In addition to the now traditional wintering Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps, there has been a remarkable range of summer visitors recorded in December and early January. Some of the most unusual records include Whinchat (Berkshire), Ring Ouzel (Dorset, Hampshire), Sandwich Tern (Dorset, Norfolk, Hampshire & Lothian), Whimbrel (Hampshire, Ayr, West Sussex), Swallow (Dorset, Essex & Kent), House Martin (Kent) and a Willow Warbler was reported from London in December! There is also a good scattering of Common Sandpipers and Greenshank around the country, from Devon in the south to Carmarthen in the west, Suffolk in the east and Argyll in the north.

A very early drake Garganey was seen on 3rd February in Lincolnshire. Another Garganey was in Ireland on the 16th. We can expect a few early migrants such as Sand Martin, Wheatear and maybe Swallow by the end of February so keep your eyes open!

Migrants are on their way! Graham Appleton (BTO Fundraising Manager) has just returned from a few days in the Algarve looking for colour-ringed Black-tailed Godwits and reports that migrants are on their way. Graham saw good numbers of Swallows, House Martins and a few Sand Martins, also lots of Chiffchaffs and smaller numbers of Willow Warbler. There were also plenty of Sandwich Tern and Common Tern - they will be with us soon!
So far we have had quite a few records of Fieldfare, Redwing and Brambling from many parts of the country. We have also received records of Blackcap from West Midlands, South Wales and Cornwall. Migration Watch recorder Duncan Redpath kindly sent us the photo above of the Blackcap in his garden in Oxfordshire. Other good photographs gratefully received.

News just in from Gibraltar: the first Swallows of the spring were seen flying north on the 29th January, since then there has been a few more Swallows and House Martins. Near Estepona, House Martins are already back at their nest sites. Hoopoes started moving through from mid-February(Source Richard Banham).

News just in from Gibraltar: Swallows and House Martins continue to pass through Gibraltar, together with a few Hoopoes and Red-rumped Swallows. On Feb 25th Sand Martins and one Osprey were recorded. Also of interest on the 25th were 1000 Black Kites and flocks of White Stocks, plus a good movement of Greenfinch, Chaffinch and Serin (Source Richard Banham).

Two Sand Martins were seen in Dorset on the 5th March - the first of the spring! The first Wheatear has been seen in Lancashire on the 26th Feb and we have also received details of the over-wintering Lesser Whitethroat in West Sussex. A Garganey was seen on the 2nd March in Hampshire. The first Sandwich Terns of the spring have been seen in Guernsey (21st Feb) and Brighton & Hove (22nd Feb).
News from Fair Isle: No real summer migrants as such on Fair Isle yet (not surprising!), but definitely some movement going on! Lapwings, Ringed Plovers, Oystercatchers and Skylarks have been moving since mid-February but numbers have picked up in the last few days; 130 Lapwing, 20 Ringed Plover, 45 Oystercatchers, 150 Skylark on 2nd March. Several year ticks have dropped in recently; Rook & Pied Wagtail (20th Feb), Stonechat (24th), Wood Pigeon (27th), Common Buzzard (1st March), Brent Goose, Red Kite, Black-headed Gull, Mistle Thrush, Hawfinch and Reed Bunting plus a movement of Wood Pigeons (48 counted) - all on 2nd March. A Wood Lark yesterday (3rd March) is only the second record in the last ten years!! Several of the above birds are early (or earliest ever) arrivals. Is it going to be an early spring? (Contributed by Deryk Shaw).
News just in from Spain: In Sevilla area the first Nightingale and Yellow Wagtail of the spring have been recorded. Elsewhere Swallows and Hoopoes continue to pass though. The first Willow Warbler of the spring has been trapped and ringed at Gibraltar on the early date of 2nd March (Source Richard Banham).

The first Swallow of the spring was recorded on the 5th March in West Sussex. For many birdwatchers it will still be a few weeks before we see our first Swallow but it's a sure sign that spring is on the way. Over the weekend Wheatears and Sand Martins were recorded from many parts of the country. A Little Ringed Plover was seen on the 7th March in Slough and another in Worcestershire on the 11th. Stone Curlews are now on breeding grounds in the Brecks.
There has been a taste of the Mediterranean in the air with an Alpine Swift in Kent and a scattering of Hoopoes in Britain and Ireland with records from Cornwall and southern Ireland. Cranes are turning up all over the country too.

More Stone Curlews are turning up in the Brecks, together with a scattering of Wheatears.Our regular recorder Brian Rabbitts who lives on the Outer Hebrides saw a White-tailed Eagle on the 13th!
Wheatears and Sand Martins continue to arrive in southern England and are spreading slowly northwards. Several more Little Ringed Plovers have been reported. The first House Martin of the spring was seen in the West Midlands on the 12th March and the first Ring Ouzel was at Landguard Bird Observatory, Suffolk on the 11th March and another was in Hertfordshire on the 13th. A Whimbrel was seen in Essex on the 12th and in Hampshire on the 13th. Many recorders are sending in lots of records of Redwing, Fieldfare and Brambling - some big flocks too.
Also of interest is a record of Snow Bunting from Edinburgh and 10 in Norfolk, 4 Spoonbills in Devon, Black Redstart in Surrey and Guernsey. The over-wintering Lesser Whitethroat in West Sussex is reported almost every day. Many people are also recording Waxwings up and down the country - in fact 14 can be seen from my office window in Thetford right now!

Migrants continue to arrive with Wheatears and Sand Martins now quite widespread in the southern half of Britain. Over the weekend we received more records of Little Ringed Plover from a number of counties. There were three Garganey in Lancashire, a Sandwich Tern in Anglesey and a Ring Ouzel in Herefordshire on the 13th. Swallows are still very thin on the ground although there were two more sightings on the 16th in Kent and Cambridgeshire.

18/03/2003

Chiffchaffs are now arriving in good numbers and are widespread throughout much of southern and northern England and with a few records in Northern Ireland. On the 17th we also received records of four Garganey in Cambridgeshire, a Ring Ouzel in Durham, Sandwich terns in Kent and Co. Down, Swallows in Cumbria and Yorkshire and many Little Ringed Plovers.
There has been a big fall of Black Redstarts on the Isles of Scilly with an incredible 165 recorded on the 17th, together with six Hoopoes!

The first Common Tern of the spring was seen in Jersey on the 19th and a Sandwich Tern has reached Tyne & Wear. The first Tree Pipit was recorded in Greater London on the 18th. Small numbers of Swallows and Willow Warblers have been recorded, mostly in southern England - quite early for Willow Warbler!

