Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2016 i Bird Watching

Migration is in full swing and May is a time when rare birds go off course and come over here. Add the rush of bird song, the dawn chorus, the spring flowering and the warming of the weather, and this is a brilliant time to be out and about watching birds. Here are five birds to look for and enjoy during May. RARITY RATINGS Common, widely distributed Localised – always a treat Very scarce or rare REED BUNTING So much smarter than a Ôsexy sparrow’, the male Reed Bunting is a truly handsome bird, with a neatly defined black head and bib, white moustachial stripe and collar and neatly striped upperparts. Females are more sparrow-like. Reed Buntings are well named, as they do spend a lot of time in reedbeds,…

“If I have learned any wisdom... it is that you can’t force people to be keen on and excited by the same things you are” I WATCHED A TV programme about steam trains the other day. This, I must stress, is a subject I have exceedingly little interest in. In fact, as a child, I nurtured something of a negative attitude toward steam and engines, and particularly beam engines, now I come to think about it. This is because we always seemed to be being dragged around some beam engine museum or other and I found them excruciatingly dull. After all, there were other things I could have been doing, preferably outside and well away from these lumps of dreary metal. Of course, it really didn’t help that I always…

BIRDFAIR FUNDRAISING Last year’s Birdfair has yet again broken its fundraising record. A massive £320,000 was raised by the event, which will go to help safeguard migrating birds flying between Europe and Africa. The money raised will go towards a project that aims at reducing the scale of the killings, while improving protection and laws throughout the region. BTO PROJECT Results from the BTO’s “What’s Under Your Feet” project might have unearthed information with far reaching implications for Britain’s birds. The project, undertaken by 40,000 schoolchildren from more than 1,600 schools across the UK, seems to have found evidence that the more recently rain has fallen on a section of land, the fewer invertebrates will be found in it. This may mean the floods in northern Britain this winter could…

“I wanted to find places where Curlews are still doing well, and go to the areas where they are just a memory, thankfully still a living one” MARTIN LUTHER KING once wisely said, “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope”. That seems a sensible mantra for conservationists. The figures showing the decline of Curlews are indeed disappointing, to put it mildly. In the west of the British Isles, they are in dire straits. There has been a 97% crash in numbers in Ireland and 80% in Wales. County Sligo, the land where William Butler Yeats was inspired by the heart-rending call of a Curlew to write “He Reproves the Curlew” has not one breeding pair. Things in England are a little better, but not great, apart from…

SITE 1 ORKNEY // MILES ON FOOT: 1 TIME: 1 HOURS BURGAR HILL IS a unique place, with historical moorland and a modern wind farm together. The local wader population as you make your way up the hill includes Redshank, Lapwing, Oystercatcher and especially Curlew, with Orkney holding the highest population in Britain of a bird now threatened by changes in agriculture. Grass cut for silage, which means cutting earlier than hay, gives little chance for the breeding season to be successful, especially for Curlew, but also many of the other breeding waders as well. Check for passing Whimbrel in the spring, as well as feeding Golden Plover and Dunlin down from the moor. A small number of Whimbrel now breed in Orkney. Orkney is blessed with a good breeding…

MILES ON FOOT: 1 TIME: 1.5 HOURS THIRTY YEARS SINCE the original opening, the reserve boasts a great new visitor centre offering panoramic viewing across marsh, lake and woodland. The reserve was the first RSPB’s urban nature reserve, and has been well utilised by visiting schools over the years. Although just 23 hectares, the varied habitat supports a good range of breeding birds and passage migrants, often allowing close views. Throughout the year there is something of interest, from the gaudy and raucous Ring-necked Parakeets to the more delicate Willow Tits. The marsh area is notable for wintering Jack Snipe and Snipe and Water Rails, while Forge Mill Lake hosts Goosander, Wigeon, Shoveler, Gadwall, Teal, Pochard and Goldeneye from autumn. Spring passage can bring waders such as Common Sandpiper, Redshank…

