Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2022 i Bird Watching

twitter.com/BirdWatchingMag facebook.com/BirdWatchingMag RARITY RATINGS 1 CORMORANT Shy and reptilian, the Cormorant is one of those birds which birders tend to ignore. This is a shame, as they are wonderful, fascinating, rather handsome birds. Part of the reason we tend not to spend too much time enjoying Cormorants is their perceived abundance, compared with, say, the Shag. Would it increase birders’ interest if they realised that there are three times as many breeding Shags as Cormorants in the UK, or that there are three times the numbers of wintering Shags as wintering Cormorants? If you thought otherwise (most of us do), it is because we see far more Cormorants inland, whereas Shags are coastal birds. Check out a Cormorant’s emerald eye, this month! 2 HOODED CROW The Hooded Crow is a…

Find the location closest to your destination and add on 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 (-1:22) Clacton-on-sea (-2:00) EAST ANGLIA Felixstowe Pier (-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…

So, another year begins, after a 2021 that once again provided us all with constant challenges in our personal and work lives. But, as in 2020, we know from what many of you have told us that birdwatching has played a big part in getting you through the difficult times in 2021, by providing a focus for exercise, a connection with nature, with all the rewards that brings, and a sense of achievement at a time of almost overwhelming circumstances. We hope that, again, our #My200BirdYear challenge played its part. Many of you reached the 200 species mark despite there still being restrictions on travel – WELL DONE! That’s even more of an achievement than it would be normally, because recording 200 species is never easy. The beauty of #My200BirdYear,…

POSTCODE: ST19 9LX GRID REF: SJ 870 098 MAPS: OS Explorer 242, OS Landranger 127 PARKING: There is a car park available (combination locked) to permit holding members of the West Midland Bird Club. TERRAIN: Good surfaced paths along the western section of the reservoir. No access to the north shoreline or along the dam ACCESS: Open all year round to permit holders of the West Midland Bird Club. However, group bookings are available (see www.westmidlandbirdclub.org.uk FACILITIES: Toilet in the car park. Hides with a lock code…

Deceased diver Q I came across this sorry sight on the south coast of Cornwall on 11 December. I am fairly confident it is one of the diver species that winter here, but I am struggling to pin down which one it might be. If you could shed any light on the identity of this unfortunate bird it would be most appreciated. Many thanks for your help. Kit Williams A You are right, Kit, in saying this sadly deceased bird is a diver. And we can go further and say it is a Great Northern Diver. The powerful, dagger-like, pale blue-grey bill with a dark upperside (culmen) is the main giveaway. But so is the black- and-white plumage (the smaller-billed Black-throated Diver has a grey and white front end, with…

DAVID LINDO THE URBAN BIRDER Well, we have ‘go-away’ birds, which are species of African turacos, so it would seem only natural to have a species with ‘welcome’ in its name. Enter the Welcome Swallow. This attractive swallow gets its name not for its charming and hospitable bedside manner, but for the jubilation felt each spring by the citizens of southern Australia when the first arriving birds swoop in. The other, more dramatic, explanation for their name emanates from tales of the sailors of yesteryear celebrating the notion that land was not far away after seeing the swallows. However, if you saw a migrating swallow while lolling on a shipwreck languishing, unbeknown to you, in the middle of the sea, then you may be a little bit disappointed. Welcome Swallows…

What you wear on your feet when you’re birdwatching is a matter of personal preference. When it’s very wet or muddy, wellies or deluxe-wellies may be the order of the day. At other times you might prefer a walking boot. With the Chinese-made Apex Lace-Ups you get a bit of both… These boots are a rubber and neoprene combo - a rubber ‘shoe’ and sole and a neoprene tongue, ankle collar and lining. There are two pairs of ‘speed hooks’ at the top end of the lacing which makes getting them on and off easier and a reflective pull-tab at the rear which helps when you’re pulling them on. I could do without ‘reflective’ but that’s a minor quibble. The Apex Lace-Ups are a quality product. They are fairly substantial…

