Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2024 i Bird Watching

HAVE YOU SIGNED UP FOR 2024? #My200BirdYear challenge You might notice that this issue of Bird Watching is rather location-based. As well as our usual 10 new Go Birding site guides, and our free 24-page guide to birding around the world, our features take us to north Devon, Herefordshire, and that iconic spot for British rarity-hunters, Spurn. Read Paul Brook's article on the latter on page 32, though, and you'll realise that rarity hotspots are actually just bird hotspots – a visit there is just as enjoyable for the sheer range of species that you'll see, as it is for the likelihood of turning up a ‘mega’. On my own last visit there, I spent most of my time watching the flocks of waders milling around on the mud of…

twitter.com/BirdWatchingMag facebook.com/BirdWatchingMag RARITY RATINGS Common, widely distributed Localised – always a treat Very scarce or rare SHAG Famously, contrary to most birders’ expectations, there are about twice as many Shags nesting in the UK (c18,000 pairs) as Cormorants (c9,000 pairs). But they are largely coastal birds, so not so often seen by most of us as their larger cousins. Also, it is coming on winter, so it is less a question of the breeding pairs as the 110,000 individual Shags spread around our coasts. This is not an even spread, though, with more found off Scottish coasts, closer to where the birds nest. Shags are much smaller than Cormorants, with a correspondingly much finer bill. One tip for identifying them at sea is the little leap clear of the water…

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) Soutw-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…

Most of us know just how important gardens can be for birds, and broader biodiversity. Whether we have a large, mature green space or a small yard, there are many ways that we can manage these potential havens for the benefit of our local wildlife. Not only can these oases provide food and shelter for an array of invertebrates, birds, amphibians, and mammals, but they can also give many people access to nature where they may not otherwise be able to. And further to this, householders can provide us with invaluable data while enjoying the sights of their wild garden visitors. BTO has been running the year-round Garden BirdWatch scheme since 1995, and thousands of people across the UK contribute their sightings. By providing this information, birdwatchers can help us…

SET A TARGET OF SEEING 200 BIRDS IN ONE YEAR! 1 MIGRATING WILDFOWL While many of the wildfowl that arrive in the UK from the arctic turn up as early as September, by November they are moving further and further south in search of warmer weather, so look out for flyover flocks of geese (especially Pink-footed) and ‘wild’ swans (Whoopers and Bewick's), plus movements of ducks such as Wigeon in response to cold snaps. 2 DON'T DESPAIR! Some wintering species arrive later than others, especially those that travel from the east and stop off in continental Europe on the way, only finally arriving here when the weather gets really cold. So, if you're still waiting to see scarce Bewick's Swans, for example, don't give up – they can turn up late…

This month's challenge features one of those nice, vague categories of birds which, rather than being based on a particular taxonomic group, are based on the habitat in which they can be found. That habitat is even more woolly, being ‘open country’. This, of course, covers a large chunk of the sort of countryside that we are used to in the UK, which when not woodland or wetlands, is largely what could be described as open country: farmland, fields, moors and heaths and their ilk. The game is to identify and put a name to the birds of open country featured in the six photographs on this page. As is always the case in ID Challenge, when you are more or less happy with your answers, then simply turn the…

In association with os.uk/osm MAX MILES ON FOOT: 7.5 MIN TIME: 4 HOURS Waterfalls and upland birds in beautiful Swaledale At times lush and green, and at others rocky and rugged, this part of the northern Yorkshire Dales is a place of open moors, valleys with clear rivers and streams, pockets of woodland, rolling hills and picturesque waterfalls. It's also one of the few places in Yorkshire where you might find Black Grouse. This isn't a one-bird show, though – with luck and good timing you might see Hen Harriers, Short-eared Owls, Ring Ouzels and Ravens. PAUL BROOK WHERE TO WATCH 1 Start your walk in the attractive village of Keld and take a short detour to admire Wain Wath Falls before taking the Tan Hill road (Stonesdale Lane), then…

In association with os.uk/osm MAX MILES ON FOOT: 4 MIN TIME: 2 HOURS Immerse yourself in atmospheric ancient woodland Roughly three miles west of Shaftesbury, Duncliffe Wood cuts a striking silhouette as it rises over Dorset's Blackmore Vale. Sprawling across an old hill fort, the Beeches, ancient oaks, Hazel, and Small-leaved Limes ooze an ancient atmosphere. Red Kites circle above the Woodland Trust reserve, as the persistent calls of Nuthatches ring out along the rides and Jays cackle in the canopy. With four waymarked routes cutting through this SNCI site, there are plenty of ways to explore one of Dorset's oldest, and largest, woodlands. Just don't forget your walking boots – it's a bit of a muddy one! JENI BELL WHERE TO WATCH 1 The long track leading to the…

