StevieEvans
Well-known member
Waders returning Southwards today in N.East England, UK
Curlew Sandpiper & Whimbrels....
S
Curlew Sandpiper & Whimbrels....
S
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Heading South.....already... (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter StevieEvans
- Start date
Colin
Axeman (Retired)
A number of Green Sandpipers and a Whimbrel through Slimbridge (SW England) today and a Ruff yesterday and Wood Sandpiper a few days ago so things are on the move. A band of bad weather in the next few days (not sure if it is forecast) may bring a few birds down for a day or so. Need to be out there.
Gerry Hooper
Certified User
Three Common sandpipers on the Exe estuary yesterday.
Are they heading South too??
Are they heading South too??
Michael Frankis
conehead
Hi Gerry,
Just starting to, yes. They'd most likely be birds that bred in Devon, maybe on Dartmoor. The first stage of thier migration is a slow dispersal to nearby ponds and coastal localities to fatten up for the long journey south. There will still be Common Sandpipers passing through for another two months or more yet, with later birds being ones on their way down from Scotland or Scandinavia.
More exciting are the long distance travellers. There's been a few Curlew Sandpipers reported in the last few days - these don't breed anywhere closer than the Taimyr peninsula. That's the bit sticking out right at the top of Siberia, and their destination: West Africa.
Michael
Just starting to, yes. They'd most likely be birds that bred in Devon, maybe on Dartmoor. The first stage of thier migration is a slow dispersal to nearby ponds and coastal localities to fatten up for the long journey south. There will still be Common Sandpipers passing through for another two months or more yet, with later birds being ones on their way down from Scotland or Scandinavia.
More exciting are the long distance travellers. There's been a few Curlew Sandpipers reported in the last few days - these don't breed anywhere closer than the Taimyr peninsula. That's the bit sticking out right at the top of Siberia, and their destination: West Africa.
Michael
"All our Red-necked Phalaropes are looking pasty grey now, very few with any breeding plumage left. They're gathering in big numbers and will be heading your way soon."
I wonder if the reason they are all so dull is that they are all males (this being a polyandrous species)and the females have already departed. I've seen Red Necked phalaropes in early August which are still in good summer plumage.
The overwhelming majority of the southbound migrants seen at the moment will be males which pretty much leave the whole business if rearing young to the females.
MV
I wonder if the reason they are all so dull is that they are all males (this being a polyandrous species)and the females have already departed. I've seen Red Necked phalaropes in early August which are still in good summer plumage.
The overwhelming majority of the southbound migrants seen at the moment will be males which pretty much leave the whole business if rearing young to the females.
MV
Michael Frankis
conehead
Edward said:
Not to Britain, regrettably - the Icelandic ones are part of the North American population and head southwest to Canada and then on via California to winter off Peru.
The Scandinavian ones are part of the West Eurasian population and migrate southeast to winter off southern Arabia
Result: none of them come to Britain on a regular basis, so it is only a rare vagrant here (apart from the tiny handful that nest in Shetland) :-C
Michael
Edward
Umimmak
Michael Frankis said:
As usual an erudite answer, Michael, but where did you hear that? The wintering grounds of Icelandic Red-necks (and I don't mean the ones that go to Gran Canaria or Christmas shopping in London) is one of the great unsolved mysteries of Icelandic ornithology. It has always been assumed that they go to the south Atlantic but as far as I know nobody knows for sure.
Anyway hope to see some tomorrow. Saw over 1,000 together on a pond near Reykjavik last July, all spinning. Do you think that if all the Red-necked Phalaropes in the world span in the same direction at the same time it would throw the Earth of its axis?
E
Michael Frankis
conehead
Hi Edward,
Common sense - there's huge passage flocks seen in the Bay of Fundy (Canada) that no-one knows where they come from/go to. The numbers reported there are not dissimilar to the Icelandic population plus extras from Greenland & the (relatively small) number that nest east of the Hudson Bay in Canada. They don't winter in the Atlantic (if they did, they'd have been found by now), they don't come past Europe, so Q.E.D. they must go west to join the rest of the Canadian / Alaskan gigantic flocks at Mono Lake & Salton Sea, Calif.
