The Desert Wheatear was still present today and there were quite a few happy punters along to pay their respects. It was showing down to three metres (yes that's three metres) and I took three rolls of film. I'll put up the results tomorrow.
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At Fife Ness - a Desert (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Andrew Whitehouse
- Start date
Michael Frankis said:
I assume that in yor first paragraph you mean migratory birds vary their migratory paths (obvious) and these Desert Wheatears are using the UK as a stopping of area before migrating to their normal Wintering grounds?
Why would they?
As for a population not so! All birds observed are singular, not even a meta-population. The total numbers observed in the UK in recent weeks etc can be counted on 2 hands. I'd suggest these birds are juveniles (sic) that have become disorientated as happens with many birds.
Osprey
I've just uploaded four pictures of the Desert Wheatear to the British Rarities gallery. Hope you like them.
sparrowbirder
Well-known member
On the same theme of "reversed migration" could it be that some species are more prone to dispersal than others!! why for instance are pallass and yellow browed warblers relatively frequent in uk and not for instance such species as brown and mugimaki flycatchers and black faced bunting which breed and winter in similar areas!! is this a genetically inherited trait?
The vagaries of migration are truly complex and not easy to explain away on one theory or another
The vagaries of migration are truly complex and not easy to explain away on one theory or another
Michael Frankis
conehead
Hi Sparrowbirder,
Almost certainly, yes. If nothing else, the paucity of the various Turdus thrushes from Siberia in Britain demonstrates it - these are just as abundant as the various Phylloscopus on the breeding grounds, so they ought to turn up as often if they showed the same % tendency to head this way.
Michael
Almost certainly, yes. If nothing else, the paucity of the various Turdus thrushes from Siberia in Britain demonstrates it - these are just as abundant as the various Phylloscopus on the breeding grounds, so they ought to turn up as often if they showed the same % tendency to head this way.
Michael
Michael Frankis
conehead
Hi Spud,
Comments in things like Seebohm's Birds of Siberia and Knystautas' Natural History of the USSR. I don't have any detailed BTO-style population abundance figures, just pointing out that the 100/200:1 or more ratio of Siberian Phylloscopus to Siberian Turdus in British records is not the same ratio in Siberia.
Michael
Comments in things like Seebohm's Birds of Siberia and Knystautas' Natural History of the USSR. I don't have any detailed BTO-style population abundance figures, just pointing out that the 100/200:1 or more ratio of Siberian Phylloscopus to Siberian Turdus in British records is not the same ratio in Siberia.
Michael
In my experience species such as Yellow-browed and Pallas's Warblers are very much more abundant than just about anything else in Siberia. I'm not convinced that anything other than population size affects the relative likelihood of similarly long distance Siberian vagrants appearing in autumn.
Spud
Spud
Michael Frankis
conehead
Hi Harry,
They both go to places like Thailand and southern China, so more-or-less yes, maybe the thrushes just slightly shorter as they're hardier birds. The Zoothera spp. are apparently much scarcer on the breeding grounds (breed at very low density), so it's reasonable we don't get many of them.
Michael
They both go to places like Thailand and southern China, so more-or-less yes, maybe the thrushes just slightly shorter as they're hardier birds. The Zoothera spp. are apparently much scarcer on the breeding grounds (breed at very low density), so it's reasonable we don't get many of them.
Michael
Hi Michael,
Oddly enough,here in Ireland we have had 3-4 records of White's Thrush and one of Siberian Thrush,but NO records of the Siberian Turdus species!The skulking nature of White's Thrush in particular would also mitigate against the discovery of vagrant birds.
Spud:what other species,if any,would approach Yellow-browed and Pallas' in abundance in Siberia?Presume Richard's Pipit must be quite common,given their relative abundance in Western Europe?
Harry H
Oddly enough,here in Ireland we have had 3-4 records of White's Thrush and one of Siberian Thrush,but NO records of the Siberian Turdus species!The skulking nature of White's Thrush in particular would also mitigate against the discovery of vagrant birds.
Spud:what other species,if any,would approach Yellow-browed and Pallas' in abundance in Siberia?Presume Richard's Pipit must be quite common,given their relative abundance in Western Europe?
Harry H
Michael Frankis
conehead
Hi Spud,
Thanks; but do Y-brows and Pallas's really outnumber say, Eyebrowed Thrush, Black-throated Thrush and Dusky Thrush by 200:1 in Siberia?
