Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2024 i Bird Watching

What’s your favourite winter passerine? Ian Parsons: “For me, it has to be the Fieldfare. Hearing that chuckling call is always special.” Amanda Tuke: “I don't feel it’s properly winter until I’ve seen a flock of Lesser Redpolls in the south of England. Such characterful little birds.” Stuart Winter: “Nothing starts or closes the day more joyously than the round-the-clock winter song of our dear Robin.” Ruth Miller: “My favourite winter passerine is Snow Bunting; we regularly see a few of these beauties in North Wales each year.”…

So, we are reaching the end of another marathon. A second and last chance to connect with the birds which are truly winter visitors to the country, and with some that may have eluded you in the warmer months. twitter.com/BirdWatchingMag facebook.com/BirdWatchingMag RARITY RATINGS Common, widely distributed Localised – always a treat Very scarce or rare WATER RAIL This delightful little bird is notorious for being heard but rarely seen, living most of its life concealed within reedbeds. Presumably, the loud calls are because the birds are also hidden from each other behind the reeds, so need to turn up the volume to make contact. Water Rail sounds include whistles, squeals and grunts (often with a high note above a lower grunt), as well as sharp ‘tic’ calls somewhat like Coot…

FIELDCRAFT ‘Old fashioned’ sewage farms, with settling ponds etc, are often significantly warmer in winter than the surrounding area. Hence, they attract a higher amount of insect life. And insects bring birds, particularly small, insect-eating birds. So, such sites are very much worth checking in winter for birds such as wintering Chiffchaffs, including the scarce Siberian Chiffchaff (or perhaps even rarer warblers). Wagtails (including Grey Wagtails; left) and Green Sandpipers, as well as gulls, also like these sewage farms and perhaps you may find a wintering Black Redstart.…

PATCH DIARY We are coming to the end of another year, another era, another year list. In my local extended patch of choice, which you will know is the Peterborough Bird Club recording area (PBC area), it has been an extraordinary year. Owing largely to exceptional rainfall and subsequent flooding early in the year, it has been exceptional for the likes of wildfowl and waders around here. It is still the first week of November, so there is still ‘plenty’ of time to go; my PBC year list currently stands at 193 species (or 192 if you take off Green-winged Teal which appears destined for official ‘lumping’). That means I am just a couple (or three) shy of my all-time best yearly total of 195, from both 2021 and 2018…

NEWS & OPINION I was watering our roof terrace containers… (I’ll stop swanking, we live on a hill and our sunken garage roof is fenced in and tiled.) As I turned back toward our mini-yard, the sentinel arrived. You may recall that this year’s Blackbird has been tipping the wink when urban tigers threaten the peace of our oasis. He’s becoming quite tame; when Hawkeye scatters meal worms under the bushes he runs past her feet to binge. Tame enough to watch her from four feet away, but he flies off if she throws him a titbit. Lately, he’s been followed by his lad, who dad is still feeding, despite him being be a well grown teenager. Dad flew past me to the foot of the feeders, where he generally…

When I meet up with Esther, the first thing I ask her is whether she is still caring for rescue corvids in her Aberdeen home, as she describes in her book Corvus. “Sadly, Chick [her Rook] passed away a few years ago at the age of 31”, she tells me. “But I still have Zik, a crow I’ve had since 2007 after he’d suffered a head injury and couldn’t survive in the wild”. As is clear in her books, Esther is fascinated by human-animal relationships. “While reading the science about corvid intelligence is fascinating, living alongside corvids, as I have, helps give you an insight into the complexity of the way they think,” she tells me. Esther and I share an interest in the way we interact with nature, in…

