Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2024 i Birdwatch

IS there a more exciting time to be out in the field as a birder than the peak weeks of autumn? There is such a bounty of opportunities out there to enjoy in October and November that it can sometimes be difficult to know what to do with any spare birding time! I’m a relative newbie to the world of visible migration. Having lived in London for the best part of a decade, vis-migging opportunities weren’t in abundance, but the tseep of Redwings passing overhead on autumn nights, a Hawfinch flying over the bus stop I was stood at in Tottenham one morning and a flock of Waxwings moving through in early December one year were all hints that migration can be witnessed even in the most urban of places. Since…

DUE to a series of fortunate events, we had the opportunity to leave Caithness to visit Fair Isle for a week in mid-September. The first two days were uneventful, but we enjoyed being back on the island and catching up with friends and common migrants. On our third morning (15 September), we headed out from South Light, checking the crofts along the east road for migrants. After a couple of days of strong southerlies we weren’t expecting too much, so it wasn’t a surprise to find many birds in the same locations they had been the previous day. At 10 am we walked towards Barkland and Chalet where we enjoyed a couple of Willow Warblers in the Wild Angelicas along the roadside – a typical Fair Isle sight. Returning south…

It is an hour’s drive from the centre of Castellón to Rosell in the Spanish province of Valencia. From there, you swap to an off-road vehicle, taking a deeply rutted uphill track for another half hour. Your ears begin to pop, the heat and light intensify and you’re jolted repeatedly. Now you’re high in the mountainous Maestrazgo region. You park at the end of a dusty white trail at Mirador de Bel. You’re not there yet. You make a winding ascent on foot for another half hour through gnarled pines and thin, dry air, tripping over roots and potholes, above sheer cliff faces, a light breeze the only relief from the scorching sun. Finally, you’re in ‘Lammergeier country’. Lammergeier – more prosaically known as Bearded Vulture, owing to its long,…

DIGITAL sensors have developed rapidly over the last 20 years. Advances in technology and the ‘megapixel race’ have given us huge increases in image quality and pixel counts in the cameras favoured by bird photographers. As larger sensors become more affordable, much of the photographic world has headed towards ‘full frame’, but more specifically in bird photography, sensor size remains a hot topic. So, what are the differences, and does it really matter? The table opposite shows the relative strengths and weaknesses of five popular photography systems. Four are interchangeable-lens systems, with superzoom the only ‘all-in-one’ camera and lens. Obviously, most of these factors will depend on the lens the camera is paired with. Sensor size descends from left to right, with APS-C, Micro Four Thirds (MFT) and superzoom all…

AUTUMN migration continues well into November. Will it be another Waxwing winter? If it is, this is the time when large numbers will be pouring into northern areas. Alternatively, from the south, this can be a good month for influxes of the likes of Western Cattle Egret and Glossy Ibis – coming soon to a wet field or waterbody near you! Possible just about anywhere is Black Redstart, a species which pops up in the most unlikely of places, including in urban gardens. Weather: westerly winds Woodpigeon is not the most appreciated of birds, but on fine, clear (usually cold) days in November with west or north-west winds, many thousands may be seen migrating overhead. It’s well worth taking a moment to watch the sky as large flocks pass through,…

NEW analysis offers an explanation for simultaneous irruptions of Crossbill and Parrot Crossbill in Europe, despite the two finches favouring different conifers with their own seeding cycles. Irruptions are irregular migrations that occur when a bird population and its food supply fall out of balance. Crossbills are well known in the Northern Hemisphere for their movements beyond their typical range in response to changes in food availability. Crossbill has a relatively slim bill adapted to extract seeds from the cones of its favoured conifer in north-west Europe, Norway Spruce. Meanwhile, the larger bill of Parrot Crossbill is suited to Scots Pine. In Norway, these finches’ close relationship with their preferred conifer species is recognised in their names: Grankorsnebb (which translates as ‘Spruce Crossbill’) and Furukorsnebb (meaning ‘Pine Crossbill’) respectively. Norway…

