Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2023 i Birdwatch

WHAT a breathless September that proved to be! I don’t think anyone could have expected the month to play out in the manner it did, even if the weather looked very promising for arrivals from across the Atlantic. It’s fair to say that ‘Super Saturday’ [23 September] in Pembrokeshire was one of those iconic days in British birding that will be talked about for decades to come. Perhaps you were there – we’d love to hear from you if so. What were your thoughts and emotions? How many of the megas did you connect with? Alas, I missed out on all of the Welsh action. While Toby Phelps was finding Britain’s first Canada Warbler and sending hundreds into bedlam, I was bobbing around on a ferry off the Irish west…

Over the centuries, the bi-annual migration of millionsof birds passing between continental Europe and sub-Saharan Africa has resulted in deep-rooted traditions of migratory bird hunting and trapping along the main migration routes or corridors. Most of the birds are killed in so-called ‘bottleneck’ regions where substantial numbers are concentrated into a limited area of land. It is estimated that more than 30 million migratory birds are illegally killed each year around the Mediterranean. Many of these individuals belong to protected species that are threatened with significant population declines, or are considered birds of international conservation concern. Why hunting continues Migratory birds are primarily targeted to be killed for consumption, as they are considered seasonal delicacies and are part of popular dishes throughout the entire Mediterranean. Songbirds are often the most…

There is no sport like football. It’s estimated that there are 240 million registered players globally, with audience participation in the billions. In December 2022, 1.5 billion people watched Argentina defeat France to win its third men’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar. FIFA is the governing body of football and it recognises a minimum of 4,400 professional football clubs across the world – and beyond that there are thousands more amateur outfits. Many football clubs have rich history, often steeply engrained in the identity of a town or city, each with their traditional colours and nicknames. In Britain and beyond, plenty of clubs have nicknames with an avian spin – from The Owls and The Eagles to The Swallows and The Storks. As both a long-time birder and fan of…

THE thrills and spills of autumn migration are largely over for another year, the clocks have gone back and, all of a sudden, it’s getting dark awfully early – but there’s still plenty to get out and enjoy in November. Favourable weather conditions might bring some seasonal targets such as Little Auks or a Pallas’s Warbler, while there’s always the chance of a late mega. Winter visitors to the UK have now arrived in force and provide some wonderful photographic opportunities. One spectacle I always seek out around this time of year is flocks of wild geese. The UK is internationally important for wintering Pink-footed, Brent and Barnacle Geese, and these birds are fine subjects for some creative photography. Wild geese are generally very wary, so getting close enough for…

SEAWATCHING can often be quite productive in November, especially in the right conditions. Little Auk is a species I associate with this month, usually passing through along the north and east coasts. Away from there, it is much rarer but does pop up from time to time in strange places, even inland waterbodies. The commoner auks – namely Razorbill and Guillemot – should be present in most coastal areas with the possibility of Puffin and Black Guillemot depending on where you live, while stormy conditions can produce skuas, Sabine’s Gull and Leach’s Storm Petrel. November is a great time to check local waterbodies. It can be a decent month for the scarcer grebes moving through, at both inland sites and along coastlines. Diving duck will also be building up this month…

AMERICAN Buff-bellied and Siberian Buff-bellied Pipits should be treated as separate species, according to new research. Buff-bellied Pipit Anthus rubescens is found on both sides of the northern Pacific Ocean and is closely related to Rock Pipit and Water Pipit, with all three species having previously been considered conspecific. Currently, there are two allopatric subspecies groups of Buff-bellied Pipit: rubescens and alticola in North America and japonicus in north-east Asia. Despite great similarities in their breeding plumages, most individuals can be assigned to one or other subspecies group in non-breeding plumage. The new research, published in Zootaxa, analysed mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and a range of sound recordings from public databases. By comparing mtDNA and call divergence between American and Siberian Buff-bellied Pipits with similar values measured between long-recognised species pairs…