A grainy photograph of a flighty flycatcher at rest after hurry-scurry sorties among wispy trees has been a baffling conundrum for years. Chequerboard patterning across the wings should have provided tell-tale identification clues, but there was nothing black-and-white about this mystery bird. All the wing bars and tertial fringes in abstract, monochrome arrangements were as illegible as ancient hieroglyphs to unseasoned eyes. Over time, the image has remained perched weightily on my shoulders, an unsolved case branded “Ficedula sp.” in a notebook used for a trip to Israel, punctuated with a question mark. Ficedula flycatchers are an enduring perplexity for many. Brightly marked spring males of the handful of species and subspecies found across Europe are regarded as supernova birds. Cryptically plumaged females and immatures have reputations as identification black…

In association with MAX MILES ON FOOT: 2 MIN TIME: 3 HOURS Fenham Flats is one of the most underwatched sites in Northumberland, and an excellent vantage point on a rising tide during autumn and winter, giving great views of waders and wildfowl. It is the wintering ground of pale-bellied Brent Geese, Short-eared Owls, Wigeon, Pintail and Merlin, plus a small flock of Whooper Swans often turn up. The double decked hide gives 360-degree views of the whole site. However, there is a potential high risk of disturbance if people stray away from the hide and sheltered area. There is access to the western bay only between the months of June and July when the England Coastal path is diverted behind the hide giving good views of sea ducks. WHERE…

In association with MAX MILES ON FOOT: 1 MIN TIME: 2 HOURS The churchyard of St Andrew in Bramfield has recently become well known in birding circles as an exciting hotspot for Hawfinches during the winter, where these passerines favour the Yew trees in the grounds for their seeds. Bramfield is a small village in Hertfordshire in the heart of the countryside between Hertford, Stevenage and Welwyn Garden City. However, there are plenty of other species to be seen in the surrounding area. A short walk around the village and surrounding mature and mixed woodlands can tick off a reasonable number of birds off your year list. WHERE TO WATCH 1 Start your walk at the churchyard, which is the Hawfinch hotspot, particularly around the Yew trees, in the winter…

GET IN TOUCH birdwatching@bauermedia.co.uk facebook.com/BirdWatchingMag twitter.com/BirdWatchingMag Bird Watching, Media House, Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6EA Red in bill and claw Your article on Arctic Skuas in the October issue reminded me of an encounter I was amazed to see at the mouth of the river Spey this summer. This Great Skua drowned a young black-backed gull then started to eat it quite close to shore. I watched it for about an hour. Nature can be brutal, but everything has to eat. James Officer Geography lesson In his interesting article entitled Wildlife along the Wall (BW, October 2024), John Miles writes “Hadrian’s Wall… runs across the narrowest part of Britain, covering 73 miles…”. This is, however, not correct, as the shortest distance between Britain’s west and east coasts lies north of…

One of the things I love most about photography is its ability to capture things that the human eye can’t see. When it comes to photographing birds, and most other forms of fast-moving wildlife, most would default to using a fast shutter speed to ensure a sharp shot. And a fast shutter speed can capture that split second moment and freeze motion, action and detail that our eyes would not pick up on in real time. The squabble of water birds as they chase each other around kicking up spray, a Gannet as it dives beneath the water in search of a meal, or waders as they take to the air before a crashing wave sweeps them from a rocky perch are all examples of split-second moments in time our…

SOUTH WEST Highlights Major highlights in October included a pale-morph Booted Eagle over southwestern Cornwall, a Common Nighthawk, Wilson’s Snipe and Blyth’s Pipit on Scilly, Daurian Shrike and Red-eyed Vireo in Dorset and South Polar Skua and Scopoli’s Shearwater at sea. AVON MIGRATION: Last dates included Sand Martin (8th), Swallows (24th), House Martin (26th), Whinchat (15th), Wheatear (21st) and Yellow Wagtail (12th). Maxima included 55,000 Woodpigeons, 140 Skylarks, 16 Jays, 30 Chiffchaffs, 16 Goldcrests, 177 Meadow Pipits, 34 Reed Buntings, 30 Song Thrushes, 113 Greenfinches and 106 Siskins. Up to 4,500 Chaffinches carried with them a smattering of Bramblings, Redpolls, Hawfinches and Crossbills. CLEVEDON TO WESTON-SUPER-MARE: Sand Point had a Pink-footed Goose, Red-breasted Merganser, Bar-tailed Godwit, Grey Plover, three Spoonbills, a Dartford Warbler four Firecrests and a Water Pipit. Uphill…

