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UK - spring migrants or over wintering? (1 Viewer)

P

Paul Marshall

Well-known member
Take a look at all the following reports relating to spring migrants in the UK since January 1st (I'm sure there are more but this is all I could think of and find details of):


Garganey - Ugie Estuary (Abeerdenshire) on 03/02/08 and CWP (Wiltshire) on 10/02/08

Hobby - Flixton (Suffolk) on 09/02/08

Stone Curlew - Newlyn (Cornwall) on 28/01/08

Sandwich Tern - Black Point (Hampshire) on 03/02/08 and East Head (West Sussex) on 09/02/08

Swift sp. - Plymouth (Devon) on 02/01/08

Northern Wheatear - two at Holme Fen (Cambridgeshire) on 02/02/08

Ring Ouzel - Ham Green (Somerset) in early February

Willow Warbler - Whitacre Heath NR (Warwickshire) on 06/01/08


Some, if not all may have overwintered but given the mild weather, the origin of some recent weather systems and the nature of some of the reports it suggests at least some maybe early migrants.

Vaguely recall reading about the earliest ever record of Common Swift on Cyprus this year as well.
 
Can't speak for Hants Sandwich Terns but a few have certainly over wintered in Galway this year. Presumably due to mild winter. The other records you have posted are very interesting. Hobby! There have been historical records of unusual species over wintering before. I'm thinking of a wintering Corncrake in Ireland but the year and source escape me.
 
Without wanting to be too sceptical, it is possible that there may have been some misidentification here, for example in the case of Hobby and Willow Warbler. However, Stone Curlew is pretty unmistakable, whatever the month!

A handful of Sandwich Terns seem to overwinter every year somewhere along the south coast, or off the Irish coast, and Garganey isn't unprecedented in winter. However the other species are very interesting.

Taking into account the very mild winter so far, I think it's entirely possible that these birds have overwintered, rather than being isolated returning migrants. Certainly the wintering bird population in the UK is in flux at the moment. Apparently this winter, numbers of dabbling duck, especially Mallard, are well below recent levels, with birds choosing to stay closer to their summer breeding grounds. The weather simply isn't harsh enough to drive them to the UK.

Add in occurrences like the increasing numbers of Sibe warblers overwintering here (OK, still tiny numbers, but now annual, and up from zero a decade or so ago!), the lack of genuine "Arctic" vagrants, the influx of Cattle Egrets (which have overwintered rather than dispersed back southwards), and it's possible (or probable?) that in 10 years, our wintering birds population will look very different, in both species and numbers.
 
Paul Marshall said:
Take a look at all the following reports relating to spring migrants in the UK since January 1st (I'm sure there are more but this is all I could think of and find details of):

Northern Wheatear - two at Holme Fen (Cambridgeshire) on 02/02/08
Click to expand...

According to an email from Mark Hawkes on the CamBirds list, "the chap who reported these, has now said that he may have been a bit hasty, having only seen them briefly, and may be should have said possible Wheatears."
 
Gordon D'Arcy in Ireland's Lost Birds, [p.133 and p.134] refers to several "indisputable" 19th century records of over wintering Corncrake. I'm not sure what this adds to this thread but certainly interesting
 
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Paul Marshall said:
Take a look at all the following reports relating to spring migrants in the UK since January 1st (I'm sure there are more but this is all I could think of and find details of):


Garganey - Ugie Estuary (Abeerdenshire) on 03/02/08 and CWP (Wiltshire) on 10/02/08

Hobby - Flixton (Suffolk) on 09/02/08

Stone Curlew - Newlyn (Cornwall) on 28/01/08

Sandwich Tern - Black Point (Hampshire) on 03/02/08 and East Head (West Sussex) on 09/02/08

Swift sp. - Plymouth (Devon) on 02/01/08

Northern Wheatear - two at Holme Fen (Cambridgeshire) on 02/02/08

Ring Ouzel - Ham Green (Somerset) in early February

Willow Warbler - Whitacre Heath NR (Warwickshire) on 06/01/08

As has been said elsewhere, the Wheater and Willow Warbler were both mis-ID's, and many people would be amazed if the Hobby wasn't stringy.

And as Rob said above, Garganey, Sandwich Tern and Rouzel are all anual in ones or twos in the UK in winter, and Stone Curlew is one of the earliest migrants, often back in Feb.