SITE 10 WEST SUSSEX // MILES ON FOOT: 3 TIME: 3 HOURS LAVINGTON COMMON HAS survived and prospered owing to active management by the National Trust. Although the common is surrounded by mature woodland (mainly conifers), the heathland Gorse, Broom and Ling flourishing on the poor sandy soils, still manages to retain those two icons of this important bird habitat: Dartford Warbler and Wood Lark. Tree Pipit and Stonechat are also present while an evening walk should yield the eerie sounds of Nightjar and Woodcock. The walk also takes in open farmland affording views back across the canopy where Goshawk and Honey Buzzard are occasionally reported. Through the quieter sections of the woodland Roe Deer may be encountered, usually along the margins, and keep an eye out for Adders if…

THE ‘COMMIC’ TERN MYTH Many birdwatchers are ‘brought up’ with the idea that Common and Arctic Terns are pretty much inseparable in the field. This state of affairs was propagated by earlier fieldguides, which often appeared to use a copy and paste approach to illustrating the two species. Some birdwatchers still confuse the two species, especially early in the spring, when there are plenty of Common Terns about and there is a sense of anticipation of the first Arctics. When a ‘real’ Arctic does arrive, the myth reveals itself. There enough distinguishing features of these two red-billed terns to make separating them reasonably straightforward, even at long range. Starting with structure, Common Terns are bigger, more robust looking birds. The bill and neck are substantially longer and the wings seemingly…

FOR YOU, DAD Ashley Jackson is a wildlife photographer from Bodmin who won the over-18s general wildlife photography section of the Devon & Cornwall Photography Competition 2015 with a Kingfisher image that took him two years to achieve. This image was planned in memory of his late father, as Ashley explains: “I took this in memory of my late dad, who I lost nine years ago. He was a photographer and I used his vintage SLR camera as a prop perch for a local Kingfisher. The camera sadly no longer works, so this was the only fitting way I could think to include it in my photography – and what better way than with my favourite subject.”…

The items in our range have been developed to help you create a welcoming environment for the wildlife that visits your garden. Below are some of our top picks this season but we have much more online at www.birdfood.co.uk 1. IRON HARD (Lavandula angustifolia) These bright lavender-purple flowers will provide useful height when placed in herbaceous borders and are particularly popular with butterflies. 95370 • £2.49 £1.99 • For 10 or more £1.49 each 2. JAPANESE ASTER ‘ASRAN’ (Aster ageratoides) Late summer flowering aster with profuse, daisy-like flowers. 80161 • £2.99 £1.99 • For 10 or more £1.49 each 3. LADY’S MANTLE (Alchemilla mollis) An exuberant summer flower that is popular with bees. 80159 • £2.49 £1.49 • For 10 or more £0.99 each 4 HI ENERGY NO…

Wildlife author James Lowen enjoys the marvellous wildlife that May offers. Hedgehogs and Bluebells abound. See page 12. Mary Colwell is so concerned about the plight of our Curlew that she’s prepared to walk 500 miles to raise awareness and funds. See page 26. Author and bird guide Dominic Couzens questions whether the Pheasant deserves its ‘plastic’ tag or should be given more respect, p36. Ben Macdonald asks why we’re not trying to bring the Wryneck – now extinct but once incredibly common here – back to Britain. See page 46. Ed Hutchings retraces the steps of Gilbert White – the man who pioneered birdwatching and changed how we view nature. See page 72. Keith Betton enjoys a birding holiday of a lifetime in the US state of Colorado, where…

This is the place where we have a semi-educated stab in the dark about which ‘mega’ rarity may turn up during the month, this time in May. Remember, these are not regular or expected rare birds, but at the ‘mega’ end of the rarity spectrum. There will be guaranteed glory for anyone finding one of these three special birds this year. WHITE-TAILED LAPWING There have only ever been six accepted records of White-tailed Lapwing in the UK. The last was in 2010 (pictured right), with a bird first found on 27 May at Seaforth NR, Lancashire, before moving to Essex, Gloucestershire and Kent before its departure on 21 July. Luckily, it is not a hard bird to identify, with a striking wing pattern, plus very long yellow-legs and, of course,…

