Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2025 i Bird Watching

What’s your favourite migrant to look for in May? Ruth Miller: “Dotterel, almost an annual visitor on the Great Orme in Llandudno, and an exciting bird to find.” Neil Glenn: “Spotted Flycatcher – a late migrant that arrives almost unnoticed. Small, streaky, with an almost subliminal song and call.” David Lindo: “During May I always look skyward for the chance of a migrating Honey Buzzard. I haven’t succeeded yet!” Amy Brewer: “I know Whitethroats arrive in April, but I love the scratchy sounds they make. Also, incredibly underrated in terms of looks.”…

twitter.com/BirdWatchingMag facebook.com/BirdWatchingMag RARITY RATINGS Common, widely distributed Localised – always a treat Very scarce or rare CURLEW SANDPIPER One of our scarcer regular passage waders, Curlew Sandpipers pass through suitable sites in small numbers; the vast majority are handsome, peachy-breasted, scaly-backed juveniles, in autumn. However, like most waders, they are even more handsome in full breeding plumage. In the case of Curlew Sandpipers, this is a deep (even dark) brick red over the head, neck and underparts with golden spangled back and wings. Seeing them in immaculate breeding plumage like this in the UK is quite a rare sight, and finding one looking this way is one of the great treats of May. PURPLE HERON This medium-large, rakish, purple and red-brown heron is a rare but regular visitor to the…

There is a myth believed by many birdwatchers that Song Thrushes are uncommon birds, these days. This is probably largely fuelled by knowledge that in the past 50 years the breeding population has halved. However, there are still perhaps 1.3 million breeding pairs in the country, which makes it still a very common bird. One reason that people think that Song Thrushes are particularly scarce is that, unlike many of our songsters, they tend to be early morning and late afternoon singers. If you wake up early enough and visit suitable woodland or parkland habitat, you are very likely to hear Song Thrush songs. Of course it helps if you know the song. It is somewhat similar in tone with the flutings of the Blackbird, but the short phrases are…

MOTH OF THE MONTH Sitting with its forelegs outstretched and holding its boldly marked wings in a tent shape, the first generation of Swallow Prominent flies in spring. Widespread and common, it is likely to grace moth traps anywhere within flying distance of poplars or sallows. AMPHIBIAN Dusk churrer If you live anywhere near a Natterjack Toad colony – and, granted, there aren’t very many of them left in Britain, for this is our rarest native amphibian – May is a fabulous month to visit. Choose a warm, moist evening then locate a likely-looking shallow pool. As darkness falls, males give a remarkable churring, or almost rattling, call that can be heard fully one mile away. BUG Ceremonial headgear Thanks to a pointed head that explains its initially curious name, Bishop’s…

If you’re lucky, you may have heard your first Cuckoo of the year by now. Most arrive in late April and early May, heading to favoured breeding areas. While there are far fewer to be heard these days, they are still widespread enough to found by most birders, either on territory or as passing migrants. Thanks to the BTO’s long-running Cuckoo tagging project we now understand far more about these remarkable birds. Prior to the launch of the project in 2011 there was just one recovery of a UK-ringed Cuckoo, from Cameroon in January 1930! The assumption was that this was probably where our Cuckoos spent their winters, but thanks to our tagging project, we know that the reality is far more complex. British Cuckoos migrate to and from the…

I’ve always found returning again and again to local patches hugely rewarding, but, at the start of 2025, I resolved to intersperse patching with new sites in or close to London. The Lea Valley seemed a great place to start, with its necklace of jewel-like wetlands and open water alongside the river, as it runs from its source in Hertfordshire through north-east London and on to the Thames. I’m sure all London birders are familiar with the London Wildlife Trusts’s flagship reserve, Walthamstow Wetlands, on the east side of the Lea. Handily close to Tottenham Hale station, there’s plenty there for half a day’s birding at least. I love this reserve – it was where I started to birdwatch again in earnest – but the main site south of Ferry…

In association with MAX MILES ON FOOT: 6 MIN TIME: 5 HOURS Garbole is about halfway along the winding road from Tomatin to Coignarfearn, and tracks the River Findhorn through a broad, glacial valley with wet meadows, rapids and islets. A mixture of scattered oak woods and dense pine plantations adds to the variety of habitats and a lane leads to an upland section of open moorland, bogs and craggy precipitous cliffs. In several places, babbling streams tumble from the hillside. The upland section is a tough walk with steep slopes and where Red Deer and Feral Goats are abundant and Mountain Hares are regularly encountered. For the botanist a range of sub-Alpine flowers should be looked for. The single-track road from Garbole, over the top towards Inverness is highly…