I personally don't see anything out of the ordinary here, rather a bit of stringing...

BT
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
These records do seem fairly run-of-the-mill, especially when the doubtful ones are taken account of (although increasingly it seems that what was unusual 20 years ago is 'run-of-the-mill' these days). We've not seen a repeat of the late January influx of hirundines that we had a few years ago (2005?).
 
I wouldn't dismiss all of these records quite so hastily, as some may well be genuine. We have confirmed BirdTrack records of Willow Warbler and Hobby in early November, so its not too much of a stretch of the imagination to see them wintering...

As for Sandwich Terns, there was a flock wintered in France last year, which probably accounted for a few of the winter records from the south coast. Stone Curlew have also taken to wintering a lot mre frequently now, and its still possible to see birds in the Brecks now (though you have to look pretty hard!).

And who would have predicted 10, 20, 30 years ago how many Marsh Harriers, Blackcaps and Chiffs we'd have wintering now??...

Mark Grantham
BirdTrack Organiser
www.birdtrack.net
 
Mark Grantham said:
I wouldn't dismiss all of these records quite so hastily, as some may well be genuine. We have confirmed BirdTrack records of Willow Warbler and Hobby in early November
Click to expand...

Hi Mark,

Thanks for the message.

Of interest, what is a "confirmed BirdTrack record"? How/by whom is it confirmed?

I must say I still think there is a world of difference between an early Nov record and a mid-Feb record of Hobby & Willow Warb,

BT
 
Like I've said, I think our wintering bird population is in flux, and changes are taking place at certain species levels. Even if they currently involve tiny numbers of birds, it's still a big change for 20-30 years ago, as others have already said.

I think any genuine records from this time of year would more likely involve overwintering birds rather than early migrants, although of course, in a week or two, the first of this year's pioneers will be arriving on our shores.

As BT says, it's a question of timing. Those extra two months make the difference between an unusual, interesting sighting, and an outstanding winter record.
 
Apologies for cross posting (just put something similar on UK400Club) but:

Agree that all may well have been over wintering birds (or misidentified) but: Stone Curlew on one day in Cornwall only a month before they normally arrive and Garganey on a weekend in a county where temperatures hit 15+ degress with SE winds having previously not been recorded?

As active birders we perhaps have a better grasp on changing bird patterns than some scientists and given the potential important implications of climate change it's important to make sure all these records are documented - wether they are wintering birds or early migrants.

It's easy to discount species such as Hobby but who would have thought Stone Curlews, Garganey, Sandwich Tern etc would be wintering in small numbers ten or twenty years ago? (as Mark G said in an earlier post)

All the best

Paul
 
There has been a Common Tern seen twice on the Dee this winter. I've not connected yet, but the description rules out Forster's Tern
 
Sandwich Terns in Hampshire have been around for several winters (although I've only seen one once, on Boxing Day a couple of years ago as it happens). In the latest (2006) Hampshire Bird Report it describes Sandwich Terns as "a moderately common summer visitor and passage migrant; small numbers now regular in winter".
There are lots of other changes to the wintering birds - some explicable, some not so - for example, on my local patches in Hampshire I've seen 15 Firecrests this winter, but only one Chiffchaff (whereas in previous years I've had two or three Chiffchaffs at two or three different sites). Blackcaps seem to be quite common - I've had up to 3 in my small garden this winter, and many others in Hampshire are reporting garden Blackcaps. There's also the business of all those Egrets and Herons (although I'm still waiting for Cattle Egret and Great White Egret to fly over my house!)

Anyway - all these changes make for more interesting birding, and if nothing changed then we would probably all be collecting stamps.

I see someone reported a Swallow on the Isle of Wight last week. Just one more and it will be summer.

David
 
Sandwich Tern has wintered in Anglesey in years past as well as Swallow (seen at Malltraeth in Dec and Jan a few years ago). Both reported by very reliable observers.
 
Their have been several species of summer visitors found wintering in the UK last few years Garden,Willow,Whitethroat,LesserWhitethroat Reed Warbler,Whinchat,Turtle Dove have all been found.1 or 2 Barred Warblers have been found in December.And very small number of YB Warblers are starting to winter.
 
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