Q While birding on Menorca I came across this Nightjar and cannot be sure if it is Eurasian or Red-necked, which are both recorded on the island. Looking at the Collins Bird Guide it seems to show the Red-necked as having more white, equal wing bars, as in the photo, but I can't determine the rusty red neck band. The bird was roosting close to the coast in a pine forest. The bird had slightly open eyes and seems to show characteristics of both species. Any help would be much appreciated. Adrian Collinge A Finding any nightjar during the day is always tricky, so well done in seeing and photographing this bird. We agree with you, Adrian, that the even spacing of the rows of pale feather tips on the…

When it comes to photographing nature, I tend to be a loner most of the time and, for a lot of the photographers I know, this seems to the same for them, too. I guess it has something to do with that need for the peace and solitude that nature invites, and the tendency for it to favour life's introverts. And when we are on our own, we are free to follow our own agenda without the need for compromise or distraction. However, there is a danger that extended periods of isolation from others can lead to the suffocation of our creativity and a pause in its development. I go through times when I think my photography is becoming stuck in a rut, and I need to change something to…

OAKLORE BY JULES ACTON GREYSTONE BOOKS, HB, £18.99 With a plethora of nature books around, it can be very easy to miss a gem. And a gem is what Oaklore is. This is a very delightful delve into the world of the oak tree (or, more accurately, our two native oaks, Pedunculate and Sessile), and it uncovers a wealth of information that will keep you engaged from first to last. Just about everything is here, from biology to culture to history, plus a small dollop of narrative field trips and interviews. You'll dip into the intimate association between Blue Tits, moths and oaks one moment, then it's fungi, then Shakespeare's witches in Macbeth, then a visit to the Young People's Forest, and so on. You get the idea. There is…

I had a Nirvana moment a couple of months ago. Today At Wimbledon had just finished on the television. The last of the Centre Court cognoscenti were wiping strawberry juice off their shirts and looking forward to a few more weeks of ‘game, set and match’. On the other channel, Monty Don was in full flow, nurturing something with a Latin name and almost wistfully cutting the hair of an unfortunate lavender bush. High times indeed for the grass court pundits and the Hampton Court wannabes. But, as I sat outside in my garden in the late evening, and looked up to see Swallows darting over the rooftops, and flocks of Jackdaws returning from the fields, I found that I wasn't lamenting the speed at which summer was passing by.…

Using a headnet Some people cope with bushflies better than others. These flies are an irritant rather than dangerous but, if they get to you, use a headnet. I used my binoculars and camera through the headnet (try dropping the eyecups down a bit) and ‘smuggled’ food and drink in under the net. It's best to lift the net to blow your nose, though… Snakes, spiders, crocodiles and Spinifex On a trip like this, with plenty of off-piste birding, you might imagine frequent encounters with dangerous wildlife. I saw one crocodile – a fairly distant Freshwater Crocodile – these are not people-eaters. I did see some spiders, but nothing particularly large. I only saw one snake. It was one of the Brown Snakes, and they are very venomous. But there…

Dominic Couzens: “It's Sanderling, because they run very fast and lack a hind toe.” Amanda Tuke: “My (new) favourite winter wader is the Purple Sandpiper, which I saw this year for the first time on an Aberdeen jetty.” Simone Stanbrook-Byrne: “Avocets, for their striking elegance. I look forward to seeing them on the Exe estuary every winter.” Paul Brook: “Sanderlings – the wind-up toy waders of the shore. I associate them with walks on the beach at Filey.” …and the Bird Watching team's answers Matt Merritt: “The Curlew. The highlight of a winter day on the coast for me.” Mike Weedon: “The Bar-tailed Godwit has been one of my favourite waders for about as long as I can remember!” Cover pic: Turnstone IVAN KUZMIN/ALAMY…

In every issue of BW we have a little crack at guessing which extreme ‘mega’ rarities may appear during the month in question. Here are our ‘guesses’ for November. BRÜNNICH'S GUILLEMOT This arctic breeding auk is a very rare visitor to British waters, with fewer than 60 accepted records, many of which were of moribund birds. And half a dozen of these were from the exceptional late November influx of 2022. Look for a dark-headed, thick-billed version of a Guillemot. BAIKAL TEAL An Asian duck species with a history of rejection by the BBRC, there have only been about 15 accepted records of Baikal Teal in the UK. ID is not the problem, proving provenance is, with some individuals dismissed as likely escapes. NORTHERN HARRIER This North American equivalent of…

BRITAIN'S GOT TALONS Moths’ common names are often very good indeed: one understated example is Sprawler, which typically rests with forelegs stretched out so that it is, well, sprawling. But that's not the best thing about this autumn flyer. It has a black talon on each foreleg. Just one – but that is one more than any other moth. Its purpose remains enigmatic. Despite trawling the literature, I still have not the faintest reason why! BUG British bugs The mirid bugs are a saviour for insect lovers, as they are active year-round – so are worth looking for on mild November days or nights. Although the handful of British species pose considerable identification difficulties, this one is probably Lygus pratensis. Formerly a rare species of southern England, it is now…