The first Redstart of the spring was recorded in Norfolk on the 20th March and on the same date two House Martins were also seen; one in Cheshire and one in Somerset. A Swallow was in Powys and a Crane in Suffolk. Chiffchaffs, Wheatears and Sand Martins continue to arrive with smaller numbers of Garganey and Little Ringed Plovers.
The forecast for the weekend and next weeks looks promising for migrants
NEWS FROM CORNWALL: A lucky ringer from Cornwall caught a Wheatear on the 19th March which already had a ring on it. The Wheatear was orginally ringed as a chick in the Highland Region of Scotland in May 2002. No doubt this bird was returning to Scotland for its first breeding season.
NEWS FROM GIBRALTAR: The first Willow Warblers of the spring are now moving through Gibraltar.

Over the weekend we received large numbers of records for Chiffchaff suggesting they are now quite widespread. Hirundines are still thin on the ground but 50 Sand Martins were in Somerset o the 21st (largest group seen over the weekend), House Martins were in Herefordshire, Staffordshire and Hartlepool and Swallows were in Kent, Wales, London and North Yorkshire. Willow Warblers were recorded in Somerset and Hampshire.
One lucky observer saw an Osprey in York and two Yellow Wagtails were seen in Durham. Redwings, Fieldfares and Bramblings are still being seen in good numbers with flocks exceeding 100 in many places.

A Redstart was in Herefordshire on the 26th March - some species are certainly arriving quite early this year. Willow Warblers have arrived in small numbers over the last couple of days with records coming from Bristol, Cambridgeshire, Newport, Northants, Somerset, Wokingham and Worcestershire. Swallows have been seen in Dorset, Durham, Gwynedd, Powys and North Yorks - still very thinly spread. A Tree Pipit was at Southend on 25th March and Sandwich Terns have been seen in Kent and Cumbria. House Martins have also been seen in a few places including Bedfordshire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Northants.
NEWS FROM NIGERIA: There are still good numbers of wintering Whitethroats around and some are putting on fat and getting ready for departure. There has been a slow trickle of Barn Swallow through with the bigger flocks of Red-rumped, Lesser-striped and Ethiopians. The Willow Warblers have been on the move for the last week or so with a bird trapped a day for the past few days. There are very few Pied Flycatchers or Garden Warblers around, though a Garden Warbler late last week was in heavy moult, getting ready for the flight north. The biggest surprise was re-trapping two Reed Warblers that were trapped going north last spring. Our site is obviously a favoured staging area. There have also been a few Wrynecks through and the odd Whinchat. We've yet to see any Spotted Flycatchers, Icterine Warblers or Swifts coming through. (Source: Ross McGregor).

Migration has been steady over the last few days. Poor weather over parts of Spain and France will have slowed the flow of migrants. Numbers of Chiffchaffs continue to increase and Willow Warbler are now thinly spread up to the Scottish Borders. A few Cuckoos have been recorded from locations as spread as Greater London, Gloucestershire and Nottinghamshire. Yellow Wagtails, Redstarts and a couple of Pied Flycatchers (Devon & Cornwall) have now arrived in small numbers. Early records of Sedge Warbler (Suffolk, Wiltshire & Kent) and Whitethroat (Norfolk) have been received. Good numbers of Redwing and Fieldfare continue to be reported.

A good range of birds were seen on the 2nd April including House Martins in Bedfordshire, Greater Manchester, Lincolnshire and Norfolk, an Osprey in Cumbria, Ring Ouzel in Leicestershire and a Sedge Warbler in Bedfirshire. Willow Warblers were recorded from as far north as Cumbria and as far west as Co. Tyrone yesterday.
Good numbers of Fieldfare and Redwing are still being reported including a top count of 140 Fieldfare in Surrey and 135 Redwing in Norfolk.

Many more migrants recorded up and down the country on the 3rd April including a Tree Pipit in Wokingham, 2 House Martins in Suffolk, a Ring Ouzel in Northants, 2 Sedge Warblers in Portsmouth and an Osprey in Derbyshire.
We have received very few records of Brambling in the last week - have most departed? Yesterday we received just the one record of 10 in Norfolk.
We have now added bird song to our Focus On Species pages - they are really good! You can access these pages from the drop-down menu across the top of the page and then choose a species. The bird song can be found under the Identification section. Click here to try Cuckoo (you will need a sound card in your PC).
NEWS FROM SPAIN: I have just returned from a few days in Spain (Barcelona region) and can report that Swallows, House Martins and Sand Martins are moving through the area in good numbers. Cuckoos are calling from the woods and the first Nightingale of the spring was recorded on the 28th March. Willow Warblers have been moving through during the last week. Early migrants to Spain such as Alpine Swift, White Stork, Black-eared Wheatear and Scops Owl are now on territory.

It's been a busy few days for birds with many good records sent into Migration Watch, however it seems that migrants are still thinly spread, perhaps with the exception of Chiffchaff. On Friday 4th there was a good arrival of Blackcaps with many records sent in and an impressive 40 Chiffchaff in Rutland. There was also a Common Sandpiper in Shropshire and a Pied Flycatcher in Devon. Also of interest a Whitethroat in East Sussex and a Sedge Warbler in Gt London.
Saturday produced a good range of birds including two Dotterel in Aberdeenshire and two Garden Warbler in Windsor - both early records. There was a Cuckoo in Somerset, Hobby in Kent, Redstart in Monmothshire, Whitethroats in Gt London and Northamptonshire and Yellow Wagtails in Bedfordshire, Hampshire and Greater Manchester.
The best of the birds on Sunday include two Arctic Terns in Suffolk, a Cuckoo in Lincolnshire, a Tree Pipit in Anglesey and Whitethroat in Monmothshire. The most extraordinary event on Sunday involved a 'fall' of Common Scoter on many inland waters in southern England. Presumably these Common Scoters were migrating from the west coast overland to the east coast (perhaps overnight?) when then reached a belt of rain and maybe fog which grounded them. Over 150 birds were involved and the largest flock was 14 at Hockwold Washes in Norfolk.

On the 7th April there was a Common Sandpiper in Cumbria, three Garganey in Lancashire, three Ring Ouzel in North Yorkshire and a House Martin in Cornwall. In Kent there was a Sedge Warbler and a Redstart. There are still some big flocks of Redwing and Fieldfare around including a flock of 200 Fieldfare in Oxforshire.
The weather maps show a low pressure over Spain again so although we have glorious weather here it may be that many of our migrants have been delayed in southern Europe.
NEWS FROM AFRICA (Nigeria): On Wednesday 2nd there was a shift in weather to humid southerly winds and suddenly there were more Pied Flycatchers, Whitethroats and Willow Warblers around. Small flocks of Swallows were seen moving north most of the day. However, fewer were seen on Thursday, but a flock of 50 European Bee-eaters moved north in the morning. (Source: Ross McGregor).
NEWS FROM GIBRALTAR: Swallows and Bee-eaters were the most abundant migrants during last week with smaller numbers of Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers and Blackcaps moving.
GREENSHANK FOUND SHOT: The Ringing Unit have just received an amazing record of a Greenshank found shot in Nigeria on the 16th January 2003. The bird was ringed in Suffolk as an adult on the 4th August 2002 so this record represents the most southerly record of a British ringed Greenshank and the longest movement (a staggering 5353 km!).