Ruth Miller: I fancy seeing an Ivory Gull in 2022. It’s a beautiful, enigmatic Arctic rarity and would grace any coast in Britain. David Lindo: My current bogey bird is the Red-flanked Bluetail, but my destiny is to find one myself. Amanda Tuke: Definitely Waxwing, which I’ve invested more time in trying and failing to see than any other species. Neil English: Kingfisher: though quite common. I would love to see one up close in all its glory!…

Here is our monthly ‘educated guess’ about which extreme rarities could appear at this time of year. Find one of these and we will give you all the glory (as long as you give us some credit for the prediction). EYEBROWED THRUSH There were at least two Eyebrowed Thrushes in the UK in 2021, one in Kent in February (suppressed because of Covid restrictions) and one in the Highlands in November (just very elusive). What chance that the Highland bird is still around into February? There have only been about 25 UK records, so it would be great if it is… AMERICAN COOT Since the UK’s first in 1996, at Stodmarsh, Kent, there have only been 11 accepted occurrences of American Coot in the UK (plus a few pending including…

The Ecological Police are a unit of the National Panama Police. They are in charge of ensuring the safety of all of Panama’s protected areas. Every day, they walk hundreds of miles patrolling during day and night, in order to fight against illegal hunting and deforestation, contamination, and more recently, performing wildlife rescues of injured animals. Panama is a small, poor country. Tourism is a big earner of Dollars and Euros, but that is only part of the motivation. Like neighbouring Costa Rica, it is understood that happiness and conservation are intimately linked. The happiest countries in the world also have the most national parks as a proportion of their land. So, what do we do, one of the world’s richest countries? The answer is: ‘not a lot!’ The very…

Okay, I’ll admit it. I thought I’d never see the day that I would proclaim to the world that I’m hooked on birding! I mean, after spending many decades behind a telescope, staring at interesting objects in the night sky, it never dawned on me that I would occupy my days sauntering through the countryside, watching birds, but that’s exactly what happened. What’s more, I discovered that many of the core skills instilled in me during my astronomical forays would also come in useful while learning the art of studying birds. To see why, read on! Get geared up Like amateur astronomy, acquiring decent equipment is a good first step to enjoying the hobby. I learned that, just as in astronomy, you should try to acquire the best possible equipment…

It’s no accident that the view from our holiday cottage window is as good, if not better, than from some bird hides nearer home. At low tide, there’s a rocky foreshore below the window, a shingle bank half a kilometre away in the middle of the estuary, and then, in the distance, mudflats in front of sand dunes. A Little Egret returns to the same rock pool every day, as soon as it’s exposed. Balancing on one leg, it uses its other yellow foot to riffle the mud, and then picks through the silty soup for food. Curlews patrol the water’s edge, but are the first to go when dog walkers appear. The bolder Oystercatchers are finally spooked when a Peregrine wheels along the water’s edge, and they scatter, signalling…

GET IN TOUCH birdwatching@bauermedia.co.uk facebook.com/BirdWatchingMag twitter.com/BirdWatchingMag Bird Watching, Media House, Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6EA I did it my way I have subscribed to your magazine for many years and watched it grow under a number of editors. 2021 is the first year I have signed up to ‘My 200 Bird Year’, but with a bit of a twist to suit my circumstances, as you state we can be flexible and make our own rules. My Aims: To see more than 100 species and complete more than 100 Bird Track lists. My limitations: Walks limited to 1 hr to 1hr 30 minutes at a slow pace on flattish ground. Only binoculars carried on walks, as I cannot cope with a tripod and scope in addition to a walking pole. Over…

How tidy are you? It’s not really something that I can be accused of, I’m more a “it may look messy from the outside, but I know where everything is” kind of person. Give me a minute and under that pile of books I know I will find the essential item I’m looking for. Some people, however, prefer or maybe need total order and tidiness in their lives. While I might aspire to that in the office, I’m not sure that tidiness has a place outdoors in the wild. Nature is constantly sprouting and shifting, and that naturally creates a degree of untidiness. However, there are those who carry their desire for straight lines and control over wildlife out into the garden and beyond. From my fourth floor flat, I…

