Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2020 i Bird Watching

David Chandler: Four Cranes going over. Or many years earlier, a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, briefly in the cherry tree James Lowen: A singing Firecrest one sunny spring day. It was even twitched by a photographer friend Bird author Dominic Couzens: I once saw a Crane while playing football with my son. I conceded a goal Tour guide Ruth Miller: My 4th floor flat has great views along the North Wales coast: once six White Storks flew past! Urban Birder David Lindo: The most amazing bird I ever saw in my north London garden was a male Redstart in April 1984…

1 WHITE-TAILED EAGLE Having been formerly quite widespread, by the beginning of the last century, the mighty ‘erne’ became extinct (by Man) in the UK. The last nesting attempt was on Skye in 1916, when people had their minds on other more pressing things like World War I. In the 1970s (to the late 1980s) reintroduction got underway properly, initially on Rum (Inner Hebrides). Since then, there have been further releases and White-tailed Eagles have spread, particularly on the west coast of Scotland and its islands. Last year, the Isle of Wight was chosen as a site of release, as a first stage to ‘restocking’ England. There are about 100 pairs in Scotland. These are huge birds, immensely broad of wing, with a relatively short tail and large bill. 2…

Dead birds are relatively rare. That may sound strange, but, apart from roadkill, overhead wire victims or waterside corpses, when did you last see a dead bird even remotely intact? On some inland waterbodies, you may find even seabirds which have become exhausted and washed to the shore. For instance, Bird Watching’s Mike Weedon has discovered two dead Kittiwakes (including the adult in the photo above) and even a deceased ‘blue’ Fulmar on small lakes in Peterborough. Being very lightweight and delicately boned, birds are easily scavenged, disarticulated and dissembled by scavenging animals. So, tideline corpses tend to be the most frequent places to see them. That said, colonies such as those of gulls, always seem to have a few dead birds scattered about them.…

STILETTO DANCER On sandy coasts around much of Britain, look for Coastal Silver-stiletto, a rather sumptuously icy-toned, large-eyed fly. PLANT Marsh by name... If you spot one Southern Marsh Orchid, you should see many more, for this lovely, robust plant typically grows in large numbers. Widespread in southern Britain, it is often found along riversides and in damp meadows – but also in sandy or chalky habitats where the word ‘marsh’ is not always at the forefront of your mind. Southern Marsh Orchid routinely hybridises with other orchids, producing confusing variation that is better admired than contemplated. MOTH Mineral moth From a Ragwort-strewn brownfield site, a large, scarlet-and-black moth – or is it a butterfly, being that breathtakingly bright? – flies up from your feet. You were right first time.…

Suddenly the world and its dog are eating mock meat and planting trees to save the planet. I hear you raise a cheer. Mine is rather more muted. I’ve not eaten meat in more than 30 years and dabble with the vegan way. As my decision was a geopolitical one, I can’t really embrace veganism. Is there any moral difference between exploiting animals and exploiting plants? If the chicken is free to run the length of the barn and isn’t having its bits clipped off for the company’s convenience, I’m going to go on eating eggs. On the other hand, dairy production needs to scale back or cows will continue to be a big issue for the climate. I’d like to eat cheese and spread butter, but only if the…

Rejecting My200 for a closer-to-home My2Mile has now been Government endorsed! As I write, we should all be staying at home. The Covid cloud hangs heavy and many of my state-approved walks are taking me less than a mile from the house – as the Bittern flies that is. And they have been. Yesterday, two popped up out of the near side of the reedbed and flew low, making a vaguely duck-like sound. Then what I think was a third showed itself. I don’t tire of Bittern encounters, be it a bird blowing over a milk bottle or one taking to the wing, but yesterday’s streaky-heron-fest added nothing to My2Mile total. Bittern was already on the list. My2Mile is about seeing and hearing birds within two miles of home. By…

The Bird Photographer of the Year team are continuing their challenge to photograph 150 species within the county of Hampshire over the course of 2020. Spring is well and truly with us (it is April) and the migrant birds are now piling in: warblers feature in numbers, and the first reports of Swallows and martins are being made. There have even been reports of early Cuckoos, although, at the time of writing, none of the Hants 150 team have yet heard or seen one. The weather has certainly improved, with lots of high pressure bringing favourable photographic conditions, and spring provides a great opportunity to photograph some of the smaller and more cautious species, as they turn their attentions to breeding. Among these were Firecrest, which the team managed to…

