Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2024 i Birdwatch

A major discovery in Ireland in December involved a Dark-eyed Junco in a private garden in Co Wicklow on 5th, although unfortunately the news came out a fortnight after its discovery, meaning that Irish birders weren’t able to connect with it. Despite being one of the more regularly occurring New World sparrows in Britain, Dark-eyed Junco remains desperately rare in Ireland, where the last record was in 2015, when a male sang on Dursey Island, Co Cork, for a day in early June. Prior to that, the last was in 2004 in Co Antrim – and once again was untwitchable in a private garden. This recent Co Wicklow bird was only the fifth for Ireland, and Irish birders will certainly be hoping that the next one is gettable.…

A lively end to the year saw much of Central and Eastern Europe blanketed in snow during the early part of the month, with the bitter conditions producing a few avian surprises as a result. One of the most notable records was that of a first-winter male Chestnut Bunting on 3rd, which frequented a garden at Fronhausen, Austria. If accepted, it’ll be an Austrian first – and only the 14th for the WP. The icy weather was felt the most in the east of the continent, and this resulted in the first-ever Hume’s Leaf Warbler for Belarus, with one in the capital, Minsk, on 5th, while an unlikely Blue-winged Teal was at Tovačov, Czech Republic, on the same date. A Lesser Yellowlegs at Cherkasy on 3rd was an extraordinary first…

Most birders keep lists, whether it be a British, county, local patch or year list. However, an increasing number of birders are now keeping a Scottish list. For some this was originally part of their overall British list, but for others, probably around 50 to 75 individuals, this means concentrating exclusively on Scotland. What particular challenges this brings, and what would be a realistic Scottish target, are some of the questions that I will examine in this article. When birders consider Scotland from a listing perspective, it’s natural that many might first think of the iconic breeding specialities, such as Golden Eagle, Ptarmigan, Western Capercaillie and Crested Tit, or alternatively that elusive trio of Arctic ‘ghosts’: Snowy Owl, Gyr Falcon and Ivory Gull. Others will remember the many extreme vagrants…

THIS very small and chunky book deals with 24 species in 24 hours, using each to explore a different aspect of bird biology (although there is a fair bit of overlap) in a short essay. I increasingly find myself questioning standard explanations, from a position of ignorance usually, and find scientific papers increasingly unintelligible … so, it is good to see a professor doing the same and explaining things in simple language. I still question some suggestions, even so, and some ideas remain inconclusive, leaving the reader wondering – which is a good thing, for we should wonder more often. There is, too, a strange mistake as the ‘Great Snipe’ entry describes Common Snipe behaviour. Fine drawings by Tony Angell, with a grey background, have a quality recalling old woodcuts,…

THERE is plenty to appreciate about a neatly designed and well-presented book, whatever its contents may be. Both apply to the delightful Plants of Holy Island, which, as its title suggests, is dedicated to the famous island off the north Northumberland coast. The authors’ impressive knowledge of Lindisfarne’s flora is apparent throughout. The pages are decorated in lovely images and some wonderful illustrations by the extremely talented Reinhild Reistrick. The structure and format of the book has been well thought out. The main section details 109 of the key plants found on the island, each attributed a page of detail giving some background to the species, its identification and where it grows, as well as at least one photo. There is also a section on ‘supplementary plants’, profiling an additional…

A remarkable record-breaking British count of Little Buntings has been made in west Cornwall this winter, with the group consisting of no fewer than nine individuals. Two birds were found at Tremethick Cross, near Penzance, on 16 December before increasing to four the next day. On 18 December, a record-breaking eight were located feeding in fields. Only three days later, an extra bird took the count on site to an incredible nine. This species is a scarce migrant and rare winter visitor in Britain, with a total of 1,973 birds logged between 1958 and 2021. The majority are found in the Northern Isles between September and November, though the species can turn up seemingly anywhere across the country in the winter, typically as lone birds. No more than six Little Buntings…

Artificial intelligence (AI) is set to revolutionise the world of birding, offering us unprecedented opportunities and transforming the way we observe and understand avian life. As technology advances, AI is becoming an integral part of the hobby, enhancing the experience for both seasoned individuals and newcomers alike. Perhaps the most significant impact of AI on birding is in identification. Traditional bird identification relies heavily on field guides and personal knowledge. However, with the integration of AI, birders can now use smartphone apps to instantly identify birds based on images or sounds (see Birdwatch 375: 21). Machine learning algorithms analyse patterns, colours and calls, providing users with (mostly) accurate identifications in real time. Not only does this accelerate the identification process, but it also opens up the world of birding to…

