Observations

One new record in a quiet Autumn

A summary of the birds of July – August 2024

As the moult season ended, Canada Geese began to flight in to roost, but numbers haven’t built as much as previous years, with the peak count so far of 80. For the first time, increasing numbers of Greylags kept pace with a maximum also of 80. Egyptian Geese remained static at two pairs, one still nursing a brood of seven on the scrape. The Mute Swan summer peak was 50.

The first of the autumn’s Garganey was a brief visitor in July, followed by an adult pair which stayed for most of August. The autumn Shoveler and Teal passage followed a similar pattern, beginning in mid July and building through August, with the maxima so far being 45 Shovelers and 43 Teal. There was just a single record of six Wigeon in July: none throughout August is unusual these days. The moulting Gadwall flock started well with 458 in early July but a good portion of these moved on leaving around 250 to moult, a lower number than in recent years. The Red-crested Pochard flock (containing the two fledged juveniles) remained at around 10 (sometimes 12) throughout July, but, as seems to be the emerging pattern, deserted us for nearby waters in mid-August.

Great Crested Grebes did not breed, but three unsociable birds were regular, with five on one August day, included a pair of flyovers.

As is usual, heron numbers crept up through the period, with lower water levels drawing them in. Little Egrets peaked at seven, Grey Herons at five, and what is now becoming an expected arrival of Great White Egrets began with one from mid August until the month’s end, and another on at least two days indicating that perhaps two were present throughout.

A mass exodus of Black-headed Gulls quietened the place down from mid July, no doubt spurred on by a push through by their brethren, which included a juvenile Mediterranean Gull. With no Common Terns breeding, the few birds departed early with the last (three) by mid August.

Our last adult Cuckoos were heard at the beginning of July, although their fine season didn’t end there as a juvenile was seen later than month.

The wader breeding season finished with two Lapwings fledged, but Little-ringed Plovers failed and departed early. The four Green Sandpipers in June soon crept up to 11 from late July. Oystercatchers were seen intermittently with up to seven in July but none in August.

Black-tailed Godwits stuck to their early July appearances: one for two days, then a record flock for Rye Meads of 21 on the Scrape. Otherwise wader records were uninspiring: they comprised two Greenshanks on two dates, and the first Snipe and Common Sandpipers in late July, but no more than a couple of each in August.

Swifts continued to be seen in small numbers: 20 on several dates in July, but only a peak of eight in August Kingfishers remained exceptionally scarce with only three singles in July.

Ravens put in an unusual autumn appearance with sightings of one and two birds in August; as they become commoner we should expect them all year now –unimaginable just ten years ago.

Swallows and martins are getting ever more scarce. In July, both Sand Martin and Swallow were recorded on just three occasions with Sand Martins peaking at 27 (a pre-roost gathering) and Swallows not into double figures. In August, Sand Martins reached 20 early on, but just a trickle thereafter, and Swallows no more than 30. Hirundine (and Starling) roosts just failed to get going – and that may have affected Hobby sightings with only six encounters in the period under review. Some wet weather late in August saw House Martins reach 70 birds.

There were very low numbers of passerines through August. This was confirmed by mist-netting (not withstanding our current shortage of regular ringers, and one productive site – the ‘Tealeaves’ – still unavailable). Herculean efforts by the few ringers who were available revealed a general clear out of our breeding warblers with, it seems, little incoming to replace them. July maxima included 70 Blackcaps and 30 Chiffchaffs. The first Willow Warblers since the spring included four on three dates in July and four on single dates in August; this is a mere trickle compared to the numbers of this once common breeder and migrant – in 1982 we ringed 402! Reed and Sedge Warblers are more easily targeted for ringing and we get a clearer feeling for what’s going on with them. The low productivity in 2024 is obvious with a high proportion of adults in the early July catches suggesting poor (or late) breeding.

Other warblers made a rather weak showing: Garden Warblers peaked at five in July and four in August, whilst the disastrous year for Whitethroat was confirmed; recorded on only four dates in July (max three) and singles on five dates in August. Lesser Whitethroats were found on three dates in both July and August with a maximum of three. Good news alert: Cetti’s Warblers seem to have had a good season with 60 ringed to the end of August (our year record is 73 in 2022). A single Grasshopper Warbler mist-netted in July is the only confirmed record of the year so far, although the increasingly popular Merlin App is apparently having more ‘success’, thanks to the propensity for Sedge Warblers to imitate Grasshopper Warblers…

A Whinchat in August was a surprise early sighting for here and a Mistle Thrush graced the site, a rare visitor these days.
Goldfinches mustered a maximum of 20 but otherwise only delivered low single figure counts, well down on previous years, and the Greenfinch revival hit the buffers, a peak of four only. Our breeding House Sparrows made a disappointing early exit and were not seen in the period. There were no records in July and August of Chaffinch, Linnet, Bullfinch and Yellow Wagtail; all once common and regular species.