Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2026 i Bird Watching

One of the things that comes through strongly in David Callahan’s account of his successful completion of our #My200BirdYear challenge in 2025 (see page 32) is how much of birdwatching can be about happy accidents. You go out looking for a Brambling (pictured above), say, and you end up finding Waxwings (well, we can hope). In fact, that was probably the main idea behind the challenge in the first place. It’s designed to provide a motivation to get out there, probably on your local patch – after all, there’s no real substitute for time spent in the field when it comes to finding birds, and learning more about them. To slightly paraphrase the golfer Gary Player, the more you practise, the luckier you get. So, get out there in 2026……

twitter.com/BirdWatchingMag facebook.com/BirdWatchingMag RARITY RATINGS Common, widely distributed Localised – always a treat Very scarce or rare WAXWING Like our bird of the month, Bittern, everyone wants to see a Waxwing, or preferably Waxwings (these are, after all, renowned flockers). Waxwings are beautiful birds. It is not just the fluffy crest, nor the tiny red spots of sealing wax on the wings, nor the bright yellow on the tail tip (and wings), nor the subtle combination of pinky-orangey-browny-grey, black and rufous in the body feathers. It is the combination of all these things, plus the fact that they can change shape from super slim to fluff balls in the blink of an eye. And the charming bell-like tinkle of the contact call is good, too. The scarcity and unpredictability of Waxwings…

#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 geographically-based 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. YOUR LOCAL PATCH The high metabolism of birds means that staying active is of paramount importance during short and chilly winter days – this, combined with leafless branches and the potential for frost or ice, means that it’s sometimes possible to see birds more easily,…

We don’t really twitch much these days, and especially not this year while I’ve been hobbling around on crutches with my broken ankle, but sometimes a really good bird comes your way, and it would be rude not to! We were guiding a custom tour on the east coast of Yorkshire, a regular haunt of ours in autumn to enjoy some exciting migration. However, during this particular week the winds were not in our favour and we, along with many other birders, were bemoaning the lack of easterly winds to bring in migrants. To rub salt in the wounds, news of one amazing rarity had flashed up on Rare Bird Alert but each time the bird was just out of our reach. It was a White-throated Needletail, a mega rare…

In association with os.uk/osm MAX MILES ON FOOT: 3 MIN TIME: 2 HOURS This walk is in the heart of the National Forest, with the Conkers Visitor Centre just a short distance away. Wooded areas and leafy lanes are excellent for small birds, while a flooded former quarry looks like attracting interesting water birds, including overspill from Albert Village Lake (AVL), across the road. MATT MERRITT WHERE TO WATCH 1 Park in Albert Village, and use the footpaths towards Boothorpe. There’s a new lake in the area marked Donington Quarry on OS maps. Check this for gulls, Cormorants, Coots, Moorhens and the commoner ducks, while Pochard, not always easily found locally, is regular here. Cetti’s Warblers have been heard here. AVL has attracted the likes of Black-necked Grebe and Black…

Flying bird 1 Q I photographed this bird whizzing by on a murky day on the coast of the Moray Firth, in November. I think it may be a Red-throated Diver, but my partner Harry has put doubt in my mind. Please, can you confirm that I am right? Margaret Salmon A We can indeed confirm that you are right, Margaret. This is a Red-throated Diver, in non-breeding plumage. Apart from its diver-shape, including long neck, wings set well back and feet extended way beyond ‘tail’, the plain dark upperwings and white underparts point to a diver species. The fine, pointed bill, tilted slightly upwards combined with extensive white on the throat and face, even extending up to the eye are key factors in its identification. Hawfinch ‘suppression’? Q I…

IMAGE SPEC Camera: Nikon Z9 Focal length: 600mm Exposure: 1/1,600 sec; ISO 1,000 I often leave the house for a photography session with no fixed idea of what I want to achieve. I like to work organically, responding to whatever unfolds and allowing the session to take its own shape. There’s a freedom in having no expectations, in simply photographing whatever comes along and adapting techniques to express the mood of the moment. But even within this fluid approach, I’ve learned something important – my images are always better when I work with intention, and when I allow myself to be bold. Intent transforms the entire process. It gives direction to how I see things and the decisions I make before I even lift the camera to my eye. The…

