Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2025 i Bird Watching

Many Bird Watching readers will have heard about, and taken part in, the Heathland Birds Survey which took place across the UK earlier this year. Among the key species being monitored was Nightjar – a particularly tricky bird to effectively gather data on, thanks to the often-remote areas that the birds favour, and their nocturnal lifestyle. To try to collect more information than we might using traditional methods, scientists at BTO have been exploring how Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) allows surveys to be conducted remotely. By deploying programmable audio recorders in suitable habitat, we can capture high-quality sound files, which when run through BTO's Acoustic Pipeline software reveal the presence, or not, of Nightjars. This is an especially useful tool when determining whether Nightjars are present on the edge of…

YOUR LOCAL PATCH You saw the signs of migration begin to grow in August, but it's during the first month of autumn that the mass movements of birds are inescapable for even the least diligent birder. The first wintering species are arriving at the same time as summer species leave, and you might find some days provide sweet spots where you can see many of both, alongside the post-breeding dispersals of residents, at the same time. Species you have become almost overfamiliar with during spring and summer disappear apparently overnight. The large, late-summer aggregations of Swifts quickly disperse; Cuckoos have already mostly left on their long-haul solo flights through the Sahara, leaving a few confused juveniles behind; the last adolescent Common Terns have ceased to shriek and beg, and departed…

When I tell people I've been out birding, they'll often ask me where I went, assuming it was somewhere green, lush and lovely, or perhaps by the sea. “I squeezed along the side of a wire fence to search for something small and brown at a sewage works” is not what they're expecting. Seeing great birds, and the variety and number of species needed for #My200BirdYear, means we have to go wherever they've ended up – and sometimes that means a sewage works, rubbish tip, quarry, housing estate or car park. It's the unglamorous side of birding. Would we choose to hang out in these places if they didn't attract birds? Probably not. But the rewards are (usually) worth it, as these examples from my own birding trips show. Iceland…

Some readers may know that I had an accident while on a birding tour in Taiwan earlier in the year. I tripped down some steps, resulting in a complicated fracture of one ankle and a severe sprain of the other. Back in the UK and after surgery on the broken ankle, I started the slow path to recovery. For three months, I was unable to get out of my fourth floor flat – too many steps – and it felt like a re-run of the COVID lockdown. I could see the world outside but not get to it. Thank heavens for birds enjoyed from the sofa, from the fish-bearing Osprey that flew past my window on my first day home, to the male Blackbird that used a neighbour's TV aerial…

ID TIP! Herons are big but storks and Cranes are huge. Both fly with necks outstretched on straight wings. Storks have much bigger bills than Cranes. Egrets and Grey Heron When most of us were young birders (or before we became birders), Grey Herons were the only herons most of us would encounter. These days, though, egrets (particularly Little Egrets) have become so numerous in the UK, they are barely mentioned… Still, it is worth having a quick refresher as to how to easily separate the three egrets (and Grey Heron) Little Egret Small, wholly white egret Slim build, thin neck Fine, long black bill Long, thin white plumes on back of head Long black legs, yellow feet Great White Egret Very large, wholly white egret, stands taller than Grey…

MAX MILES ON FOOT: 3 MIN TIME: 3 HOURS There is some debate as to whether you should visit Boulmer with one car or two. You can park in the main car park and then walk down the coastal path to the southern car park and walk back up the road to the village or pick up your second car there and drive back. The main car park fills up quite quickly during the summer months but the site has something of interest all year round with winter usually being the most productive. The beach has areas of shallow water protected from the waves by rocks at almost all stages of the tide. STEVE NEWMAN WHERE TO WATCH 1 The main car park offers excellent seawatching and views of waders on…

MAX MILES ON FOOT: 3 MIN TIME: 3 HOURS The industrial landscape of much of the Isle of Grain is in contrast to marshland and meadows north of the village and the Grain Coastal Country Park – good for grounded passerines in autumn. The tidal coastline with rocky foreshore and mudflats are suitable for waders and wildfowl, while the North Sea beckons for passing seabirds. Scarcities on land such as Red-backed Shrike, Wryneck, Yellow-browed, Pallas's and Dusky Warblers have been noted. PAUL TRODD WHERE TO WATCH 1 From the viewpoint at high tide scan The Flats for seabirds on the move. Early autumn often delivers Manx Shearwater, Gannet, Common Scoter, Common, Sandwich and Little Terns, Arctic and Great Skuas and as the season progresses, Red-throated Diver, Fulmar, Brent Goose, Redbreasted…