Stay at home. Only make essential journeys. Birdwatch in your own garden. These are all phrases that are becoming increasingly familiar as the country goes into ‘lockdown’, and everyone hunkers down at home in a bid to minimise the spread of the coronavirus. So, you might think that living in a fourth floor flat with no garden might prove a bit of a handicap to lockdown birdwatching, but not a bit of it. I’ve simply adopted the rooftops across Llandudno as my lockdown patch. And now I have all the time in the world to enjoy it. It’s amazing what you can see when you look, really take your time to look. For example, there are the Jackdaws that nest in the brick chimneypots three doors down. There’s a letterbox-sized…

(Atlantic) Puffin Fratercula arctica The smallest of the three puffins, ‘our’ Puffin (Atlantic Puffin) breeds on either side of the North Atlantic. Bill colour / shape and size are the best ID features. Horned Puffin Fratercula corniculata Looking like a big, angry Puffin with a huge bill, the North Pacific breeding Horned Puffin is so named for the black ‘horns’ above the eyes. Tufted Puffin Fratercula cirrhata Another North Pacific breeder, the Tufted Puffin is black all over apart from the white face and huge yellow tufts behind the eyes. Has occurred once in the UK.…

This month – Common Tern In recent years, many newly-created wetland habitats such as abandoned gravel pits have been colonised by Common Terns. This is especially true if islands have been created to encourage nesting; even floating shingle-covered platforms serve this purpose admirably. Birds supplement their diet of small fish with surface insects, and a canny photographer can use this to their advantage. If there has been a good hatch of dragonflies or damselflies, or better still a mass-emergence of mayflies (some species do occur in still waters) then watch which way the wind is blowing: the insects will tend to congregate on the downwind shore of the waterbody and that’s where the terns will find the richest pickings. Sit quietly and wait and sooner or later the birds will…

"A landmark publication for conservation" There are a surprising number of atlases around. For birders, there have been four national ones since 1976, including The Migration Atlas and, most recently the BTO’s Bird Atlas 2007-11. There are atlases for Britain and Ireland’s Larger Moths, for Britain’s Bryophytes, even an Atlas of the Hydrophiloid Beetles of Britain and Ireland. Who knows, perhaps there is a Migration Atlas for Britain’s Slugs and Snails in the offing? In this profusion we might miss something of importance and wide appeal. And that is why we should take note of the arrival of Atlas of the Mammals of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a landmark publication for conservation, as well as for a general readership. Everybody who cares for our much-loved mammal fauna should have…

SOUTH WEST Highlights Two gulls were great finds: an adult Ross’s Gull around the Plym Estuary, Devon, and a first-winter Laughing Gull at Chew Valley Lake, then Cheddar Reservoir. The other star birds were both of offshore islands, which had inevitable restricted access (ie they were closed to visitors). There was a Killdeer on Lundy, Devon, and an adult male Lesser Kestrel on St Mary’s, Scilly. AVON HIGHLIGHTS: A Laughing Gull was at Chew (10th-15th). First dates included Wheatear (5th), Little Ringed Plover (14th), Sand Martin (9th), Swallow (14th), House Martin (16th), Willow Warbler (20th), Whitethroat (25th) and Garden Warbler (28th). Ospreys flew over Bath (26th) and Bristol (27th). Nearly 100 Red Kites moved through. CLEVEDON TO WESTON-SUPER-MARE: A Whooper Swan was seen twice at Kenn Moor. Clevedon-Yeo had seven…

Yes, it is guess the rarity time again, dear reader! Which, if any, of these three ‘megas’, will turn up this month? BLUE-CHEEKED BEE-EATER With a dozen accepted records, this is a seriously rare bird in the UK. Nearly all have been in June or July, and although there have been more records in the south-west of England, they can turn up just about anywhere. WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW Even rarer than Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, this American ‘sparrow’ is on many birders’ lists thanks to a long-stay at Cley, Norfolk in winter-spring 2008. But late May is a good time for them to turn up, so they could be lurking into June. WHITE-THROATED NEEDLETAIL This most desired of rare swifts (from Asia) has only about a dozen accepted UK records, with June being…

