Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2025 i Bird Watching

This sound of this issue's cover bird, the Turtle Dove, was once an integral part of the soundtrack of the British summer, but in recent decades a catastrophic decline has meant that, for many of us, it's a thing of the past. While habitat loss and farming practices may have played their part in its fall, it seems that hunting along its migration route was also hugely important. Last year, following hunting bans and moratoriums in a number of countries, there were hugely encouraging signs across Europe, with very significantly increased numbers. So, this summer, we'd love to hear from you if you have Turtle Doves on your patch, and especially if you think there's signs of a population recovery. Enjoy the hot weather and the lazy purring of Turtle…

twitter.com/BirdWatchingMag facebook.com/BirdWatchingMag RARITY RATINGS Common, widely distributed Localised – always a treat Very scarce or rare PEREGRINE When many of us were fledgling birders, Peregrines were scarce, localised birds of far-off remote rocky outposts. Devastated by the effects of DDT, the UK population fell to fewer than 400 pairs in the early 1960s. These days, they have massively expanded their range and population, with 1,750 pairs, many of which are in lowland areas and even cities. These magnificent, powerful falcons are a familiar sight for many, even the urban birders among us. In July, look out for fully grown juveniles (notably browner than their parents; above) learning and refining their hunting skills, perhaps while still begging for a feed from their parents – the food being other birds. RAZORBILL The…

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…

1 YOUR LOCAL PATCH The brambles and Hawthorns are starting to sag with berries, covering the gamut from green to bursting ripeness. Clouds of small insects form smokestacks above the trees, strafed by martins. Whitethroats rasp unseen. The gulls are shabby looking, and much of the avian activity seems to take place in slow motion at times, obscured by heat haze even shortly after sunrise. Yes, it's July. High summer can appear superficially quiet, with not much meeting the eye or the ear. Many birds are hiding away, either exhausted from breeding, nervous because of their inexperience, or vulnerable because they've started to moult. However, beneath the surface all is not quiet. Breeding is still ongoing with some songbird species, with rural Yellowhammers and suburban Goldfinches, in the throes of a…

Summertime and the living is easy. Regular birdwatching slows down somewhat, and some birders even turn their backs on their avian favourites for a while, and pay more attention to insects and flowers. However, on the nation's sea cliffs, the drama of nesting is raging, with the life and death struggles of seabird city life playing out in front of your very eyes. Now is a great time to put the orchids and butterflies on hold for a bit and head for where the action is. Sea cliffs offer some of the best of British summertime birding. But do you know what you are looking at; which species are nesting on the tiny ledges of the highest cliff faces? Perhaps this month's ID Challenge will help you iron out any…

In association with os.uk/osm MAX MILES ON FOOT: 4 MIN TIME: 3 HOURS Lochmaben is lucky in having several freshwater lochs, with good access to scan for birds. The town may be more famous for its association with Robert the Bruce, but the area's birds are certainly worth a look in their own right. JOHN MILES WHERE TO WATCH 1 Drive into town following the sign for the golf course, passing the club house and following on to a large car park – the water can be scoped from there. It holds a mixture of ducks and grebes with a wintering flock of Wigeon making use of the golf course's short kept grass. It has held American Wigeon either here or moving to Castle Loch. It always has diving ducks,…

In association with os.uk/osm MAX MILES ON FOOT: 4.5 MIN TIME: 4 HOURS Many good projects happened around the turn of the millennium and Sandford's Millennium Green is right up there with the best – a natural monument to forward-thinking vision, and a well-managed site with huge benefits for nature and people. Depending on the season, the explosion of birdsong as you enter its five acres can be immense, and although rarities may not abound, the mosaic of habitats within the green, adjacent farmland and mature woodland will undoubtedly offer an abundance of birds. SIMONE STANBROOK-BYRNE WHERE TO WATCH 1 The green has a network of grassy paths around a variety of habits. This is a place to wander and linger. Look around the pond and waterways for Moorhen, Grey…

The last time I was on Anglesey, Boris Johnson was about to announce the first Covid lockdown, and I remember heading home a couple of days early, dreading what was shortly to come. A return visit in happier times was well overdue, so when my wife announced she had a week's work on the island in mid-May, I jumped at the chance of tagging along and revisiting some of the incredible birding locations this part of Wales has to offer. And, being late spring, the seabirds would be gathering at their breeding sites, offering plenty of photographic opportunities. Anglesey is an iconic birding location. If you have never visited, then I thoroughly recommend it, the island offering a wide variety of habitats including steep coastal cliffs, large sandy beaches, mudflats…

