Today whilst walking through the bushes by the sluice at Minsmere I was surprised to come across a Wheatear which was probably starting it's journey south. This is a little earlier than normal for this species which usually starts to leave in August travelling down to Africa mainly at night. The vast majority of birds that breed in this country do so in the north nesting in holes in walls or buildings or sometimes in holes on the ground like old rabbit burrows but a few do breed around here so maybe this bird had just moved to the coast in preparation for its migration. They arrive in Britain in March and April looking much smarter than this bird and often have two or even three broods so their numbers have been maintained in recent years. Often when you see them they are prominently perched on a rock or wall so it was no surprise that when I first noticed the bird it was perched on one of the large concrete blocks in the area of the sluice bushes and is it likely to be the first of many that I will see in the coming weeks.
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