Which feather? Q Please could you tell me what bird this feather belongs to? We found it in our veg patch in Bishops Lydeard, Somerset. Colin Matthews A Blue colouring in feathers is caused by the structure of the feather barbs (rather than a pigment, as such). There are surprisingly few birds with blue feathers like this in the UK. The most common is the Blue Tit, and this is the right size, shape and colour for a Blue Tit tail feather. Mystery bunting Q I wonder if you could help identify the bird I saw in Forvie NNR, Aberdeenshire in June. I think it is a bunting. Nathaniel Poolton A Your bunting, Nathaniel, is a Reed Bunting, most likely to be an adult female (which lacks the solid black…

18-24 October 2025 £1,799 per person, £75 single supplement What superlatives can we use for the magical Isles of Scilly? Renowned World-wide as a migration hotspot, it is surely one of the best places in the Western Palearctic to see species from ‘across the pond’. Scilly is geographically blessed to receive rare vagrants from all points of the compass. Unlike many migration watchpoints, weather is less critical here for producing something of interest – good birds can turn up on any winds! Each year, Scilly receives a plethora of American shorebirds, too, such as Pectoral and Buff-breasted Sandpipers and American Golden Plover. Scarcities such as Dotterel, Little Stint and Curlew Sandpiper often appear at this time, too, and we will be grilling any wader flocks for that White-rumped, Semipalmated or…

Bird Watching magazine editor Matthew Merritt and assistant editor Mike Weedon will be joined by Scottish birding aficionado and UKBS editor Gordon Hamlett to lead a week of wildlife watching in November 2024, based at the lovely Grant Arms Hotel in Grantown-on-Spey. The hotel boasts high quality en suite rooms and traditional Scottish fare made with local ingredients, and while it takes care of bed, breakfast and dinner, we'll provide optional guided walks, expert tips, bird quizzes, and evening talks. We'll be within easy reach of sites in the Highlands, along the Moray Coast, and the Black Isle, and the trip will also include a day on the West Coast. We'll expect to find species such as Crested Tit, Crossbill, Slavonian Grebe, Snow Bunting, Golden Eagle, White-tailed Eagle, Red and…

Stephen Moss: “The first Wood Sandpiper I found, while trespassing at Perry Oaks Sewage Farm in the 1970s.” Amanda Tuke: “Finding my first Caspian Gull near Crossness Sewage Outfall was a high point last winter.” Ruth Miller: “Greater Adjutants on a dump in India. It was hot, smelly but even more horrifying were all the people scavenging for food.” John Miles: “Firecrest at Longtown sewage works, along with Siberian Chiffchaff.” …and the Bird Watching team's answers Matt Merritt: “Finding a Blue-headed Wagtail, and a lot of Yellows, on a huge and very smelly pile of manure.” MW: “This spring, I found a Black Redstart in a modern housing estate; the sort of site where visiting birders become the spectacle for the locals.” Cover pic: Stone-curlew PAUL R STERRY, NATURE PHOTOGRAPHERS…

As ever, here are our more or less outlandish ‘educated guesses’ as to which extreme rarities may turn up this month. Good luck finding one or more! PALE-LEGGED LEAF WARBLER There have only been two records of this Asian ‘Phyllosc’ in the UK: one found dead on St Agnes, Scilly, in October 2016, and one found at Bempton Cliffs, East Yorkshire, in late September into October 2024. Perhaps there will be another found this September. UPLAND SANDPIPER About a dozen of the 50-odd records of this curious wader were in September, with the last being in 2023, at Kilnsea, East Yorkshire. Most of the rest were in October. Incidentally, about 15 of the total UK occurrences have been within the current century. TENNESSEE WARBLER Despite there being fewer than a…

DRONING ON Common and widespread, albeit more sparsely distributed the farther north you travel, Plain-faced Dronefly is an attractive hoverfly that is most readily found by searching for nectar-rich flowers. It occurs in a decent range of habitats, which increases your chances. MOTH No lime like the present One fun way to observe moths is to entice them to your garden with sugar – usually in the form of ropes soaked in a treacly, boozy liquid. If you live near lime trees, which are as often found along urban streets as in deciduous woods, you have a decent chance of attracting Orange Sallow to your moth ‘pub’. This is an attractive moth, its orangey-yellow wings lined red, but one that seems to be disappearing from much of the country. Catch…

