Although August is the height of summer for many of us, as far as some birds are concerned the summer is already over. Wading birds are on the move already; in transit between their breeding grounds further north in Europe and their ‘wintering’ areas. Common, wood and green sandpipers, ruff, greenshank and black-tailed godwit have all stopped off at Saltholme. A young male marsh harrier and a little egret also showed up and were still present at the end of the month when a whinchat, our first smaller migrant, also appeared.