The remote location of the 18 islands constituting the Faroe Islands functions virtually as a magnet for birds migrating over the North Atlantic Ocean.

Here, you can find birds people elsewhere travel miles and miles to see!

SPRING MIGRATION

In spring, the Faroes primarily receive spring overshooters, birds that fly further north, away from their breeding grounds. This means birds from central and southern Europe can show up at the Faroes given the right weather conditions in spring. Some birds that arrive in May linger here and make breeding attempts. For instance, a male and a female Subalpine Warbler were seen from mid-May until at least June. The male was displaying, and the birds favoured one particular scrub in a garden at Trongisvágur, Suðuroy.

If there are consistent southeasterly winds in May, passerines can be seen all over. Rare birds can be seen among the common migrants in every garden and every tree. Some magnificent birds that have shown up in spring include a Green Warbler, a Rüppell’s Warbler, and no less than five Subalpine Warblers in just two weeks.

AUTUMN MIGRATION

Perhaps the most exciting time to search for rare birds is the autumn. Autumn migration includes both drift migrants from Scandinavia and far eastern birds performing the so-called reverse migration – flying, for instance, northwest instead of southeast. This means that good numbers of, for example, Yellow-browed Warblers are recorded yearly – a small warbler originating no closer than 3.500 km to the east. Other common reverse migrants include Barred Warbler – about 1 of every 10 Sylvia-warblers recorded in the Faroes is a Barred Warbler.

American birds have also been recorded in autumn. American Bitterns, Common Nighthawk, American Coot, and Sandhill Crane are a few of them. Quite interesting, a Tennessee Warbler and a Yellow-browed Warbler—one originating in North America, the other in Siberia—were caught almost simultaneously in a ringing net at Sumba, Suðuroy. The arrival of American passerines demands certain weather conditions. A fast-moving low pressure is heading north along the eastern coast of North America, then east from Newfoundland and reaching the Faroes, preferably within 48 hours.

RESEARCH

The Faroes Islands are among the least explored countries in Western Europe regarding birdwatching in spring and autumn. No regular counting has been conducted—just occasional ringing, e.g., with a Heligoland trap at Nólsoy. Therefore, we know there is vast potential where many new bird species have been recorded in Europe.