30-MINUTE BIRDER I can't remember when I first saw thermal imaging videos on BBC Springwatch, but I do recall an amazing clip of a field edge lit with the white silhouettes of Badgers, Foxes and Rabbits, as well as a feature about the use of thermal imaging to help in ringing Jack Snipe. There's barely a US action film these days that doesn't have a night-time raid with thermal imaging goggles, but I haven't let that put me off and at intervals, I've wondered whether this could be a birdwatching game changer. Fast forward to July this year, and at Global Bird Fair I'm listening to Paul (Hoppy) Hopgood explaining how the West Midlands Bird Ringing group use thermal imaging, day and night, for both ringing and surveys. Of course!…

A tidal island with a wide variety of birdlife In association with os.uk/osm MAX MILES ON FOOT: 3 MIN TIME: 3 HOURS Erraid is a tidal island approximately one mile square, lying west of Mull and south-east of Iona. The island receives about 1,000mm of rain and 1,350 hours of sunshine annually, making it one of the driest and sunniest places on the western seaboard of Scotland. It presently is used as a retreat by the Findhorn Foundation. JOHN MILES WHERE TO WATCH 1 Make your way along the only road that leads to this part of the mainland of Mull, checking out the wilds around you for species like Hen Harrier, Short-eared Owl, Buzzard and Golden Eagle. The lambing fields are ideal for Lapwing and Curlew, while breeding Golden…

In association with os.uk/osm MAX MILES ON FOOT: 1 MIN TIME: 2 HOURS A wildlife haven close to the edge of town This small reserve of five hectares, which sits between the A1060 and the River Stort, is managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust. The site was formerly riverside meadows and then a pumping station for a sewage works until the 1950s. Still owned by Thames Water, the site then became a nature reserve. Rushy Mead, as per its name, is a small nature reserve that is comprised of sedge and reedbeds with water near to the surface all year. There are also ditches, mature woodland, scrubland as well as the adjacent River Stort providing further opportunities for birding. The site is a fantastic haven for birds all year round…

GET IN TOUCH birdwatching@bauermedia.co.uk facebook.com/BirdWatchingMag twitter.com/BirdWatchingMag Bird Watching, Media House, Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6EA Gull leg colour I'm a relatively inexperienced birdwatcher but I noted what may have been an error in the October issue of your excellent magazine. In your article ‘Five Commonest Gulls’ (BW October 2024, Your Birding Month, p13), you stated that the Great Black-backed Gull has yellow legs, but I think this may be incorrect. I have always relied on quick identification of them against Lesser Black-backed Gulls, by (apart from size) what I thought are the dull pink legs of the Great Black-backed Gull. Maybe at some stage of their life their legs are not fleshy coloured. Please can you clarify this? Jerry Edey The editor says: You are quite right about the leg…

DOMINIC COUZENS ON THE… It's storm season, when a decent westerly gale brings waifs and strays onshore, giving birders the chance to see some special oceanic birds. One of these is the wondrously charismatic Grey Phalarope. What you are less likely to see at this season is a storm-blown Red-necked Phalarope, despite the fact that this phalarope breeds in Britain and in much of Fenno-Scandia and Iceland. This is for the most mind-boggling of reasons. Tracking studies have found that the Red-necked Phalarope follows two different migratory pathways, one absurd and the other utterly bonkers. The Swedish birds migrate across the Eurasian continent and down to the Arabian Sea in the Indian Ocean, where they spend the winter far out to sea, having travelled 6,000km one way. The second pathway…

DAVID LINDO THE URBAN BIRDER There is one bird that I would give anything to discover in the British Isles. It is not some wayward gem like a Siberian Rubythroat, nor even an amazing – and equally unlikely – first for Britain, like the Lapland Bunting's Nearctic cousin, the Smith's Longspur, nor a major prize in the shape of a Steller's Sea Eagle from north-eastern Asia. As much as being incredible birds to bump into, you probably have already guessed that I am after finding the legendary Eskimo Curlew. Just imagine being the person to find this species. Imagine being hoisted upon the shoulders of joyous twitchers and your name being etched into the annals of birding folklore! Yes, roll over, Ivory-billed Woodpecker and take a walk, Pink-headed Duck; out…

