August may be peak summer holiday month in England, but it is also early Autumn in birding terms, with juvenile passerines and waders heading (somewhat leisurely) south to the wintering grounds. Here are some lovely birds to look for this month.
Icterine Warbler
Late spring 2024 was a very good season for Icterine Warblers, especially in the northern isles, with an exceptional influx at the same time as a major wave of Red-backed Shrikes. Late August is a traditional time for hoping to find (or at least see) one of these sturdy, long-winged, slow-moving, yellow-and-green tinted, ‘open-faced’ (lacking a dark eyestripe, unlike Willow Warblers) Hippolais warblers, from continental Europe. They are scarce passage visitors (though they have bred), and most frequently seen at coastal migrant hotspots.
Curlew
Our largest wader, the magnificent Curlew is most frequently seen around the muddy margins of our islands, its call one of the most evocative sounds of mudflat and estuary (and moors etc in the breeding season). In August, like other waders, they start to move around, and individuals or small groups start to pop up at wadery inland patches across the country. These are often juvenile birds, which have subtly neater versions of the adults streaky plumage, and tend to have not quite full length bills, yet. This is particularly notable on males, which have shorter bills than females at all ages.
Tree Pipit
The Tree Pipit is a fairly common, but habitat localised bird, with about 100,000 nesting pairs, breeding in suitable heaths forest edges and open clearings with scattered trees, particularly in the western uplands of the UK. In August, parts of the country otherwise deprived of this lovely, understated little passerine, have a chance of catching up with passage birds passing through, often giving themselves by their buzzy single note call. From Meadow Pipits, they can be identified by this call, as well as their slightly more robust shape (and thicker bill), face pattern, and contrast of broader breast streaks and very fine flank streaks.
Whinchat
Like the Tree Pipit, late summer sees a movement of chats, including the summer visiting Whinchat. Unlike the Tree Pipit, though, passage Whinchats often linger for a while on their journey south. In the spring we see brightly coloured adults, which are really ‘worn’ birds, revealing their brighter plumage previously masked by buff feather tips. In late summer and autumn, the plumage is fresh, with those buff tips very much in place. Juveniles/first-winters are particularly neatly patterned with neatly fringed feathers on the wing coverts. All Whinchats have prominent, broad and long pale supercilia (‘eyebrow’), which easily tells them from Stonechats. They also have dark rumps and white bases to the outer tail. Like Stonechats, Whinchats like to perch on prominent positions, like the tops of tall ‘weeds’ or fence lines etc.
Osprey
The magnificent Osprey is another bird which follows the pattern of going on the wander in August. Check any local body of water (especially with fish) for visits from dispersing birds on the lookout for a meal or a potential nesting site to store in the memory for future summers. Juvenile birds are the most prone to such expeditions, and are distinguishable from adults by the neater trailing edge to the wings, as well as more neatly ‘checquered’ underwings and the pale fringed upperparts.