Eye on the sky
is always worth keeping an eye on the sky when birding as many sightings are ‘flyovers’. With warmer weather, thermals of hot air encourage larger birds of prey to soar. Riding high with residents like Common Buzzard and Red
Kite you might just see a late European Honey Buzzard or perhaps a wandering Black Kite from the continent. A Western Marsh or even a Montagu’s Harrier could fly over and a non-breeding Western Osprey might also be heading for an inland reservoir.
Keep an eye out for warm weather across in Europe which might facilitate the appearance of some real megas, and June was the month for seeing both Egyptian and Bearded Vultures arrive recently. Perhaps a Eurasian Griffon Vulture will appear this year.
Insectivorous raptors are starting to put on a show, with Eurasian Hobbies chasing after Common Swifts and, if you are lucky, you might just see one snatch a dragonfly from the air and eat it while in flight. It might be a good year for Red-footed Falcons too, so take care to check any falcon you see. But it is not just raptors – storks with their huge wingspans also soar and White Storks, which are breeding in southern England, are now most likely to occur, but Black Storks are also often seen in June.
Don’t forget that some smaller insectivorous birds are also flying high to chase their prey. Although less obvious than larger birds of prey, any swifts and swallows are well worth checking out as more unusual species often feed with them – rarities like Whitethroated Needletail, Pacific Swift (almost a June ‘regular’!), Little Swift and Eurasian Crag Martin have all been seen in June. One other outstanding visitor to watch for is the supremely colourful European Bee-eater, which could appear anywhere either singly or, just as likely, in a flock. Chris Harbard