Page 14 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #10

WILD OCTOBER

The Isles of Scilly
provide a place to
stop and rest for
exhausted birds.

“ If an unusual or unknown

migratory bird appears,

it’s important to make
every second count.”

must sit out the inclement conditions
before moving on. This should increase
your chances of seeing them.
The key to finding and identifying out
of place birds is to make sure that you
know the run-of-the-mill species well in
their respective plumages. This intimate
knowledge of ‘the common’ should mean SPECIES TO LOOK OUT FOR
that anything out of the ordinary will stand
out more easily. Be mindful that birds in Red-backed shrike individuals spotted in and dumpy flycatcher is
the throes of migration can, confusingly, This was once a breeding eastern Britain are young in southern Scandinavia.
be seen away from where you’d normally bird in Britain. Most that birds approaching their
expect to spot them, meaning firecrests turn up along Britain’s east first winter, with distinctive Red-eyed vireo
can be found in bramble patches and ring coast are juveniles, with buf fringes to their wing The size of a great tit, with a
ouzels might be spotted among blackbirds. brown-barred upper parts feathers. Breeding in grey cap, red eyes (in adults)
and pale bellies adorned eastern Europe, about 150 and a white eye stripe, these
Broadcast your find with crescent marks along are recorded annually along warbler-like birds breed in
Any weary migrant needing to rest will look each flank. our east coast, en route North America’s forests.
for cover, and as many coastal locations to East Africa. Britain gets at least one
are sparsely vegetated, any bushes, Yellow-browed bird each autumn, which
copses, walls and watercourses can prove warbler Red-breasted has mistaken the Isles
productive. If an unusual or unknown bird Small and paler than lycatcher Scilly for South
should suddenly make an appearance, it’s a chifchaf, and with a No larger than a blue merica.
important to make every second count. conspicuous pale stripe tit, most individuals
Many birders reach for their camera in the over the eye and a dark travelling to West
first instance, but equally the old-fashioned line below, this tiny warbler Africa via Britain’s
method of making detailed field notes and breeds in eastern Russia coast don’t have
sketches can also help clinch identification and China. Around 300 are the orange-red
once the bird has retreated from view. recorded each autumn on chin, but all
Finally, the more birders who catch sight Britain’s east coast. plumages have
of the bird, the more chance it has of being two distinctive
correctly identified and accepted by the Barred warbler white patches at the base
county recorder (you can find the local A little bigger than a house of a constantly flicking
one at bto.org) or rarities committee, so sparrow, and with a long tail. The nearest breeding
do broadcast your find. Plus, it’s always so tail and large head, most population of this dinky
much more rewarding to share the love.

14 BBC Wildlife October 2018