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The nightingale, one summer visitor who hasn't left yet © Edmund Fellowes/BTO

continued to arrive on a broad front along the east coast, with some venturing as far inland as the West Midlands. We have a long way to go to match last winter's invasion though, as the . The biggest arrival of the week featured blackbirds, with large numbers being seen at multiple sites along the east coast, presumably another product of the cooler weather further east.

A number of summer visitors are still hanging around, as is the case in most years, although the number and the diversity of species involved this autumn is impressive. During the last week there have been over 30 reports of swifts (both common swift and the much rarer ), seven , three , two , a pied flycatcher, a nightingale, two or three willow warblers, , and several swallows.

Expect more waxwings next week © Edmund Fellowes

Not bad for mid-November, and likely to be at least in part attributable to the particularly mild autumn we've had in many parts of Britain and Ireland.

The weather is forecast to remain in a similar vein for at least the next four or five days, so we can expect more geese, more blackbirds and waxwings, and perhaps a major arrival of Bewick's swans.

Question of the week: When does migration come to a halt?

When we think of migration we think of our summer visitors leaving us to spend the winter in Africa, and the arrival of birds from further north coming to spend the winter with us. However, birds can be on the move throughout the year. During the winter months, periods of harsh weather will produce cold weather movements, as birds from both within the UK and from the Continent seek frost-free areas to feed.

Spring migration can start as early as the end of February and last until early June. In the case of waders heading for the Arctic tundra to breed, birds that arrived there early can often be on their way back whilst some of their congeners are still heading north.

During the summer months, failed breeders can begin moving south long before individuals that are in the process of successfully rearing young, whilst in many species, the young themselves leave later still.

In short, birds can actually make significant movements in any month of the year.