Yellow Wagtails

Dengemarsh - warm, muggy, SW 3 - A check of Lade this morning revealed the White Stork still on its lofty roost site atop the mobile phone mast. The recently emerged islands in front of the wall mirror  attracted a few ducks, gulls and Cormorants, while Willow and Reed Warblers, Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat were noted by the ponds. 

                                  Dengemarsh from Springfield Bridge

                                  Yellow Wagtails on Dengemarsh Road

A noon scan of Dengemarsh from Springfield Bridge yielded a host of passage waders on the muddy fringes including 10 Green and five Wood Sandpipers, three Greenshanks and 12 Black-tailed Godwits. Also noted a Hobby that caught what looked like a cock chaffer, a Raven over calling, four Glossy Ibis, two Great White Egrets, a Marsh Harrier and several Common Terns. Yellow Wagtails have shown a rapid decline in numbers during my short time living down here, both as a breeding bird and on migration, so it was good to see a flock of up to 50 in the fields by the wetlands and along the road. Mid- August to mid-September is the peak autumn passage period for this elegant summer visitor that not only looks gorgeous but also has a distinctive and evocative flight call. For me, when the last one departs our shores, usually in October, I know that summer is definitely over and that its time to put away the shorts until next spring. Long may they grace our marshlands in the future.