Find the location closest to your destination and add or subtract the hours and minutes from the high tide time at London Bridge, below. SOUTH WEST Weston-Super-Mare(+5:05)Barnstaple (+4:30)Newquay (+3:32)Falmouth (+3:30)Plymouth (+4:05)Torquay (+4:40)Bournemouth(-5:09)*Portland (+4:57)St Peter Port(+4:53)Swanage (-5:19)*Portsmouth (-2:29)Southampton (-2:53) SOUTH EAST Ryde (-2:29)Brighton (-2:51)Eastbourne (-2:48)Dungeness (-3:05)Dover (-2:53)Margate (-1:52)Herne Bay (-1:24)Southend-on-sea (-1:22Clacton-on-sea (-2:00) EAST ANGLIA FelixstowePier (-2:23)Aldeburgh (-2:53)Lowestoft (-4:23)Cromer (+4:56)Hunstanton (+4:44) WALES Colwyn Bay (-2:47)Holyhead (-3:28)Barmouth (-5:45)Aberystwyth (-6:11)Fishguard (+5:44)Swansea (+4:42)Milford Haven (+4:37)Cardiff (+5:15) NORTH WEST Whitehaven (-2:30)Douglas (-2:44)Morecambe (-2:33)Blackpool (-2:50) NORTH EAST Skegness (+4:29)Grimsby (+4:13)Bridlington (+2:58)Whitby (+2:20)Hartlepool (+1:59)Blyth (+1:46)Berwick (+0:54) SCOTLAND Leith (+0:58)Dundee (+1:12)Aberdeen (-0:18)Fraserburgh (-1:28)Lossiemouth (-2:00)Wick (-2:29)Lerwick (-2:50)Stromness (-4:29)Scrabster (-5:09)Stornoway (+5:30)Ullapool (+5:36)Gairloch (+5:16)Oban (+4:12)Greenock (-1:19)Ayr (-1:44)Campbeltown(-1:12)Girvan (-1:51)Kirkcudbright Bay(-2:25) IRELAND Londonderry (-5:32)Belfast (-2:47)Donegal (+4:20) *Approximate times due to large variance between the month’s neap and spring tides. All times are GMT.…

“The ‘blue remembered hills’ of youth were full of Redstarts’ song, hunting Red-backed Shrikes and Red Squirrels, red skies blessed every evening and every birding day was a red-letter day” THE THING ABOUT aging is that you tend to look backward at things with more than a hint of roseate tern to your specs. ‘The Good Old Days’ of birding are no exception. The ‘blue remembered hills’ of youth were full of Redstarts’ song, hunting Red-backed Shrikes and Red Squirrels, red skies blessed every evening and every birding day was a red-letter day. The other thing about aging is, of course, an ever-declining memory. We tend to remember the good times and consign the bad to a cobwebbed corner of our minds. Anyone of pensionable age who grew up in…

IRELAND TO THE WASH By the time you read this, Mary may already have started her 500-mile walk. The first day of the walk is April 21st, the feast day of the little known St Bueno of Wales. Legend has it that as he was sailing on the sea he dropped his prayer book into the water. A Curlew swooped down, scooped it up and laid it on rocks to dry. St Bueno was mightily pleased and blessed the bird saying Curlews should always be protected. Mary says: “That blessing has worked well for a long time but now needs a refresh, hence my first 15 miles is on St Bueno’s Day, from Lough Erne to the border of Ireland, right in the heart of Celtic Britain.” Her other stop-off…

