Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2022 i Birdwatch

White-throated Needletail: at sea, Caithness, 4 June 2022 ON the afternoon of 2 June, at 2.15 pm, MV Ortelius casted off from Vlissingen in The Netherlands bound for Spitsbergen, where she will spend most of the summer discovering the flora and fauna of this Arctic Norwegian archipelago. On board were 112 birders from Inezia Tours, all eager to get out into the open sea and witness species up close that we were more used to seeing from afar. Before arriving in Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen, we would call at Fair Isle and Jan Mayen. Two days of sailing separated us from the former, halfway between the Orkney Islands and the Shetland Islands. After a first night, the day of 3 June passed quietly. The first Northern Fulmars, Northern Gannets, Kittiwakes and Guillemots…

Rarities and scarcities: June 2022 The first half of June is never short of a surprise or two, with rare swifts often on the radar. So it proved again this time around, with news of a White-throated Needletail picked up and released from the deck of MV Ortelius in the North Sea 110 km off Duncansby Head, Caithness, on the evening of 4th (see page 8). On 19th, Shetland’s first Pacific Swift made for a stunning sight as it hawked at close range over Sumburgh Head, Mainland, before resurfacing over the Isle of Noss on 21st (see page 9). While an accessible example of either would have deservedly proved the month’s stand-out highlight, unfortunately neither proved twitchable. Instead, it was a male Red-tailed Shrike at Bempton, East Yorkshire, from 27th…

From a ridge high in the Talamanca Mountains, forest cover seems to extend endlessly in every direction. There are gaps if you look closely, with small settlements and occasional roads, but the overwhelming impression is of largely intact (and often inaccessible) forest with bird populations more than holding their own. Such outlooks are increasingly difficult to find in the modern world, with forests among the most threatened of habitats and tropical forests especially so. Costa Rica firmly bucks that trend, however, and approximately three quarters of the country’s total land area remains forested. This is no accident of nature, but part of a long-term visionary plan in which conservation was made a national priority. More than 28% of the country is designated as protected, with a large network of national…

MIKE ALIBONE is Birdwatch’s Optics Editor. He has been testing binoculars and telescopes for 15 years. ROB HUME began watching birds as a child. He worked for the RSPB for many years and has written several books. DAVID CALLAHAN is a taxonomist and freelance nature writer based in North London. JOSH JONES is Editor of Birdwatch. He has been an ardent birder since a young age. ED STUBBS is Birdwatch’s Deputy Editor and has a keen interest in migration and patch birding. KEITH BETTON is Chairman of the Hampshire Ornithological Society and Hampshire County Recorder.…

DESPITE the popularity of wildlife programmes on TV, most presenters are generalists. Nothing wrong with that, but among the faces familiar from our screens is Mark Carwardine, who happens to be a highly skilled field observer and guide. To confirm this, no more evidence is needed than this new field guide. All 93 cetacean species, along with all their subspecies and distinct local populations, are described and illustrated. The deep challenges of some whale identifications are addressed early on; to grasp the problems involved in birding terms, imagine trying to age and identify gulls while they are partially submerged. Concise but revealing pointers on what to look for in a brief sighting introduce the cetacean topography. The most likely species for each ocean (north and south) are grouped together in…

Tell us what you think. Write to: The Editor, at: Birdwatch, Warners Group Publications plc, The Maltings, West Street, Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 9PH or email editorial@birdwatch.co.uk www.facebook.com/birdwatchmagazine @BirdwatchExtra Birders vs photographers ALAN Tilmouth’s column on the urge to take and share photos (Birdwatch 360: 21) was both relevant and timely. However, it is important to discriminate between two dissimilar camps. The first is best described as ‘birders who take photos’, often no more than a record shot of a discovery or event. Typically, this group can be identified by a little thought experiment. Take away the camera; if you still have someone armed with binoculars and/or telescope content to continue birding, their status is assured. to continue birding, their status is assured. The second group is ‘photographers of birds’. This group…