DON’T judge a book by its cover, so the old saying goes. Not so in this case. The Owl has a wonderfully tactile dusky blue dust jacket and a striking cover illustration of a luminescent bird perched on a mossy bough. Both invite the reader to take a peek inside. And if they do, they will not be disappointed. This recent release from naturalist and writer Stephen Moss provides a captivating look into the lives and legends surrounding some of Britain’s most enigmatic avians. Bookended by a prologue and epilogue, its nine chapters take a nocturnal flight with these birds, through their natural and cultural history, their celebrations, trepidations and mysteries. Badged as a ‘biography’, it starts first with a general survey of the family – anatomy and behaviour –…

CHANGES to our birdlife are increasingly obvious in the field, and for lifelong birders such as Martin Cook, there’s a strong desire to highlight these. This new edition of The Birds of Moray & Nairn brings right up to date the status of birds across the county and summarises 30 years of new information since the first edition came out in 1992. At nearly 400 pages this is a substantial read. The species accounts, most illustrated with a single locally taken image, offer up enough detail for the reader to get a good understanding of the species’ history and status in the area. Numerous tables and graphs are used to illustrate data but these are presented in an uncomplicated fashion that doesn’t detract from the readability. Cook has avoided over-emotive…

FEBRUARY can be a challenging month. From a birding point of view, the excitement of the new year list in January can already seem far away, and the proper arrival of spring a similarly distant dream. Weather-wise, on fine days it feels like winter is starting to lose its grip, but on days when easterly blasts bring ice and snow, it can seem as though there are still weeks of cold left to endure – which there often are! It can be the same from a gardening perspective, although the good news is there is light at the end of the tunnel. Many people struggle with January and February in terms of their mental health, but I always encourage anyone finding it hard to find hope to go into their…

WINTER is a great time to look at wildfowl. Many parks will have ducks and geese that you can get close to, and larger lakes and gravel pits attract plenty of them. When you start to look more closely you will soon find that one of the greatest differences between them is their bills. Different sizes, colours and patterns, and more importantly, different shapes and structures. This last feature is, of course, related to their lifestyles, especially their diet. Recent research looked at the evolution of wildfowl beaks, relating shape and diet of 51 species in 46 genera. The correlation between these two factors is very strong, as would be expected. Ducks which filter-feed have wide, flat bills, while those which dig up roots or graze vegetation have shorter, narrower…

Pre-order your copy online now – see www.birdguides.com for details of how to subscribe and save more than 15% a year! ■ Splits and lumps Birders love an armchair tick, but there is always anguish when something has to come off a list. David Callahan takes a closer look at the potential taxonomic changes that may impact the British list in the years ahead. ■ Ocean Flyways Recent research mapping seabird migration routes has identified six ‘super highways’ that these fascinating wanderers use to traverse the world’s oceans. John Fuller explains in more detail what this significant development means for marine conservation. ■ Perplexing pipits We focus on the early spring passage of Rock and Water Pipits in Britain in this month’s ID guide, detailing the plumage differences of these two…

WEST Cornwall has an enviable track record when it comes to North American landbirds, but one species that’d never been seen in the county before was White-crowned Sparrow. However, that changed on 2 December 2023 when a fine adult was discovered in a garden in the small hamlet of Rosudgeon, not far east along the A394 from Marazion. The bird was initially rather tricky to pin down, but enthused local residents soon created a feeding area – complete with a donation bucket – which helped produce more reliable observations of the sparrow. It was perhaps anticipated that the bird would winter and become a target for 2024 year listers, but after showing one last time on 14th it was not seen subsequently and was thought to have gone. White-crowned Sparrow…

Snowfall in early December gave way to a milder, wetter theme for much of the month, leading to settled conditions on the birding front. As thoughts turned towards Christmas turkeys, it was a duo of mega-rare ducks that would go on to define December for twitchers. A welcome ‘Twixmas’ treat saw a stunning drake Baikal Teal found at Greylake RSPB, Somerset, from 28th. This is likely a returning bird, found almost two years to the day since Somerset’s first, which was present among wildfowl at the same site between 29 December 2021 and 14 March 2022. For many, the Essex Canvasback will prove the bird of the winter and it remained with throngs of Common Pochard at Abberton Reservoir throughout. Another eye-catching December attraction was the drake ‘Storm Wigeon’ –…