Get in touch with Bird Watching Bird Watching, Media House, Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6EA birdwatching@bauermedia.co.uk facebook.com/BirdWatchingMag twitter.com/BirdWatchingMag Nuthatch by Kate Unsworth Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark III Lens: 100-400mm Shutter Speed: 1/800sec Aperture: f.6.3 ISO: 500 Wren by Terry Hancock Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark III Lens: 150-600mm Shutter Speed: 1/1,000 Aperture: f/6.3 ISO: 640 Kingfisher by Don Davis Camera: Canon EOS-1D X Lens: 300mm Shutter Speed: 1/640 Aperture: f/8.0ISO: 1,000 Sparrowhawk by Don Davis Camera: Canon EOS-1D X Lens: 300mm Shutter Speed: 1/800 Aperture: f/8.0 ISO: 500 Treecreeper by Ann Quayle Camera: Nikon D5500 Lens: 55-300mm Shutter Speed: 1/400 Aperture: f5.6 ISO: 3,200 SPONSORED BY LEICA BIRDING – closer than ever before. Experience nature with unmatched intensity WIN! Send us your best birding/ wildlife photos to birdwatching@bauermedia.co.uk every…

I was interested to read the two replies from female readers in Your View about birdwatching tending to be male dominated. Four years ago, I set up a group specifically for women interested in getting out and about to watch wildlife, including birds. This was in response to comments made by several women visiting a well-known local hide to be met with a mostly male crowd of birdwatchers, many of whom were unfriendly and not willing to give any information about the birds on view. Comments I had from women included “I felt silly asking a question”. Many said they would not visit this hide again. As many of these women were just beginning to develop an interest in birdwatching, this could have brought this to an abrupt end. My…

Last September, I read that a Wryneck had been seen in south Gloucestershire. A migrant to our shores, this cryptic woodpecker was presumably heading back to tropical Africa from its breeding grounds in Scandinavia. Each year, Wrynecks pass through Britain. In spring, a lucky few birders discover them on our south and eastern coasts. In autumn, they return, in greater numbers. But 200 years ago, the naturalists of south Gloucestershire would not need to wait till autumn to see the ‘Cuckoo’s Mate’. Wrynecks once called from every orchard in the Severn Vale, as in much of the English countryside. Today, our generation regards these cryptic wonders as transients – heading north and south. How exciting that this extraordinary woodpecker once bred across the whole of England. How odd that its…

SITE 5 SUFFOLK MILES ON FOOT: 4 TIME: 3 HOURS DUNWICH FOREST IS situated within the Suffolk Coastal and Heathland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Owned by the Forestry Commission this substantial block of mixed woodland comprises important habitats for some of our declining summer migrants such as Turtle Dove, Cuckoo and Nightingale. With adjacent marshland on two sides and heathland to the south, there is rich potential for a large species tally throughout the walk. The typical range of resident species are present across the forest, including remnant populations of Marsh Tit, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and Hawfinch, although all three are becoming more difficult to find. On the plus side Goshawk and Red Kite sightings are becoming regular, and there is always the chance of a passing migrant Honey…

SITE 8 GWENT MILES ON FOOT: 4 TIME: 3 HOURS THERE IS MUCH to discover in Wentwood, the largest ancient woodland in Wales. Known as Coit Gwent when first mentioned in the Book of Llandaff which, when written in the 12th Century was bound in oak covers, it originally stretched some 15 miles from the outskirts of Newport to the Wye Valley. Although now vastly reduced in size, Wentwood still extends over some 2,500 acres, and so is quite easy to get lost in. Despite domination by the conifers, relics of the ancient woodland remain together with evidence of earlier activities, sunken lanes, boundary banks and charcoal hearths. In 2006, Coed Cadw (the Woodland Trust in Wales) purchased about a third of the woodland, the rest being owned by Natural…

TERNS ARE LIKE dainty, small, graceful versions of gulls. They are mainly summer birds in the UK, coming here to breed, on selected beaches or inland sites in the case of Common Tern. Some species, notably the Black Tern, are passage birds, just passing through on the way to or from the continental breeding grounds. All are lovely birds, but can be tough to identify, especially for the inexperienced. Most terns are largely seabirds, with a diet mainly comprising small fish. However, the three species of marsh tern (Black, White-winged Black and Whiskered), also eat a lot of emerging insects, as will other terns when the conditions are right. Here are six tern species to identify. Name them, then turn (ahem) the page for our ID analysis and further ID…

