Spring Migrants

A few more migrants have been arriving on the UK south coast this morning, with the first small wave of NORTHERN WHEATEARS, several WHITE WAGTAILS, BLACK REDSTARTS and a few HOUSE MARTINS. More SAND MARTINS are now penetrating inland but incoming COMMON CHIFFCHAFFS are still slow in arriving in numbers. BARN SWALLOWS are also very scarce.Many immature GLAUCOUS and ICELAND GULLS are migrating north, along with a major first thrust of intermedius Lesser Black-backed Gulls, and 1 or 2 GARGANEYS are scattered about.

The odd LITTLE RINGED PLOVER and numerous Eurasian Curlews, Ringed Plovers, Common Redshanks and Oystercatchers are now arriving at breeding sites inland, and large flocks of Fieldfare and Redwing are returning north. SISKIN and BRAMBLING numbers still remain high and many gardens still have their LESSER EDPOLLS of many weeks at the Nyger feeders.