Home
Weather London
WeatherRadar
RainfallRadar
TemperatureRadar
WindRadar
LightningRadar
Weather News
Editor's Pick
Discover the app
Weather widget
Contact us
Apps
Career
    Home / Editor's Pick /

    Bird watcher hot spots: Birds shifting with jet stream

12:00
23 October 2022

Bird watcher hot spots
Birds shifting with jet stream

Yellow Warbler during autumn migration on the Shetland Islands, Scotland
Yellow Warbler during autumn migration on the Shetland Islands, Scotland

Both birds and birdwatchers alike rely heavily on the weather for their movements, and this autumn, they're headed north, thanks to the jet stream.

'Twitchers' are a term for birdwatchers who travel long distances to spot rare birds, and this season, they're hoping for westerly winds. For the amateur, westerly winds sound rather unappealing, as the wind direction often carries wet and windy weather from the Atlantic. But for Twitchers, it brings North American songbirds.

For the first time ever, a rare songbird, known as the Blackburnian Warbler, was recently spotted in the Isles of Scilly. The bird is native to eastern North America and is thought to have been migrating southwards to South America, when it got blown off course by strong winds.

Privacy Policy

The Isles of Scilly used to be the optimum place for watching these non-native birds, but with the northward shift of the jet stream, there are now increasing numbers of songbirds across Shetland and the Western Isles instead.

There are also fears that there is a reduction in garden birds, due to the hot weather we experienced over summer.

Weather & Radar editorial team
More on the topic
Hurricane Lowell threatens Hawaii. Gales and flash floods. . . Tuesday, 8 September 2026
WindRadar showing Hurricane Lowell north-west of Hawaii and its well-defined storm centre.
Tuesday, 8 September 2026

Gales and flash floods

Hurricane Lowell threatens Hawaii
A snowy winter in the Andes. Avalanches and storms. . . Tuesday, 15 September 2026
Tuesday, 15 September 2026

Avalanches and storms

A snowy winter in the Andes
Cheshire Gap produces shower funnel. Local phenomenon. . . Wednesday, 9 September 2026
Weather map showing showers moving southeast from Liverpool toward Birmingham, driven by Cheshire Gap convergence across central England.
Wednesday, 9 September 2026

Local phenomenon

Cheshire Gap produces shower funnel
All weather news
This might also interest you
Long-term trends need a pinch of salt. 40 °C in July?. . . Tuesday, 30 June 2026
Temperature radar of 2022 heatwave where the all-time temperature record in the UK was set. Warning symbol overlain.
Tuesday, 30 June 2026

40 °C in July?

Long-term trends need a pinch of salt
Storm Chandra makes impact. Severe gales & heavy rain. . . Tuesday, 27 January 2026
Split image showing strong winds over the UK on a forecast map and widespread rain and snow on a weather radar map.
Tuesday, 27 January 2026

Severe gales & heavy rain

Storm Chandra makes impact
Bright and warm conditions take hold. Spring-like outlook. . . Thursday, 23 April 2026
Split UK map showing warm temperatures up to 21 degrees in orange on the left and clear sunny conditions with temperatures from 12 to 18 degrees on the right, with sun icons across the country.
Thursday, 23 April 2026

Spring-like outlook

Bright and warm conditions take hold
All articles
Weather & Radar

Weather & Radar is also available on

Google Play StoreApp Store

Company

Contact us Privacy Policy Legal info Accessibility statement

Services

Uploader

Socials

facebooktwittertikToklinkList