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Garganey -
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After the prolonged hot and sunny spell in July, the month of August was a little disappointing with cool showery weather for much of the time.
Whilst this might not have done much for the tourist industry, our countryside and gardens have certainly appreciated the rain, and some areas that were starting to look very parched are turning green again.
Trees have also been feeling the effects of the hot summer, with their leaves starting to turn yellow and red, which has given an autumnal feel to a walk through the Forest.
The birdlife has turned more Autumnal too. The Swifts have probably all departed to Africa now and many other species are congregating along the south coast ready to join them in the coming weeks.
September and October are the two main autumn migration months, but the actual time that each species decides to leave can vary enormously. If we have another warm sunny spell of weather the birds might decide that its still summer and hang around longer, but likewise if the weather is cool they might leave earlier.
At the moment though, they are mostly feeding furiously to build up their energy levels ready for the trip ahead. Many birds are going through a moult at the moment too, which makes them very vulnerable to predators such as Sparrowhawk and Peregrine Falcon, so they tend to stay out of sight as much as possible.
This is why our gardens can seem empty of birds at this time of the year. They haven't necessarily gone; they are just keeping out of sight.
As I mentioned last month Waders are returning south from their breeding grounds and many will now stay with us throughout the winter. On August 31st I had an early morning trip to Lepe where I saw numerous Ringed Plovers, and Turnstones, many of which were still showing parts of their "ruddy brown" breeding plumage.
There was also a summer plumaged Grey Plover and a couple of Whimbrel. There have been a few rarer waders seen locally such as Wood Sandpiper, Little stint, and a rare Pectoral Sandpiper at nearby Keyhaven marshes.
There has also been a Garganey there too.
During the Spring, Male Garganeys are a very striking Duck that unfortunately doesn't stay in our area for long, if at all.
They are more often seen here when they return at the start of their migration South, but they are now in their Eclipse plumage which is much duller. Again this is because of their Moult, and similarly the common Mallard is also showing very drab colours too.
People used to think that the brightly coloured Male Mallards disappeared at this time of year, whereas in actual fact they are going through their moult stage which renders them flightless for a time.
Nature helps them out by making their plumage less conspicuous whilst their feathers are re-growing, so that they are not as visible to predators.
An Osprey was seen past Fawley at the end of August, and an unusual sighting that I made myself on the 24th was a Razorbill fishing close in off Lepe beach. I've never seen one here before.
They nest on cliffs on the Isle of Wight and along the Dorset coast from Durlston westwards, but then move back out to sea at the end of the breeding season, so I wouldn’t normally expect to see them off our patch of coastline.
Its more likely to be Guillemots that are seen, so I very pleased to see this one.
The coming month could be a very exiting one, as traditionally more rarities turn up during the early autumn migration season. Stormy weather could force seabirds close to shore and blow other birds hundreds of miles off course, so literally anything could turn up.
Unfortunately I’m going to miss most of this month as I’m off on holiday, so please email me with your sightings, which I will report next month.
Please email me for details or see the website.
Happy birding.
Paul Matthews
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