The thought of entering a photo competition can be a little daunting at first, and last month I gave you a taste of what to expect if you don’t approach it with a positive attitude. Many people will tell you that a photo competition is simply a lottery, and in many ways, this is true. Photography is subjective, and what one judge likes on one day, another may not, and vice versa. However, there are things that you can do to load the dice in your favour, so let’s take a look at some of my dos and don’ts. Let’s start with the dos: The most important thing is to do your research before you even start thinking about image selection. Different competitions have an emphasis on different styles of…

TENBA BYOB 13 CAMERA INSERT, £42 The Bring Your Own Bag range can turn a favourite bag - one that doesn’t look like a camera bag perhaps - into a camera bag. The BYOB 13 is good for a mirrorless or DSLR camera, 3-5 lenses and other bits and bobs. Its mouldable, so can sit inside various bags, is water-repellent, and its side mesh pockets will take a water bottle. A removable shoulder strap enables you to carry it on its own if you want to. Inner: 33Wx23Hx13D; Outer 34Wx24Hx14D (cm). 450g. uk.tenba.com CRAGHOPPERS WHITLAW HALF-ZIP FLEECE, £60 If you have, or would like, a retro-look, this might pique your interest. The Whitlaw was added to Craghoppers’ range in November - about 23 bottles are recycled to make each one.…

FEBRUARY BIRD OF THE MONTH BRAMBLING Imagine you are out near dusk, and a neat murmuration of a couple of thousand Starlings appears. Beautiful, evocative. Now imagine the flock is 20,000: impressive, spectacular. But the really amazing Starling murmurations contain 10 times even that amount. Now we are talking 200,000 Starlings, each demanding a free Bill Oddie to conduct the proceedings. But what if the flock were two million strong, or five million. That is the estimated size of the mega-flocks of Bramblings which have occurred in Slovenia in recent years. Shocking, isn’t it? Of course, we don’t get such concentrated and vast numbers in the UK, and you are lucky to see a flock of more than 100 Bramblings. Numbers of these gorgeous northern finches vary greatly in the…

I love Short-eared Owls. Then again, everyone does. Unless you are a vole. And even if you were a vole, you would probably have a sneaky admiration for the enemy. Although, now I think about it, you would probably be blissfully unaware that owls even exist, up to and including the moment of your sudden, violent death. Like all owls, they are beautiful, but they do themselves extra favours in the popularity stakes by frequently being active during the day, allowing us owl-lovers to get a really good look at them. And the additions of bright yellow eyes and long, ‘stiff’ wings giving them a delightful, buoyant flight, elevate Shorties above the rest. Having said everyone loves Short-eared Owls, I did have a friend whose mother hated (feared?) all owls…

Corn Crake numbers Corn Crake numbers in Scotland are continuing to decline, an RSPB Scotland survey has revealed. In 2021, only 850 calling males were recorded across the 16 areas in the country where they’re usually found, down from 870 in 2019. It continues the overall worrying downward trend since the record high of 1,289 calling males in 2014. In the Inner Hebrides, the population has plummeted by 12.2 % from 2019 but in the Outer Hebrides numbers are up by 9.9 %. Young birder award Fifteen-year-old Corin Woodhead, from Scotland, was named Martin Garner Spurn Young Birder of the Year in the senior category, and 10-year-old Levi Gravett in the junior category, ahead of four other young finalists (two in each category) and 15 young birders who entered this…

4 Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (again)! Using what you have to make something new is environmentally responsible and fulfilling. Iona made her first bird box from wood taken from bunk beds when they were separated into two single beds. Why not make 2022 the year that you give some spare wood a new lease of life as a bird box? What you need • A plank of wood approximately 15-18mm thick, 150mm wide, and at least 1,330mm (133cm) long • Ruler • Pencil • Saw • Sandpaper • Drill • Circular drill bit with the appropriate diameter (32mm for House sparrows and Nuthatches, 28mm for Great Tits and Tree Sparrows, 25mm for Coal, Marsh and Blue Tits) – Iona used a 32mm bit 4mm drill bit for hanging hole and drainage…