In association with MAX MILES ON FOOT: 1 MIN TIME: 1.5 HOURS Situated in the centre of the Cambridgeshire town of St Ives, the island was used to grow willow for the basket weaving industry up until the 1970s, then became overgrown and neglected. It is now a wet woodland nature reserve providing a sanctuary for a wide variety of birds including Kingfisher, Great Spotted Woodpecker and various warblers, who are attracted to the Osier beds, reedbeds and woodland. There is a raised boardwalk around the island allowing the site to be accessible for all; as well as seating, picnic tables and the Holt cabin, which holds a wide variety of information plus a nature table. Access is available between 10am and 4pm during April to October or at other…

GET IN TOUCH birdwatching@bauermedia.co.uk facebook.com/BirdWatchingMag twitter.com/BirdWatchingMag Bird Watching, Media House, Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6EA Great Northern Thank you for the April issue of Bird Watching. We read Mike’s Weedon’s World column about a Great Northern Diver's appearance at Ferry Meadows. We were surprised to see no mention of the Arthur Ransome story, Great Northern, first published in 1947. His last ‘Swallows and Amazons’ book, it dealt with the battle between conservation ornithologists of the time and the collectors of dead birds whose motto, quoted in the book, was “What's hit's history; What's missed’s mystery”. At the time, it appears there was no record of a Great Northern Diver nesting in the British Isles. On a sailing cruise in the Hebrides, young Dick sees a pair on an island loch.…

As soon as dawn broke, the noise started again. Tap, tap, tappity-tap. The resident Carrion Crow was at it again, banging on the door of our holiday cottage. We knew who the culprit was, even though we never caught the bird redhanded (should that be red-winged?!) By the time we reached the door, the crow had retreated onto the lawn to watch us intently. It threw back its head and cawed twice before flying into the nearby trees. All was quiet for a half-hour or so, and then it began again. Tap-tap, tap-tap-tap, and this was repeated regularly until dusk. The outer door to the porch of our cottage was glass and already sported several bird decals, so clearly the owners knew about preventing bird strikes. The inner door was…

Spring has most definitely arrived. The last few days have seen the warmest temperatures of the year, kickstarting all of nature’s reproductive cycles as the promise of longer days and warmer temperatures wakes everything from its winter slumber and calls it to action. As I write, not only do I have a warm breeze blowing in through my study window, but the birdsong is also noticeably louder and more urgent than in recent weeks. How I love the seasons of transition. The arrival of spring heralds a change in bird activity, and now is the perfect time of year to capture the amazing array of behaviour that we begin to witness as the daylight hours stretch out. Personally, I find photos that depict behaviour far more interesting than simple portrait…

PASSENGER MONTEREY ROAM SANDALS £22.95 Let your toes see the sun with these very reasonably priced sandals. The soles are made from recycled rubber and the Monterey Roam “helps you roam further”. Do make sure you can find your way back, though. Complete with adjustable straps, grippy soles, a cushioning footbed and support for your insteps. And for every order a tree gets planted. In khaki or black (the sandals not the trees), sizes 7-11. passenger-clothing.com COTOPAXI ALLPA 28L TRAVEL PACK DEL DIA £170 Travel light with one of these and feel virtuous knowing it’s made from repurposed fabrics. The outer is tough, water-resistant, and made from 100% recycled nylon. There are several pockets inside, a stretchy bottle pocket (take care with stretchy bottles) on the outside, and a zipped…

HAVE YOU SIGNED UP FOR 2025? #My200BirdYear challenge Every year, we tell you that May is the best of all birding months, and every year, it comes up with the goods! So, while of course we hope you enjoy every bit of this issue, can I recommend that you turn straight to the ‘hands-on’ sections, such as Your Birding Month, #My200BirdYear, ID Challenge, and Go Birding, then get out into the field to put your knowledge to the test during this period of breeding and migration? You won’t regret it. When you get a few minutes to relax, we’ve features such as Amy Brewer’s up close encounters with a garden Sparrowhawk to enjoy, plus all the usual news, sightings, and more. And, on page 68, Neil Glenn gives a taste…