An exceptionally early Honey Buzzard was seen in Flintshire on the 8th. An Osprey was in Cumbria on the same date and there were Ring Ouzels in the West Midlands and Northumberland. Also on the 8th Sandwich Terns were in Cumbria, Gwynedd and Kent. A few Tree Pipits were recorded yesterday in Norfolk, Suffolk and Stirling.

The first Little Tern of the year was seen in Anglesey on the 9th and there were 4 Arctic Terns on the Western Isles and 3 Common Terns in Suffolk. Elsewhere on the 9th there were 3 Garganey in Cambridgeshire, a Redstart in Shropshire and a Yellow Wagtail in Oxfordshire.
Many Migration Watch recorders are reporting low numbers of migrants so far this year. Although a wide range of migrants have arrived in Britain and Ireland this spring, they have arrived in small numbers so far. Certainly on my patch near the BTO in Norfolk there has been little change. Willow Warblers have been in for about a week and there is no change in the waders on the flood waters. The Green Sandpiper that has been around for months is still there and the Little Ringed Plovers are still running around.
Swallows have reached Ambridge in Borsetshire but they have not reached many places yet. Nigel from the BBC Radio 4 Archers programme has seen his first Swallow of the year and will be entering it into Migration Watch soon!

The weather maps for Europe are showing a huge low over Spain and Portugal - with a lot of rain. Conditions over France are largely clear. This might help explain why numbers of migrants are still low. It is likely that several million migrants are held up somewhere in southern Europe, waiting for the weather to clear.
However, a few migrants are getting through. The 10th was a good day for terns with Arctic Terns recorded in Oxfordshire (15), Cumbria (7) and Moray (1). Common Terns were in Dorset and Cumbria and Sandwich Terns were seen in a number of locations, the largest group being 200 in Cumria. There were Ospreys in Blackpool and Stirling. Sand Martins are scattered throughout the country, the largest flock was 140 in Cumbria. A Sedge Warbler was in Bedfordshire, Whitethroat in Brighton & Hove and a Whimbrel in Northumberland. Willow Warblers have reached southern Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Remember to take part in our nesting Swallow Survey this year - see the link to the survey in the box above.
NEWS FROM GIBRALTAR: A Pied Flycatcher was seen just S.of Seville on the 7th, Nightingales are everywhere here setting up territories,Willow Warbler passage very light still, I ringed 1 on 6th April. Ringed a Reed Warbler on the coast on 2nd April plus retrapped another. First Stonechat chicks ringed on 1st April!! No Chiffchaffs ringed since 31st March. (Source: Richard Banham).

Thanks to everyone for sending in records over the weekend - its been a bumper weekend for submissions! Chiffchaffs are everywhere and the graphs (proportion of lists with Chiffchaff) on Migration Watch show that there are more Chiffchaffs in this year compared to the same time last year.
Over the weekend we received a lot of records of Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Willow Warbler - probably the most abundant migrants at the moment. Numbers of Swallows and martins are still very low compared to the same time last year.
There have been some good records over the weekend - the first Grasshopper Warblers of the spring (Carmarthanshire, Merseyside & Norfolk), the first Swift (Norfolk on the 12th) and a scattering of Cuckoos (Bucks, East Sussex, Greater London, Warwickshire, Derbyshire & Kent). A small number of Common Sandpipers have now been seen (North Yorkshire, Powys, Stirling, Derbyshire, Greater London, North Lanarkshire and Worcestershire). There were two Reed Warblers in Jersey and Nightingales in Kent, Medway and Portsmouth.
The weather over Europe is still poor, the weather maps show a low pressure system over most of Spain which is probably holding a lot of birds back. Although the forecast for Britain and Ireland for the week ahead is excellent we still may not see as many migrants as we might expect due to the weather in southern Europe. This ought to be the peak week for migration - lets wait and see!

Judging by the number of records coming in there are more migrant birds to be seen this week? Yesterday Grasshopper Warblers were recorded from Devon and Wiltshire and there was a Cuckoo in Hertfordshire. Yellow Wagtails were in Cambridgeshire, Kent and Norfolk. Common Terns were seen in many counties but the peak count was 28 in Hertfordshire. Brighton & Hove produced the only Little Tern yesterday and also 83 Sandwich Terns.
Swallows were reported from many places yesterday but mainly in ones and twos - the top count of 35 came from Hertfordshire. Fifty House Martins were counted at a site in Worcestershire.
Cape Clear Bird Observatory (Co Cork) recorded 12 Blackcaps yesterday - the peak count submitted.
NEWS FROM GIBRALTAR: April 10th. There is a light Swallow and Common Swift passage. Ringing on Gibraltar this spring has been the worst that I have ever known and considering that I have had a helper there since Feb 2nd with the nets open almost every day ,weather permitting, the number of trans-Saharan migrants trapped has been pitifully low. Even with perfect conditions for a fall of some sort, i.e.complete cloud cover with Levanter winds there has been virtually nothing. The same has been seen with my Spanish ringing programme. started on March 5th and have had virtually 5 weeks solid ringing around my various sites, so very few migrants. Most species must be overflying here and going straight to their breeding grounds.Certainly you will have seen that the weather in N. Morocco has been as grotty as it has been on my side of the Med. Your weather has been just too nice!!! (Source: Richard Banham).

Lots of bird news to report today - looks as if migrants are now flooding in! There has been a good passage of Little Gulls and Black Terns over the last few days, particularly at inland waters. This passage is quite early, more typically these species turn up in May.
Terns featured heavily in the submissons to Migration Watch yesterday with Arctic Terns in Essex, Somerset and North Yorkshire. Common Terns were widespread across Britain - many at inland waters the peak count was 400 in Somerset. There was a scattering of Garden Warblers including records in Flintshire, Hertfordshire, Lancashire, South Yorkshire and the West Midlands. Lots of Sedge Warblers were reported yesterday from widespread locations and there were a few Reed Warblers too, the furthest north was in Lancashire.
Elsewhere there were a few Cuckoos reported, a Whinchat in Carmarthanshire, Nightingales in Essex and Suffolk and Wood Warblers in Norfolk and Somerset. Common Sandpipers were reported in good numbers, the furthest north was in Perth & Kinross.

