September is a month of change for bird activity at Hurst.

Many of our summer visitors are departing south to warmer climes, where they find a suitable food source and survivable climate.

It’s been a long, hot and dry summer but our local shore birds have not been adversely affected as there is always plenty of food around our shores or in the local muddy creeks.

The pair of Mute Swans and their 7 cygnets are still together, favouring Sturt Pond. The families normally stay together for about 5-6 months and the cygnets learn to fly at about 4-5 months.

The highlight of a recent visit were two Spoonbills feeding on Sturt Pond. These birds are now regular visitors to our shores all year round in small numbers. Most of the birds are assumed to have come from the Dutch breeding colonies.

Their huge spoon shaped bills are very efficient feeing instruments; as it is swept from side to side in shallow water, numerous tiny crustaceans, fish, worms and molluscs are snapped up. Most prey are detected by the abundant nerve endings in the tip of the bill.

September always brings many migrating Ringed Plovers to our shore. They have a favourite high-water roost at Hurst where nearly 300 birds were counted recently in one flock waiting for the tide to ebb so they can feed along the shoreline before heading off south to winter.

Swallows are steadily passing through, heading over the channel to their wintering grounds in Africa.

Wheatears can be seen most days at Hurst in September in small numbers, arriving from their northern breeding grounds; they are shy but lively birds. They crouch almost flat on the ground or run at great speed, halting suddenly in a bolt upright stance. They are unmistakable with their conspicuous white on black rump.

We now await the first of our winter visitors.

Other wildlife:

A Common Seal has regularly been seen fishing in the Camber in front of the Castle.

Several Clouded Yellow butterflies have been seen on Thrift around the Castle.