Ingham’s World 20th November-Bird on board!

Martin Grimm is a very lucky man!  The other night this German wildlife photographer was bobbing about in the Baltic on a research vessel  when thousands of birds descended out of the darkness.  His Youtube videos are like something from a horror movie, quotes John Igham.  His boat was swamped with finches.  Lit up by the ship’s lights, the birds were on the deck and all over the place.  Meanwhile thousands more were flying in, swirling clouds of them, trying to seek a refuge from the bad weather.  This is the autumn migration in full flow, with chaffinches and even their northern relatives, bramblings.  They were joined by siskins, greenfinches, reed buntings, robins and at least one short-eared owl. Martin’s photos also reveal some little cameos.  In one there’s a robin sheltering with a sparrowhawk.  In the next the sparrowhawk was eating the robin!  But a very tired siskin was perched on the hawk’s back!

One of our most colourful and pretty birds is coming here this winter on a major quest to find berries. Waxwings have been popping up in places like Shetland, Aberdeen and Northern Ireland, says the BTO.