Lots more migrant birds reported again on the 15th including many Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers and Blackcaps. The weekend looks promising! Submissions to Migration Watch of Sedge Warbler, Whitethroat and Cuckoo are increasing daily. Grasshopper Warblers were recorded from Bridgend, North Lincolnshire, Wicklow and East Riding of Yorkshire. Records of Nightingale came from Kent, Gloucestershire, Suffolk and West Sussex and three Little Terns were in Brighton & Hove.
There is still a wintery feel about with good numbers of Fieldfare still around including 200 in Cambridgeshire and 50 Waxwings in York.
WEATHER REPORT FROM GIBRALTAR: The weather here has been awful. It has been the worst on record. We had 28 days of easterlies in March with a great deal of rain, nearly 3 times the average. The winds almost gale force at times. April has only been marginally better with more easterlies. When the wind does go west, it is again very strong with rain. Visual migration here has been extremely poor. I personally have not yet seen a Sand Martin, very few Swallows, Red-rumped or House Martins. I have only seen 2 Common Swifts to date, and those several days ago. (Source: Ian Thompson).
NEWS FROM FAIR ISLE: Following the excellent early start to spring in late Feb/early March, things have been rather disapppointing lately. First Wheatear did not arrive until 30th and there really has only been a small trickle since. First Puffins were sighted on 3rd April (ashore on 5th). A few Crossbills is quite unusual at this time of year - presumably birds from last autumn heading north again - and to see them hanging on the nut feeder in the garden (with the handful of Siskins) must be particularly unique!? A Brambling on 4th was the first of the spring and there has been small numbers since (max 13). The 8th was a good day with a passage of Meadow Pipits noted (136 counted) and our first Sand Martin, Ring Ouzel and Linnet (3). Green Sandpiper and Grey Wagtail the next day were further additions and Meadow Pipits increased to 252. A White-tailed Eagle on 10th was the undoubted highlight of the year so far and was followed by five Sparrowhawks the next day. Five Ring Ouzels on 13th are the only ones since 8th. Blackbirds have trickled through (80 on 9th is easily the maximum count) but very few Redwing and Fieldfare. Just the odd Chiffchaff has been seen and the first Willow Warbler today (14th). The year list now stands at 102 species - six ahead of this time last year! (Source: Deryk Shaw)

It's been an extremely busy Bank Holiday weekend for birdwatchers judging by the number of reports that came into Migration Watch over the weekend. There was no shortage of birds either. Thanks to everyone for sending in their sightings!
On the 18th a Corncrake was on Argyll & Bute, a Golden Oriole in Jersey and Hobby in East Sussex and Powys. On the 19th a Turtle Dove was in Gloucestershire and two Temminck's Stints were in West Berkshire - an early record for this species. Swits were seen in Shropshire on the 19th and Bath, Gloucestershire, Guernsey and Merseyside on the 20th. Also on the 20th a Montagu's Harrier was in East Riding of Yorkshire, Garden Warblers in Lancashire and Northumberland and still 250 Fieldfare in Derbyshire.
On the 21st Spotted Flycatchers were in Buckinghamshire and Highland. There was also a small passage of Pomarine Skuas off the south and east coast of England. Swifts were in Hampshire and North Yorkshire and a Turtle Dove was in Lancashire.
NEWS FROM GIBRALTAR: Migration is still very slow here - I have still not seen a Pied Fly,Garden Warbler or Melodious Warbler yet!! (SOURCE: Richard Banham).
There is a superb article in the Independent today all about Migration Watch - many thanks to Michael McCarthy!

Cuckoos are now arriving in good numbers with records yesterday from Antrim and Limerick in the west to Highland in the north. Swifts were recorded in Dorset and Wiltshire and Turtle Doves were in Cambridgeshire and Kent. A count of 38 Whimbrel in Cornwall was excellent.
Winter visitors are now thinning out with just three records of Redwing (Luton, Norfolk and Tyne & Wear), two records of Brambling (Derbyshire and Lincolnshire) and nine records of Fieldfare.

Migrants continue to be reported in good numbers with lots of Whitethroats, Sedge Warblers and Cuckoos arriving. On the 24rd April a Spotted Flycatcher was in Suffolk and a Hobby in Wiltshire. A small number of Garden Warblers were recorded yesterday including one as far north as Edinburgh. Reed Warblers are trickling in with most records coming from southern England although yesterday one reached Flintshire. Swifts are arriving in small numbers in southern counties.
The Ringing Unit has just received an interesting record of a Garden Warbler that had hit a window at Leighton Hall near Shrewbury (Shropshire) on 19th April. The bird was originally ringed as an adult male on 2nd June 2002 at Prees Higher Heath (Shropshire) - a distance of 32 km between the sites. No doubt the Garden Warbler was on his way back to his breeding grounds in north Shropshire when he hit a window.

Just in time for the weekend, the poor weather over Spain moved away to the east, dragging a depression into the Bay of Biscay. This gave us migrant-friendly southerly winds over Spain and France and there was a consequent surge of migrants into the country over the weekend. Unlike Swallows, which arrived later and (so far) in smaller numbers than last year, Swifts began arriving in the country in good numbers over the same few days as last year, with over 250 in Oxfordshire on the 27th. With these birds came several much rarer Alpine Swifts, but only for a few lucky observers! Common Swifts also reached Waterford in southeast Ireland, and Lothian. Also making it to Ireland was a Spotted Flycatcher in Cork on the 27th, the first in Ireland this year.
Surprisingly, Hobbies did not seem to arrive with these Swifts, as they did in 2002. Few birds were reported, but one did make it as far north as Highland Region in Scotland.
Waders and terns were also arriving in numbers, with Wood Sandpipers reported from Portsmouth (25th) and as far north as Stockton-on-Tees by the 27th. Little Terns are now returning to their traditional colonies, with 25 in West Sussex, and birds were also reported from the Western Isles and Cumbria. Common Terns were also continuing to build up – the highest count being 1240 in Brighton & Hove on the 16th.
So, keep an eye on those Swift and Swallow flocks over the coming days for any unusual visitors or the first Hobby.

Despite the change in weather bringing more summer migrants into the country, some winter birds are still hanging on. On the 28th, there were still 21 Brambling on Foula (Shetland), and these must have looked slightly out of place alongside 3 Chiffchaff, a Redstart (only the second reported from Scotland this year!) and a couple of Swallows. Elsewhere, Fieldfare and Redwing are still being seen, and their departure can be followed on the species pages. At the other end of the country, a more summery feel was given to the southwest yesterday with an early Golden Oriole in Cornwall. The top count of yesterday was an impressive 390 Whimbrel at Black Pill near Swansea.
Reports of arriving terns and raptors are also steadily increasing, with single Hobbys reported from Northants and Wiltshire yesterday. The early influx of Black Terns that peaked in mid April has now died down though, with only a single report yesterday of a bird in Cambridgeshire.
Many of the commoner warblers are now present throughout the county in good numbers and are holding territory. However, it’s still important to keep the sightings coming in, as continued reports of birds on territories can help us to show how these territories fill up across the country.