Are there no ringing recoveries of Icelandic RNPhals yet?
Michael
Common sense - there's huge passage flocks seen in the Bay of Fundy (Canada) that no-one knows where they come from/go to. The numbers reported there are not dissimilar to the Icelandic population plus extras from Greenland & the (relatively small) number that nest east of the Hudson Bay in Canada. They don't winter in the Atlantic (if they did, they'd have been found by now), they don't come past Europe, so Q.E.D. they must go west to join the rest of the Canadian / Alaskan gigantic flocks at Mono Lake & Salton Sea, Calif.
Are there no ringing recoveries of Icelandic RNPhals yet?
Michael
Michael Frankis
conehead
Forgot to add - why d'you think the earth is spinning in the first place?? :-OEdward said:
M
I don't see why Icelandic R-n Phals couldn't be wintering in the Arabian Gulf and adjacent areas of the Indian ocean, along with most other Palearctic birds. The notion that they move west is extremely speculative and not at all common sense. Just because they aren't (known to be) present in the Atlantic means nothing.
MV
MV
Michael Frankis
conehead
Hi MV,
"No evidence of regular movement in eastern Atlantic; in Britain (away from restricted breeding areas) migrants occur mainly eastern counties and do not produce west coast wrecks like P. fulicarius."
"Parrack (1959) showed arrivals in eastern England, via North Sea, in weather conditions indicating Scandinavian origin."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - BWP
"No evidence of regular movement in eastern Atlantic; in Britain (away from restricted breeding areas) migrants occur mainly eastern counties and do not produce west coast wrecks like P. fulicarius."
"Parrack (1959) showed arrivals in eastern England, via North Sea, in weather conditions indicating Scandinavian origin."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - BWP
I said nothing about movements in the E Atlantic, I know they are not there otherwise they'd be recorded in seabird movements of Senegal. there is no reason to believe that the Icelandic birds do not just head SE into Europe, this would bring them nowhere near Britain, or any regualrly surveyed areas.
BTW, I think you'll find that the huge numbers in the bay of Fundy have mysteriously disappeared in recent years so the Icelandic birds wouldn't seem to be there.
MV
BTW, I think you'll find that the huge numbers in the bay of Fundy have mysteriously disappeared in recent years so the Icelandic birds wouldn't seem to be there.
MV
Michael Frankis
conehead
Hi MV,
'eastern Atlantic' includes the sea between Iceland and Britain & Norway, as is perfectly clear from the context of the sentence. No need to invoke Senegal!
The Fundy birds are thought to have moved their feeding grounds in response to a decline in food resources in Fundy; there have been increases in some nearby areas.
Hi Ian,
Ultimately south, as they are appearing post-breeding. But they'll probably go north first, to get out of the North Sea back into the Atlantic, and then turn back south. That's what most seabirds do here. Some Arctics do go south from here and out the English Channel as well though, so they could go either way.
Michael
'eastern Atlantic' includes the sea between Iceland and Britain & Norway, as is perfectly clear from the context of the sentence. No need to invoke Senegal!
The Fundy birds are thought to have moved their feeding grounds in response to a decline in food resources in Fundy; there have been increases in some nearby areas.
Hi Ian,
Ultimately south, as they are appearing post-breeding. But they'll probably go north first, to get out of the North Sea back into the Atlantic, and then turn back south. That's what most seabirds do here. Some Arctics do go south from here and out the English Channel as well though, so they could go either way.
Michael
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In my book that's the North Atlantic but that is hardly the point. The birds clearly do not migrate along the western seaboard of Europe otherwise they would be seen in Senegal - the relevance of Senegal is that it is by far the best seawatching location on the Atlantic coast of the Old World!
...and what exactly is the evidence of movements in the western Atlantic between Iceland and N.Am, none I think.
Some differentiation between idle speculation and fact would not go amiss Michael.
MV
...and what exactly is the evidence of movements in the western Atlantic between Iceland and N.Am, none I think.
Some differentiation between idle speculation and fact would not go amiss Michael.
MV