INDIAN GOLDEN ORIOLE The single well-documented record of this Asian version of the Golden Oriole was a first-summer male on Holy Island on 21 May 2024. The black behind the eye is the first stage to successful ID. YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT HERON Here is a bird which is even rarer than the Indian Golden Oriole, having never been seen in the UK. Late last May, though, a long-stayer turned up in Co. Mayo, Ireland. Surely, it is a matter of time before one turns up here. MARMORA'S WARBLER As handsome as grey birds get, the Dartford Warbler-like Marmora’s Warbler is a bird of the the Mediterranean islands between the Balearics and mainland Italy (such as Corsica and Sardinia). But it has strayed north to the UK eight or so times (including…

Arctic Tern ● Relatively short neck makes head end project a short distance beyond the wings ● Bill is short and blood red, nearly always lacking a black tip ● Wings (from above) are white (looking translucent) in primaries, lacking dark wedge ● Underside of wings has clean black trailing edge to primaries ● Relatively short (but variable) tail streamers ● Usually has clean white underparts Common Tern ● Relatively long neck makes head end project distinctly longer beyond the wings ● Bill is longer and orange-red with a black tip ● Wings (from above) have grey wedge in primaries ● Underside of wings has smudgy trailing edge to primaries ● Relatively very long (but variable) tail streamers ● May have greyish underparts…

Everyone loves owls. OK, not everyone. A million years ago, I had a school friend called Trevor Saint whose mother had such a ‘fear’ of owls that a few pages of the family’s Hamlyn Guide to Birds of Britain and Europe were permanently folded in half just in case Mrs Saint caught a glimpse of an owl. And, I accept that there are superstitions around the World which make people afraid of owls. I guess it is a mix of owls being nocturnal, and so often poorly seen and ‘ghostly’, plus the almost human-like face, with forward-facing eyes… But we are all birdwatchers here, and surely it is safe to say we all love owls? And a large part of that is their pleasing appearance, with the almost cat-like face…

Many birders will take part in a ‘bird race’; chasing around the country from dawn to dusk at the beginning of May. I think that the record in my county is 143 birds seen in such a day… sometimes it takes me a whole year to reach that! My ‘big day’ isn’t in competition with others, I can’t see the point, especially when I have zero chance of winning. Mostly, I set out on New Year’s Day to see how many birds I can get under my belt by sunset. Back in the previous century, my target was 100 birds, but I never quite made it. My best bet was the Isle of Sheppey… it has a number of wetlands, a river front, seaside, salt marsh, a few tiny areas…

London Wildlife Trust’s Maynard and Lockwood Reservoirs (Tottenham Hale NR) North of Ferry Lane, these reservoirs, which are part of Walthamstow Wetlands reserve, tend to produce the rarer sightings. Recent records include Black Redstart, Little Gull, Caspian Gull, Black-necked Grebe, and Red-necked Grebe. King George V Reservoirs (Ponder’s Lane NR) Recent records include Black Redstart, Water Pipit, Little Gull, Caspian Gull, Smew, Great Northern Diver, Black-throated Diver, Greater Scaup, and Slavonian Grebe. This reservoir is permit-only but a birdwatching permit can be bought from the Thames Water office in Ferry Lane next to LWT Walthamstow Wetlands for £10 and two passport photos. A complete circuit of the south and north basins is slightly more than 7km (worth it!). Lee Valley Country Park (Cheshunt NR) Stretching for 1000 acres between Waltham…

In association with MAX MILES ON FOOT: 8 MIN TIME: 10 HOURS Starting and ending on the Bolton Abbey estate, this is a lovely circular walk featuring woodland, a tranquil valley, dramatic hidden waterfall, open moorland, and meadows by the River Wharfe. It’s best to do this walk in early summer, when the breeding birds are present and the paths are dry. WHERE TO WATCH 1 From Riverside Car Park, cross the bridge and follow signs uphill to the Valley of Desolation and Simon’s Seat. The valley owes its name to a great storm in 1826, but there’s nothing desolate about it now -it’s lush, green, and has a spectacular waterfall hidden among the trees. Around the woodland edges, you may find Redstarts, Blackcaps, Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs. 2 Follow…