A big well done to all! Migration Watch has hit a landmark!
Overnight, we overtook last year’s total number of observers submitting sightings to the site – and we’re only 10 weeks into the season! This is a really great achievement, and we should now forge ahead and try to set a really high target for next year.
Following the mass arrival of Swift recently (which continued with 200 being seen in Somerset yesterday), Hobbys now seem to be catching up. Yesterday, single birds were seen in Hertfordshire and Somerset, with four in Hampshire and one over The Nunnery here in Thetford.
Also of interest was a late arrival of 26 Wheatear seen on the Isle of Wight. Wheatear are now back in most of their breeding range throughout the country, following the first main arrival in mid-March. So far this season, birds are still being regularly reported from as many sites as in 2002, though the data from Bird Observatories shows slightly lower numbers of birds being recorded on passage.
The Ringing Unit has also received details of a recapture of a returning Wheatear. Originally ringed (as ring number VS74657) in the nest near Bettyhill, Highland on 28 May 2002, this bird was then caught on passage near Lands End, Cornwall on 15 March 2003. This male (as was now obvious!) would have travelled south of the Sahara for the winter, though we are still waiting for our first ringing recovery from the main wintering area. On return passage, this bird would have been stopping off in the southwest before continuing to its natal area some 942km distant.

A big well done to all! Migration Watch has hit a landmark!
This week we overtook last year’s total number of observers submitting sightings to the site – and we’re only 10 weeks into the season! This is a really great achievement, and we should now forge ahead and try to set a really high target for next year.
With the winds continuing from the south, many migrants have still been coming into the country. Impressive counts included 10 Hobby in Somerset and 350 Swallow in Bridgend (Glamorgan). A few more early Spotted Flycatchers were also recorded in Bristol and Surrey, though in general numbers are still low.
On the warbler front, Garden Warblers have now reached most parts, with the first in Ireland on the 27th in Waterford, and the first in western Scotland in Lanarkshire also on the 27th. The arrival of this species appears to be mirroring that in 2002, unlike some other warblers that arrived somewhat later in 2003.
NEWS FROM PORTLAND Bird Observatory: The April ringing total at the Observatory was the lowest since 1992, and spring passage also the worst since that year. So far, there has only been one Grasshopper Warbler recorded on the Bill all spring! Standard netting in the Observatory garden has lead to the ringing of very low numbers of migrants, including only 2 Redstart and 1 Pied Flycatcher. In fact, netting all day on 1 May only produced one new bird ringed – a Whitethroat! Scarcer migrants reported on 1 May included an immature male Golden Oriole and the ever-elusive Serin is still occasionally seen flying over the Observatory garden. (Martin Cade – Portland Bird Observatory warden)

NEW FEATURE! Using the ‘Compare Obs’ page, you can now compare visits to all of your sites for each date. When you log in to Migration Watch, this new feature allows you to view all of your sightings for each of your sites, and compare different dates. This lets you see how the numbers of birds you record changes over the season.
The recent poor weather probably isn’t helping our migrants getting started in the breeding season. Some species, especially warblers such as Lesser Whitethroat, are still here is low numbers, while other species such as Swallow are now arriving in good numbers. Many other species are also here in good numbers, with counts yesterday of 488 Sandwich Tern in Kent, 45 Reed Warbler in Lancashire and 7 Yellow Wagtail in North Yorkshire.
The Ringing Unit has just heard that Swiss researchers working on radar tracking of migration in Mauritania have found two of our Swallows on their sites. Both of these birds were originally ringed as juveniles last autumn in the UK (on 31 August in Sussex and 3 September in Lancashire), and would have been en route north to Europe when found in Mauritania (over 2000 miles from ‘home’!)
NEWS FROM PORTLAND Bird Observatory: The April ringing total at the Observatory was the lowest since 1992, and spring passage also the worst since that year. So far, there has only been one Grasshopper Warbler recorded on the Bill all spring! Standard netting in the Observatory garden has lead to the ringing of very low numbers of migrants, including only 2 Redstart and 1 Pied Flycatcher. In fact, netting all day on 1 May only produced one new bird ringed – a Whitethroat! Scarcer migrants reported on 1 May included an immature male Golden Oriole and the ever-elusive Serin is still occasionally seen flying over the Observatory garden. (Martin Cade – Portland Bird Observatory warden)

The first Nightjars of the year were recorded in Norfolk over the weekend. A late Fieldfare was still in North Yorkshire on the 4th, generally most Redwing and Fieldfare have now departed. Please enter any late records you have. Spotted Flycatchers are arriving in good numbers and were recorded as far north as Tyne & Wear and the Isle of Man and as far west as Waterford in Ireland over the weekend.
Lesser Whitethroat and Hobby are still largely confined to southern England. May is an interesting time for waders and almost anything can turn up anywhere! A Temminck's Stint was seen in North Yorkshire on the 4th and a Wood Sandpiper was in South Yorkshire on the 5th. Two Dotterel stopped off on their migration in South Yorkshire on the 4th. Seawatching was quite good over the weekend with a few Pomarine and Arctic Skuas recorded. Common Terns were recorded in superb numbers in Kent (335) and Hampshire (174).

Regular Migration Watch contributor, David Walker, found more than he expected when he was watching and counting the birds on his patch at Dungeness. David is the Warden at Dungeness Bird Observatory and he made the stunning discovery of Britain's first Audouin's Gull on 5th May. The Audouin's Gull stayed around Dungeness on the 5th and 6th at least. Offshore several hundred Common Terns congregated and a few Sandwich Terns passed by. David said it has been a very quite spring at Dungeness with few migrants passing though, most notably Willow Warblers have been scarce.
Elsewhere, a Nightingale was an unusual record for the Isle of Man. Spotted Flycatchers continue to arrive, with records on the 7th from Devon, East Riding of Yorkshire, Isle of Man and Lancashire.
MIGRATION REPORT FROM FRANCE AND JERSEY: At the Pointe de Grave the first Bee-eaters are coming through. Also thousands of Swifts are moving through. In Jersey thousands of Barn Swallows are moving north with dozens of Swifts. Also many Wheatear still moving and Ring Ouzel are still present in the west of the island near la Corbiere where a male Golden Oriole was seen coming in off the sea a few days ago. (Source: Bertram Bree).
NEWS FROM GIBRALTAR: Still fairly quite here in Gibraltar but Swifts and Swallows are still moving through. (Source: Richard Banham).
NEWS FROM MALLORCA: I've just returned from a week in Mallorca where the weather was glorious which did mean there were no falls of birds! Spotted and Pied Flycatcher, Wood Warbler and a few Redstart are still moving through in small numbers. Raptor passage was more spectacular with five Montagu's Harriers seen migrating northwards in half an hour!

