Migrants off to a slow start…

With that incredibly cold period that lasted well into the early part of the spring, not only has there been a delay in arrivals, but it certainly seems that numbers may have been affected this year. BirdTrack (birdtrack.net) is already showing what appears to be erroneous patterns of occurrence in several of the sub-Saharan migrants, showing late arrival, and a decline and what seems to be an earlier drop-off, in reporting rates.

So what does this mean for our rare breeding migrants? 

The patterns shown in rare breeding sub-Saharan migrants such as Wood Warbler, Garden Warbler, Nightjar and Whinchat across Britain and Ireland this year,  are similar to some of the more widespread species such as Willow Warbler. But because there are fewer of them, it means that we might struggle more than usual to find these species this year. So all hands on deck are needed. Click on the links above to see where coverage is especially needed this year, and please get in touch and let us know you can help out.