Autumn passage really ramped up today, and as is standard for late June, the first Spotted Redshank of the Autumn arrived today, with adult females having left their Arctic breeding grounds in the second week of June, and which are now starting to be seen across the UK. Spotted Redshank have very predictable, rigid migrations, and are unusual in as much that once the females have laid eggs on their Scandinavian/Siberian breeding grounds, they depart south for ‘the winter’, leaving the males to both incubate and then raise the chicks. When these early passage females start passing through in late June and early July, they do so in their fine black breeding plumage, just like todays, although they often moult very quickly into their grey, speckled plumage. Also in Middlebere today was the adult Yellow-legged Gull and today Scottish female Osprey 6J8 was obviously feeling a bit more friendly towards 5H6 as she was sat with him all morning, having been a tad ‘off’ with him yesterday. At Lytchett Fields there were also more passage waders including 8 Black-tailed Godwit , 15 Lapwing, 13 Redshank, 3 Greenshank, 1 Curlew and 10 Green Sandpiper. ‘Green Sands’ are a bit similar to Spotted Redshank as they too breed on Arctic breeding grounds with females often leaving early having only been on the breeding grounds for roughly a month, which is why we tend to see numbers build quite quickly around now.

At the Osprey nest at Carey Secret Garden today it was very busy with birds during both of todays viewing sessions with a juvenile White-tailed Eagle over twice, 1 Goshawk, 6 Hobby, 4 Kestrel, 1 Woodlark and 3 Crossbill over. Plus, Scottish female Osprey 6J8 also came and visited, causing mayhem, and for CJ7 to go into full display, protection mode.

Back of camera shot of Spotted Redshank that dropped into Middlebere this evening – Garry Hayman

Yellow-legged Gull – Middlebere – Garry Hayman