An impressive 15 Hobby were counted at one site in Somerset on the 7th. At this time of year, and later in the summer, Hobby concentrate over open water, hawking for insects. Two Nightjar were recorded in Kent on the 7th - this species will arrive in greater numbers to traditional breeding areas over the next couple of weeks.

Fifiteen Garden Warblers at a site in Lancashire was a good count. Lesser Whitethroats have now reached Cumbria, Lancashire and North Yorkshire. In Hampshire, two Roseate Terns were seen on the 7th. Roseate Terns are an extremely rare breeding species in Britain and Ireland.
NEWS FROM THE NUNNERY: Yesterday we made our first visit of the year to our Constant Effort Site where we catch and ring birds in a standardised manner. It is always incredible when you catch birds already wearing a ring - these birds have been to Africa and back since we last caught them. One interesting retrap (a retrap is a bird that has already been ringed and has returned to the same site) concerns a Reed Warbler with the ring number N197152. This Reed Warbler was first ringed as an adult on 17/5/1999 and retrapped on 16/5/2000 and 10/8/2001 - where was it in 2002?
We also caught a Garden Warbler that was first ringed as an adult on 31/5/2001 and retrapped twice in 2002 and a Reed Warber that was first ringed as an adult on 31/5/2001 and not caught in 2002.

There was an incredible passage of skuas past the Western Isles yesterday including 790 Pomarine Skuas, 80 Long-tailed Skuas, 28 Arctic Skuas and 23 Great Skuas! It was a good day for regular Migration Watch records Brian Rabbitts.
Some of the animated maps are looking superb - take a look at the maps for Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Hobby. Watch how the Cuckoos, Swallows and Common Sandpipers arrive from the 13th April onwards. The Swift map looks good with, with an arrival from the 20th April onwards.
There is a special programme dedicated to Chris Mead on Radio 4 next week, including interviews with BTO staff and friends and archive material of Chris. The programme will be on air on Monday 13th May at 2100hrs and repeated again on Tuesday 13th May at 1100hrs.

After a slow arrival for many migrants it looks as if they are finally arriving in decent numbers. Swallows are now here in good numbers and Swifts were seen in high numbers over the weekend including 250 in Cheshire and 200 in Norfolk. The proportion of Migration Watch observers recording Cuckoo this spring is slightly down on last year - hopefully there are more to arrive. Migrant Ospreys have been rather thin on the ground this spring, just one migrant was reported to Migration Watch over the weekend (in East Riding of Yorkshire on the 11th). One was on the breeding grounds in Highland on the 10th.
Honey Buzzards have started to arrive, the next couple of weeks should see the main arrival. On Sunday two were seen in Dorset and two in Hertfordshire. Golden Orioles have returned to traditional breeding areas in the Fens.
More unseasonal were Redwings in Buckinghamshire and East Riding of Yorkshire and two Brambling in Highland. A colleague at BTO saw a Fieldfare on Saturday in Norfolk so a few are still lingering.

Spotted Flycatchers are now scattered thinly across much of Britain but with just three records from Ireland so far (one from Co. Cork and two from Co. Waterford). Yesterday (12th) Spotted Flycatcher records were received from North Yorkshire, Northumberland and Wiltshire.
Passage waders have been quite scarce this spring with few records of Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint, Wood Sandpipers etc around the country. The last few days has seen a small influx of Temminck's Stints in the south and east with one in Leicestershire yesterday.
The distribution of Turtle Dove records largely reflect the breeding range of this species, yesterday birds were recorded from Tyne & Wear and North Yorkshire which is at the northern edge of the breeding range.

The last few days has seen a small passage of 'Greenland' Wheatears at south coast Bird Observatories such as Dungeness and Portland Bill. Greenland Wheatears pass through slightly later than 'our' Wheatears as they are not in such a rush to reach their breeding grounds which are largely inhospitable until mid-May! Generally it has been quite at the observatories with Sandwich Bay reporting 'days of little excitement'.

The wet and cold weather over the last few days has meant it has been fairly quite on the migration front although 100 House Martins in Warwickshire and 150 Swallows in Worcestershire are notable.

Over the last few days a Savi's Warbler has been singing at Leighton Moss in Lancashire - Savi's Warblers have become very rare visitors to the UK.

I know Blue Tit is not a summer visitor but this is such an unusual photo of a Blue Tit that I thought you should all see it. We caught this bird today whilst carrying out our Constant Effort Site at the Nunnery in Thetford. We had originally ringed this bird as a juvenile last year and the bill was fine then! The bird was in a healthy condition other than for the deformed bill.
An impressive 550 Swift were counted in East Riding of Yorkshire yesterday and 100 were at a site in Leicestershire. No doubt the blustery weather has caused them to congregate over waterbodies. In Norfolk 220 Little Terns were recorded.
NEWS FROM THE RINGING UNIT: A Reed Warbler that was ringed as an adult female at Reculver (Kent) on 17/6/2001 was caught by a ringer at Tenadi Oasis, Mauritania on 29/4/2003. She had travelled an amazing 3923km between the ringing and finding place and this constitutes the the eighth Reed Warbler to Mauritania.

Two Corncrake were on the Western Isles yesterday with two Dotterel also. The first Corncrakes arrived back in Scotland in mid-April and have been recorded from traditional breeding grounds over the last few weeks. Few Corncrakes are recorded on spring passage away from breeding grounds.
There was a gathering of 24 Little Gulls in Northumberland, these birds are on their way to breeding grounds in eastern Europe. Two Nightjar were heard churring in the Bracknell Forest area last night.
The graphs showing the arrival of Swift at the Bird Observatories look excellent. The east coast observatories show a virtually identical pattern although the number of birds involved vary considerably from a peak of 12 at Landguard (Suffolk) to just under 800 at Holme (Norfolk). The graphs also suggest that the Swifts are arriving a bit earlier this year compared with 2002.

Light south-easterlies with rain last Friday (17th) produced a sprinking of Red-backed Shrikes, Bluethroat, Tawny Pipit together with a couple of big rarities; a Thick-billed Warbler on Fair Isle, a Thrush Nightingale and Pallid Harrier in Norfolk.
On Saturday 18th May there were 8 Dotterel in Cambridgeshire, a Honey Buzzard and 4 Temminck's Stints in Gloucestershire and 3 Red-backed Shrikes on Orkney. Two Nightjars were in Lincolnshire, 100 House Martins in Worcestershire and an impressive 220 Little Terns in Norfolk. There was good evidence of a westerly movement of House Martins across the North Norfolk coast, together with a few Swifts.
Sunday produced a Quail in Lincolnshire, a Wood Sandpiper in Suffolk and a gathering of 1000 Swifts in Lancashire. The thundery weather certainly produced some good gatherings of Swifts, Swallows and martins over waterbodies.

