This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/oct/10/weatherwatch-vagrants-wing-their-way-into-britain-as-season-changes
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Weatherwatch: vagrants wing their way into Britain as season changes | Weatherwatch: vagrants wing their way into Britain as season changes |
| (4 months later) | |
| Late autumn heralds the arrival of rare migrants – birds from the Americas borne in by the westerlies and birds from Siberia deflected on to long-haul flights | |
| Stephen Moss | |
| Tue 10 Oct 2017 21.30 BST | |
| Last modified on Mon 27 Nov 2017 15.38 GMT | |
| Share on Facebook | |
| Share on Twitter | |
| Share via Email | |
| View more sharing options | |
| Share on LinkedIn | |
| Share on Pinterest | |
| Share on Google+ | |
| Share on WhatsApp | |
| Share on Messenger | |
| Close | |
| For Britain’s twitchers, those hard-core birders whose sole aim is to track down and see rare birds that have wandered to our shores, October is the highlight of the annual calendar. Towards the end of the autumn migration season, when most common birds have already departed and only the last few stragglers from farther north are passing through, a new group of birds begins to appear. | For Britain’s twitchers, those hard-core birders whose sole aim is to track down and see rare birds that have wandered to our shores, October is the highlight of the annual calendar. Towards the end of the autumn migration season, when most common birds have already departed and only the last few stragglers from farther north are passing through, a new group of birds begins to appear. |
| These birds are the vagrants, those rare and irregular species that make up more than half the birds on the official British List. | These birds are the vagrants, those rare and irregular species that make up more than half the birds on the official British List. |
| The reason we have so many rare birds is down to three factors: history, geography and weather. Historically, the British have always gone in search of rare birds, pioneering studies at far-flung locations, such as Fair Isle, over a century ago, so that rare visitors were identified and recorded. Geographically we are at a crossroads, on the edge of the vast Eurasian landmass, uniquely placed to attract avian wanderers from both east and west. | The reason we have so many rare birds is down to three factors: history, geography and weather. Historically, the British have always gone in search of rare birds, pioneering studies at far-flung locations, such as Fair Isle, over a century ago, so that rare visitors were identified and recorded. Geographically we are at a crossroads, on the edge of the vast Eurasian landmass, uniquely placed to attract avian wanderers from both east and west. |
| But most of all we have the weather: the prevailing westerly winds, combined with the jet stream, bring rare American songbirds from the other side of the Atlantic; and high-pressure systems over Siberia and Scandinavia bring birds from the east. Sometimes, if there is also a fast moving depression, migrants crossing the North Sea are forced to drift westwards and land on Britain’s east coast. | But most of all we have the weather: the prevailing westerly winds, combined with the jet stream, bring rare American songbirds from the other side of the Atlantic; and high-pressure systems over Siberia and Scandinavia bring birds from the east. Sometimes, if there is also a fast moving depression, migrants crossing the North Sea are forced to drift westwards and land on Britain’s east coast. |
| Among the more common species there is always the chance of a rarity who might have flown all the way from Siberia – essentially in the wrong direction – to end up in Yorkshire or Norfolk rather than Thailand. | Among the more common species there is always the chance of a rarity who might have flown all the way from Siberia – essentially in the wrong direction – to end up in Yorkshire or Norfolk rather than Thailand. |
| Weather | |
| Weatherwatch | |
| Birds | |
| Birdwatching | |
| Autumn | |
| Animal behaviour | |
| Geography | |
| features | |
| Share on Facebook | |
| Share on Twitter | |
| Share via Email | |
| Share on LinkedIn | |
| Share on Pinterest | |
| Share on Google+ | |
| Share on WhatsApp | |
| Share on Messenger | |
| Reuse this content |