It has been a month since the BW editorial team started to work from our homes. We are very lucky in that we are able to continue producing the magazine without sitting on top of each other; and that we can still continue to work at all! During that time, the official ‘lockdown’ has set in, and everyone in the country (and beyond) is having to cope in their own way with ‘staying at home’. For me, I have continued birdwatching, by concentrating on watching and listening in our garden. Also I have been heading off on my bicycle before work and exercising in the nearby Ferry Meadows Country Park, which has remained open to pedestrians and cyclists, though the car parks are closed. Again, I am very lucky to…

Crane population The latest Crane survey reveals a record-breaking 56 breeding pairs in the UK in 2019, bringing the total population to an estimated 200 birds. Cranes became extinct in the UK around 400 years ago, but following the natural recolonisation of a few birds and extensive conservation work, including a reintroduction programme, they are making a return, initially in Norfolk, and now spreading to other locations in East Anglia, Humberside, Somerset, Scotland and Wales. Charity feed During the COVID-19 crisis, Honeyfield’s Wild Bird Food are fundraising for the horticultural charity Perennial, by opening an online pop-up shop selling wild bird products at a promotional rate ,as well as giving a cash donation to the charity for each purchase. In the first week of the COVID-19 lockdown Perennial experienced a…

It is at times like these that you realise how important birding is to you, how rewarding it is to watch and enjoy birds. As I write this, the coronavirus outbreak is having an increasingly severe impact on our lives, causing illness and worry for many and affecting the daily lives of all of us. Stay at home is the advice that we should all be heeding, but staying at home still allows for some birding. The number of species we may see might be restricted, but watching birds, any birds, is always a joy. It is good for you. It certainly cheers me up, and we could all do with some cheer at the moment. I have been sitting at our upstairs back window, looking out at the garden…

Heathland is basically the lowland (up to 300m elevation) equivalent of moorland (from the uplands). It is shrubby country on infertile, free-draining, acidic soils and is characterised by heathers, gorse and such-like plants. As far as birds are concerned, there is a pretty low diversity of species that breed in such habitat. But the birds which do live there are pretty special, and some are found rarely outside of the heathland environment. Here are six heathland-breeding bird species to test your identification skills. All you have to do (as we always say) is put a name to each of them (they are all regular British species), then turn the page to find out what we think they are, and to see our reasoning as to how we came to these…

Send your snaps to birdwatching@bauermedia.co.uk to be in with a chance of seeing your photo in print. All images should be high resolution JPEG files. 1 Baby Coot by Brian Martin Camera: Sony DSC-RX10M4 Lens: 215mm Shutter Speed: 1/1,250s Aperture: f/4 ISO: 640 2 Dartford Warbler by David Walker Camera: Nikon D500 Lens: 500mm Shutter Speed: 1/1,250s Aperture: f/5.6 ISO: 800 3 Marsh Tit by Kev Bowers Camera: Nikon D500 Lens: 600mm Shutter Speed: 1/500s Aperture: f/6.3 ISO: 1,600 4 Reed Bunting by Tom Weaver Camera: Panasonic DMC-FZ70 Lens: 215mm Shutter Speed: 1/200s Aperture: f/5.9 ISO: 125 WE LOVE All these photos are great, but Brian Martin’s ugly-yet-cute baby Coot has a message of hope for us all!…

● G Seven at White nights E et ’ comfortable accommodation at The Mountview Hotel, VisitScotland rated 3 Star. All rooms are en suite, with TV and hospitality tray. There is no single supplement, and guests are never expected to share. ● Full Scottish breakfast, a substantial packed lunch, and a delicious dinner. ● Six full days wildlife watching with Heatherlea, VisitScotland rated 5 stars for ‘Wildlife Experience’. ● Guidance from a professional group leader. ● All transport by comfortable PCV minibus, including Capercaillie safari in Heatherlea’s private estate grounds (weather permitting). ● A checklist specifically prepared for your holiday to record your sightings and notes. ● Courtesy bus service to/from transport in Aviemore. WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED: ● Travel to Aviemore from your home location. ● Insurance, drinks and other…