AUGUST’S digital edition has lots of bonus content, including: Video of displaying Western Capercaillie; Film of late summer seabird migration; Footage of young Caspian Gulls; Sound recordings of the calls of Grey, Pied and Yellow Wagtails; Film of rarities and scarcities from Britain, Ireland and the wider Western Palearctic. The digital edition is available for PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad and Android. Sample issues are free, and subscriptions or single copies can be purchased. Visit www.pktmags.com/bw-digital to find out more. Birdwatch subscriber issues are now delivered in a paper envelope so you can easily recycle them in your usual recycling collection.…

Red-tailed Shrike: Bempton Cliffs, East Yorkshire, from 27 June 2022 I had some hope that a front of rain would bring a passage of Common Swifts at Bempton Cliffs on Monday 27 June. Sadly, it didn’t happen. After a while I decided to do my routine stroll along the cliff top path towards Staple Newk. Only 100 m short of Staple Newk viewpoint I paused to check my phone. I then saw something flick up onto the top wire of the cliff fence. The naked eye view from 20 m away caused no alarm. A medium-sized passerine with a white front and perhaps a dark cap or hood. The sunlight cast shadows on the bird as I raised my bins. Then there was utter shock! I threw my phone and…

“August is a thrilling month to be in the field, with plenty of summer specialities on show and the cogs of autumn just beginning to turn. There’s no better way to make the most of this exciting time than by subscribing to BirdGuides to keep abreast of what’s turning up!”Josh Jones One simple price = instant and accurate bird news across all devices (mobile phone, tablet or desktop). Updated 16 hours a day, seven days a week, BirdGuides is the only sightings service that you will ever need. KEEP UP TO DATE IN THE FIELD WITH THE BIRDGUIDES APP Locatebirdson a map and access full details including co-ordinates Subscribe to BirdGuides from as little as 96p a week to receive accurate and punctual information in an instant: www.bit.ly/birdguides22…

Not long ago my agent sent me an email. It was really meant for Chris Packham. This happens a lot! Presumably Chris gets a few of mine. This one was from a TV producer who was researching an item on ‘The harshest-ever British winter: 1963’. Did Chris remember it? And if not, did Bill? I replied: “Surely, back in ‘63 Chris would’ve been auditioning for the Sex Pistols, sporting a hairdo like a Belted Kingfisher and presenting The Really Wild Show?” Or maybe not yet. In early 1963 Chris would have been less than two years old. I was 21 and certainly remember that wicked winter. I was at Cambridge University, where icy winds swished across the North Sea and headed inland, where they finally fulfilled their function of freezing…

THAT Ian Carter was Ornithologist with Natural England for 25 years confirms his deep knowledge and comprehension of birds, wildlife and conservation issues. He later moved to an area between Dartmoor and Exmoor, which forms the focus for this book. The chapters can be read as a shortish book, beginning to end, or dipped into in random order, giving repeated opportunities for enjoyment and greater understanding. I particularly liked his evocation of night-time walks in tricky habitats, without the help of a torch: sometimes in pitch darkness, sometimes under a silvery flood of moonlight. Subjects as varied as a ‘favourite place’ – all the important elements that combine to make somewhere so memorable, often for life – or, say, pheasant shooting, hint at the variety of ideas explored in this…

▪ Hard to spot One of our rarest and most elusive breeding birds, Spotted Crake is nonetheless likely under-recorded in Britain. Oliver Metcalf details the life and times of this secretive marsh denizen ▪ Pillars of nature Britain’s ecosystems are badly damaged – but the imbalance could be addressed if we reintroduced keystone species, as Ben Macdonald explains. ▪ Birding by public transport We all need to do our bit to reduce our carbon footprints. But just how easy is it to take the train, bus or other public means to your favourite birding sites? Amy Robjohns shares her experiences. ▪ Filter through the flocks September is upon is, passerine migration is reaching its height and gatherings of common species can harbour scarcer treats. Ed Stubbs advises on how to…

