Wheatear sitting on the fence at Meon Shore.

The wheatear is a small mainly ground-dwelling bird. It hops or runs on the ground popping up onto posts to get a better view. This bird was on the shingle at Meon Beach. They breed mainly in western and northern Britain and western Ireland. Small numbers do breed here in the south their numbers seem to increase locally this time of year. I think this is prior to them migrating to central Africa where they spend the winter.

A solitary Little Egret quietly fishing as the tide comes in. This morning the rain arrived and the beach was almost empty of people I was able to sit down on the shingle and enjoy this egret going up and down and catching small fish.

Turnstone on Meon Shore – The numbers of these little birds are increasing on our shores as they return from their arctic breeding ground to winter but they are present for most of the year in the UK as the non-breeding birds often stay through the summer. Birds from Northern Europe pass through in July and August and again in spring. Canadian and Greenland birds arrive in August and September and remain until April and May. Known in other countries as Ruddy Turnstone the “Ruddy” has been dropped here. Their colours are more muted in nonbreeding plumage. In the picture below the bird on the right shows breeding colours, the bird on the left colours has started to mute.

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