Migratory birds now overwintering (1 Viewer)

[JTweedie]

Around the Clyde area we have Blackcaps that overwinter here. I don't know if they're residents or perhaps birds that have migrated here from colder places further north during the winter.

Likewise I've read that Chiffchaffs are now resident in some places.

Does anyone know if any of these birds are actually birds that stay put and don't migrate or whether they are overwintering birds that have come from colder places?

Are there signs of other mainly migratory birds that are showing similar patterns of distribution and behaviour?

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

AFAIK, the evidence suggests that wintering Blackcaps are migrants from Germany and beyond, while our breeding birds winter around the Mediterranean.

 

[Farnboro John]

Indeed, and the habitual discovery of Siberian Chiffchaffs among wintering Chiffs at least suggests these are migrants from elsewhere and not residents. The drivers may not be temperature but food availability or annual survival rates (a composite of all factors compared to the same factors elsewhere in wintering range).

John

 

[JTweedie]

Cheers. I think I'll do a bit of research to see what's been published about this.

 

[THE_FERN]

Indeed, and the habitual discovery of Siberian Chiffchaffs among wintering Chiffs at least suggests these are migrants from elsewhere and not residents. The drivers may not be temperature but food availability or annual survival rates (a composite of all factors compared to the same factors elsewhere in wintering range).

John

Not to discount this, but in London it's noticeable there are higher chiffy concentrations around warmer places like sewage farms---which coincidentally (presumably) have more food. I noticed chiffies' absence from many places I normally expect them during the cold weather earlier this year

 

[Farnboro John]

Not to discount this, but in London it's noticeable there are higher chiffy concentrations around warmer places like sewage farms---which coincidentally (presumably) have more food. I noticed chiffies' absence from many places I normally expect them during the cold weather earlier this year

I'd say it's the other way about: sewage farms are no warmer than the remainder of the environment but they are a consistent source of food due to their nature and therefore always the best place to look for Chiffchaffs in winter.

John

 

[KenM]

FWIW at a traffic roundabout in Leytonstone NEast London during late December 2014 within which there was a steep ditch with water source, covered in bramble and hogweed.
Therein overwintered, two Common Whitethroat and a Reed Warbler sp.till Dec 23rd (at least).

 

[Mono]

Small DNA study was done of overwintering Chiffchaffs in Ireland in 2015.

 

[Farnboro John]

Small DNA study was done of overwintering Chiffchaffs in Ireland in 2015.

Interesting, including the weather-dependent variation in wintering numbers and indeed the swift response of the birds to changing circumstances.

John

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Wintering Reed Warblers is nothing new. Welches Dam, December '87(?) anyone?

 

[KenM]

Wintering Reed Warblers is nothing new. Welches Dam, December '87(?) anyone?

Yes, there have been several, of which one was “down the road” from the “roundabout” at Walthamstow reservoirs circa a mile away, again within a wetland area, a few years later.
Point being that transaharans don’t exactly “drip off the trees” at Xmas in Northern Europe! 😮