The graphs on Migration Watch show that the proportion of lists submitted that contain Spotted Flycatcher is higher this spring than in 2002 - thats still only about 5% of the lists that have recorded Spotted Flycatcher! So far, they are thinly spread across Britain and Ireland with a couple of records as far north as Inverness.
In contrast, the graphs show that Cuckoos have been recorded on fewer lists this spring compared with last year - perhaps there are more to come? My own observations at the weekend on the North Norfolk coast suggests that Cuckoos are still on the move.

A Pied Flycatcher in Essex yesterday (20th) was a late migrant. Most Pied Flycatchers in Britain will have started nesting by now. There is a possibility that it is a late migrant on its way to Scandinavia to the breeding population there.
Swifts, Swallows and House Martins are still being reported by the hundreds from waterbodies across Britain and Ireland suggesting birds are still arriving. The bird observatories have had a quiet few days with just a trickle of new birds including Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher and Turtle Dove. The blustery and wet weather has been difficult for migration and birdwatching alike.

A Little Ringed Plover in Fife on the 22nd is a good record for Scotland - just the fifth to be reported the spring (other records are one in Aberdeenshire and three records from North Lanarkshire).
A Crane was recorded in Cunbria yesterday - a rather unseasonal date. Elsewhere, Swifts, Swallows and martins continue to gather over open waters. In Warwickshire, 120 House Martins were recorded on the 22nd.
Nationally, the recent run of south-westerlies has produced two rare North American sparrows - a White-crowned Sparrow in Co. Cork and a White-throated Sparrow in Cheshire.
Are you enthusiastic about Nightingales, owls or eagles? BBC Radio 4 are looking for enthusiasts to interview for three new half-hour programmes. If you are fascinated by any of these birds please contact Moira Hickey by email: moira.hickey@bbc.co.uk.

As another bank holiday weekend passed, migrants were still in evidence throughout the country. An unseasonal Crane was still in Cumbria, though a Fieldfare near Filey (North Yorkshire) on the 25th was even more unexpected. Interesting arrivals included a Temminck’s Stint in North Yorkshire (23rd), Curlew Sandpipers in East Yorkshire and North Uist, and a late Little Stint in North Yorkshire (26th). The fine weather over the weekend made raptor watching more interesting and productive. A single site in Hampshire recorded 4 Hobby and 2 Honey Buzzard on the 26th. Both species were also seen at the Great Ryburgh watchpoint in Norfolk, though few observers were lucky enough to catch up with a Black Kite that has been seen around West Norfolk.

Despite arriving earlier that last year, Spotted Flycatcher numbers now seem to be slightly down, being recorded from fewer sites than before, though still recorded from all parts of the country.

Recently, a few Migration Watchers have contacted us noting declines in the numbers of Sand Martins they've seen. It appears that numbers are indeed down on 2002, but not in all areas. Check out how many site visits recorded Sand Martin in East England, and compare it to how many site visits registered birds in South Scotland - quite a difference! This is very odd indeed. It may be influenced by conditions in the wintering area, though Yellow Wagtails that winter in the same region south of the Sahara seem to be here in good numbers.

Even though pretty much all migrants are now in and breeding, it's important to keep recording through the whole season. You might also see something a bit out of the ordinary. Over the last couple of days, we've received reports of 2 Mediterranean Gulls (Isle of Wight), Osprey (Cumbria), 5 Roseate Terns (Northumberland), 2 Black-necked Grebes (South Yorkshire), Golden Oriole (Cornwall), Red-backed Shrike (Norfolk) and Wood Sandpiper (Aberdeenshire).
NEWS FROM NORTH UIST: Late spring is the time to be on the Western Isles, when the passage of skuas past the Western Isles is quite remarkable. Passage peaks between 7th and 21st May, with birds heading north to breed in the Arctic. This spring, 125 Long-tailed Skua have been counted, along with 3150 Pomarine Skuas, all past Balranald Nature Reserve on North Uist. Maximum daily counts were 80 Long-tailed Skua and an incredible 1147 Pomarine Skua (the highest ever day count for this species), and counts over this past weekend included 19 Long-tailed Skua on the 25th and 712 Pomarine Skua on the 24th. Brian Rabbitts - BTO regional Representative (Benbecula and The Uists)

It’s amazing what you can find in your garden! Yesterday, a regular Migration Watch contributor (and BTO Garden BirdWatcher) woke up to some very disgruntled Greenfinches. The cause of their upset was a male Common Rosefinch on ‘their’ peanut feeder. Sadly it soon disappeared and hasn’t been seen since. Even though Rosefinches are relatively regular on the east coast (and have even bred recently), this is the first record for the West Midlands.

Of interest, a Migration Watcher has sent us this from an African web newsgroup:

"During the past 6 weeks or so I've continually been surprised at the number of Euro Swallows still in northern Tanzania. On the 15th I passed two small groups on wires totalling about 40 birds. This is VERY late for such a flock. Hagai mentioned to me seeing 60 or so White Storks on the Serengeti and now David Moyer reports "several hundred". These birds are also VERY late and will surely not travel back to their breeding grounds. It's not unusual to find the odd swallow or stork in northern Tanzania during late May / early June but these numbers are to my recollection, unprecedented".

Don’t forget to check out the BBC’s Wild in your Garden all this week, looking at the wildlife in our gardens using hi-tech surveillance equipment.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/programmes/tv/
wildinyourgarden/

A Black Redstart at Spurn over the weekend is rather unseasonal. Also at Spurn 600 Swallows were recorded on 31 May and 300 House Martins on 1 June - are these late arrivals?

Two Quail were reported over the weekend, one in Cornwall (31 May) and one in East Sussex (1 June). Twenty Yellow Wagtails at Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory was an excellent count.

A Common Sandpiper in Hampshire on the 2nd June is unusually far south for the time of year. Common Sandpipers ought to be on their breeding grounds now (Wales, northern Britain, Scotland and Ireland). It is possible that it is a late migrant going north or a failed breeder returning south.

The graphs on Migration Watch for Sand Martin suggest that few observers have recorded Sand Martin this spring compared with last year. If you look at the graph titled 'Proportion of regional visits when this species was observed' you will see that throughout the whole spring, the proportion of lists submitted that contains Sand Martin is lower than 2002.

NEWS FROM THE SPANISH PYRENEES: I've just spent a week in the Aragon region of the Spanish Pyrenees (west of Jaca). I was surprised to still see House Martins migrating north over the frontier. Along with the House Martins were large numbers of Painted Lady butterflies on the move, over 100 passed through in a couple of hours! In the foothills of the Pyrenees, Swallows and House Martins were nest building, but resident species such as Nuthatch had fledged young.