It's fair to say that most birders, as well as many BTO members and supporters, are unaware the organisation owns and manages its own Norfolk nature reserve. Located by our headquarters in Thetford, Nunnery Lakes is a small but diverse site, sandwiched between the rivers Thet and Little Ouse. Despite its modest size, it contains a rich variety of Breckland habitats, such as sandy heathland, flood meadow, wet woodland and reedbed. It is also home to series of lakes, the result of former gravel workings. This diverse landscape means it is home to a variety of wildlife, and nature enthusiasts can find birds, mammals, invertebrates, reptiles, and plants within its boundaries. Water Vole, Otter, Grass Snake, Slow-worm, and Common Lizard occur on the site, along with species of butterfly and…

Most birders will be familiar with seawatching – a land-based way of spotting seabirds that don't normally breed on the British coast – and there are many well-known locations for it around the British Isles, such as Flamborough Head in Yorkshire, Pendeen in Cornwall, Strumble Head in Wales, Fife Ness in Scotland, and Cape Clear in Ireland. It takes some dedication and getting used to – you're often there in very stormy weather, which helps the birds get blown close to the land. Pelagic birding, however, involves going out to sea on a boat or ship to give you a better chance to get really close to the birds (the term comes from the Ancient Greek ‘pelagos’, meaning ‘open sea’). My first taste of this rather specialised form of birding…

MAX MILES ON FOOT: 1 MIN TIME: 4 HOURS The RSPB reserve at Dunnet Head is the most northerly point of the British mainland and offers excellent cliff seabird colony viewing, a nature trail and a 360° viewpoint. However, the drive up to the point should not be ignored as there are large lochs and open heathland views that can give great views. St John's Pool is one place every UK birder should visit. There is a public hide, but you are strongly advised to pay and watch from the photographers’ hides which are sunken into the ground. STEVE NEWMAN WHERE TO WATCH 1 The cliff seabird colonies can be scanned from the path, giving excellent views of the expected species. A short walk brings you to the viewpoint with 360°…

MAX MILES ON FOOT: 5 MIN TIME: 4 HOURS Lying on the border with Staffordshire, this is an underwatched area which formerly held Corn Bunting and Grey Partridge but still offers some declining species such as Yellow Wagtail in summer and Yellowhammer all year round. An extensive vista gives views towards the three spires of Lichfield Cathedral and of Cannock Chase away in the distance. PETE HACKETT 1 Start the walk/drive on Hillwood Common Road. Fields in winter hold flocks of Redwing and Fieldfare with smaller numbers of Meadow Pipits. Ploughed fields may hold Golden Plover and Lapwing with the former attracting over 150 birds in the winter of 2024. Check the transmitter mast for Peregrine, which hunt over the fields. Red-legged Partridge are occasionally seen. Flocks of finches are…

Q It has been wonderful this summer to sit outside in the evening and watch Swifts swooping overhead, their wings translucent against the beautiful, clear blue skies. However, it has set me wondering whether the recordings of Swift cries which can rather dominate the natural sounds of the Swifts and other birds do have any effect. The Swifts over my house when the tapes are played (not by me I hasten to add) certainly don't seem to take any notice, or is there some delayed effect which it is not possible to detect? The Swifts have not chosen to use the nest boxes which have been put up for them and from which the sounds emanate. Andrea Owen A It is believed that playing recordings (from May to the end of…

I knew Bhutan would be different as soon as I landed at Paro airport. In place of the usual bland corporate design, the terminal is decorated with some of the most intricate artwork I've ever seen – a colourful feast of swirling dragons and Buddhist temples, along with superb bird photos by top Bhutanese bird guide Chubzang Tangbi. Just minutes after landing we were welcomed by Chubzang himself, clad in traditional Bhutanese costume. For the next eleven days, he, along with seasoned British tour leader Colin Bushell, would show us the sights, sounds and wonders of this tiny Himalayan kingdom. The country is not quite twice the size of Wales, with just one-quarter of the population – and some of the world's most sought-after birds! Moments later, along the river…

