We do usually say goodbye to some species for the year, including some favourites like swifts and common terns, but the arrival of the first few of our winter visitors makes up for it.

The undoubted highlight of the month was a visit from a black-tailed godwit (below) on the 5^th. The bird flew in early in the morning, did a couple of fairly low circuits, but unfortunately didn’t see the habitat (or other godwits) it was looking for, and it proceeded to depart to the south. The last visit from this species was three seen together in July 2014.

The only other wading bird seen in august was common sandpiper, seen several times although probably not as regularly as they have been in past years. Duck numbers always build up in autumn, with some species viewing the reservoir as a safe place to spend moulting season. The first two teal arrived on the 7^th, although they appear to have been passing through rather than being the first of a winter flock. Shoveler numbers reached 25 by the end of the month, with the peak count of gadwall being 43. A brood of gadwall were noted in mid-august, and there were probably at least seven broods of tufted duck (below). A second pair of great crested grebes also had a brood.

Sparrowhawks were seen frequently through the month and we had a single visit from a kestrel, which perched briefly on the balcony of one of the high-rise blocks. Kingfisher was a near-daily bird for most of the month, with a couple of sightings of two birds together. It is unlikely that two adult birds would tolerate each other at this time of year, so it is likely they were juveniles, the date coinciding with the time a brood of juveniles dispersed from Walthamstow Wetlands. Post-breeding dispersal was also the likely reason for the first mistle thrush sighting here for several months on the 26^th, this bird having probably fledged from one of the local parks.

Woodberry has historically been a very good site for flycatchers, with most Augusts here producing one or two sightings of pied flycatcher as well as several of the more common spotted flycatcher. This august was an exception though, with just one sighting of spotted flycatcher (below) on the 15^th.

Warblers were passing through all month with multiple willow warblers being seen and heard every day. We also had several sightings of whitethroat, and one of a garden warbler on the 8^th.

The total number of bird species seen here in August 2023 was 63, a disappointing number considering the average from recent years has been 70.