BELVIDE JUNE 2026 ROUND-UP
June was a month of transition at Belvide – the exceptional rarities of May gave way to breeding activity and the first signs of autumn migration. The standout birds were the Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint, White Wagtail, Green Sandpiper, Osprey and returning Black-necked Grebes, while the breeding season produced some excellent results, particularly Shoveler, Gadwall, Lapwing, Common Tern and Great Crested Grebe.
June 2026 at Belvide – highlights
Curlew Sandpiper – a 1st-summer bird dropped in with a Dunlin on 3 June.
Little Stint – present on 6 June, departing east at 10:32am.
Green Sandpiper – the first returning bird was recorded on 16 June, signalling the beginning of autumn migration.
White Wagtail – an unusual June record on 9–10 June.
Black-necked Grebes – a pair returned on 27 June.
Great Egret – recorded on several dates, including two juvenile birds on 27 June.
Osprey – recorded on 14 June.
Marsh Harrier – a female flew through on 14 June.
Goshawk – recorded on 28 June, the first sighting since early May.
Quail – the two birds from May continued calling into 1 June.
Yellow-legged Gull – a 2nd-summer bird remained through much of the first half of the month.
Erythristic Tufted Duck – a particularly unusual-looking individual was recorded on 1–2 June.
Breeding highlights
June was particularly interesting for breeding birds:
Common Terns – the first two chicks hatched on 13 June, with three chicks being fed by 14 June.
Oystercatchers – two chicks hatched on the main island, although numbers subsequently fell to one.
Lapwings – at least four broods were recorded, with further families appearing later in the month.
Shoveler – a female with 11 ducklings confirmed breeding for the third consecutive year.
Gadwall – several broods appeared, including families of 6 and 10 ducklings.
Great Crested Grebes – a second family hatched later in the month.
Pochard – a new brood of four ducklings appeared on 15 June, while the earlier brood declined to three.
Tawny Owls – a second family was discovered, including two well-grown young.
Kestrels – four juveniles were ringed.
Dragonflies
The warm weather produced some excellent dragonfly activity:
Lesser Emperor – at least five were recorded on 22 June, with further sightings later in the month.
Red-veined Darter – at least 20 were recorded on 27 June.
Waders
Waders remained a feature despite the June doldrums, with Common Sandpiper particularly prominent, reaching 12 along the dam on 28 June. Ringed Plover, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Redshank, Green Sandpiper and Curlew were also recorded.
The month ended strongly, with 12 Common Sandpipers, four Black-tailed Godwits, 14 Ringed Plovers, six Little Egrets and 670 Coot recorded on 30 June.