Michael
Thanks; but do Y-brows and Pallas's really outnumber say, Eyebrowed Thrush, Black-throated Thrush and Dusky Thrush by 200:1 in Siberia?
Michael
sparrowbirder
Well-known member
on the subject of mugimaki flycatcher michael,has anybody ever come up with a reasonable explanation for the rejection of the stone creek,humberside bird!! a 1st y bird in suitable east coast habitat at a perfect time of year in excellent weather conditions!! I think the explanation that "there is no pattern for vagrancy" was always a bit ambiguous, a pattern compared to what..other mugimaki flycatchers or to similar species which breed in the same area and are seen regularly in UK!! sometimes I dont think the BOU know what they are doing half the time..
Hi Andy,
Though not of much relevance to us here in Ireland,I am obviously aware of the circumstances surrounding that Mugimaki Flycatcher(the bird's "exoticness" is enhanced by its name:so redolent of eastern Asia!).
As I understand it,the bird was accepted on to Category D.This would not have taken place if the BOURC could prove conclusively that it was only an escape:rather,the record is in "storage",and may well be dusted off if there are further occurrences in western Europe.Remember,the Shetland Cedar Waxwing was on Category D,but now stands as the first accepted British record.Anyway,no-one is telling birders that Category D birds are untickable....
Harry H
Though not of much relevance to us here in Ireland,I am obviously aware of the circumstances surrounding that Mugimaki Flycatcher(the bird's "exoticness" is enhanced by its name:so redolent of eastern Asia!).
As I understand it,the bird was accepted on to Category D.This would not have taken place if the BOURC could prove conclusively that it was only an escape:rather,the record is in "storage",and may well be dusted off if there are further occurrences in western Europe.Remember,the Shetland Cedar Waxwing was on Category D,but now stands as the first accepted British record.Anyway,no-one is telling birders that Category D birds are untickable....
Harry H
sparrowbirder
Well-known member
Remember being present on scilly when an eye browed thrush came in with a flock of redwings,, amazing!!
Michael Frankis
conehead
Thanks Spud - the impression I'd got from reading was that it was not dissimilar to say the ratio of Willow Warblers & Chiffchaffs to Song Thrushes & Blackbirds in Britain, maybe about equal or at most 3 or 4 to 1. I'm surprised thrushes should be so rare in what I would guess is pretty ideal habitat
Michael
Michael
Michael Frankis
conehead
Another way to look at it - I'd guess there's about one Yellow-browed for every 10-20 Chiffchaffs on the UK east coast in autumn, but only about one Eyebrowed for every million or so Redwings - why should that be?
Michael
Michael
Edward woodwood
Member
Hi Harry
re your earlier query
Sibe Thrushes migrate much further south than YB Warbs and Pallas' down to Java and irregularly to Borneo ands Bali
re your earlier query
Sibe Thrushes migrate much further south than YB Warbs and Pallas' down to Java and irregularly to Borneo ands Bali
Edward woodwood
Member
Hi Andy
you said:
I think the explanation that "there is no pattern for vagrancy" was always a bit ambiguous, a pattern compared to what..other mugimaki flycatchers or to similar species which breed in the same area and are seen regularly in UK!! sometimes I dont think the BOU know what they are doing half the time
I think this refers to the fact that Mugimaki Fly has no track record of vagrancy in general, not just to the UK, hence with the possibility of it being a cage bird the BOU rightly err on the side of caution. If more Mugimakis turn up here or at any points between their breeding ground and here then the rec. may be reassessed later.
Lots of Asian vagrants do turn up here with some degree of regularity and Mugimaki isn't one of them so I think the BOU decision looks fine at the moment especially in the light of no more turning up since.
And they do know what they're doing
you said:
I think the explanation that "there is no pattern for vagrancy" was always a bit ambiguous, a pattern compared to what..other mugimaki flycatchers or to similar species which breed in the same area and are seen regularly in UK!! sometimes I dont think the BOU know what they are doing half the time
I think this refers to the fact that Mugimaki Fly has no track record of vagrancy in general, not just to the UK, hence with the possibility of it being a cage bird the BOU rightly err on the side of caution. If more Mugimakis turn up here or at any points between their breeding ground and here then the rec. may be reassessed later.
Lots of Asian vagrants do turn up here with some degree of regularity and Mugimaki isn't one of them so I think the BOU decision looks fine at the moment especially in the light of no more turning up since.
And they do know what they're doing