Ruth Miller: “A Firecrest, such an amazing amount of colour and pizzazz packed into a tiny package.” David Lindo: “I found two Dartford Warblers in the autumn near Brighton – a local scarcity.” Amanda Tuke: “Finding my first British Goshawk in Surrey back in March was pretty spectacular.” David Chandler: “Osprey, on 26 March, on my local patch. It was sitting on a Barn Owl box.” …and the Bird Watching team’s answers Matt Merritt: “A Hawfinch in an often-checked churchyard, early in the year – reward for years of persistence!” Mike Weedon: “Black Redstarts; a lovely male in February, and a fluffy juvenile (above) in July – proof of local breeding.” Cover pic: Oystercatcher SCOTLAND: THE BIG PICTURE, NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY/ALAMY…

HARDY SOUL I have seen the comfortingly warm-toned Chestnut in every month from September to May, but it attracts most attention in mid-winter, when other species of moth are generally hard to come by. This common, widespread species inhabits gardens, scrub, heaths and woodland. Such a wide range of favoured habitats stems from the caterpillar’s wide-ranging tastebuds: it can grow strong on many plants, from docks to blackthorn. FISH How are Yew doing? On short January days, evergreen trees can be a boon – simply because of their unchanging colour. Although well known for growing in churchyards, the sacred properties of Common Yew predate British Christianity, for they were revered by Celts and Anglo-Saxons. We have numerous individual Yews that are more than 1,000 years old: why not pay homage…

Valentine’s Day (14 February) marks the start of National Nestbox Week; coinciding with the period when many birds begin to pair up, or get back together, in advance of the imminent breeding season. So, this is a call to get your garden, yard, or other space, nest-ready! Ideally, those of us with existing nest boxes will have given them a good clean out over the winter, or if you are thinking of putting up new boxes – now is the perfect time. Our gardens and local green spaces provide a haven for many of our most familiar and much-loved birds, such as House Sparrow, Blackbird, Starling, and Robin. While some individuals may be able to find a safe place to nest in planted areas or around buildings, there is still…

What kind of birder are you? is one of the questions asked by an audience member at a recent RSPB local group meeting. If the group hadn’t been so enthusiastic during my talk about being a bird writer and urban naturalist, I might have interpreted the question differently. And the questioner goes on to clarify with… I mean, are you a ‘walker’ or a ‘sitter’? An interesting question, and, in response, I tell him that I’m mostly a walker. On the way home I mull over the exchange. When I first started birdwatching regularly, I’d be more likely to find a quiet hide and settle in. As time has gone by, I’ve found it harder to relax like that, with a nagging concern about what I might be missing if…

One of the great joys of living in our islands is that our coasts (as well as plenty of inland sites) are home to millions of wintering wading birds. And though some birdwatchers find waders ‘difficult’, everyone can surely agree that they are among the most charismatic and fascinating of all our birds. Most of our wintering waders are arctic (or at least northern) breeders, which are in the British Isles for the food (not something the UK is traditionally renowned for), as well as our relatively mild climate (at least compared with the frozen continent’s landmass). But, in winter, they are not in the best of plumages, with grey and white being favoured colour combinations. So, when it comes to ID, it is a good idea to look for…

In association with os.uk/osm MAX MILES ON FOOT: 4 MIN TIME: 3 HOURS This former opencast mine has become one of the north’s premier birding sites, drawing birds from around the globe. It’s in a great spot for cross-country migration as well as having great habitats such as reedbeds and many islands, encouraging birds to stay and breed. JOHN MILES WHERE TO WATCH 1 Starting from the car park, go and look at ‘Oddball’ – a massive dragline brought from the USA to dig coal here at the mine. Not only was it once the second largest machine in the world, but it also has both Kestrel and Little Owl nesting in it! 2 Work along the paths to scan the 877 acres to see what is flying in following…

In association with os.uk/osm MAX MILES ON FOOT: 4 MIN TIME: 4 HOURS Habitats included grazing land, classic heathland with isolated Scots Pines, broadleaf woodland (known as inclosures), conifers, Birch and Gorse scrub and bog habitats, plus the Beaulieu River with marginal vegetation. A scattering of resident Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers, Wood Larks, Dartford Warblers, Hawfinches and Marsh Tits are present along with declining numbers of summer specialities such as Tree Pipit, Redstart and Wood Warbler. Heathland tracts harbour a few pairs of Nightjars while Honey Buzzards can sometimes be seen displaying over the woodland canopy. An added bonus of this walk is that it can be accessed by public transport via the Ashurst (New Forest) Station. PAUL TRODD WHERE TO WATCH 1 Churchplace Inclosure support stypical lowland woodland resident species…

