Surfbirds News

Last spring was quite exceptional, with an influx of Swallows in late February - about two weeks earlier than usual! These were quickly followed by Sand Martin on 1 March (Cornwall), Wheatear on 4 March (Kent), Sandwich Tern on 6 March (Kent), House Martin on 7 March (Cornwall, Devon) and Little Ringed Plover on 8 March (Slough and Wokingham).

Northern Wheatear from the Surfbirds Galleries by Steve Arlow

Do I stay or do I go?
Each winter a small number of summer visitors decide not to migrate to warmer climes but to spend the winter here. Our summer visitors are insectivorous, so they need a reliable source of insects during the breeding season. Staying in Britain and Ireland over the winter is tough; insects are hard to find and that’s why our migrants head south to southern Europe and Africa where there is a predictable surge of insects. The winter months are important times; many species renew their feathers through the process of moult so they have a fresh set of feathers to fly north again come the spring.

This winter a small number of Swallows have been reported with records widespread from Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Pembrokeshire, Norfolk, Cheshire and Argyll. There have also been a few Sandwich Tern (Devon, Hampshire, Kent), Whimbrel (Cornwall, Dorset), Garganey (Somerset, Gloucestershire) and Common Sandpipers wintering here. It is well known that some Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps are recorded during the winter (though mostly originating from other parts of Europe) but this winter Willow Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat have also been seen. (Where should these birds be? See Note 7)

Log your first sightings this spring
The organisers of BirdTrack are asking birdwatchers to submit their records of summer migrants to their website this spring so that the timing of spring arrival can be recorded and compared with previous years. BirdTrack is interested not just in first sightings of classic signs of spring like the Swallow and Wheatear but would like to keep track of all arrivals through the spring so the flow through the country can be mapped.

Dawn Balmer, the BirdTrack organiser who works at BTO said
"Most birdwatchers look forward to the start of March and hope to see their first summer migrants during the first two weeks of the month. With the current weather systems it is unlikely that we will get many migrants for a few weeks, unless there is a big change in the weather"

"Instead, birdwatchers will be enjoying the influx of Waxwings and watching flocks of Redwing, Fieldfare and Brambling as they feed up ready for their departure back to their breeding grounds in Scandinavia later in the month. Birdwatchers are encouraged to enter their birdwatching records to BirdTrack and to contribute to local, regional and national bird recording".

1. BirdTrack is an online bird recording scheme BirdTrack organised by BTO on behalf of BTO, RSPB and BirdWatch Ireland.
2. To register for BirdTrack visit the BirdTrack website (www.birdtrack.net and click on the 'Register for BirdTrack' link). Registering is free.
3. Birdwatchers are encouraged to enter their birdwatching lists online to support species and site conservation at local, national and international scales.
4. We need to gather a large number of lists at all times of the year. Complete lists (all species seen and heard) are preferred but incomplete lists and casual records will also help build out understanding of populations.
5. Results produced by BirdTrack will help us to map the migration and movements of birds and monitor of scarce birds in Britain and Ireland. Maps are available from dawn.balmer@bto.org for use in publications.
6. BirdTrack follows on from the successful Migration Watch project that looked at spring migration in 2002-2004. BirdTrack will run all-year and gather information on spring and autumn migration. We know very little about the timing of arrival and departure of winter visitors and this is just one area where BirdTrack will provide useful information.
7. Most of our summer visitors winter in Africa, ranging from the tip of South Africa for Swallow to West Africa for the likes of Sedge Warbler and Whitethroat. Information from bird ringing suggests that Willow Warbler winters in the Gulf of Guinea; around the Ivory Coast and Ghana. In contrast, Lesser Whitethroat is the only warbler to winter in East Africa with records from Egypt, Sudan, Chad and Ethiopia.