PATCH DIARY On Saturday, 28 September, I had taken a trip out to good old Deeping Lakes LWT, just north of Peterborough, beside the River Welland. The river is narrow and shallow there, and has enough fish to keep Otters, egrets and grebes happy. And, just over the river bank, in the south-east corner of the reserve is the ‘east pit’, the shallowest of the two main pits. The east pit is nearly always the place to watch, yet most visitors drive along the track, past 1,000 birds, and up to the car park to walk their kids or dogs, and never look at a bird. I was looking north, enjoying the spread of ducks and geese, egrets, Lapwings and Snipe from the little east screen on the south of…

NEWS & OPINION Back in lockdown, I kept a diary. Inevitably, my tiny yard featured heavily. After all, where else could I go? I'm a gardener, albeit a bit of a fair weather one; when the wind blows my arthritis in the wrong direction, there can be weeks of neglect. When most of your garden is hundreds of planters, you water, or the garden dies. Conscious of climate change and local extinctions, I've catered for a Mediterranean climate and bee-friendly planting. Salvias and lavender, Osteospermums and silvery leaf things abound. Shady damp corners are piled up with dead wood and debris for nesting bumblebees. We even put out shallow trays for insects to drink from, and there are seven ‘bee-houses’ spread around the yard. As we couldn't go out birding,…

Amanda meets Ben Dolan of the Marsh-Award-winning West Midlands Ringing Group (which pioneered the use of thermal imaging in ringing and surveys) and hears that the magic hasn't worn off. Here's what he had to say… “Back in 2016, Paul (Hopgood) and I were scanning Marsh Lane Nature Reserve near Birmingham Airport for Lapwing chicks to ring, and in 20 minutes only found three. We wondered if using daytime thermal imaging might help, and when we returned with the equipment, we found 28 chicks in 20 minutes, as well as eggs and adult birds. Then, in three subsequent sessions, we totalled 98 chicks, with much reduced disturbance as we could see where the birds were, and spent less time in the field (which is always an important consideration for ringers…

River meadows and pools provide year-round interest In association with os.uk/osm MAX MILES ON FOOT: 2 MIN TIME: 3 HOURS This ancient meadow is a great site all year round, but access is restricted during the growing season (late April to July). A winter visit can be very productive, while passage periods will mean all sorts of species dropping in. MATT MERRITT WHERE TO WATCH 1 Look for migrant waders here, as you follow the path away from Lower House Farm. 2 Close to the river, listen and look for Kingfisher, Snipe, plus a variety of wildfowl on the water. Expect Grey Heron and Little Egret, too. 3 In winter, you may get raptors such as Peregrine and Merlin hunting here, while Sand Martins next in the river banks, and…

THULE OUTSET TOWBAR TENT, £3,499.99 It sits on the towbar, is up in minutes, is raised off the ground, and can be detached from your car and locked once it's set up. It takes just one person to stick it on the towbar and the Outset has little impact on fuel/battery consumption. Inside, there's a 7cm thick mattress for comfort and there are big doors and windows to let air in and let you see the view – you could be birdwatching from your bed. Weighs 70kg. thule.com TENBA SOLSTICE V2 16L SLING BAG, £140 With a sling bag you get the “carrying comfort and support of a backpack” with the “quick camera access of a shoulder bag”. This one is good for a mirrorless/DSLR camera with up to six…

SOUTH WEST Highlights In association with A dark-morph Booted Eagle was seen over the Nanquidno Valley, Cornwall, on 2nd. An adventurous expedition to the shelf edge, 160-180 miles SW of Scilly produced a potential first for the UK Desertas Petrel, plus possible Madeiran Storm Petrel, Little Shearwater and hundreds of Wilson's Petrels. A Little Crake was seen at Cotswold Water Park, Wiltshire. AVON CLEVEDON TO WESTON-SUPER-MARE: Two Grey Plovers passed Sand Point (21st) and Ringed Plover counts reached 500. Sand Bay logged three Bar-tailed Godwits (21st), Ruff, Curlew Sandpipers, 20 Sanderlings, three Little Stints and four Greenshanks. Uphill had 100 Knot (24th) and 10 Black-tailed Godwits (25th). Clevedon-Yeo produced four Sanderlings, a Little Stint and a Bar-tailed Godwit. Sand Point and Clevedon-Yeo each had a Wryneck. Sand Point logged a…

Long-term readers with a good memory will know that I've been birdwatching in Australia before. My first trip took me to the tropical top end of the Northern Territory. Think Rainbow Pitta, out-of-a-paintbox Gouldian Finches and plenty of crocodiles. Head north from there for Indonesia. My second trip took me to South Australia – around Adelaide and Kangaroo Island. Look south from Kangaroo Island and the next stop is Antarctica, with more than 2,000 miles of Southern Ocean in between. But Australia is a very big country and there's plenty more to see… the arid interior, for example. It's September 2023. I'm a guest of Bellbird Birding Tours and the South Australia Tourism Commission, joining a Bellbird group to head into the interior. This is a road trip in two…