Summer 2025 Patch Update

 

While the long dry summer of 2025 will, no doubt, be talked about for years to come, our birding achievements over the past three months will be quickly forgotten. Weekly species lists between June and August were generally around average, although our highest count of 63 on 8^th June was a new record for that month. Four species were added to the year list during summer, bringing the total to 90, which remains well short of the 97 that we had achieved by the end of August 2024. As usual, all checklists can be found at our eBird site, here. New readers will find a map of the patch on the first blog post on this site by clicking this link.

Birds of prey have been notably hard to find this summer. Our regular female Marsh Harrier made a few appearances in June and a pair of Kestrels fledged three young from the nest box behind Sway Allotments for the second year in succession; however Buzzards and Sparrowhawk were fewer in number and we did not see a Hobby or Peregrine.  A single female Goshawk over Milking Pound Bottom was only our second of the year and was followed by a juvenile bird over Blackhamsley Hill on 31^st August; a Red Kite on 13^th July was our latest ever sighting, with all previous patch records having been in the first half of the year.

A Common Buzzard perched on a shady low branch

On the heath, Stonechats bred in good numbers and Dartford Warblers seemed also to benefit from the dry conditions. Linnet and Meadow Pipit increased steadily in number throughout the summer, and flocks of Greenfinch and Goldfinch were seen to be enjoying the early blackberry crop during August. At least two pairs of Reed Bunting were seen at Hincheslea Bog, and juvenile birds were also evident in July; a Water Rail called at this location on one occasion in August which was our first record of the year. Lapwings fledged young from nest sites in Widden Bottom and Setley Plain; a single male Curlew over the heath near Sway at the end of August was our only sighting of the summer. Woodlark were not seen or heard at all after 14th May suggesting that they were not breeding locally again. We wondered previously if the lack of sightings in 2024 was a result of the wet spring impacting on their ground nesting sites, but clearly there are other factors at play. It may be that the level of disturbance and predation in our area of heathland has led our previous breeding birds to move elsewhere.

The lack of rain meant that water levels at Setley Pond were considerably lower than in recent years. This may have suited our regular Grey Heron, which was joined periodically by a Little Egret. Our first Kingfisher of the year appeared during July and a group of three, likely juvenile birds, were seen fishing from the low willow branches in late August . A single Moorhen returned to the lily pads during July and August, and was eventually accompanied by a small group of Mallards which were otherwise absent for the summer months. Hopefully more waterfowl will reappear during the autumn and winter months ahead.

Kingfisher at Setley Pond

Our last singing Cuckoo of summer was on 13^th June and no juveniles were seen this year. However, the summer migrant warblers remained in good voice throughout June and July with Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Common Whitethroat present at a variety of locations across the patch. Spotted Flycatchers were also considerably more numerous than in 2024, their numbers rising at the end of August with some autumn arrivals. House Martins bred successfully at a variety of sites along with good numbers of Swallows and an increase in sightings of Swifts, during June – hopefully all good indicators of a better year for insects than 2024.

Ready for departure: Swallows lining up on the wires near Shirley Holms in late August

A few Wheatear and a single Whinchat  appeared on the heath at the end of August along with Redstarts in their usual migration sites along the railway line. So far, there has been no sign of our usual Yellow Wagtails on the old football pitches, although Tree Pipits, which we missed in 2024 were heard overhead on two occasions. After an early crop of blackberries, the Elder and Hawthorn berries are ripening already – hopefully with enough left over to feed some autumn thrushes when they arrive in the coming weeks. Having missed Ring Ouzel in 2024 it would be good to have this species back on patch this year – we will certainly need a good autumn migration season and a few wildfowl to give us any chance of nearing last year’s record species total.