Passage
Movement through an area involving individuals which neither breed there nor spend the winter there, merely passing through on migration. As the British Isles lie on a major flyway, very large number of passage migrants (also known as 'transients') travel through each spring and autumn. Some of these, such as the Little Stint Calidris minuta and the Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus, are known in the British Isles only as passage migrants, but most species seen on passage have also resident, summer visitor or winter visitor status.From Peter Weaver's Birdwatcher's Dictionary
Copyright © 1981 by Peter Weaver