BOOK OF THE MONTH BIRDS OF SPAIN (2ND EDITION) BY EDUARDO DE JUANA & JUAN M VARELA LYNX, HB, £31.99 This English version of an essential book covers all the ticks for your visit, with detailed descriptions of 599 species, with 191 classified as occasional or accidental. It has a list of 57 locations to visit to see the birds, and a QR code takes you to the SEO/Bird Life Guide, which is in Spanish with English names. The book is designed to be taken out into the field, and the quality of the images will help you a lot, along with the distribution maps. Added images of similar-looking waders and raptors show the species together, helping ID. A great addition to your bookcase. BOOK OF THE MONTH BIRDS OF…

There was a time when my weekends revolved around chasing rarities. A rare sighting meant grabbing my scope and driving hundreds of miles across the UK – from Shetland to Cornwall. I would also take the occasional trip abroad, combining travel with the thrill of seeing new species. It was exhilarating, exhausting and increasingly difficult to fit around my life. Now, with a young family, spontaneous five-hour round trips aren't realistic. The urge to chase rarities hasn't vanished entirely, but the logistics – and my motivation – have changed. For a while, it felt like my birding mojo was fading. With the little time I had, the decision became whether to stay local and see the familiar, or try to add something new to my list. I often chose the…

While thermal imagers have been grabbing all the headlines, we've also taken a look at a few more hi-tech birding products over the past year and a bit. Here are some of the best of them… “IN ‘LIVE VIEW’ YOU CAN SHARE WHAT YOU'RE SEEING WITH UP TO FIVE PHONES NEARBY” Swarovski AX Visio The AX Visio is the world's first AI, as in artificial intelligence, binocular. The optics, essentially, are the 10x32 EL, but the electronics connect you to the Merlin app, within the binocular. It can record still images and videos, and you can pass it to someone close by and arrows on the display direct them back to where you were looking. In ‘live view’ you can share what you're seeing with up to five phones nearby.…

MELLOW YELLOW Yellow-tail is always a treat when it turns up in the garden moth trap. This attractive nocturnal moth holds its wings in a silvery-white tent, between which it sticks up an abdomen tipped with intense orange-yellow. Intriguingly, Yellow-tail caterpillars have been found feeding on Japanese Knotweed, an infamously invasive Asian plant. Biocontrol, anyone? BEETLE Eye of the tiger In blessed coastal sand dunes dotted around England and Wales, persuade the family to take a beach trip to look for Dune Tiger Beetle. This fast-scampering, quick-to-fly insect has bold whitish markings on its brownish-black wing casings, and unfeasibly large, bulging eyes. Tracking down this fascinating creature, then keeping up with it, makes for fabulous minibeasting. ORCHID Understated yet stately Many British orchids are characterised by intense coloration: pinks, purples…

The temperature is hovering around 0°C on the February morning when we meet up with our guide, Rolf Hessing, next to Berlin's iconic Brandenburg Gate. It's too cold to stand around so we head straight into the Tiergarten. At 210 hectares, this park in the city centre is substantial, and just a little smaller than the combined areas of London's Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. Previously a dense woodland, after World War II, the Tiergarten was within the British Occupation sector of West Berlin, and, at the direction of the British Army, most of the trees were felled for firewood, leaving only 700 out of the original 200,000. The park was then reforested during the 1950s, using trees sourced from all over West Germany, and woodland wildlife began to thrive.…

In association with os.uk/osm MAX MILES ON FOOT: 4 MIN TIME: 3 HOURS Tobermory is blessed with so many good walks, and this one takes some beating, offering a great many wonderful views back to the town, with its many coloured houses and a mixture of boats in the harbour. JOHN MILES WHERE TO WATCH 1 One of the best ways to explore the area is to walk from the big car park in Tobermory along a path overlooking the Straits of Mull. Summer sees a good number of warblers singing along the path like Willow and Garden Warbler, Chiffchaff and Blackcap. The area has mature trees so look out for fungus along the way. 2 Once into the main park, there is a path down to the pier where…

In association with os.uk/osm MAX MILES ON FOOT: 2 MIN TIME: 2 HOURS A short, birding walk that packs in a variety of coastal habitats in a relatively small area including woodland, scrubland, unimproved pasture, sea cliffs and mudflats. PAUL TRODD WHERE TO WATCH 1 A strip of woodland along the lane attracts resident thrushes, tits and finches along with Great Spotted Woodpecker, Tawny Owl, Jay and Treecreeper; Sparrowhawk and Buzzard are also present. Blackcap and Chiffchaff both breed, while autumn migration brings Willow Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Goldcrest, Redstart and Spotted Flycatcher, plus an outside chance of a Cuckoo, Pied Flycatcher or Wood Warbler. Look for Hobbies hawking insects on the woodland edge. 2 Large flocks of waders haunt the muddy Woodspring Bay at low tide including good numbers of…