Migration Watch this year has covered more 10km squares than last year! This year, so far, 1844 10km square have been visited compared to 1810 for 2002. Thanks to everyone who has helped fill the gaps!

During our standardised ringing programme at The Nunnery Lakes (Thetford, Norfolk) this morning we trapped a Nightingale. This is the first Nightingale that we have trapped at this site since 1998. Although Nighingales are heard singing on the nearby common, they are rarely heard on the reserve. Is this just a wandering bird or has it set up a territory? Perhaps we will catch it again later in the season. We also caught the first juvenile Blackbirds of the year. It is encouraging that we retrapped some juvenile Chiffchaffs that we first ringed last week - at least they have survived the heavy downpours we have been experiencing.

There were a couple of good counts of Swift yesterday including 140 in Norfolk and 126 in Staffordshire. Several Migration Watch recorders have commented the numbers of Sand Martins and House Martins are down this year. If you have any comments then let me know.

Nationally it has been a week of wacky birds turning up. Pride of place must go to the Black Lark that was found at South Stack on Anglesey on 1st June. Black Larks are usually found on the steppe in Kazakhstan so this is a truly remarkable turn-up. In Suffolk a summer plumaged Sabine's Gull is frequenting the South Pier at Lowestoft - a really stunning bird! You can find photos of these birds on Surfbirds.

A rather quite weekend for migration except for an unseasonal Black Tern in Nottinghamshire on the 7th. Also on Saturday (7th) a Serin was in Slough and Quails were heard singing in East Sussex and Redcar & Cleveland. On Sunday a Fieldfare was in East Riding of Yorkshire - a very odd time of year. Also 18 Little Gulls were in Northumberland and 100 Swift were counted in Lancashire.

Yesterday (9th) 247 Manx Shearwater were observed in Cornwall - an excellent count.

A lucky Migration Watch recorder has found a Smew on the River Stour in Dorset. This is a most unusual time of year for a Smew to appear. However, in the last 10 days two other Smew have been found; one at Titchwell (Norfolk) and one at Redgrave Fen (Suffolk).

A count of 19 Whitethroat in Brighton & Hove is impressive. Many birdwatchers are reporting good numbers of Whitethroats this spring. Nationally numbers have been increasing over the last few years.

In Nottinghamshire 43 Common Terns were recorded - a good count for inland (presumably a breeding colony?). A Green Sandpiper in Kent will be a migrant passing through. In Lancashire a count of 100 Swift was impressive!

The Migration Watch graphs suggest that fewer Sedge Warblers have been recorded in the later part of the spring this year compared to last year. Some birdwatchers have expressed concern over the lower numbers of Sedge Warblers around this spring. The graphs show that Sedge Warblers arrived on time but in the last few weeks the proportion of lists that have recorded Sedge Warbler is down on last year.

A Common Sandpiper was in Devon on the 12th, most likely a migrant heading south. Many of our migrant birds have now fledged young such as Blackcap, Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff.

The Ringing Unit have received details of an interesting movement made by a juvenile Sedge Warbler. It was ringed on 4 August 2002 at Wilstone Reservoir (Hertfordshire) and was caught again by ringers in France at Oudalle on 15 August 2002 then again at Etang du Curnic on 22 August 2002. It is unusual for a bird to be caught twice on migration abroad!

Thanks for all the records over the weekend, a really good number of sightings were submitted to the website. Interesting records included 193 Swift and 12 Turtle Dove at Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory (Kent) on Sunday. A Nightingale in Worcestershire is a good record, they are quite scarce in the west of the country.

A Subalpine Warbler was trapped and ringed at Portland Bird Observatory on Sunday but generally there was little migration recorded there. On the Calf of Man a Rose-coloured Starling was seen yesterday.

Migration Watch contributor and BTO Regional Representative for Devon, John Woodland, has been filming a nest of Green Woodpeckers this spring. John has kindly sent in a video still of the juvenile Green Woodpecker fledging from the nest.

A count of 130 Swift in Norfolk yesterday is a good count for the time of year.

Northumberland has been the place to be over the last few days with a host of unusual species to see including Terek Sandpiper and White-winged Black Tern. Regular Migration Watch recorders also saw Arctic Skua, Little Stint (2) and a Spoonbill on the 22nd.

Migration Watch recorder David Purves sent in the photo above of a Rose-coloured Starling that visited his garden in Bewick-Upon-Tweed last week. Thanks to David for the photo.

NEWS FROM THE NUNNERY: This morning on our ringing site in Thetford we caught the first juvenile Sedge Warblers of the year. This is an early date for young Sedge Warblers to be out of the nest - our previous first dates for juveniles are in early July.

There was a Greenshank in Merseyside yesterday - a passage bird. Today there are 150 Mediterranean Gulls of the Patch at Dungeness Bird Observatory - an incredible count!

NEWS FROM THE RINGING UNIT:We have just received details of a Danish-ringed Nightingale that was caught at a site in Cambridgeshire on 7th June. Thanks to Kjeld Pedersen at the Copenhagen Ringing Centre, we have just got the details for this bird. It was ringed as a second-year at Tipperne in western Denmark on 1st May 2002 (664km from Cambridgeshire). Up to the end of 2002, only 45 Nightingales have been ringed in Denmark, possibly as migrants from the population in Poland, and this is their first ever recovery! The breeding range of Nightingale doesn't reach Denmark, where it is replaced by Thrush Nightingale in the north of the country.

There was a Whimbrel, a Little Stint and two Greenshank in Northumberland yesterday. Late June and July can be a good time to look for passage waders. These are usually birds that have failed to breed this summer and are starting their return journey early.

In Israel, Swallows have already been reported migrating south!

Autumn migration is well underway now with most of our summer visitors heading south to Africa following a breeding season of mixed fortunes. Some late breeding species such as Swallow and Reed Warbler still have young in the nest and will be eager to fledge their young as soon as possible and get underway with their migration. Some of the earlier nesting species like Willow Warblers, Chiffchaffs and Sedge Warblers started their southward migration in early August so are now well on their way.

September is a good time to head to the coast to look for migrants. At this time of year, birds from Scandinavia make landfall on the east coast and join up with birds from Britain and Ireland. Classic east coast migrants to look out for are Redstart, Pied Flycatcher, Wheatear and Whinchat. September is an exciting time for birdwatching with the possibility of Wryneck, Red-backed Shrike and Barred Warbler turning up. Over the last week a good number of Wrynecks have been found on the east and south coasts and an unusual number of Ortolan Buntings have also been seen. Waders are passing through inland and coastal sites in good numbers so look out for migrant Curlew Sandpipers, Little Stints, Greenshanks and Dunlins. The recent dry weather has created a lot of muddy edges around lakes and reservoirs which are very attractive to passage waders.