Autumn migration ~ UK (1 Viewer)

[matt green]

Thought i'd start this off, for anyone wanting to post sightings of early migratory birds seen on their local patches/reserves in the UK.

Perhaps not strictly migratory, but found my first self found 'Redstart' on some local horse paddocks yesterday afternoon, unfortunately views were distant and only seen from behind so couldn't distinguish between 'Black Redstart' or Redstart, pretty sure it was a female though ~ an early sign of things moving around?

Matt

 

[joannec]

Hi Matt

Saw a couple of sanderlings on the beach at Newhaven on Sunday....only seen them a few times before. What little sweeties they are.

 

[jimbob]

Green Sandpiper at Minsmere on monday. I seem to remember RBA reporting 29 somewhere...was it London or Cantley in Norfolk? Sorry, cant remember! Still, quite a number, I've never seen that many.
Jim.

 

[dbradnum]

Green Sandpiper at Minsmere on monday. I seem to remember RBA reporting 29 somewhere...was it London or Cantley in Norfolk? Sorry, cant remember! Still, quite a number, I've never seen that many.
Jim.

There was a report of 59 from Cantley sugar beet factory pools a few days ago... fantastic place for waders in the autumn when the water levels are right. With a bit of fieldcraft you can often get close to most birds there as well, since there's usually no-one else there - have had stunning views of Bairds Sand, Temmincks, and RN Phal there.... Oh, and 3 Marsh Sandpipers were ever-so-slightly smart as well!

 

[Saerwen]

Last week there were around 30+ black tailed godwits back on the marsh in Holes Bay, Poole. I suppose that means autumn's just round the corner, but I'm still waiting for summer!

 

[matt green]

A local birder has been birding the Suffolk backwaters today and came up with 9 Green Sandpipers!, all seen on the scrape at Hinderclay fen (west of Redgrave and Lopham fen) in the Norfolk/Suffolk border.

Matt

 

[Sue Wright]

3 Sanderling, 4 Dunlin and Black-tailed Godwits at Lodmoor, Weymouth in Dorset last Thursday.

Also 3 Gannets flying along water's edge in search of food as well, a sign of the shortage at sea maybe?! Only saw 1 plunge just the once and many of the C Terns returning to colony without food!

Sue.

 

[gyrfalcon]

1 Wheatear on the North Hampshire Downs Tuesday 24th July. First visit there for a while so no idea how long it had been there.

 

[IanF]

On 22nd July we had Purple Sandpiper x4 and Turnstone x4 at Hartlepool. Dunlin are steadily increasing with up to nine this week. On 24th July a single Red Knot was at Hartlepool along with Purple Sandpiper x2 and Turnstone x9.

 

[Ruby]

I popped into Elmley last weekend and saw 7 Ruff, 2 Green Sandpipers, up to 5 Common Sandpipers, several Summer-plumaged Dunlin, (brief) Wood Sandpiper, a Little Stint, Spotted Redshank and a Pectoral Sandpiper.

It was quite a good day actually - in addition to the above, many Yellow Wagtails, Reed and Sedge Warblers, 3-4 Corn Buntings, several Brown Hares and 3 Stoats.

I noticed a report saying that they had 10 Spotted Sands on 18th.

 

[joannec]

At Castle Water, Rye in Sussex, today saw 4 or 5 green sandpipers and about 10 common sandpiper, dunlin too. Common and Sandwich tern chicks look very well grown and probably some have already left.

 

[dbradnum]

I noticed a report saying that they had 10 Spotted Sands on 18th.

Presumably Spotted Redshanks... multiple Spotted Sands would be quite something!

Had a good wander round my local (London) reservoir this evening: at least 29 Common Sands, and cracking views of a Hobby hunting Sand Martins. Quite a few Swifts moving steadily south as well.

 

[matt green]

Grasshopper Warbler found by local birder tonight in the next village, possibly a young bird moving south...

Matt

 

[Ruby]

Presumably Spotted Redshanks... multiple Spotted Sands would be quite something!

Ooops. Yes - might even have popped down myself to see that!!

 

[luke]

yesturday evening at newport wetlands: 1 green sand, 4 greenshank, loads of yellow wagtail, also a grey plover came in for the evening and a sanderling and curlew sand reported from the morning. also a wheatear and a redstart in the hedges. so passage is certianly under way here.

 

[IanF]

Over the weekend on 28th July we had up to 14 RT Divers on the coast. Nothing much else appearing at present just a few Dunlin and Turnstone arriving.

 

[John Cantelo]

First Wheatear of the autumn at Grove Ferry (Kent) this morning herald the start of small passerine migration as far as I'm concerned. Waders have been passing through back south for a month or more,

John

 

[Tav94]

First Wheatear and Sedge warblers this week at Rame head Cornwall.

 

[sidrat]

Wheatear on the airfield at RAF Marham, Norfolk yesterday.

 

[Mark Grantham]

The pattern of these Wheatear movements is quite interesting, as birds do seem to bypass the east coast in early autumn, building up along the south coast. Regional BirdTrack results show that autumn migration is only just really beginning in East Anglia, but seems to be well under way further south. Perhaps a lot of birds are just making long movements direct to the south coast before moving on...

Check out the BirdTrack results for Wheatear for these two regions below (the bottom graph is the one to look at):

East Anglia:
http://blx1.bto.org/bt-dailyresults/results/s357-5-07.html
South East:
http://blx1.bto.org/bt-dailyresults/results/s357-7-07.html

Mark Grantham
BirdTrack Organiser