This month’s ID Challenge was inspired by a trip BW assistant editor Mike Weedon took to his local country park, Ferry Meadows, in Peterborough, on one sunny day in the autumn. There are three main lakes in the centre of the park, the smallest and shallowest of which (Lynch Lake) is often packed with feeding ducks (and Coots, Moorhens and gulls), which can be remarkably tame, so are great for photography. Five of the upending dabbling ducks here were photographed on that trip. To make this less troublesome, all the birds featured are drakes (male ducks), so are a little easier to identify than ducks (female ducks). As usual, the challenge is to put a name to the birds in the photographs. When you are happy with your answers, turn…

MORE SITES For a full list of the sites we’ve featured, go to birdwatching.co.uk/gbindex COLLECT & KEEP Every month we bring you 10 more sites to build up your GO BIRDING collection ARGYLL MAX MILES ON FOOT: 5 MIN TIME: 4 HOURS CARRADALE Don’t miss out on this hidden gem of Kintyre Carradale is one of those out of way places most birdwatchers miss. Found well down the Kintyre Peninsula, there’s a road running north and south, but other connections are hard to make. This east side of the peninsula looks out onto Arran, though, with good seawatching potential out across the water. JOHN MILES WHERE TO WATCH 1 The car park at Torrisdale gives great views out into Carradale Bay. Look out for seabirds moving and check the broadleaved…

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 Moorhen by Kevin Bowers Camera: Nikon D850 Lens: 600mm, Shutter Speed: 1/1,600 sec Aperture: f/6.3 ISO: 800 2 Robin by Derek Pike Camera: Nikon D7500 Lens: 600mm, Shutter Speed: 1/500 sec Aperture: f/6.3 ISO: 500 3 Snipe by Ray Parker Camera: Canon Powershot SX70 HS Lens: 150mm, Shutter Speed: 1/320 sec Aperture: f/5.6 ISO: 100 4 Black-tailed Godwit by Peter Ham Camera: Canon EOS R5 Lens: 500mm, Shutter Speed: 1/3,200 sec Aperture: f/7.1 ISO: 1,000 WE LOVE… …the drama of the battle between the two godwits is almost tangible…

BOOK OF THE MONTH THE LARGEST AVIAN RADIATION EDITED BY JON FJELDSÅ, LES CHRISTIDIS & PER GP ERICSON, LYNX EDICIONS, HB, £59.99 Subtitled The Evolution of Perching Birds, or the Order Passeriformes, this book may seem a bit scary at first sight, but in terms of evolutionary understanding, it will be a benchmark for many years to come. Passerines are the birds that make up the latter half of most field guides. These perching birds number more than 6,200 species in almost 140 different families, many of which are obscure and you won’t ever see, unless you travel widely. One of the facts here that fascinated me was that these passerines originated at a very early stage after a worldwide catastrophe had wiped out most life on Earth, including the…

SOUTH WEST In association with Highlights The rarest birds in the region were concentrated in Cornwall, this month, with a Brünnich’s Guillemot close in past St Agnes Head, on 26th and a White’s Thrush which died when it hit a window at Mawnan Smith (12th). Even rarer, was a possible Naumann’s Thrush with Redwings at Zennor (25th); one that got away... AVON CLEVEDON TO WESTON-SUPER-MARE: Clevedon-Yeo had three Brent Geese, a Black-throated Diver (7th), Shag (9th), two Jack Snipe, a Bar-tailed Godwit (2nd), two Cattle Egrets, a Marsh Harrier, Short-eared Owl, Merlin, Wheatear (7th), Ring Ouzel (10th) and Richard’s Pipit (16th). The River Yeo held two Whooper Swans, a Red-breasted Merganser (22nd), 20 Grey Plovers and a Little Stint. Shelducks on the Axe Estuary peaked at 577. Nine Goosanders returned…