DIGGING OUT OUR small wildlife pond was a couple of hours’ hard work, but once it was out of the way, and some warm spring weather arrived, I was able to get on with the fun part of the job – planning what to put in there, and then landscaping the edges and starting to add vegetable (and, with luck, invertebrate) life. It’s a great idea to get a start by cadging a few plants from someone who already has a thriving pond, so I turned to our own Mike Weedon, and he came up trumps with a bucket full of sedges, Water Soldier, Water Mint and Water Forget-me-not. His pond, in turn, had originally been seeded from our photographer Tom Bailey’s, so it’s nice to think of all that…

SOUTH WEST Highlights In addition to Cornwall’s Hudsonian Whimbrel and Pacific Diver, there was a White-billed Diver off Cape Cornwall, lae in the month. An adult Bonaparte’s Gull was seen in Devon, mainly at Dawlish Warren NNR. A first-winter American Herring Gull was at Mousehole, Cornwall. AVON PORTISHEAD AND CLEVEDON: There were five Avocets (12th). Eight Purple Sandpipers were resident. There was a Common (Mealy) Redpoll (4th-9th), two Bramblings (13th) and a flyover Crossbill (23rd). SEVERNSIDE: There were 50 Kittiwakes and a Gannet (1st), 60 Kittiwakes, a Fulmar, two Little Gulls, four Great Skuas and a Common Scoter (8th), with seven Common Scoters and three Cranes over (21st). There was a Brent Goose (1st-14th). Five Water Pipits were regular. THE RESERVOIRS: Three Black-necked Grebes remained at Blagdon, with a Bittern…

£120,000 Lush’s fundraising target towards the Hen Harrier Life+ Project 29 The number of UK summer visitor species that use the Europe-Africa flyway 54,000 The approximate number of migrating and wintering birds found at the Solent 10,000 Bird records SolentBirds expects to make by the end of 2015/16 winter season 30 million tonnes The amount of rubbish produced in the UK every year More than 7,000 Number of phone calls the RSPCA receives annually concerning litter-related injuries to wildlife…

I feel I must write and say how much I appreciate Ben Macdonald’s article and those he has previously written. I’m not sure how representative I am of your readership but I find so much more in his articles, more ecological basis, population dynamics – maybe I like that blend of the scientific put into understanding what makes the birds tick. It does it for me, and if it isn’t always learning something new, it’s reading it in another form which makes more sense and helps my own understanding. Well written, do please run more, the guy’s a natural.…

BURGAR HILL Try out this great panoramic viewpoint from which to watch Orkney’s many and varied waders, raptors and seabirds SANDWELL VALLEY Explore the regulars and rarer birds at the RSPB’s original urban nature reserve WESSINGTON PASTURE Great Spotted Woodpeckers and other woodland species abound in this valley WENTWOOD Crossbills and Firecrests could be your target species as you enjoy great views of the Usk Valley KEY Sites may be best visited by car, or a car may be required to get from point to point. Requires birding to be done on foot. Specified points to visit, but can be done in any order (known as KEYPOINTS) Specified points to visit and are best done in numerical order (known as WAYMARKERS) NB: The MILES ON FOOT is the amount…

SITE 3 EAST YORKSHIRE MILES ON FOOT: 3 TIME: 3 HOURS KILNSEA IS JUST one of the areas often lumped in with Spurn Point, but needs a good ‘going over’ in its own right for you to find new birds. Autumn is often special, with just the faintest of an east wind blowing allowing the migrants to stream over the North Sea, but, like many sites along this east coast, you never know when a rarity may turn up, and spring can also be very productive. Even the sea at this point has turned up Balearic and Sooty Shearwaters with even a Little Auk trying out the local caravan park, not to mention a Citrine Wagtail also enjoying its comforts! Beacon Lane is like Piccadilly for birders, not knowing which…

