Ruddy Turnstone

Turnstone are low arctic breeders from Alaska's western and northern coasts, east to the northern coast of west Yukon, Herschel Island, and Northwest Territories. They also breed in central and eastern Arctic on the mainland and associated islands. Outside of arctic north America, they also breed in Greenland, Svalbard (Spitsbergen), northern Europe (northern Scandinavia and south Baltic islands), Novaya Zemlya, and New Siberian Island, northern Siberia, Wrangel Island, east to the Chukotsk Peninsula and the Bering Sea.  They visit The Wash in winter and colour-ring sightings show that at least some of our birds come from northern Greenland whereas other visitors come from Fennoscandia.

They are primarily winter visitors to the Wash, commonest in October-March, although a few are present in most months of the year. Some examples of Lincolnshire-ringed birds recovered abroad in the spring/summer months have come from Spain, Iceland, Greenland and Finland; and in the autumn/winter months from The Netherlands, Senegal, Portugal, Morocco, Guinea Bissau and Ghana. Foreign-ringed birds caught in the county have come from France (July) and Finland (July, August (2)).

The Wash is the Britain’s second most important site for Turnstone and the Humber is the 21st. WeBS data show that the rolling 5-year mean counts to 2018-19 are 809 on The Wash and 272 on the Humber. For the five years to 2013-14 these figures were 787 and 347 respectively, indicating the local population is fairly stable. Overall the long-term trend shows the UK wintering population down 43 %.  This is thought to be a result of a northward range shift in response to climate change. LBR reports show peak site counts over the five years to 2018 on The Wash, 420 at Freiston Shore October 2016, and on the Humber, 285 at Goxhill February 2018.