Early Migration?

This time of year, its an in between times, with birds starting to gather and move about, but most of real migration will not start in earnest, until september.

Hi caper,

I thought they were possibly incoming northern migrants rather than outgoing summer visitors.

But I do agree some of our summer breeders are gathering for the journey south. Following up on a recent post from another thread, the overhead lines near home on a couple of occasions during the past week have been heaving with juvvie Swallows,  Sand and House martins.

Sorry I mis read your post, but I was just saying to a dear freind August is the strangest month in the bird world, its a case of do i or should i sort of month, then sept/oct wham.

caper1 said:

This time of year, its an in between times, with birds starting to gather and move about, but most of real migration will not start in earnest, until september.

It would be exceptionally early for migrant geese to arrive, but I disagree with the comment that I have quoted above.

Species like Swift and Cuckoo will have largely left the country before the start of August (leaving only young behind), waders start to return as early as late June (failed breeders, or non breeders), and the migration of many wader species is well under way by late July, and very noticeable during August. Seabird migration is also very evident in August, and almost all other breeding, and passage migrants will be on the move in the second half of the month at least.

By mid September most of the migrants that have bred in this country are actually likely to have already departed (though some, including House Martins and Swallows) will still be rearing late broods. It will still be possible to see most of the summer migrant species, but these will mainly be those that are passing through on passage having bred further north and/or east. Arrival of wintering species does tend to begin during September though, reaching a peak during October.

Unknown said:

Arrival of wintering species does tend to begin during September though, reaching a peak during October.

Yes, Roy. I did think it was unusual to see two skeins more or less together, albeit small ones, during early August.

Maybe the movement is of local feral Greylag and Canada birds on the move to new feeding areas.Two of our local spots now have both got over 500 Greylags and smaller number of Canadas feeding on them.Many of the local fields of both hay and corn have been cut in the last week and the geese along with big numbers corvids and Curlew are now busy feeding on the remaining stubble.

I think you must be right, Seaman. Probably resident geese moving to new feeding areas. The harvest has just started here too.

ClaireM said:

Probably resident geese moving to new feeding areas.

Or to moulting areas - they will often gather at certain places when they are ready to moult.

But surely all the geese would have already moulted, is it not july time, this is when the ringers round them up, to be ringed.