Autumn

The breeding season is drawing to a close. On patch this means waders, particularly juv waders, and you gotta have love for the juvs.

The weekend was particularly notable for a good number of Green Sandpipers in among all the juv Wood Sandpipers.


Wood and Green Sandpiper combo

Juvenile Spotted Redshanks, a cracking plumage of wader if you ask me, were also present.



Other decent birds, such as Temmincks stints put on a good showing as well, as did a single Bar-Tailed Godwit.






Temminck's Stint









Bar-Tailed Godwit

Other nice juvs on patch included some nice bearded reedlings (scarce here), juv Marsh Harriers, all dark chocolate and orange, juv common gulls looking very crisp, and other juv waders such as Ruff.


Common Gull


Juv Ruff

Feck off, you!



Some Adult Curlew Sandpipers also showed well.

For me, however, stars of the show were the numerous Juv Caspian Terns now fledged and loafing on patch. Their whining whistle call becomes the sound track for the next few weeks, as the chase the adults and each other around every time anything remotely like a fish is caught. 




This Juv was particularly well marked above. Stunner.






Caspian Terns - the variation in juv Caspian terns is incredible, with no two alike. Monstrous, wondrous beasts.
All in all a pretty decent weekend on patch. Nothing major, but enjoyable to watch good numbers of waders in nice fresh plumages. Won't be long until we start to see some raptor migration. Bring it on.

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