Unlike many of us, birders hope for rain to ground birds on their way to warmer climes. Be on the lookout for songbirds flying south this summer
No sooner has spring turned into summer in the UK, then it seems as if autumn is here. We may have enjoyed a belated heatwave at the end of July, but a possible return of more unsettled weather reminds us that the breeding season is now over, and the return journey of migrant birds to Africa has already begun.
From mid-August onwards, birders on the coast hope for rain and wind, which grounds migrating songbirds that would otherwise fly overhead, unseen. Warblers, flycatchers and chats all migrate by night, stopping to rest and feed by day; so an early morning visit to a suitable habitat might produce surprises.