SITE 6 HEREFORDSHIRE MILES ON FOOT: 2 TIME: 2 HOURS THIS AREA WAS previously known as the Far Slades, which meant a marshy valley, then the wooded part was called the ‘Brake in Far Slades’ so we have an interesting area that was gifted to the Herefordshire Wildlife Trust (HWT) in the 1970s by Mrs Betty Evans and is now a delightful nature reserve. The derelict woodland area has some extremely large Hazel trees and some dead Elm attracting those Great Spotted Woodpeckers. So we have quite a good mix of habitat and with Haugh Wood on the nearby hills there should be a good range of birds around and with spring just around the corner the list could be long! This is an area of lovely rolling countryside so…

 THE SLEEPY PARISH of Selborne, just within the extreme northern boundary of the South Downs National Park, remains a good spot for birds. Within this Hampshire village and its environs, the parson-naturalist Gilbert White changed the way we viewed and interpreted the natural world. White never married and devoted his life to the observation and recording of natural phenomena. He was fascinated by interdependence, relating bird migration to harvest and habitat. He received no scientific recognition. “Charles Darwin once wrote that ‘from reading White’s Selborne… I remember wondering why every gentleman did not become an ornithologist’” For millions of Englishmen and women, the Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne by Gilbert White has embodied the story of their countryside. The book describes the 18th Century landscape of White’s village beneath…

WILD KINGDOM Stephen Moss Square Peg, 2016, HBK, BW Bookshop price £16.99 We’ve become used to hearing of the grave threats faced by the UK’s wild creatures, from habitat loss, persecution, climate change and a host of other factors. The disappearance of once-ubiquitous species, such as House Sparrow, from large parts of our landscapes and lives is perhaps even more alarming than the decline of already rarer ones, such as the Scottish Wildcat. It’s a surprise then, and a heartening one, to find that Stephen Moss finds so much hope in his wide-ranging analysis of efforts to bring back Britain’s wildlife. It’s not that he paints a rose-tinted picture, or flinches from considering controversial measures for giving struggling species the space they need to thrive. A selective cull of Grey…

“On average, a single Arctic Tern will fly 1.5 million miles in its lifetime. There is no comparable migration, or anything close to it, in the animal kingdom” EARLY MORNING SUNSHINE danced on silky waters in the Sound of Taransay. Tiny waves rippled over the shallows. Clouds hung motionless in a blue sky, reflected in sea-shades of turquoise and aquamarine. The serene stretch of sand, rated one of the 10 most beautiful in the world, was deserted as a light breeze waved marram grasses on the dunes behind the beach. Great Northern Divers drifted far out in the bay, so far it was impossible to imagine that this beautiful black-and-white bird is the same length as a Golden Eagle, and heavier. Scoter, Eider and so-elegant Red-throated Divers were feeding leisurely…

“A fat ball feeder, has proved a great success, with Long-tailed Tits, Great Tits, Coal Tits, Song Thrushes, Blackbirds, Robins, Dunnock and Goldfinch visiting regularly” YOU’RE NEVER TOO young to start feeding birds. Rebecca Hammett, aged 12, is a keen nature-lover, as well as a published author and blogger, and loves watching the many birds in her Bedfordshire garden. Here, she tells us the secrets of her success… When we moved into our house, there were no feeders in the garden – and few birds. Now we have two feeding stations, and loads of birds visit every day. It’s really easy to get started – here’s how! The first thing to do, of course, is start putting out food. In the winter, I’ve found the best things to offer are…

GARDENATURE Camera Bird Box, from £94 Gardenature have a varied range of ready assembled Camera Bird Boxes – each has a different bird box camera view and is a High or Ultra High Resolution CCD camera specifically designed for the nesting boxes. You can choose the required cable length, too. Gardenature camera bird boxes are handmade in the UK to a very high standard. gardenature.co.uk PECKISH Complete Easy Feeder, from £4.99 Perfect for beginners just starting to feed their garden birds, this is ready to use straight from the shop – all you need to do is simply hang it from a tree or a feeding station. It’s filled with Peckish’s Complete All Seasons Seed Mix, suitable for use in the breeding season as well as winter, and, of course,…