GET IN TOUCH birdwatching@bauermedia.co.uk facebook.com/BirdWatchingMag twitter.com/BirdWatchingMag Bird Watching, Media House, Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6EA The Sparrowhawk After reading, in the May issue of Bird Watching magazine, the article titled Small but Mighty by Amy Brewer, about the fascinating bird of prey, the Sparrowhawk, I was reminded of one day in March 2024, when I watched a female Sparrowhawk in my garden. She didn't move for many hours and was sitting still on the ground. She had no food in her talons. I even went outside and she still didn't move. I am attaching a photograph of the Sparrowhawk. I was wondering why she was behaving this way. She was on the ground and was uninjured. She eventually flew off, approximately six hours after I first observed her. I was…

People worry about Greenfinches. Since 1995, their population has gone down by 67% in the UK and they have declined nearly 20% from their already low bar since 2017. Much of this is caused by an epidemic. Trichomonosis is a disease of the throat and gullet caused by a protozoan parasite, and it causes difficulty in swallowing and breathing, often killing the infected bird. It was found mainly in pigeons, until about 2005, when it apparently jumped into the Greenfinch population and has caused havoc ever since. Unfortunately, affected birds regurgitate food they cannot swallow, and this helps to spread the disease, most obviously at garden bird feeders. Water can also be contaminated, so it's important to clean your feeding stations, regularly. SPECIES FACTFILE GREENFINCH Scientific name: Chloris chloris Length: 15cm…

Which waterbird would you decree as being the most elegant in the world? If you had asked me that question prior to 2013, I would have said Great Crested Grebe, without hesitation. In its breeding garb it is resplendent, with gorgeous head plumes and that ‘Penguin dance’ display that they do; no other waterbird can beat its elegance, surely? Well, in 2013, I went to Peru for the first time. On landing in Lima, I journeyed straight from the plane to the Pantanos de Villa Wildlife Refuge situated within the city limits. There I was treated to flocks of Wilson's Phalaropes vigorously feeding with a whole bunch of other wader species, masses of larids including Franklin's and Andean Gulls, plus a totally unexpected and very dark looking American Barn Owl…

Plenty of birdwatchers carry camera gear, and like tripods, there are many camera bags to choose from. This one is aimed at mirrorless camera users. There are also three larger backpacks in this range, the biggest a 45-litre with a £270 price tag. This pack is versatile, feature-packed and well-made. The rear-access, customisable camera insert can be removed to create a general-purpose pack with rear or side access. The insert's zipped lid tucks away for speedy access but can be zipped up for storage out of the pack. You have to take the pack off and lay it on its front to get at your camera. This doesn't take long, but if you want frequent, rapid access, this is not the best option. This pack is more about carrying your…

SPECS Size: 210x150mm Weight: 1,015g Field of view: 3.7°/65m@1000m Close focus: 5.5m Eye relief: 15.5mm Website: kiteoptics.com With Kite's latest image stabilisation technology on board, this binocular takes IS performance to an “unprecedented level”. There are four 50mm binoculars in this range – a 14x and 18x, each either AA battery powered or Li-ion USB-C rechargeable. I reviewed the Li-ion 18x. So, is a handheld 18x binocular now a practical proposition? Does it work? Yes, it does. Without stabilisation, this binocular is not very usable. But the IS is very easy to use and the internal gimbal corrects up to 2° of movement. That might not sound a lot but it makes a tremendous difference. A rotating switch turns it on. When you're birding, you can leave it on. When the binocular hangs against your…

BIRD OF THE MONTH STONE-CURLEW The huge, staring yellow eye of the Stone-curlew is one of the most extraordinary features of a British wader. It is more similar to the eye of a Sparrowhawk than, say, a Curlew, or any other large wader you care to mention. The eyes are so big because this is a largely nocturnal feeder which uses eyesight to find its prey (while other waders may use ‘feel’ in the their bills to detect unseen prey deep in mud, even at night). It is at night that you are most likely to hear the Curlew-like call which gives the bird its name (it is not closely related to curlews). Not that ‘likely’ is an apt word, because Stone-curlews are very scarce birds, with about 365 pairs…

Here are four species of so called long-legged wading bird which you may encounter in the summer. Though the White Stork, Spoonbill and Glossy Ibis are in the same order as the herons, egrets and bitterns, they are in different families. The mighty Crane, meanwhile, is more closely related to the gallinules, rails, crakes and bustards. Glossy Ibis ● Medium-sized (like a large, dark Curlew) ● Dark plumage all over (red body, glossy wings in summer) ● Long, down-curved bill White Stork ● Huge ● White head, neck, body and tail, black flight feathers ● Long, conical, bright red bill Spoonbill ● Medium large (like a large, chunky egret) ● Nearly all white plumage (black wing tips on non-adult birds) ● Very long, uniquely spatulate bill Crane ● Huge ●…

