12/08/20 - Autumn passage

With autumn passage now underway throughout the Lower Derwent Valley, mid-August is prime time to encounter small groups of Whinchats, Wheatears and Yellow Wagtails as they appear on and around the reserve. In the case of Whinchats and Wheatears, these individuals will be birds that have bred further north in the English Uplands - now heading south to their wintering grounds in Africa. North Duffield Carrs and Swantail Ings at Wheldrake are the favoured locations, with smaller numbers appearing elsewhere around the reserve. 

Yellow Wagtails appear to have had a good breeding season around the reserve this year, with up to 40 roosting in the reed bed at Wheldrake Ings, along with smaller numbers present around the site during the day. All the above species will be around until mid-September, before we eagerly await their return again in late March and early April next year. When visiting the reserve please do let us know what you see by using the log books provided, or via social media.

Over all it’s been a mixed year for our summer migrants, with Sedge Warblers in particular seeming to not have fared well, despite the large numbers of singing adults earlier in the spring. We certainly haven’t seen or ringed many young as of yet, but it does show the value of our long-term monitoring programmes in tracking the annual fortunes of our breeding birds. On the other hand, Whitethroats seem to have fared better, with numerous family parties observed throughout the site during the summer, like this recently fledged juvenile photographed by Duncan Bye at Bank Island. We are now also seeing passage Whitethroats moving through the site – birds which have bred further north starting their southerly migrations onwards to the African wintering grounds.