Migration update – Wheatear and Chiffchaff
05 May 2017
While the first Wheatears tend to arrive in early to mid March, the species peaks on BirdTrack lists in early May. The BirdTrack reporting rate lagged behind the historical average through most of April, with as few as half the normal volume of records in the first week of the month. However, a surge of reports in late April means the reporting rate is back matching the long-term pattern.
An interesting feature of this spring's migration has been the appearance of a mysterious Chiffchaff call type. Frequently referred to as 'swee-o' Chiffchaff based on the call, these birds had previously been logged in some numbers in autumn migration. It is well worth listening more closely to your local Chiffchaff in case one of these birds is present amongst them, and you can help track the distribution of this mystery bird by adding a comment to your BirdTrack sighting.
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