It was minus 2 C this morning so autumn is nicely and truely over subsequently following on from a private reflection of this 12 months’s Spring Migration domestically HERE I believed I’d do an Autumn one too, contemplating that is my first full autumn (we had been in Oz for many of July final 12 months).
It is tough defining when autumn really begins. In some ways ‘Summer time’ dissappears into the late Spring and Early Autumn actions with breeding birds overlapping the migrations. As a way to get issues off to a flying begin I made a decision to make use of the Lesser Yellowlegs on 18th June as the beginning date for this evaluate as we all know this fowl was current within the winter in Hampshire after which presumably went southish earlier than heading again to Hampshire by way of the Stilt Pool. It is not exact but it surely’s a fantastic fowl to get going with.
EARLY AUTUMN- Sand Martins, early grownup waders, post-breeding dispersal and juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls
Grownup summer season Lesser Yellowlegs on Stilt Pool (Kevin Tarrant)
A few Teal on Mill Lane Marsh was one other signal of early return migration and in the meantime domestically Little Terns (above) began breeding and in late June a whole lot of Med Gulls (beneath) appeared on the Peninsula and shortly after (higher late than by no means) 100 pairs of Sandwich Tern arrived and began breeding on Tern island (beneath).
A Roseate Tern was round in July.
By mid/late July there have been loads of juvenile Sandwich Terns (above) round. In early July return waders had been round with Inexperienced, Widespread Sandpipers and Greenshank on Mill Pond Marsh and some Blackwits had been round too. Usually for early autumn juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls additionally appeared on the Peninsula and the primary blended flocks of tits and younger warblers had been round by mid-July by which era the primary autumn Whimbrels had appeared too.
One of the quite a few migrants in mid-July had been Sand Martins (above and beneath). I had over 200 resting up on the seashore at Medmerry on 18th July and the identical day there was a Yellow Wagtail and some Widespread Sandpipers and Greenshank.
Traditional July birds are juvenile Little Ringed Plover which appeared on Ferry and North Wall
MID-AUTUMN- August passerine migrants, Swallows, grownup and juvenile waders, seabirds and September rarities
Balearic Shearwater- the primary ones domestically had been on twentieth July however I did not see them till later within the autumn, in late August once I additionally caught up with Sooty Shearwater domestically. This one was from the Automobile Ferry to France in early August so we weren’t round domestically in early August.
By mid-August there have been a lot of migrants round together with falls of Willow Warblers, Noticed Flycatchers (above), Pied Flycatcher, just a few Tree Pipits, Wheatears and it was a great autumn for Redstarts. There have been additionally extra waders round together with the primary Noticed Redshanks for the autumn (beneath)
There have been extra Whimbrels (above) round in August and the primary juvenile Cattle Egrets appeared too (beneath) .
By late August the primary Wigeon and Pintail had appeared and I had Black Tern on twenty ninth August (above). Wader and waterfowl numbers had been starting to construct within the harbour with about 1200 birds counted on East Facet of 86 species- some of the species wealthy time of 12 months.
The primary autumn Spoonbills had been round twentieth August
It wasn’t a fantastic autumn for Osprey however there have been a number of sightings in late August/early September
I used to be away in Bulgaria for the primary week of September however once I received again I managed to meet up with the Wryneck at Church Norton. There was an enormous passage of Balearic Shearwaters in early September too which I managed to catch the tail finish of.
The nice run of Redstarts continued into September with birds within the Lane – on fifteenth September I had Redstart and Spot Fly collectively within the Lane.
This Gray Phalarope discovered by Andrew on Honer Reservoir was a pleasant birthday deal with
Arctic Skuas (above) had been showing by late August with a Lengthy-tailed Skua round in late August/early September
It was a fantastic autumn for juvenile Curlew Sandpipers which peaked in mid-late September. I had as much as eight birds however there have been over 20 at one level.
I got here throughout the primary Little Stints (above) of the 12 months at Pagham Spit on nineteenth September. The identical day there have been over 7000 ! migrants round primarily made up with Barn Swallows, with 5000 gathering over the harbour. There have been additionally Black Terns, Curlew Sands, Noticed Reds, a flock of Ruff, my first Golden Plovers of the autumn, Yellow-legged Gulls, Whinchat and Wheatear and in addition vis-mig had began with Siskins, Yellow Wagtails and Mipits going overhead. In the meantime within the harbour massive numbers of waders had been build up with over 450 Dunlin and Ringed Plover (beneath). Extra Little Stints had been to observe and Ed and I had a Woodlark on twenty first September on a day of extra vis-mig choosing up. Sadly I used to be away for the tip of September.
LATE AUTUMN- Vagrants, Woodpigeons, vis-mig and the return of the Brents
Storm Amy in early October sort of held up migration however a peaceful day on sixth October received issues going once more with 2 Whooper Swans on East Facet and an escalation in vis-mig with over 200 Siskins going over and elsewhere within the harbour the waterfowl and wader numbers continued to construct, though the mid-autumn Dunlins and Ringed Plovers had largely moved via.
I spent mid-October in Bulgaria and different locals had been on Scillies however we received again to work domestically in late October- the height time domestically for vagrants. On twenty second October Marc and I did East Head and Marc discovered a cracking Yellow-browed Warbler (above). We additionally had Black Redstart (beneath) , 4 Woodlark, 2 Crossbill, 2 Dartford Warbler and 200 Redpoll, 60 Siskin, 4 Yellowhammer and 1200 Wigeon going over. High native birding. It was a fantastic autumn for Redpolls, once I received house on twenty second there have been 25 Redpolls within the backyard too.
After all the Brent numbers had been constructing by late October and for sure large numbers of Woodpigeons had been on the transfer in late October/early November (beneath).
Redpoll within the garden- a fantastic autumn for them domestically. It was additionally a great autumn for Crossbills. Just a few backyard vis-mig classes produced Redwings and Fieldfares and in addition just a few backyard ticks together with Gray Plover and Black-tailed Godwit.
On the final day of October a southerly airflow started which kind of continued to mid-November. I rushed out to the Invoice after the Hunters had two Swifts flying spherical. I did not see the Swifts however a wise grownup Pomarine Skua was a bonus. Happily one of many Swifts (or one other one) reappeared the subsequent morning and we had been in a position to affirm it as a Pallid Swift (beneath)- solely the second file for the Peninsula.
The identical day because the Pallid Swift I discovered this Gray Phalarope on Ferry which sealed the day as the perfect of the autumn for me- what a fantastic grande finale.
What with the delicate southerly airflow there was extra left within the autumn all the best way to mid-month. I got here throughout this Ring Ouzel at St.Wilfred’s Church yard, had a few Arctic Terns, two Curlew Sandpipers however sadly dipped the Pallas’s Warbler discovered by Ian and Marc on eighth October.
It is also been a great autumn for Firecrests with as much as 5 birds within the backyard/lane.
So principally a unbelievable autumn with highlights together with Pallid Swift, Lesser Yellowlegs, Yellow-browed Warbler, Gray Phalaropes, Wryneck, Whooper Swan, Roseate Tern, Little Stints and Curlew Sands, Lengthy-tailed and Pomarine Skua, Sooty and Balearic Shearwaters and stacks of commoner migrants. The largest miss was the Pallas’s Warbler and I additionally missed the massive Balearic Shearwater day (over 500). A unbelievable present over what’s principally 5 months from mid-June to mid-November throughout a beautiful spectrum of various species and teams migrating in response to the approaching (now arrived) Northern Winter.