Hornachos is a small town of fewer than 4,000 inhabitants in the Badajoz Province of Extremadura. The settlement nestles in the foothills of the picturesque Hornachos Mountains and is within the preserved area of the Sierra Grande de Hornachos. Reaching over 950 metres above sea level, it is the tallest and most impressive of the sierras in central Badajoz. The town has a very interesting history dating back to prehistoric times. Latterly, the town was occupied by the Romans and then reoccupied by the Moors. Indeed, it was one of the last outposts for the Moors as they were being expelled from Spain. The town stands in the shadows of the impressive 9th Century Moorish castle over which raptors like Golden Eagle, Griffon and Black Vultures regularly sail. The town…

The Common Tern is probably our most familiar tern, being widespread inland as well as on the coast. Birds are present from May to August inland, and for a few weeks either side on the coast, so most photographers do not have to travel far to see one. In flight, Common Terns are not unduly bothered by people and some great shots can be obtained using a combination of fieldcraft and patience. And there are also a few nesting colonies where public access is strictly controlled, and the birds can be observed at close range without disturbing them.…

OBOZ FIREBRAND II COLLECTION, £115-£125 These new hiking shoes claim “unbeatable comfort, versatility and protection”. There are waterproof and non-waterproof options, and a leather and mesh hybrid version with a dual-density midsole made specifically for women. The collection has tough uppers, reinforced laces, welded toe caps and nylon shanks (Tringa synthetica) for extra support. The insoles are “moulded to match the specific shape and construction of every pair” and the outsoles are stiff with chunky lugs to help the mud fall off (mud not provided). obozfootwear.com HILLTREK RYVOAN COTTON ANALOGY TROUSERS, £215 Hand-made in Scotland, these trousers are tough, warm and waterproof. The outer is Ventile® – a tightly-woven cotton with great breathability; and the inner is Nikwax Analogy Pump fabric – which helps to move sweat out.…

The Honey Buzzard is a strangely named bird. Firstly, they are not really buzzards, though they do resemble the Buteo buzzards (aka hawks in North America); they are more closely related to kites. Secondly, they don’t really eat honey, but are associated with ‘honey’ because they feed on wasps (not usually bees, which make honey, of course!) and wasp grubs from the nest. The scientific name is Pernis apivorus. Pernes was apparently a name used for a bird of prey by Aristotle and apivorus is from the Latin for bee-eating. The shortened version of the genus, ‘Pern’ is an alternative English name, but have you ever heard anyone using that in real life?…

Find the location closest to your destination and add or subtract the hours and minutes from the high tide time at London Bridge, below. SOUTHWEST 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) StPeterPort (+4:53) Swanage (-5:19)* Portsmouth (-2:29) Southampton (-2:53) SOUTHEAST Ryde (-2:29) Brighton (-2:51) Eastbourne (-2:48) Dungeness (-3:05) Dover (-2:53) Margate (-1:52) HerneBay (-1:24) Southend-on-sea (-1:22) Clacton-on-sea (-2:00) EASTANGLIA FelixstowePier (-2:23) Aldeburgh (-2:53) Lowestoft (-4:23) Cromer (+4:56) Hunstanton (+4:44) WALES ColwynBay (-2:47) Holyhead (-3:28) Barmouth (-5:45) Aberystwyth (-6:11) Fishguard (+5:44) Swansea (+4:42) MilfordHaven (+4:37) Cardiff (+5:15) NORTHWEST Whitehaven (-2:30) Douglas (-2:44) Morecambe (-2:33) Blackpool (-2:50) NORTHEAST 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…

There are no rules to how you watch birds from your back window, but the following tips you may find useful. ● We should always record what we are seeing, and watching regularly from your back window will give you the opportunity to note all sorts of fascinating behaviour and detail. ● Set yourself challenges. How many birds can you see or hear in 10, 15 or 20 minutes? Can you identify all of the calls or songs that you hear? ● Take a timer or alarm with you. Birdwatching can be very absorbing and if you’re not careful you will soon lose track of time! ● We may be social distancing but that doesn’t mean that we can’t be social in sharing what we see. Take advantage of social…

It seems a little harsh to open an article about a bird by describing it as annoying, but if you try to find a Lesser Whitethroat, especially in springtime, you will quickly reach the same conclusion – it is annoying. The Lesser Whitethroat is also _ and this is quite unrelated – probably Michel Barnier’s favourite bird. You will find out why below. But let’s be honest. Looking for this enigmatic scrubby warbler is like pulling teeth, and it’s all because of a curious behavioural quirk. The song is super-distinctive, an oddly mechanical trill, so that’s great, and soon, to your delight, you can hear one. Your torture is just beginning. You walk over to the bush where the Lesser Whitethroat has been performing and – yes! – there it…

