Basic Principles
There can be few more eagerly awaited October birds than the wing-barred Phylloscopus or leaf warblers. Three species – Yellow-browed, Hume’s Leaf and Pallas’s Warblers – are among the most delightful birds on the British list: tiny, hyperactive and jewel-like. They are not the only options, however. The much rarer Eastern Crowned and Pale-legged Leaf Warblers, both recent additions to the British list, are also possible in October.
Yellow-browed Warbler
This species has a large and northerly breeding range across Siberia, reaching as far west as the northern Urals. It winters throughout southern China and South-East Asia.
There were relatively few British records until the 1960s. Since then, however, there has been a massive increase in occurrences, with many hundreds reported in most years and multiple arrivals now…