Farmers – don’t you love them? Well, yes I do, to some extent. Some of my friends, relatives and acquaintances are farmers and I like quite a lot of them. But then that is how it is with birders, lawyers, conservationists and politicians, too. Knowing someone’s profession hardly tells you much about their moral fibre, kindness or intellect. How should we regard farming? It’s a mix of good and bad things too. Food production is probably the best thing and, from a conservationist’s point of view, wildlife declines are on the very strong debit side of the balance. Those declines, documented in many reports, apply across all taxa. Isn’t it striking that Corn Buntings, Corncrakes and Meadow Pipits are declining alongside Corncockles, Harvest Mice and Field Gromwell? Some 70% of…

Grey-bellied Brant must surely be one of the most peculiar avian taxa to occur in Western Europe. Although still not recognised as a subspecies, it has distinct breeding and wintering ranges, is readily identifiable and even occurs with some regularity in Britain and Ireland. So, what exactly are these birds, where do they come from and how do they differ from other Brent Geese? Here, I will summarise what is known about this fascinating goose and why it is well worth looking out for. Three recognised subspecies of Brent Goose regularly occur on British and Irish shores: Pale-bellied Brent (hrota), which breeds in Greenland, Arctic Canada and Spitsbergen and winters on the coasts of Ireland and northern and western Britain; Dark-bellied Brent (bernicla), breeding on the tundra of central Siberia…

As we rumbled around the Thar Desert in a rickety old jeep, nerves were starting to jangle. The sun was now high in the sky and a chilly dawn had given way to a surprisingly warm day, bearing in mind that it was the middle of January. Heat haze was starting to shimmer, distorting our increasingly anxious peers through the scattered acacias and dry grasses towards the horizon. We were looking for one of the world’s most impressive – and now, sadly, rarest – birds. The story of Great Indian Bustard’s decline is an all-too-familiar one: populations of this regal yet painfully slow-to-reproduce bird have plummeted as a result of habitat loss, hunting pressures, increased disturbance and collisions with overhead powerlines to name just some of the causes. Fewer than…

IF you read my recent article on birds that are specially adapted to the ecological privations of mountaintops (Birdwatch 378: 24-27), you’ll know that many distinct strategies have evolved to cope with such conditions. With mountains effectively forming islands or island chains, they have acted as an evolutionary driver, not just as barriers but as isolating mechanisms, sometimes producing unique species and even whole avifaunas. The depths of this subject are now illustrated by the appearance of this academic text, comprised of chapters written by different teams of researchers and edited by three renowned experts on montane birds. These chapters deal with their subject in a logical order, diving into the ramifications of mountain biodiversity and habitats, adaptation, migration and seasonal movement, population trends, the effects of climate change and other…

PEAK Boxes is a small, family-run business based in the Peak District. It makes nestboxes in a wide range of different sizes and styles for just about any species of bird (and mammal) that would enjoy a bespoke box residence. Made from durable, weatherproof 18-mm ply they are constructed with a combination of machining and hand assembly and the two boxes that I have (Common Starling and European Robin boxes) certainly appear to be very robust. Panels are slotted snugly into place with some quality joinery work and a small number of screws, and the bases have holes drilled in them for ventilation. While it will be some months yet before I find out if they will be used for nesting, the starling box has already been prospected by a…

The naming of birds is a difficult matter (to paraphrase T S Eliot). The 19th-century poet had a point, and not just when it came to domesticated cats. The naming of anything can be tricky, as the American Ornithological Society (AOS) is proving. On 1 November 2023, AOS announced that it would be ‘changing all English-language names within its geographical jurisdiction that are named directly after people’ (see bit.ly/40ortiw). The debate has come about, and rightly so, following discussions around who and what certain birds are named after. As the AOS statement says, naming conventions were developed in the 1800s and ‘clouded by racism and misogyny’. In other words, many of the people commemorated in taxonomy had values and actions we consider less than savoury today. Slave ownership, displacement of…