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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Jay influx into UK (1 Viewer)

Can't say that I've ever researched this, but I had always just assumed that Jays were more or less sedentary.... Do we always get an influx of continental birds in the autumn or is this an unusual event?

On a related subject, in SE Surrey at least, we have a virtual complete failure of the acorn crop this year, so I wondered if this was being repeated elsewhere, and possibly might be leading to more movement than usual as birds search for their usual autumn stash?


Ray
 
I've just got back from Arnhem/Nijmegen in the Netherlands where I was struck by how many Jays I was seeing. Virtually at any point I looked up I'd see at least one or two. generally more.
 
angusmcoatup said:
I've just got back from Arnhem/Nijmegen in the Netherlands where I was struck by how many Jays I was seeing. Virtually at any point I looked up I'd see at least one or two. generally more.
Click to expand...
Yes, that's about 80 km as the Jay flies — they'd even have the wind in their back. 13.5 hours of vismigging this weekend: only 20 not very convincingly migrating Jays.

On the recognition front: I have never noticed an obvious difference in the greyness of the mantle between British and Western European birds (my oldest Dutch bird book (1924) probably does it right by not naming a subspecies, but others agree on glandarius).
Birds from Sweden and Russia have reached the Netherlands, which would definitely stand out.
 
I've lived at this address in S Cambs for 5 years and only ever had 1 or 2 records of singeltons, but in the last 2 days I've had a pair followed today by three together, so probably part of some kind of movement.
 
A flock of 6 appeared at RSPB Radipole Lake yesterday in Weymouth. they appeared to come in from Weymouth bay. First i've ever seen at the reserve.
 
stevo said:
Sorry i`ll supply a grid ref next time,or maybe sat nav directions.
Click to expand...

Thanks ;)

I suspected I was seeing immigrants rather than local birds for the first time yesterday - a flock of six very high over Burley Wood near Rutland Water.

Steve
 
Public transport from London Stansted to Southampton yesterday, and then car down to Falmouth this morning - lots of Jays!

40 - 50 noted in flight (I wasn't counting), certainly more than Magpie or (non-flocking) Woodpigeons. I know they're normally more visible at this time of year (food caching journeys?) but never noticed so many. Not very scientific I know.
 
numbers seen today on trip from Warwickshire to London (20+ along the side of the motorway) noticably more than the usual one or two.
 
Sounds like a fair few through coastal East Kent today as well, could be on the way to a bigger influx than in 1983 at this rate! Keep the reports flowing :)
 
Jhanlon said:
I've lived at this address in S Cambs for 5 years and only ever had 1 or 2 records of singeltons, but in the last 2 days I've had a pair followed today by three together, so probably part of some kind of movement.
Click to expand...

and a flock of 9 today, moving west!
 
Birds obviously on the move in central Leicestershire today - I had 15 in four groups going east or SE during a 3.5 hour vismig session and John Hague had c30 west in his watch a few miles away.

Odd about the directions, but clear movement.

Steve
 
Steve Lister said:
Odd about the directions, but clear movement.
Click to expand...

Jays are an abundant annual autumn passage bird in the part of Europe I live, movements of some hundreds per hour not uncommon. Movements are rarely purely south or south-westerly and almost never at significant altitude, it is my judgement that while the birds overall are trending south/south-westerly, the actual local movement is frequently tempered by local factors, eg. following a valley, etc. but most particularly by going from one forest patch to the next nearest, irrespective of exact direction (though not northerly).
 
Jos Stratford said:
Jays are an abundant annual autumn passage bird in the part of Europe I live, movements of some hundreds per hour not uncommon. Movements are rarely purely south or south-westerly and almost never at significant altitude, it is my judgement that while the birds overall are trending south/south-westerly, the actual local movement is frequently tempered by local factors, eg. following a valley, etc. but most particularly by going from one forest patch to the next nearest, irrespective of exact direction (though not northerly).
Click to expand...

This is what I've noticed too, jays are abundant here anyway, but there is a definite movement at the moment, just impossible to count precisely as they will fly backwards and forwards. On a tangent, most of the tree pipits I've had on migration do seem to be heading north!!! (I imagine they turn as soon as they've gone over, or if they're following some sort of landmark like the river, it does go north on my patch before eventually finishing up in the Med)
 
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