The changing status of Little Egret represents one of the most marked ornithological shifts in Britain and Ireland over the past 30 years. This elegant, all-white heron has been transformed from a rare vagrant as recently as the early 1990s to a common and familiar resident across the southern half of these islands. Having first nested in Dorset in 1996, the breeding population surpassed 1,000 pairs in 2015, while the BTO’s most recent figures indicate a wintering population of at least 12,000 individuals. It is now only in Scotland and areas of inland northern England where it remains fairly scarce and localised, in part due to a lack of suitable habitat. According to BTO data, this equates to a staggering national population increase of 2,380% between 1995 and 2020. Such…

I’VE spent plenty of time at Tacumshin, Co Wexford, this autumn, leading groups around this top birding site. On the evening of 8 September, while co-leading a group for Oriole Birding, we had poor views of a male ‘Hen Harrier’ that looked intriguing but was too distant to get much on. I told a few friends about the bird, but couldn’t elaborate much more from my field views, other than there seemed to be limited black in the wing-tip and it didn’t look quite right for a Hen. I saw the bird again the following afternoon, but views were brief and distant. Once again, I had to put it to the back of my mind given that I was busy guiding clients. It was only on 20th that I finally…

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It was the early hours of Monday 20 October 1997 and a starlit sky illuminated a small toilet block near The Smuggler’s Inn at Osmington Mills, Dorset. I stumbled out of the car after the long journey south from Cheshire. The previous afternoon had seen the discovery of a male Siberian Rubythroat there. A couple of hundred lucky birders had connected as it lurked in an isolated hedgerow leading inland from the sea, but the clear night meant it looked destined to have moved on. Through bleary eyes and a heavy head as the first glimmers of light appeared, the reality quickly dawned that this ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ bird had departed. After going through the motions of staring at a birdless hedge until mid-morning, it was a subdued and solemn journey home…

Visible migration, or ‘vis-mig’, is a phrase that never fails to excite British birders. After the doldrums of high summer, nothing encapsulates the buzz of autumn quite as much as vis-mig. That said, watching, listening and counting a multitude of different species as they move through is not necessarily everyone’s cup of tea. Trying to nail the identification of migratory species in flight is a challenge, both for birders and photographers, though it can be extremely rewarding at the same time. Given most birds which pass through can be little more than a flicker of feathers that is gone within seconds, it does beg the question – what about vis-mig gives birders such a buzz? One reason that ‘vis-migging’ has boomed in popularity is that it offers the opportunity to…

South and Central America and the Caribbean are increasingly popular destinations for UK birders. Ease of access, a good network of lodges and guides, up-to-date books and above all a huge range of species, together with superb photo opportunities, make it an obvious choice. Neotropical Birding and Conservation (NBC), a UK-registered charity with a global reach, has been at the forefront of birding and conservation in the region for 30 years and aims to work for its birds and habitats long into the future. The story began in 1992, when a few keen British birders had an idea. They had all travelled extensively in South and Central America and wondered if they could replicate for the region what the Oriental Bird Club (OBC) was doing for South and East Asia…

FOR several months over the summer and autumn, ducks have been languishing near the bottom of my list of photographic targets. Of course, I enjoy sorting through the dozy masses of females, juveniles and eclipse drakes in search of a surprise, but nothing beats their pristine breeding finery when it comes to photography. The diminutive Eurasian Teal is my target for this November. Sunny days might be at a premium this month, but the light is good for photography all day long when they do occur. A fine drake teal will look particularly stunning in low winter sunshine. As with any swimming or ground-dwelling bird, a low angle will provide a more intimate view of life from the birds’ perspective. If shooting from a hide, try using the lowest window…

PLUMAGE abnormalities can affect almost any species, from Goldcrest to Common Buzzard. One of the commonest feather abnormalities is leucism, a condition which results in changes to the melanin in feathers. Two main melanin pigments are found in birds. Eumelanin produces black, grey and dark brown colours, while phaeomelanin results in red-brown to buff. Both can combine to form a large array of grey-brown colours. When individual black or brown feathers lack any melanin, they can appear white. Blackbird is one of the species that most commonly shows leucism and other predominantly black-feathered birds such as Carrion Crow and Jackdaw have also been recorded with white feathers. Quite often the white feathers are symmetrical; for example, appearing in both wings. Sometimes populations of resident birds may have a higher incidence…