Mystery feathers Q I am hoping you can help me with identifying the feathers in the attached photograph. On 21 March, I was walking around Lynford Arboretum, north of Thetford, when I came across an obvious bird kill; no corpse, only a mass of feathers. I have tried to establish which bird was the victim but it is beyond my capabilities. The combination of the colours has me foxed. Any ideas, please? Allen Beales A Your feathers look to have come from a drake Mandarin Duck, Allen. Arguably the most distinctive feathers are the black-and-white striped ones, from the front of the Mandarin’s flanks. Goose enquiry Q At Poolsbrook Country Park we saw Greylag Geese and Canada Geese and, among them, was the attached bird. The bird was very pale…

In a world where good environmental news is hard to come by, the story of the Little Egret’s colonisation of Britain is a cheering one. It first bred in 1996 in Dorset, after sightings began to trickle in from the 1980s onwards, and up until 2022, the breeding population had increased by 2,347%. It passed 100 breeding pairs in 2001 and 1,000 pairs in 2015. This smart, elegant bird is still prospering, bringing a touch of the exotic to our country, and everybody is delighted. The only slight problem with the general view of the Little Egret’s unexpected settlement is that it may not actually be a novel event at all. There is some evidence that Little Egrets bred in England up until the Middle Ages, when shooting for the…

Wrynecks are former breeders that are now much sought-after migrants to the UK. They are the weird little cousins of the woodpeckers. Despite their cryptic plumage pattern, warbler-like shape and their general avoidance for hardcore headbanging on tree limbs, we often forget that they are indeed woodpeckers that we all know so well. Their kinship with woodpeckers is evidenced by their large heads, and long tongues that are wrapped around their skull whose tips are barbed and sticky and used for snaring insects. Finally, they share the other classic woodpecker trait: zygodactyl feet. To the uninitiated, having zygodactyl feet means that you would have two toes pointing forward and two backwards. However, how many of you actually knew that there are two species of wryneck in the world? We all…

JUST EARTH BY TONY JUNIPER BLOOMSBURY, HB, £20 BOOK OF THE MONTH This is a book about our planet that starts and finishes in Middlesbrough – you don’t get many of those! It is, of course, because it was the Industrial Revolution which started manmade climate change, and Tony Juniper has had an amazing life working with organisations like Friends of the Earth and Natural England, which are involved in trying to get the planet back on an even keel. There is so much in this one book, looking at the subject as it applies all around the world, in rich countries and poor. Is there an answer? Read this to find out! THE LIFE AFFIRMING MAGIC OF BIRDS BY CHARLIE BINGHAM AURUM, HB, £16.99 Charlie Bingham is a Yorkshire…

SOUTH WEST Highlights The rarest bird of the month was the Booted Eagle, continuing its protracted stay in Cornwall, mostly around the Marazion area. On the other side of the bay, a Pacific Diver was seen off Mousehole, Newlyn and Penzance. AVON CLEVEDON-WESTON-SUPER-MARE: Seven Goosanders were on the Blind Yeo. Clevedon-Yeo had 12 Grey Plovers (16th), and a Marsh Harrier (8th). Uphill had a Sanderling (25th). A Great White Egret was at Clevedon Moor (6th). The Black Redstart remained near Clevedon Pier. Sand Point had 326 Shelducks and 2,900 Dunlins (16th). SEVERNSIDE: Avon’s earliest ever Wheatear was at New Passage (18th). The River Avon had 70 Avocets (22nd). Northwick Warth had a Brent Goose (7th-9th), and five Knot (27th). Three Jack Snipe were at Chittening Warth (25th). There was just…

BIRD OF THE MONTH LITTLE TERN The Little Tern is a real tiddler of a tern (though the similar North American Least Tern would probably beg to differ with this statement). It is even smaller than ‘marsh terns’ like the Black Tern. Even at a distance, you can tell that it is tiny, with its rapid wingbeats and proportionately large head. After the rare Roseate Tern (which has only 100 or so pairs), this is the UK’s least numerous breeding tern, with c1,500 pairs, mainly on sandy or shingle coastal beaches, which are highly vulnerable to predation and disturbance. In addition to its small size (and consequent proportions), the Little Tern is also easy to identify (apart from the very rare Least Tern) by its white forehead and ‘supercilium’ (pale…