HAVE YOU SIGNED UP FOR 2024? #My200BirdYear challenge We started 2024 with Waxwings everywhere, and we seem to be ending it with an invasion of Hawfinches, those huge-billed über-finches that are, for most of us, sadly elusive most of the time. On page 26, we investigate the whole phenomenon of winter irruptions, and just in case you have any trouble IDing any unusual visitors, we’ve also been looking at one of the most remarkable bird books ever published. On page 32, Stuart Winter explains how it could help you sharpen up your birding skills to expert level. But, as always, birdwatching should be about enjoyment as much as anything, so it just remains to wish you all, in advance, a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and I…

Here is our regular stab in the dark about which extreme rarities may (but probably won’t) turn up this month. WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW A seriously rare North American Sparrow, with only 14 accepted records and one or two pending, this is also one of the easier ‘sparrows’ to identify. Most appear in spring, but last December one turned up in Cornwall. A repeat, please. KILLDEER Though not one of the rarest North American waders, the Killdeer is still a major rarity and one that may appear even in mid-winter. Look out for a giant sized Ringed Plover with an extra stripe! HAWK OWL With only four accepted records (with the earliest dating back to 1830), Hawk Owl would be a major find and would spark a giant ‘twitch’. Let’s hope this…

SET A TARGET OF SEEING 200 BIRDS IN ONE YEAR! 1 LOOK OUT FOR IRRUPTIVE SPECIES On page 26, you can find out what an irruption is and why species such as Waxwing, Hawfinch, Crossbill and Brambling perform them. So, keep an eye out for reports of species such as these in December – in some years, any one of these could be much more widespread and numerous than usual. 2 CHECK FLOCKS CAREFULLY While you’re at it, as we regularly suggest, check all flocks carefully, because in winter, birds will often tag along with near relatives or just other species with similar habits. So look out for Bramblings among Chaffinches, Yellow-browed Warblers among tit flocks, or even something like a Green-winged Teal among Teal. 3 WATCH THE WEATHER We all know…

Broad Hill, a 30-minute walk or 18-minute bus journey from central Aberdeen, is a great spot for watching migrating birds. From Broad Hill, it’s a five-minute walk to the Esplanade and Beach north of the Dee, for waders, sea ducks, and other seabirds. Turn off the Esplanade onto Kings Links to scan for interesting migrants which have been channelled along the east coast. Roddy found a Citrine Wagtail here one year. Then follow the coast north to the Don Estuary and River (also 30 minutes by bus direct from the city centre), for waders and sea birds, as well as wetland birds in the riverside nature reserve, and keep an eye out for basking Grey Seals on the mudflats. Return to the city centre via the 27-hectare Seaton Park for…

The light snowfall became a blizzard just as we crossed the Arctic Circle. How fitting. Nonetheless, keeping with tradition, we layered up and jumped out of the minibus to take the obligatory team photo by the Arctic Circle monument. It was bitterly cold, so we didn’t stay out long. We rounded the next bend, luckily driving cautiously because of the snow. Broadside to the bend was a Reindeer nonchalantly standing in the middle of the road, oblivious to traffic. We’d already encountered a few of these antlered hazards; charming animals with dark noses, broad feet, and no road sense. Next, we passed a signpost to Rovaniemi, Santa’s busy headquarters. Perhaps our Reindeer had left there for a bit of quiet me-time away from the Christmas bustle. But wait a minute.…

