Goodbye August, I received’t be sorry to see you go. Until you occur to reside close to the coast, by which case there are many migrant waders to see, August is just about a duff month for birds in England. There’s not a lot music, many spring migrants have already departed south for his or her winter quarters, whereas the vast majority of residents are moulting, so grow to be shy and troublesome to see. August is arguably the least thrilling chicken month of the 12 months.
I maintain a month-to-month tally what number of species I’ve seen, and on the time of writing my August rating is 97, my second lowest month-to-month complete in England this 12 months. My finest month was June, with 130 species, however I even managed an honest 115 in July. (These totals are all for England, and don’t embody birds seen abroad). This month’s checklist is disappointing, as I’ve put some effort into discovering birds, and have visited each the Norfolk and Suffolk coasts.
Cattle Egrets in North Norfolk – Twenty first-century colonists of England
Cley is certainly one of England’s most well-known chicken reserves, in addition to certainly one of its oldest. (It was purchased by the Norfolk Naturalists’ Belief, now Norfolk Wildlife Belief, in 1926). It’s all the time a dependable website for seeing one thing good, and it didn’t disappoint on my current go to initially of the month. Maybe most notable was a flock of 16 Cattle Egrets. This was the largest flock that I’ve ever seen in England. These egrets are new colonists in England, first breeding in 2008. Little doubt they are going to grow to be a lot commoner within the years to return, as they’re a chicken that, as soon as established, tends to extend quickly.
I’m all the time fascinated by the truth that this Previous World chicken didn’t attain the Americas till the late Nineteen Thirties, having flown the 2850km from the African coast to the Guianas. They first bred in North America, in Florida, in 1953, and by 1962 had began nesting in Canada. They’re additionally comparatively current colonists of China, South Korea and Japan, arriving in Australia through New Guinea within the early 1900s. They first bred in New Zealand in 1963. When you think about this astonishing fee of growth it appears shocking that they’ve taken so lengthy to succeed in Britain.
The black-tipped flight feathers how that that is an immature Spoonbill
One other current colonist of England is the Spoonbill. The primary recorded nest was in North Norfolk in 2010, and numbers have elevated right here yearly since, whereas this 12 months nesting was recorded at a number of new websites in Jap England. I all the time take pleasure in seeing Spoonbills, although they’ve now grow to be a well-known sight on coastal reserves in japanese England. There was only one at Cley, an immature with black wing suggestions.
This go to to Cley did add a few sandpipers to my English 12 months checklist: Inexperienced and Curlew. I’d seen each earlier within the 12 months in Cyprus and Greece. Of their purple breeding plumage Curlew Sandpipers are good-looking birds. This particular person was moulting, however nonetheless predominately in summer season plumage. It was elusive and onerous to search out, and by no means got here nearer than a few hundred yards.
Later the identical day I referred to as in at Titchwell, a preferred RSPB reserve on the North Norfolk coast. Right here a lot the perfect sighting was an sudden Osprey (above). Ospreys are common migrants by Norfolk and Suffolk within the late summer season and early autumn however seeing one is all the time a matter of luck. This was my first in England for a couple of years, although it’s a chicken I’d already seen this 12 months in southern Spain.
A few weeks later I visited Minsmere, the RSPB’s flagship reserve on the Suffolk coast. I hoped for an excellent crop of passage waders: I noticed 10 totally different species, not an awesome complete, but it surely did embody my first Noticed Redshanks of the 12 months in England, together with each Ringed and Little Ringed Plovers, Black-tailed Godwits and Inexperienced and Frequent Sandpipers. There have been no actual surprises among the many birds I noticed, however some huge flocks of Frequent Scoters offshore had been fascinating. Presumably these had been non-breeding birds: only a few (a mere 50 pairs) nest in Scotland, and none in England. Most of our wintering birds come from northern Europe and Siberia.
Nice White Egrets (with a Gray Heron, Mute Swans and Coots) at Lakenheath
Later within the month I visited one other Suffolk RSPB reserve – Lakenheath, an intensive reedbed reserve, created out of what had been previously carrot fields. It’s a formidable instance of habitat creation, and holds breeding Bitterns, Marsh Harriers and Cranes. Of those three, the one one which confirmed throughout my go to was Marsh Harrier. The Cranes had apparently bred efficiently, however they saved their heads down so I didn’t see, and even hear, them. My {photograph} (beneath) was taken at Lakenheath, however on a earlier go to. Worthy of word was seeing 24 Nice Egrets unexpectedly – that is one other former uncommon chicken that’s colonising southern England at a outstanding tempo.
My final notable chicken of the month, and my 97th species, was a single Wooden Sandpiper (beneath) on a small Norfolk wetland reserve, Dickleburgh Moor. These dainty sandpipers are scarce migrants in East Anglia within the autumn, however a chicken you need to see for those who strive onerous sufficient. I’d seen a lot earlier within the 12 months in Cyprus and Greece, however this was my first in England. It was a distant view on a sunny day, however one when a powerful wind made utilizing the telescope tough.
September is a way more promising month for birds. I’ve bought one other journey to the Mediterranean developing, this time to the Peloponnese within the south-west of Greece. It’s not a vacation spot that’s fashionable with birders, so I’m not positive what I’d discover, all the time an thrilling prospect. I’ll report right here in the end.
