Last two weeks of August

Ruff and Greenshank (c) Bark

Meteorological autumn arrived on the first of September and for the first time I really noticed a change in the air, the light and the vegetation. It was  cooler and the lush greens of summer are being replaced with softer paler shades. The fields have been topped and hayed and the layout of the ditches and small reedbeds stand out more clearly.

Early signs of autumn (c) Bark

There has been a steady increase in the presence of passage migrants with Whinchats, Wheatears and Redstarts being noted across the moor. Whinchats are being seen in the regular hedgerows on the MOD land and by the cattle pens but unusually we have not found them by the farms at Noke yet this year.

Whinchats     above (c) Nick Truby and below (c) JR

We are getting our regular pre-migration build up of Yellow wagtails and I have been told of as many as one hundred and fifty going to roost in the reedbed. Now the long grasses have been topped is easier to spot them feeding around the feet of grazing cattle.

Yellow Wagtails above (c) Nick Truby and below (c) Bark

The water levels in front of the first screen have continued to fall as the water evaporates. We certainly have more mud exposed than for the last few years. It has continued to attract a number of waders but not yet anything especially unusual or scarce. The muddy margins are speckled with white downy feathers as if there had been a light snowfall, they come from the ducks moulting and preening on the margins. 

Snipe and Little Ringed Plovers (c) Bark

Many Snipe are feeding on the edges and wading out into the shallow water to probe for invertebrates. We have seen  Green Sandpipers, Common Sandpipers and at least three Little Ringed Plovers, two juveniles and an adult. Little Egrets are now being seen regularly again. 

Great White Egrets (c) Derek Lane

In addition, last weekend there were two Great White Egrets out in front of the screen which frustratingly I manged to miss seeing by three minutes! The pair of Hawaiian Geese are still coming and going around the moor.

Nene (c) Nick Truby

One of the highlights occurred on Sunday  25^th August. As we were watching a lone Greenshank feeding and preening on the mud bank to the left of the screen it started to call and flew up. At the same time, we could hear at least one other Greenshank calling and then we spotted a small flock of Greenshanks flying in. 

Greenshank (c) Bark

There were eighteen all together and they were accompanied by another wader that we later identified as a Ruff. They circled several times and looked as if they were about to land but took fright and flew off towards Big Otmoor. I haven’t seen so many Greenshanks together before and they were stunningly beautiful, bright, loud and animate.

An unsheduled dip for a Greenshank and some of the seventeen (c) JR

Elsewhere there are many mixed parties of Warblers moving through the hedgerows. Both species of Whitethroat can be seen amongst them looking crisp and fresh in pristine plumage.  

Reed warbler and Whitethroat (c) Bark and Sedgie (c) Nick Truby

A couple of Spotted Flycatchers were reported along the footpath to the south of Ashgrave that leads up to Beckley.

Kestrel (c) Bark

There are still five or six different Kestrels hunting over the newly cropped fields and two Marsh Harriers are still being seen over and around the reedbed. The Cranes are still with us but will soon be returning to  Somerset for the winter

Cranes flying in to feed (c) Bark

We are now approaching the key time for Bearded Tit irruption and hopefully this year some of these delightful birds will one again turn up on the moor and we will be listening out keenly for their distinctive pinging calls.

Greenshank and Ruff (c) Bark and Green Sandpiper (c) JR