Beddington Farm

Juvenile Ringed Plovers
A fairly regular visitor to the farm this time of year (August is the peak month).

Of the 30 members of the charadrius genus in the world, there are three species which have been recorded on the farm. The Ringed and Little-ringed Plover and also one of Beddington's classic vagrants- Killdeer. A Sandplover, Kentish Plover or a Dotterel would be a welcomed addition to the Beddington List.

The two races of Ringed Plover comprise firstly nominate hiaticula (Taiga) which breeds in Svalbard, Southern Fennoscandia south to Brittany and west to the eastern coast of Ellesmere and Baffin Islands. The second race, tundrae (Tundra) breeds from northern Fennoscandia and Russia.

Tundra winters in eastern and southern Africa but a vagrant is a possibility. Presumably these birds at the farm are nominate taiga.

Leap frog migration is a feature of Ringed Plover migration, with birds breeding further north, wintering further south. It is therefore possible that this family party of Ringed Plovers are either fairly local birds going to the south coast or they could be on their way somewhere more distant. Birds that breed in the western northern Atlantic carry the longest migrations (mainly through the Irish sea) to West Africa.

Charadrius is part of the Sub-family Charadriinae with together with the Pluvianellinae and Vanellinae form the family Charadriidae (PLOVERS).

22nd August, SW breeze, sunny
4 Ringed Plover (2 adult and 2 juvenile), 2 Greeenshank, 10 Green Sandpiper, 6 Common sandpiper, 5 Chiffchaff, 3 Sand Martin