In March, Government body Natural England launched what they billed as the UK’s first ‘super’ National Nature Reserve on the heathland of Purbeck in Dorset. Some of the UK’s rarest wildlife stands to benefit. The Purbeck Heaths are among the country’s most biodiverse places – home to 450 species that are nationally rare, threatened or protected. Lying between the towns of Wareham and Swanage, the area hosts strong breeding populations of three quintessential lowland-heathland birds: Nightjar, Wood Lark and Dartford Warbler. All six native reptiles occur, including good numbers of Smooth Snake. Rare insects include Southern Damselfly and Silver-studded Blue butterfly, while scarce plants include Marsh Clubmoss and Lesser Butterfly Orchid. The new protection links 3,331 hectares (8,231 acres) of land – an area roughly the size of York –…

Mystery bird! Q While ‘self-isolating’, we went walking down by the River Ure, North Yorkshire (on April 12). There is a small pond hidden behind the footpath, with trees and bushes around. Among the birds seen was a pair Mandarins, Chiffchaff, Wood Warbler, Blackcap; and later on the footpath, Nuthatch, Treecreeper and Great Spotted Woodpecker. On the river were Sand Martins and Swallows. We had a bird count of 39 species. Find enclosed a bird we could not ID. Please could you help? Max Hipworth A Thanks for the email, Max, it sounds like a very productive walk. You have stumbled across one of the birds we get queries about most frequently in Q&A: the humble, understated Dunnock. They are particularly prominent in April, seemingly singing their cheerful little warble…

The ‘sea parrot’ is in trouble. So much so, it is now on the British Trust for Ornithology’s Red List for species of conservation concern in the UK, and was given ’vulnerable’ status in 2015 by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) when worldwide numbers seriously dropped over several decades. The Icelandic populations, for example, are massively struggling, with very low productivity for a sustained period of time, and populations further south could suffer in the future due to the threat from climate change and overfishing. Over-fishing has caused a disaster for the colony on Rost Island in Norway, with the country’s entire Puffin population dropping by a third compared to 30 years ago. The one place that appears to be bucking the trend is the National…

BLACK WHEATEAR The wheatear tribe consists of around 29 species. Formally grouped with the thrushes, popular thinking now places them with the Old World Flycatchers. The Black Wheatear is larger than our typical species, the (Northern) Wheatear, and it breeds on cliffs and rocky slopes in Iberia and western north Africa. There are also a few pairs in southern France. The males are black, only relieved by their white rump, lower belly undertail coverts and largely white tail, whereas females are browner. In Spain, it is a much sought-after species by visiting birders. There is a lot of suitable habitat for them yet, in some areas, they have become rather scarce. This species nests in holes in old buildings, walls and rock crevices and, like some other wheatears, they are…

CLOTHING Páramo Poncho £100 This poncho is designed for warm, wet places – the tropics for example. I took one to wet season Panama and put it through a fairly extreme test… Páramo’s Poncho packs down small – to about 18x11x6cm in its internal pocket, and weighs just 320g. The fabric is lightweight, tough, and windproof with a pump liner in the hood and shoulders. It comes in two sizes and is cut long, and longer at the back – you can wear one over a backpack. There’s plenty of side ventilation, and three colour-coded poppers down each side enable you to create simple ‘sleeves’. The hood is elasticated and has a short zip. Being Páramo, it comes with impressive ethics as standard – the water-repellency is PFC free,…

Remember twitching? Chasing rare birds around the country seems such an out of date concept, these days, doesn’t it? From the middle of March, owing to the country’s attempts to control COVID-19 (aka coronavirus) those who could work from home, started to work from home. And we were all advised to avoid travel away from our homes as much as possible. Contact with those outside the family was minimised, and driving to see rare birds was out of the equation. But, prior to mid-March, rare birds were found, of course, and indeed publicised. The story was against a background of uniformity, once again, with many of the rarest birds being also among the longest staying rarities. But there were some cracking newbies, too. First to hit the headlines was a…