THERE was a feeling of excitement on 23 September. Two days previous, Bruce Taylor had found a Tennessee Warbler and two Red-eyed Vireos on Barra and this morning was sunny and calm. It had been a few years since I had found anything of note – to the point where I had begun to wonder what I was doing wrong. I felt a growing sense of frustration. There was a certain familiarity to the start of the day. I was heading towards the Tennessee Warbler site at Nasg. Bruce’s phone number popped up on my phone. ‘It’s still there but very elusive.’ I gave it an hour but at 10 am I decided I was wasting my time and went to look for something myself. Almost immediately the phone rang.…

For thousands of years, humans have transported plants and animals around the world for reasons ranging from hunting to aesthetics. This can result in intentional or accidental releases into the wild, with some of these species becoming established at locations far beyond their natural ranges. Some of these new arrivals are able to fill niches within the natural ecosystem, establishing alongside or even outcompeting their native counterparts in their new homes. Worldwide, more than 200 bird species have become established in places outside their native ranges. When adventive species become settled, they may be considered for inclusion on the national list of the country in which they occur. In many countries they form part of Category C, which recognises the presence of non-native but self-sustaining populations that are for all…

The sight of a sky full of thousands of wheeling Northern Lapwings and European Golden Plovers is one of the features of autumn and winter birding that I look forward to most in the Lincolnshire Fens. Not only do these huge masses of birds create an impressive sight, but they represent a fantastic opportunity to make an exciting local find. Large congregations begin to amass in mid-to late summer but, depending on where you are in Britain or Ireland, might not appear in your area until well into the autumn. Wherever and whenever they may form, one thing is for sure – these often-skittish flocks can prove as frustrating as they can exhilarating! Due to the many challenges involved, it is no great surprise that scanning golden plover or lapwing…

It’s autumn and you’re birding at your favourite coastal patch when you glimpse an olive-coloured passerine sally out, catch an insect and then bury itself back in to some nearby bushes. A brief view of it deep in cover reveals bold wing-bars, contrasting pale underparts and some nervous wing and tail flicking before it disappears. Considering all the possible Palearctic passerines with wing-bars and behaviour that might fit the bill draws a blank and you start to question yourself – yet also get a little excited. Fortunately, after some time, the mystery bird reappears on the edge of the cover and better views reveal an eyering along with the combination of wing-bars, pale underparts and olive upperparts. It all adds up to the very distinctive look of an Empidonax flycatcher.…

IT’S not been the best autumn for Little Stints, but decent numbers have nonetheless been passing through and, judging by some of the submitted images, plenty of readers made the most of opportunities to photograph this diminutive wader. First up is Raoul Chandrasakera’s cracking capture of a juvenile feeding on wet mud, showing that you don’t always need a low angle on the subject to produce a memorable photo! We were also impressed by Frank Golding’s flight shot, for this fast-flying species is never easy to photograph when on the wing. Well done to both!…

NOVEMBER is a month when many birds start to be seen in Britain in large numbers. While obvious winter visitors such as Fieldfare and Redwing stand out, there is another familiar species which also groups up: Woodpigeon. Sizeable flocks can be seen both inland and on the coast with peak numbers in early November. While the actual origin of these birds has not yet been determined, they are unlikely to come from Fennoscandia as no large movements have been witnessed in the Northern Isles or eastern Scotland, so they are probably British birds heading south towards France and then the oak forests of the Iberian Peninsula, where large numbers spend the winter. Many sites along the British south coast report movements of tens of thousands of Woodpigeons, usually flying high…

Ringing Riparia BACK in the summer, my friend Ian Unwin and I discovered a natural Sand Martin colony in a bank along the River Don at Hooton Lodge near Rotherham, South Yorkshire (above). We were able to see good numbers of breeding pairs foraging over the river and returning to the colony. After closely monitoring them we entered the site with permission for a closer look. I was intrigued to learn that the colony had been there at least four years. The landowner, Charlotte Buck, kindly allowed Sorby Breck Ringing Group to ring the birds on 25 June. A 4 am start was in order and a single mistnet was placed a metre in front of the colony, where there were 27 nest holes. We managed to catch and ring…