On Friday 2 May, we had another of our Bird Watching Reader Days, when a small group of subscribers (selected randomly) ‘won’ the chance to go birding with Matt Merritt and me around the Peterborough area. And a lovely bunch they were, too. We managed to pack lots of birding action into the morning and afternoon sessions (seeing about 65 species). Highlights before lunch included delightful views of Marsh Harriers, a few Cranes, all three species of egret, with a couple of spectacular, breeding plumaged Cattle Egrets at Deeping Lakes LWT, in south Lincolnshire. While we were watching those Cattle Egrets, a Hobby flew so close to our heads we could hear its wings! It was also the site of a fortuitous arrival of eight Black Terns in glorious summer…

within 30 minutes by public transport from Berlin Hauptbahnhof or central rail station The Tiergarten An extensive and mostly informal wooded park in the city centre, for Goshawk, Hawfinch, Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Short-toed Treecreeper and other woodland species. Getting there: Brandenburger Tor U-Bahn stop, 7 mins from Berlin Hauptbahnhof. Volkspark Humboldthain A hilly, urban park, for Goshawk and also for other woodland species like Short-toed Treecreeper. Getting there: Humboldthain S-Bahn stop, 20 mins from Berlin Hauptbahnhof Tempelhof Feld Described as one of the world's largest urban parks, this was created from the airfield at the heart of the Berlin airlift. Goshawks breed here, and it's good for grassland and scrub species like Sky Lark, Wheatear, Corn Bunting and Red-backed Shrike, too. Getting there: Platz der Luftbrücke U-Bahn stop, 30 mins…

Ever since my partner, Alan Davies, and I went birdwatching around the World on our record-breaking year in 2008, called The Biggest Twitch, I have been asked what my favourite bird species is. It is hard to choose just one when there are more than 11,000 amazing, inspiring, colourful, showy, skulking, and special species to enjoy across seven continents. But I am loyal to my one true avian love, the Toco Toucan. I know it's not exactly a ‘birder's bird,’ in other words a hard-to-see skulker that earns you Brownie points for your bird list due to its scarcity or bragging value, but Toco Toucans hold a special place in my heart. When did this love blossom? Maybe scrapbooking in my early childhood with cutouts from the iconic Guinness toucan…

In association with os.uk/osm MAX MILES ON FOOT: 5 MIN TIME: 3 HOURS Escape to Penistone, the UK's highest market town, where rolling hills meet the wild beauty of the Dark Peak. This invigorating walk offers a tapestry of landscapes and excellent birding. CAROLE TIDBALL WHERE TO WATCH 1 Woodland Wonders (Post-Trans Pennine Trail): This small wooded area, after the initial abundance of woodland birds on the Trans Pennine Trail (which includes Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Song Thrush), is a haven for Redstart, Spotted flycatcher, blackcap, and the colourful bullfinch. 2 Hillside & Hartcliffe Heights: As you traverse Hillside and climb the fields, watch for hunting Kestrel and Buzzard, with the chance of spotting Little, Tawny, and Barn Owls at dusk. The dense woodland at Hartcliffe Brow invites a pause to…

Sparrow-like bird Q I have seen this bird (above) several times in my back garden. It is usually in the company of House Sparrows which I feed. It looks to me to be a cross between a House Sparrow and some other type of bird and I would be grateful if you would give me your opinion as to what you think that other bird might be. Mike Knight A Your mystery sparrow-like garden bird is a Dunnock, Mike, or if you prefer, a Hedgesparrow. As we often say, this very common, but frequently overlooked species, looks like a ‘Robin in sparrow's clothing’. Dunnocks are in a family called Prunellidae, the accentors, the only family of birds endemic to the Palearctic. Stork conundrum Q I photographed a White Stork (below)…

SOUTH WEST Highlights In association with The SW's main stories included an Alpine Accentor found in the Nanquidno Valley on (2nd to 4th), which ‘showed well’. The pale-morph Booted Eagle left its Cornish residence to go a-wandering, while a dark-morph bird was seen over Lundy late in the month. AVON CLEVEDON-WESTON-SUPER-MARE: A Pied Flycatcher was at Uphill. Clevedon-Yeo had two Mediterranean Gulls, two Ospreys, two Wood Warblers and two Pied Flycatchers. Sand Point had Common Scoters on three dates, 214 ‘Commic’ Terns, 77 Arctic Terns, three Sandwich Terns, 50 Whimbrels, three Arctic Skuas, two Gannets, two Ospreys, a Dartford Warbler, two Ring Ouzels, and four Pied Flycatchers. Weston-super-Mare had a Spoonbill and Great White Egret. SEVERNSIDE: There were 59 Black-tailed Godwits, seven Ruff, 16 Sanderling, three Green Sandpipers, a Spotted…