Garden Birdwatch 2001 – UPDATE Issue 4 March 2001 to December 2001

Migration - how you can help
Mention migration monitoring to most people and they think a team of dedicated individuals manning bird observatories at some remote corner of the British Isles, watching avidly for the first signs of a swallow or common sandpiper. I'll hazard a guess that few of you would think that migration monitoring can consist of sitting comfortably in your own armchair, with a cup of tea watching the birds in your garden!! Although many of the species that we commonly see in our gardens are present all year round they can also be migrants. For example the number of blackbirds present on the Island is boosted during the autumn by arrivals from the continent. Often this migration is most marked on or near the coast, where, on calm mornings in October, large numbers can be seen in bushes or feeding at the roadside and field edges. The boost in numbers is also evident in our gardens, as is clearly demonstrated in the chart below. (Thanks to the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) for provision of UK data).

Percentage of participating gardens in which blackbirds were recorded Dotted line = Manx GBW

Solid line = British Isles GBW Note the drop in occurrence during September 2000 and 2001, suggesting that some local birds had moved south, to be replaced during October by migrants from Europe. The information you are providing to our Garden Birdwatch Scheme is adding greatly to our understanding of migration through the Island, for a large number of species, so please keep up the great work, ideally all year round. The British Trust for Ornithology is, this spring, running a 'Migration Watch' scheme, encouraging people throughout Britain to make a record of the birds they see and submit the records to them. Although the scheme started in March, it runs until June, so there is still time for you to take part, though it is limited to those with Internet access. Records can come from your garden or from a regularly visited site. To register and obtain forms simply log on to: www.bto.org/migwatch. Shown below are charts reflecting the information that you have gathered on fieldfares, a winter visiting thrush and goldfinches, a species we mentioned in our last 'Update' but which very clearly demonstrates migration, so is worth including again. Note the marked influx of fieldfares in October, before the bulk of birds move through Britain. By contrast the goldfinches has lower numbers through the autumn and winter, before a sharp rise during March/April, signifying a spring passage.

Percentage of participating gardens in which fieldfares were recorded Dotted line = Manx GBW Solid line = British Isles GBW

Percentage of participating gardens in which goldfinches were recorded Dotted line = Manx GBW Solid line = British Isles GBW