Basic Principles Pipits often cause identification difficulties and are dismissed as ‘small brown streaky birds’. A closer examination, however, reveals them to be relatively distinctive, as well as charismatic. Three of the small pipits – the ubiquitous Meadow, the rather local Tree and the very scarce Olive-backed – are the subject of this ID guide. Meadow Pipit This species breeds from eastern Greenland in the west to north-west Russia in the east; many birds winter around the Mediterranean. It is a common breeding bird in Britain, particularly in the uplands of the north and west, but it is also present in winter and is a common migrant, too, with large numbers passing through the country in spring and autumn. These include birds from the breeding populations in Greenland, Iceland and…

Grebes are famous for their beautiful and extravagant breeding plumages, with an array of tufts and plumes presented in stylish (and often quite vivid) colour schemes. In this family of dazzling species, it takes a lot for one to stand out, but Hooded Grebe certainly manages to do that. While it is arguably the most exquisite of all the world’s grebes, it is sadly among the rarest. This is a family of birds that has suffered several extinctions over the past century in line with burgeoning human pressures and also includes some of the most threatened extant birds on Earth. The species previously lost (and most of those that hang on but are highly threatened with extinction) share one significant characteristic – they are either totally flightless or extremely poor…

The world has altered massively in recent decades. All birders active since the latter part of the last century will have seen major changes to global bird population dynamics, along with our greater understanding of avian biology, ecology and, of course, field identification. While some scientific advancements, such as DNA analysis, may be out of reach for many of us, science and technology have underpinned the continuing development and evolution of the equipment now available to enhance our birding experiences in the field. Turning the clock back 50 years reveals a stark difference between the equipment used to locate, identify and watch birds during that era and today’s advanced gear currently designed to achieve the same goals. It is quite extraordinary to see how birding gear has diversified in only…

Poole Harbour and its surrounding landscapes have been recognised and adored by the masses for many years, with millions of tourists flocking to the golden beaches of Sandbanks and the dramatic clifftop paths of the Jurassic Coast. This prime piece of habitat in Dorset also has huge pulling power for birders, with the Poole Harbour list currently standing at an impressive 333 species. A stunning variety of birds are regular fixtures, but the great thing about the harbour and its evolving landscape is that anything could appear at any time. The main attraction for twitchers in 2023 has been the summering Forster’s Tern, but over the years the area has attracted a long list of major rarities, including: Western Sandpiper on Brownsea Island in 2004; Little Swift at Pilot’s Point,…

REVIEW Canon RF 600 mm F4 L IS USM lens THE RF 600 mm f4 L IS USM lens is one of a new generation of ‘big white’ Canon lenses made with the RF mirrorless mount, only compatible with mirrorless bodies such as the EOS R3, R5, R7 and so on. The 600 mm f4 specification is a favourite among bird photographers, offering plenty of focal length and a fast maximum aperture to let in lots of light to freeze the action, while also being of a more or less manageable size. The equivalent lenses with the EF mount (for SLRs and digital SLRs) have been a common sight at twitches and sport events for many years. These older lenses can be used with the new breed of mirrorless cameras…

BEHIND THE LENS Getting the light right MAKING good use of the available light conditions makes a huge difference in bird photography. In most scenarios, whether you’re trying to capture a pleasing portrait, record shot or images for identification work, you want the sun to be directly behind you. This might seem obvious, but there are lots of expensive dedicated photography hides out there where the light is completely wrong at the best times of day! With the sun behind you, the bird will be evenly lit so there are fewer concerns over contrasting light on different parts of the subject. This makes the job of exposing the bird correctly (avoiding blown highlights or areas of dark shadow) more straightforward. It also means you should have no problem getting a…

THIS is a great time of year to think about adding a pond to your garden. As the inimitable Dave Goulson says in his book, The Garden Jungle, adding a pond to any garden is the single most positive change you can make in terms of increasing the biodiversity of the space. A pond in a garden can offer home to a host of insects, amphibians and other wildlife that simply would not otherwise be present. When added together, gardens in the UK cover a huge area (more than 4,300 sq km) and, as such, can offer a tremendous amount of added wildlife value to the wider landscape. Indeed, garden ponds in Britain are thought to account for around a fifth of all shallow-pond habitat nationally and collectively can support…