In association with MAX MILES ON FOOT: 3 MIN TIME: 4 HOURS Woburn Park, with its famous stately home, is set within 3,000 acres of the Lower Greensand Ridge complete with open deer pasture, ancient parkland oaks, and mixed woodlands. There are many ponds and large tree-fringed lakes throughout the walk, the best being at Drakelow and Basin Ponds and Eversholt Lake, any of which could yield wintering Goosander or resident Mandarins. The elusive Lesser Spotted Woodpecker is best looked for in early spring when it begins territorial ‘drumming’, while scarce wintering Hawfinches are sometimes noted feeding amongst leaf litter underneath avenues of lime trees. WHERE TO WATCH 1 Mixed woodland close to the car park attracts Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Jay, Goldcrest and Tawny Owl, where Hawfinch and…

I am a retired professional ecologist, now in my seventies. Having been watching birds for my entire life, I have watched Choughs in Cornwall, Anglesey and northern Italy. I am well aware of their rarity in Scotland, as they are recorded only on the islands of Islay and Colonsay. However, in February 2016, I was sitting quietly alone beside Loch Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye (waiting for my husband, who was driving into the village to buy lunch), when I was surprised and delighted to see three Choughs a short distance away, nearer the water. They were very clear and I did not need my binoculars (which were in the car, with my other birdwatching equipment). I immediately realised the significance of what I was seeing, and reported the…

Knots have the distinction of being easier to recognise at a distance than at close quarters. Their enormous estuarine gatherings are proverbial, and instantly recognisable; the bird itself is mediocre to look at, except in summer, when it lives up to its full name of Red Knot. In the field, Knots can be characterised and identified, you might say, by what they are not. They are not colourful in winter, when we usually see them, just grey and dull. They are not particularly long-legged, nor long-billed. They are not at all noisy, and not endowed with many field marks at all, no obvious wing-bars or heavy bands. They have a characteristic leaning-downwards stance when feeding, which nonetheless is not very obvious. They are often with Dunlins but are nevertheless not…

RSPB BIRDING YEAR BY SIAN DUNCAN & DOMINIC COUZENS BLOOMSBURY, SB, £16.99 BOOK OF THE MONTH A look at birding in every month of the year, packed with colour pictures, with a top two ‘must-dos’ each month, plus a ‘myth of the month’ and, of course, a bird of the month. A big surprise for me is that watching seabird cliffs comes as late as July, with no mention of one of the greatest birding moments in the year -watching the young Guillemots jumping from the cliff! ‘How to help’ includes wildlife gardening, making a home for nature, recording your sightings and many more. This book is absolutely ideal if you are just starting out as a birder. UNDER THE CHANGING SKIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS GUARDIAN FABER, HB, £20 This…

BIRD OF THE MONTH WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE The White-fronted Goose appears as a wintering (non-breeding) bird in the UK and it is a bird which comes in two flavours. Greenland-race birds (subspecies flavirostris; below) winter in western and northern Scotland (as well as Ireland), particularly on the Inner Hebridean isle of Islay. Birds from Siberia, sometimes called Russian White-fronted Geese or European White-fronted Geese (subspecies albifrons; right), winter in smaller numbers elsewhere, including in southern England. The total wintering population of both subspecies totals about 14,000 individuals. Both are smallish ‘grey geese’, which in the field look much smaller than Greylag Geese, and adults have white behind the bill and on the forecrown (beware some Greylags also having this) and variable dark bands across the belly. Greenlandrace birds are a bit…

MOTH OF THE MONTH Towards the end of the year, garden lighttraps are graced by a moth that comes towards the front of taxonomically ordered field guides. Its name says it all: December Moth. It is an unmistakable creature, swathed in black and cream and with a heavily coated thorax that speaks of winter, to which the males add strongly feathered antennae. Although still common, its abundance has sadly decreased by two-thirds in 50 years. MOTH That old chestnut Dark Chestnut is widely distributed across England Wales, and seems to be spreading northwards. Moths typically emerge in October, but continue to be seen on milder winter nights through until March. It can be difficult to tell apart from the brighter-garbed Chestnut, but the hooked wingtips can be a decent clue.…

