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Hobbies are late breeders compared to many of our summer migrants, their fledging period timed to coincide with that of their main prey species. Consequently now is as young birds are taking their maiden flights, whilst adults will start heading south very soon.

Other migrants on the move at the moment include seabirds such as Manx shearwater and Arctic skua, both entering their peak southbound passage periods right now. Weather conditions over the next two or three weeks will play a part in determining how many are seen from land; onshore winds are usually needed to bring these pelagic (sea-faring) species close enough to the coast to be seen in large numbers by birdwatchers.

Whinchats are on the move © Mike Weston/BTO

On the songbird front, the shows that are on the move; whilst they will be most numerous at coastal watchpoints, they can occur on patches of rough, open ground anywhere in the UK, so it's worth keeping an eye out for these intricately-patterned chats. Sadly whinchats are one of a suite of long-distance migrants that are suffering long-term population declines; several conservation organisations are trying to find out what is causing these declines, both here and on .

The first batch of unusual migrants have turned up on Fair Isle, a famous migration hotspot that Paul and I are lucky enough to be visiting this October - we're already feeling like kids on Christmas Eve! Perhaps we should have been there last week though - as well as their second highest ever count of (a whopping 19 on 24 August!), also recorded two scarce 'hippos' in one day on 26 August: booted and melodious warblers (both members of the Hippolais genus of warbler, rather than enormous herbivorous African mammals).

Question of the Week: How do birds find their way? (Part 2)

In last week's brief look at birds' ability to detect the earth's magnetic field and use it as a navigational aid, we mentioned that having an internal compass is no use if you don't have a road atlas. Fortunately for birds, there's a ready-made road atlas right above their heads, in the form of the stars at night and the sun during the day. Birds are able to read these 'celestial cues' to help them ensure that they stay on course.

Of course the problem with any visual cue is that you need to be able to see it; any form of cloud cover can obscure the stars, and for day-flying migrants, thick fog or heavy cloud will make it very hard to detect the location of the sun. Exactly how different weather conditions can affect birds during their migration will be the subject of a future Question of the Week.

Have you noticed any birds leaving yet? Anything unsual or suprising? As always, we'd love to hear, so post a comment below.