Mid August is a time of change. Birds are on the move, with familiar species leaving our shores, to be replaced (sometimes only temporarily) by visitors from farther north or east. Berries are ripening, seeds setting, and leaves are already beginning to change colour. Insects that we've been enjoying for the last few months are coming to the end of their lifecycle, and others are only just emerging.
The first obvious signs of autumn passerine (songbird) migration began this week, with reports of yellow wagtails on the Scrape and lesser whitethroats in North Bushes. A pied flycatcher was in the Sluice Bushes on Monday, and a redstart has been in the North Bushes since yesterday. With the next Waveney Bird Club ringing demonstration taking place tomorrow, will they catch any unusual migrants?
Redstart by Jon Evans
Wader migration has, of course, been underway for a couple of weeks already, and while the numbers and exact locations on the Scrape vary almost by the minute, the following species have all been seen most days this week: oystercatcher, avocet (only about 20 left), ringed & little ringed plovers, lapwings, knot (up to five), sanderling (four today), little stint (one, usually on South Scrape), dunlins (30+), ruffs (none today), snipe, black-tailed godwits (120+), whimbrels, curlews, spotted redshanks (17 today). redshanks, greenshanks, green & common sandpipers and turnstones. Add in up to four stone-curlews from the North Wall viewpoint and there's and impressive variety of waders to challenge your ID skills.
It's not just waders on the Scrape though, with up to 90 little gulls seen daily on South Scrape, and good numbers of big gulls on the Scrape at dusk. A few common terns remain, and a couple of little terns were reported earlier int he week. Four spoonbills popped in briefly on Monday evening, and good numbers of little egrets can be seen.
The first habitat management work party on the Scrape is planned for tomorrow, so there will be some disturbance on West Scrape, but birds should remain on other parts of the Scrape. This work is essential to help us to prepare the Scrape for next spring's breeding season, and to improve viewing for you as visitors.
The reedbed is quiet at this time of year as birds remain hidden post breeding, but with luck and patience you should still be able to spot marsh harriers, hobbies, water rails, bearded tits, reed warblers, and perhaps even a bittern or otter. August is also a good time to look for kingfishers, while great crested grebes and chicks remain on Island Mere.
Some of our star butterflies are coming towards the end of their flight period, but purple hairstreaks remain in the oaks, a few white admirals may be seen (one visited the cafe on Monday), and brown argus and graylings are still numerous on grassy areas. Look out too for painted ladies, common blues, and perhaps even a clouded yellow in the next few days.
Among the dragonflies, common and ruddy darters, migrant and southern hawkers and emerald damselflies are probably the easiest to spot now. Bee-wolfs continue to attract a lot of interest in the North Bushes, and the first adult antlions have been seen by a few lucky visitors.
Antlion by Robin Harvey