This feeder boasts that it's made from 100% sustainably sourced wood, but it's not only kind to nature but also built to last. Featuring a sleek slate-effect roof made from 100% recyclable materials, it adds a touch of elegance to your garden while also keeping seeds dry and fresh. With its generous capacity, this feeder claims to attract a wide variety of birds, making it a must have for your garden. It has a generous seed capacity of about 700g. First impressions were good. It is an attractive, smaller feeder which I immediately liked – we have many larger birds such as Rooks and Jackdaws visiting our garden, which regularly visit and greedily raid all feeders! I imagined, and hoped, they would struggle to feed on this design. I was…

Golden Eagle A very large bird (much, much larger than a Buzzard), usually seen in flight, with very long wings (with long and prominent, flexible primary ‘fingers’) and a long tail (for an eagle) and relatively small head. Usually looks all dark, apart from variable white patches on outerwing (which reduce with age) and white in base of tail (also reducing with age), which has a dark terminal band. In good light, the ‘golden’ crown and nape shows up against the darker back. Osprey A very distinctive bird if seen well, sometimes looking more like a huge gull in flight, than a different bird of prey. This is largely owing to the very long, relatively narrow wings, and shortish tail. The gull comparison also comes from the largely white underparts.…

I've been feeling my age of late. At times, it feels like Groundhog Day, as every 24 hours life seems to reset to the same old same old. Will said it perfectly in the Scottish play… “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day…” Maybe the winter blues had not yet dissipated. Aching bones, rubbish weather, lack of motivation combined into a birding despond. I simply could not be arsed, the routine was easier than spontaneity or planned excursions. Staring out of the window was as close as I got to proper birding. Then a slow miracle happened. The tree I cannot name, some foreign import no doubt, a flowering cherry, a fig and a couple of elderberry bushes occupy a space the size…

ID TIP! Herons and egrets habitually fly with their necks folded, while other longlegged birds fly with their necks outstretched BIRD 1 We start with a bird which appears to have very long legs (certainly compared with the size of its feet), apparently dropping those feet as it comes into land. The wings are held straight out (in the manner of a stork or crane, but not like the bowed wings of a heron). And those wings are very long and broad, with prominent, flexed ‘primary fingers’, almost like the wings of an eagle. The neck is long, ending with a relatively small head and correspondingly relatively small, ‘peg-like’ bill. Plumage wise, this bird is largely grey, with darker flight feathers and tail, a black upper neck and distinctive black-and-white…

MAX MILES ON FOOT: 2 MIN TIME: 3 HOURS This delightful walk takes you around pools, meres, ings and reedbeds of Old Moor, a nature reserve reclaimed from coal mining pits closed in the 1980s. The trails begin in a garden area behind the RSPB visitor centre, where feeders and trees attract a range of woodland and garden birds. Further along the trail, wetlands and reedbeds attract waders, gulls, ducks, geese and birds of prey while a new nesting tower aims to attract Swifts and House Martins. CAROLE TIDBALL WHERE TO WATCH 1 Bird Garden Hide: Located just behind the Visitor Hub, this hide and the surrounding area is the perfect place to spot a variety of garden and woodland birds among the trees and plants, including Bullfinch, Reed Bunting,…

When Merlin's sound ID feature was added to the app, we reviewed it in these pages, and were impressed, with a few reservations. But things have moved on, and as with any app using AI, the hope was always that its accuracy would improve with time. So, is it a tool that every birder needs? We took another look, focusing on the sound ID aspect of the app (it also IDs photos, and can be used for logging sightings and keeping lists). The first thing to say is that it does take up a lot of memory on your phone – checking mine, it's around 46GB, comfortably twice as much as even the Photos app. It'll take up more if you download additional packs (I started out with the Europe…

May is traditionally a great month for rarities, as it proved again this year. June is when things start to quieten down for the summer, and birdwatchers can turn to orchids and dragonflies and other such distractions to fill the void. But they do so at their peril, as demonstrated by this June, which was jam-packed with rare birds of exceptional quality. Let's start with arguably the pick of the crop, the UK's fifth ever Pallas's Reed Bunting, and the first in gloriously monochrome male plumage. The black-and-white beauty was found on Fair Isle, Shetland, on 2nd, where the first two UK Pallas's Reed Buntings were found (and trapped), in the autumns of 1976 and 1981 respectively. The only previous June (and non-autumn) record was of a female found at…