongjiang and western Europe. And one bird which moved from Michigan to Okhotsk! Interesting that you speculate that individual Mealies are not tied to a particular breeding area but may breed wherever it is suitable. This could explain why there is just the one race of Mealy across it's holarctic distribution. Do you know much about the project at Heilongjiang?..

Cheers!

I think Dutch ringer Jan Visser has visited the project. He at least planned to do so. What kind of information are you looking for?

jurek · Jan 17, 2018

About birds from China in Europe. Unringed, fine Japanese Waxwing was seen in a flock of Waxwings in NE Poland in January 2009. The record was then treated as a likely escape, probably most of all because no records in Western Europe.

However, Bohemian Waxwing ringed in China was re-trapped in Europe, too. So maybe Waxwings follow the same strategy of random wandering across northern Eurasia as Redpolls, and a wild Japanese Waxwing could be dragged with a Waxwing flock to Europe? Anyway, NE Poland is about 1000 km closer to China than Scotland or Netherlands. Maybe it is worth looking more closely at these flocks of Waxwings too.

Vincent van der Spek · Jan 18, 2018

First of all: thank you all who took the effort to read the web article I posted.
Internet is a great thing: thanks to Petteri Lehikoinen and Fridtjof Ziesemer I was able to add another two birds, one from Finland and the other one from Norway (the latter is the first one from another recovery site in China). Thanks a lot! Exchange between China and Europe really doesn't seem to be incidental in this (fascinating) species.

I've updated both the text and the map (just for those interested in another peak; sorry for the plug to everybody else).

@ Jurek: interesting thought. Do you have a reference of the Waxwing? A little search only revealed Waxwings (from Poland!) recovered in Siberia. There's still a difference though. Unlike Mealy Redpoll, Japanese Waxwing does not breed between NE China and Europe. But indeed, Waxwings are irruptive, too. I'm pretty sure that alle Waxwing flocks are well watched in Holland - they are scarce in most years (but quite common in some)!

There was a record of an unringed Japanese in a group of Waxwings in the Netherlands in 2005, that was rejected on status. I didn't go and see it myself, but I remember the plumage was not quite right.

jogresh · Jan 18, 2018

jogresh said:
Interesting that you speculate that individual Mealies are not tied to a particular breeding area but may breed wherever it is suitable. Do you know much about the project at Heilongjiang?..

I find it interesting that the ringing data shows that some of the birds are in a different place to where they were at similar times of the year, eg Belgium 15th December 96 but China 23rd November 98. And, China Nov 14th '04, Holland 13th Nov '05. Real irruptive wanderers indeed.

Vincent van der Spek said:
Cheers!

I think Dutch ringer Jan Visser has visited the project. He at least planned to do so. What kind of information are you looking for?

Anything really, it sounds like a well-established project.

Xenospiza · Jan 18, 2018

Vincent van der Spek said:
There was a record of an unringed Japanese in a group of Waxwings in the Netherlands in 2005, that was rejected on status. I didn't go and see it myself, but I remember the plumage was not quite right.

Of course I did go and see it. Its waxy bits were pink instead of bright red, so I have always supported the escape theory. Not the perfect way to make yourself popular in the Netherlands.

CARERY · Jan 18, 2018

Vincent van der Spek said:
I happened to be one of the lucky ringers of the Dutch bird! But there has even been more exchange between Europe and China than the two birds mentioned above! I've summarized all records I'm aware off. It includes a pic of the Dutch bird - though it looks like any other female Mealy Redpoll

Kind regards, Vincent

Very interesting compilation Vincent! I completely agree with your speculation in that post!

wolfbirder · Jan 19, 2018

Great thread this, great stuff Vincent. And others.

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