We’ve all seen them; those odd-looking birds that are familiar in so many ways, but there’s something just not quite right… From almost entirely white House Sparrows to ‘milky tea-coloured’ Lapwings, dusky Knots and of course pied Blackbirds, the variety of plumage abnormalities in wild birds is quite striking. The reasons for such aberrant appearances are equally varied. It can be down to abnormal feather growth, hereditary pigmentation problems or a progressive condition which develops over time. BTO launched its Abnormal Plumage Survey in 2011, with the goal of discovering more about the frequency and distribution of birds with unusual plumage characteristics, specifically in gardens. About 60 different species have been recorded through the survey so far, and when we consider that only garden habitats are being covered, that total…

30 -MINUTE BIRDER I’m loitering outside my Aberdeen hotel, trying to keep warm in the half-hearted September sun, when I spot my guide for the day approaching. Roddy’s rapid stride suggests that he’s buzzing with energy. I wonder how long I’m going to be able to keep up with him, and so I confess it’s a relief when we start by catching a bus from Union Street for the short hop east towards the esplanade and beach. Diverting through the unadorned Trinity Cemetery, we find a scurry of noisy Oystercatchers among the headstones, apparently in dispute. Roddy tells me they nest here, making use of the patches of gravel, and sometimes brazenly choosing sites alongside the cemetery path. From the cemetery, we make our way up and over the rough…

In this the final issue of the year, we feature the woolly group of ducks we tend to call ‘sea ducks’. This term refers to ducks which are mainly seen on the sea. Naturally, they come ashore to breed, and some may even breed substantially inland, rather than on the sea shore… And just about all can turn up on inland waterbodies from time to time. But, nonetheless, these are wildfowl which are are mainly seen on the sea, or over the sea, or indeed diving into the sea (for most sea ducks are diving ducks) be it in search of molluscs on the seabed, or fish, or some similar source of nutrition. Because they are often seen far offshore and in choppy waters, sea ducks can be a challenge…

In association with MAX MILES ON FOOT: 5 MIN TIME: 5 HOURS Windermere is England's largest lake, at 10.5 miles long, and at its deepest point is 219 feet deep. It has several ferry crossing points as well as a large ferry taking you from south to north. Many areas along its shore are owned by the National Trust. WHERE TO WATCH 1 Borrans Park and field next to Ambleside are a good place to scan Windermere for a mixed bag of birds. The wetland can hold Snipe, while the trees can have mixed warblers, with even Yellow-browed Warbler turning up here in some autumns, depending on the number first dropping on the east coast. Where the two rivers join the lake look for Kingfisher, Dipper and Grey Wagtail. 2…

In association with MAX MILES ON FOOT: 4 MIN TIME: 3 HOURS This circular walk between the two ‘arms’ of the Rivers Frome and Hooke includes contrasting habitats such as the riparian watercourse, complete with flood meadows and marshes, to the dry sheep-grazed chalk downlands and scattered Beech hangers. Copses, scrubland, arable farmland, paddocks and churchyards along the way assure a wide range of species is on offer whatever the season. The chalk streams attract most attention from birders, particularly while in spate during winter, when there is a fair chance of a wandering Dipper among regular Grey Wagtails and Kingfisher. The upland slopes and sheep pastures attract occasional Hen Harrier or Short-eared Owl, while Roe Deer and Brown Hare can be encountered throughout the walk. WHERE TO WATCH 1…

Duck query Q I recently went out to look for waders as part of the Wader Quest World Waders Watch, and went to the Kinniel Lagoon on the River Forth. There, I came across this little duck (below) diving and feeding quite close to where I set up. I know it’s not a great photo but I think it is a female Long-tailed Duck. It wasn’t frightened of me, and came quite close. I’d be grateful if you could confirm my ID as I would like to add it to my 2024 list. Martyn Bacon A Your small duck, Martyn, is indeed a female-type Long-tailed Duck, with the distinctive pale face and darker lower cheek patch and short, blunt bill of that species. We think you can safely add it…