The bohemian coastal town of Hastings holds a peculiar place in the history of British birding. It is synonymous with rare birds, even though many won’t ever have birded or twitched a vagrant in the area. Hastings remains seared into the hobby’s consciousness through an age-old scandal. Moving to the area last year, my curiosity about the Hastings Rarities grew, resulting in a deep dive into the story of the mega-hoax. One can’t help but stumble upon implicated records when looking into local birding history. In isolation many seem astounding yet believable, but look a little further and things just don’t add up. While the equipment we use, the way we study birds and the publication of records has evolved significantly over the last 100 or so years, the fundamental…

Unlike the nearby Cambridgeshire rivers, the Nene and the Ouse, which have huge areas of designated washland that flood every winter and constitute famous birding sites, my local River Welland does not have such a working flood-management system. The historical washland between the settlements of Crowland and Cowbit, which used to flood in most winters, is now intensively farmed for crop production and has remained dry since 1947. On a few occasions since, once as recently as Christmas 2020, the Welland has come very close to overflowing its flood banks and rewetting this area. However, the arrival of Storm Henk in early January 2024 was the catalyst to a unique set of events which will live long in my memory. Henk’s deluge fell on already sodden ground, pushing river levels…

The cover price of Birdwatch has increased to £6.99 an issue but you don’t have to pay that! Pay just £4.99 an issue and save over £24 a year when subscribing before 30 November 2024. If you would prefer an eco-friendly way to read Birdwatch, consider joining Ultimate PLUS for unrestricted access to over 380 issues and all future issues while a live member. For more information visit: https://bit.ly/ultplus Subscribe today Visit: https://bit.ly/bw_scoped or call us on 01778 392027 (quoting BIRD/SUBS2024)…

THE Z9 is Nikon’s first flagship mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera. It shares many of the features of the Z8 (see Birdwatch 380: 50-51), but in a larger body equipped with a vertical shooting grip, and larger battery. The Z9 is built around the same excellent 45.7-MP full-frame sensor, offering masses of detail and superb image quality in low light. Discussing all the capabilities of this camera would take up several pages, but rest assured it is state of the art in the mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera world. The autofocus is up there with the best I’ve used. The subject detection works wonderfully, no doubt helped by a firmware update which includes the addition of birds as a specific subject. The AF clung onto a Northern Lapwing flying in front of a packed…

IN the early 1800s, the poet Thomas Hood wrote of ‘no sun, no moon, no morn, no noon, no dawn, no dusk, no proper time of day’ in his simply titled poem, November. It’s a piece of verse that always pops into my mind at this time of year, for obvious reasons. There can be no denying at this late stage of the year that so much in the natural world is slipping towards its winter dormancy. In many ways that can be most apparent in our gardens, as flowers fade, fruits are gobbled up by birds and small mammals, and everything seems somehow that much duller and darker as the daylight hours dwindle away. Still, it’s not all doom and gloom! In fact, I find the closing weeks of…

WOODLANDS in winter can often appear deserted, but this is rarely the case – the key to finding birds is to listen. In Britain, as autumn ends and winter begins, woodland birds are often found in roving flocks of mixed species. The sound of Great or Blue Tits usually means a mixed flock is near as these species act as the nucleus of the flock and tend to lead it. Followers may include Goldcrest, Eurasian Nuthatch, Eurasian Treecreeper, warblers and woodpeckers. The benefit of joining such a flock comes from a greater chance of finding food, as well as a lower likelihood of being surprised by a predator. Leaders and sentinels enable other species, such as woodpeckers, to feed safely with less risk of predation than when they feed alone. Young…

ISLANDS are often hot-spots for endemism, but I am struggling to think of any that match the Galápagos Islands for variety in an area not much larger than the county of Devon. Situated in the Pacific Ocean, some 1,000 km west of Ecuador (to which they belong), these are volcanic islands that still have active volcanoes. Their remote location and range of endemic species inspired Charles Darwin to develop his theory of evolution by natural selection in 1835. The finches that fascinated Darwin now number 17 species, and as some of them have several subspecies, there could be further splits to come. It’s a good idea to remember exactly where you see them for that reason! You can get to see almost all the 34 endemic bird species on a…