In association with August is without doubt one of the most exciting months for patchbirding. Wader passage will be in full flow and, if you live by the coast, seabird movements will be picking up too. But one aspect of August birding that just about all of us can share and enjoy is passerine migration. After the long, balmy days of summer, August is the first month where you can really start to sense autumn approaching. The morning air might have a bit of a ‘nip’ to it, while the greens of June and July give way to the golden colours of harvest season. Your local patch will also reveal avian clues that summer is ending. Maybe you’ll spot your first Northern Wheatear of the season bounding from hay bale…

Western Palearctic: June 2022 It was the Channel Islands that scored the region’s biggest prize during June – a Bridled Tern in the Common Tern colony at Les Écréhous, a small group of islets between Jersey and mainland France, from 9th. A first for the Channel Islands, this impressive bird remained until 15th before resurfacing in the company of Common Terns on Île aux Moutons, France, from 28th. One of the most awe-inspiring species on the Western Palearctic list, a White-throated Needletail photographed over Heiðmörk on 3rd was just the second for Iceland and followed the nation’s first last June. White-winged Scoter were at both Keflavík and Starmýri, with a Bonaparte’s Gull at Kópasker. Spain’s first White-throated Sparrow was discovered on the north coast at Porta da Coruña from 2-8th,…

In association with IT was an excellent start to my #LocalBigYear in the 10-km radius from my Suffolk home when, within the first week, my housemate and I found a flock of Russian White-fronted Geese, Mandarin Duck, Rednecked Grebe, Caspian Gull, Spotted Redshank and Water Pipit. We also saw Shore Lark, Twite, Short-eared Owl, Long-tailed Duck and Jack Snipe. It was clear we’d struck gold with a fantastic and fairly underwatched area with a ton of potential. As the months have rolled on, we’ve picked up some species neither of us really expected to see locally, including Northern Goshawk, Raven, Corn Bunting, Hawfinch, Eurasian Stone-curlew and, best of all, Black Kite. With such a busy and productive spring and early summer the hype for autumn is real and I hope…

IT’S fair to say that Kittiwake is a popular species with British birders after seeing the number of images that arrived for June’s Photo Challenge! At a time when we’re seeing this species, along with many other seabirds, struggling greatly with the impacts of avian influenza around British coasts, it was uplifting to be reminded of the beauty and intelligence of these delightful gulls and adjudicating this month’s challenge was a real joy. There were some truly lovely submissions, but Dave Johnston’s intimate portrait of a Kittiwake family was our favourite. The positioning of the adults, with the fluffy chick looking up to them, really chimed with the Birdwatch team and makes for a wonderful image – congratulations to Dave!…

IT’S worth making clear from the outset that this book is aimed at the mass market and is probably not going to tell many birders much about swans that they do not already know. It is a collection of facts about swans (mostly Mute) that are pulled together into seven main chapters that discuss aspects of swans’ lives. The author intersperses other thoughts on birds, the countryside and life into the passages, occasionally reverting to poetry. An example is that in a seven-page section on swans and their challenges with pylons, there is a diary excerpt from April 1996 with other birds singing, followed by a page of text quoting poetry on skylarks by John Clare and Samuel Ochart Beeton, and then a discussion of birds that the author has…

I can’t explain why this column is harder to write than others. Often, I get an idea, go for run, and 5 km later the words are there, poised at my fingertips, ready to be tapped out. A glass of wine, remove the swear words, cut out anything that might provoke hate mail and the job’s a good ‘un. But this idea won’t solidify. I can’t fall back on pithy humour, toddler-related anecdotes or marital drama to see me through. I know what I want to write about, but I’m struggling. Bird flu is an enormous topic to try and cover in 650 words. I’m not on the front line, up in Shetland or the Outer Hebrides or on the northern coasts, where the impacts have been enormous. My direct…