Chris Farthing’s Woodberry bird highlights: August 2024

August is a month where the emphasis here is on migration. Birds which are only here for the breeding season are starting to depart, and birds which just spend the winter here are starting to arrive. Any real highlights in August are usually from passage migrants, birds which breed somewhere north of here, either in the northern UK or beyond, as they make their way back to their winter territories which could be in southern Europe or Africa.

The best bird of August this year was a species which is difficult to put into any of the usual summer/winter/migrant categories because it is one of the most widely distributed bird species in the world. A cattle egret which flew over in a south-westerly direction on the morning of the 25^th was only the second record of the species here. Cattle egrets are increasing in numbers in the UK, and there were around twenty in the London area for a period this summer. It is likely that this bird had been roosting with the herons and egrets on one of the islands at Walthamstow Wetlands.

a willow warbler perched on a fence — Willow warbler

Photo credit; Chris Farthing

There are two candidates for the most common passage migrant here. Willow warbler (above) are as regular as clockwork in autumn, with the first bird being seen within a couple of days either side of August 1^st every year. This year the first was on the 2^nd, and multiple birds were present most days for the rest of the month. Common sandpiper are also a regular feature of autumn, they are never present in the same number as the willow warbler peak count, but they pass through for a longer period, and this year we did have two together on the 13^th. If the water level is low enough to provide some dry mud then they will happily stay for a few days on passage, but when the water level is higher like this year, they tend to be seen briefly on one of the tern rafts or on posts around the lagoons. Lesser whitethroat was another notable passage migrant this August, being seen on the 9^th in the hedge south of the boardwalk, a regular hotspot for migrant warblers.

Kingfishers are not usually seen here in the breeding season but we generally get more sightings in August as a result of post-breeding dispersal. This was the situation again this year, with a bird being seen regularly through the month. A similar situation occurred with green woodpecker. Jackdaws are uncommon here outside the month of October when large numbers can sometimes be seen migrating, but this year on August 3^rd a bird actually landed in a tree behind the café briefly before flying off.

two house martins swoop through the sky above water — House martins

Photo credit: Chris Farthing

Three members of the hirundine family of birds breed in London and are usually seen here at this time of year. This year house martin (above) were by by far the most common with a flock of around thirty birds being seen regularly through the month. On a few occasions, there were small numbers of sand martins amongst them, and a swallow was seen on the 9^th. On the 22^nd the hirundine flock attracted the attention of a hobby, a small raptor which is known for eating dragonflies but in urban areas largely feeds on hirundines.

Egyptian geese are notoriously bad parents and will sometimes have two or three broods in a year without any young surviving. A pair which nested this year in nearby Clissold Park are completely the opposite of this and have learned that by keeping their young on an island they are safe from foxes and dogs. For the latter half of August this family of two adults and six fully-grown goslings have been roosting here on one of the tern rafts. They fly out early in the morning.