Meadow Pipit ● Small, delicately built pipit ● Fine bill, plain face ● Well-streaked back ● Thrush-like black spots in streaks on creamy background on breast ● Streaks on pale flanks similar in size to those on breast ● Pinkish legs; long, curved hind claw Tree Pipit ● Small, medium built pipit ● Bill thicker at base than Meadow’s bill; dark lores/ eye-stripe ● Well-streaked back ● Thrush-like black spots in streaks on yellow-ochre background on breast ● Streaks on creamy flanks finer than those on breast ● Pinkish legs; shortish, curved hind claw Rock Pipit ● Largish, robust, almost thrush-like pipit ● Long straight, dark bill, plain face ● Nearly unstreaked greyish-olive back ● Smudgy, indistinct, broad greyish-olives streaks on creamy background on breast ● Smudgy streaks also on…

#My200BirdYear ticklist Download and print off our #My200BirdYear ticklist to track your progress… www.birdwatching.co.uk/my-200-sign-up You can track your progress in #My200BirdYear by joining us on the Birda app, as featured in our recent Gear Guide. Download the app, sign up for the #My200BirdYear challenge, and log your sightings as you make them. While you’re at it, Birda’s monthly and geographicallybased challenges are a great way of motivating yourself towards the bigger target, too, and by interacting with other users you can develop your ID skills. THE DARLING BIRDS OF MAY May is arguably the busiest month of spring migration, with our resident species already feeding broods and some even gearing up for a second round of reproduction. Regular migrants will all be in by the month’s end and getting on…

One of the delights of spring is the return of elegant, charismatic terns. Most are ‘sea terns’, summer-visiting coastal nesters in vastly variable numbers. Others, particularly the ‘marsh terns’, are relatively scarce passage birds which pass through coastal areas and inland waterbodies before crossing the sea to the continent to breed. Common Terns are sea terns which breed at inland sites as well as in coastal colonies. The rest of the sea terns, though, are (like the marsh terns) mainly seen at inland lakes, reservoirs, gravel pits and so on, only as they drop in for a bathe or perhaps a feed, before continuing their journey. Late April and May are the peak times for such movements. So, brush up on your ID skills now, by naming the six species…

In association with MAX MILES ON FOOT: 0 MIN TIME: 3 HOURS This can be a great way to add species to your trip to the Stranraer area, with some good birding all accessible by road – there’s no need to do much, if any, walking. WHERE TO WATCH 1 Here is a minor road which takes you from Loch Ryan straight into woodland and then moorland and even a reservoir to boot! It can even be used as a circular run coming back by Castle Kennedy and back to Loch Ryan. 2 This is a steep rise passing through/by a conifer wood which offers you the classic woodland species like Great Spotted Woodpecker, Treecreeper, mixed tits and local thrushes. Check for both Sparrowhawk and Buzzard circling in spring, and…

In association with MAX MILES ON FOOT: 4 MIN TIME: 4 HOURS This extensive area of wetlands beside the Solent includes Keyhaven Marshes, managed by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, complete with lagoons, wet grasslands and reedbeds. A range of waders, wildfowl and seabirds is assured through the year with the autumn passage period being the most likely to turn up a rarity. WHERE TO WATCH 1 From the viewpoint where the Avon Water flows into the harbour, scan for Grey Heron, Little Egret, Kingfisher, Grey Wagtail and Green Sandpiper, while Turnstone, Redshank and Oystercatcher feed around the ferry berth. 2 Trees by the sea wall support Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Mistle Thrush, Jay, Treecreeper, tits, finches, thrushes, plus summering Chiffchaff and Blackcap, and in autumn…

My love of birds began with practices that are now considered outdated. As a child in suburban Bedford, with a small garden no bigger than a postage stamp, I found joy in watching finches – Bullfinches among them – flit around our red plastic net feeders. I also fed white bread to Starlings, House Sparrows, and the ducks and swans on the nearby river. At the age of 10, I even kept a diary, noting the birds I spotted each day. Around this time, we visited my mother’s family in the south-west of Ireland, where a trip to Mizen Head left an indelible mark on me. I watched in awe as hundreds of Gannets plunged into the ocean, and for the first time, I spotted a Curlew and a Cuckoo.…