Ingham’s World 16th October-What a mad warbler!

A tiny bird the size of a goldcrest that breeds in Siberia may be showing evolution progress right under our eyes.  Yellow-browed warbler overwinters in South-East Asia and breeds in Siberia could be carving out a new migration route.  Record numbers of these birds have been sighted here in the UK.  Every summer and autumn we get migrants flocking in from the Atlantic and Asia.  Since the 1960’s a few YBWs have been signed every autumn.  Once 20 was a big arrival, then 200 and 1000 this year.  They may be victims of a phenomenon called reverse migration.  These little warblers, instead of travelling south and then east, are going west to the UK.

Next week Prince William will try to save the world’s rarest animals.  He will make a speech on Chinese TV to try and save tigers, rhinos, elephants and lots more endangered species.

The holly blue has made a dramatic come back in recent years.  It has won a round against its worst enemy, the parasitic wasp.  This year holly blue numbers have outstripped the wasps (which kill their caterpillars) to win the best rating since 2010 in the Big Butterfly Count.