Yellow-browed Warbler influx

02 Oct 2015 Reporting rate of Yellow-browed Warbler (Blue = Current Trend, Red = Historic)

Last month we mentioned Yellow-browed Warbler as a species to look out for in September and October. This autumn already promises to be one of the best ever for them in Britain and Ireland. By the end of September, the species was featuring on more than 2% of complete lists, nearly double the historical average for the same time period. Fair Isle Bird Observatory for example, reported an all-time record count of 53 on the 21st of September, followed by 76 a week later. Shetland and the north-east coast of Britain has reported similarly high counts of Yellow-broweds. 

Breeding from the Urals east across Siberia, Yellow-browed Warbler records in Britain and Ireland have been increasing steadily in recent years. The reason for the increase is still unknown, with reverse migration and range expansion all proposed as potential factors. Your records of Yellow-browed Warbler will help provide a better picture of the migration of this extraordinary species.



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