It was the incongruity I remember most. I was on a North Sea ferry, crossing back to the UK on a late September morning. Typically for any birder, I was out on deck, binoculars at the ready, waiting for seabirds to appear. They did, too, a decent roll-call of auks, gulls and Gannets. But then, out of a patch of mist, came something entirely different, a large, brown bird with wavering flight, which I instantly realised was an owl. It was a Short-eared Owl, bobbing over the sea instead of grassland or moorland, a peculiar and unexpected sight. However, much as the idea of an owl over the ocean waves is unusual to us, the Short-eared Owl has considerable form as a seafarer. It has been seen in similar vein…

If you had asked me prior to 1994 if I had ever heard of a Black-faced Bunting, let alone be able to describe what one looked like, I would have flatly refused to believe that such a bird existed. Indeed, I probably would have thought that the enquirer had been referring to the much more well known Black-headed Bunting. Before 1994, I thought that I was a worldly birder with an avid interest and exhaustive knowledge of the planet’s more obscure avian wonders. I obviously overlooked this bird. Everything changed in March 1994. I was heading up the M62 to Manchester with a mate of mine as we were going to watch Manchester United play at Old Trafford the following day. I can’t recall how now, but the morning of…

THE PENGUIN BOOK OF PENGUINS BY PETER & LISA FRETWELL PENGUIN, HB, £14.99 BOOK OF THE MONTH This is a book by someone who has lived ‘down below’, working for the British Antarctic Survey team – his wife drew all the penguins here. Peter worked on Emperor Penguins, using satellite imagery to find new colonies, but the book covers every species of penguin in considerable detail. It delves into history, telling tales such as the loss of birds to sailors, and even how to rid the flesh of its unappetising smell, something that is not needed today! A great book for all those who love this bird family. THE WILDLIFE OF THE AVALON MARSHES BY ALISON UREN PISCES, HB, £25 This is a book that really advertises what is a…

SOUTH WEST Highlights In association with Two widely spaced Black-faced Buntings were trapped and ringed on 6th, at Portland, Dorset, and Nanjizal Valley, Cornwall. A Black-browed Albatross was off St Ives, Cornwall on 28th. A Pine Bunting was at St Aldhelm’s Head, Dorset and a Steppe Grey Shrike was at Gunwalloe, Cornwall. AVON CLEVEDON TO WESTON-SUPER-MARE: Clevedon had 24 Kittiwakes (28th), three Great White Egrets, a Short-eared Owl (8th) and a Yellow-browed Warbler. Sand Point had a brief Pallid Swift (7th), four Avocets, a Great Northern Diver, five Great White Egrets and two Water Pipits. Uphill had 45 Sanderlings and a Black Redstart. SEVERNSIDE: New Passage/Pilning Wetlands had 12 Brent Geese, Garganey (16th-18th), Whimbrel and Bar-tailed Godwit, an Avon record 1,900 Black-tailed Godwits, a Ruff, a Little Stint, a Little…

1 Uganda has a Crane on its national flag. 2 Gyr Falcon is Iceland’s national bird. 3 Bar-tailed Godwit makes the longest regular migration, from Alaska to New Zealand. 4 (Common) Swift is the fastest bird in level flight. 5 American Robin is the most numerous bird in North America (in spring and summer). 6 Colombia, Peru and Brazil have the most bird species. 7 Möwe is German for ‘Gull’. 8 Kori Bustard is the world’s heaviest flying bird. 9 Wandering Albatross has the largest wingspan. 10 Golden Eagle is national bird of the most countries (Albania, Germany, Austria, Mexico and Kazakhstan). 11 The Dodo belonged to the pigeon and dove family. 12 Australian Magpies are part of the butcherbirds and currawongs family. 13 A bird takes 20-60 minutes, on…

BITTERN In the days when supersonic jet liners made a racket in the sky, people would look up and point and say, “there’s Concorde”, even though it could be one of 14 Concordes flying (or one of seven British Airways ones, if over the UK). They were referring to Concorde as if only one such plane existed – an issue it has in common with the Bittern. People say, “Have you seen the Bittern?” rather than, “Have you seen a Bittern”, implying that there is just the one ever seen. Luckily, there are now many more than one Bittern around. To steal a phrase: Bittern is booming! Though still a scarce breeder, there are now (officially) about 300 booming males in the UK. This is the preferred way of estimating…

It is that time of year when, in addition to making resolutions for the year ahead, it is nice to have one last look at the year gone by. In my case, of course, it will be a summary of the goings on in the Peterborough area during 2025. After a ridiculously productive 2024, when early flooding helped me very nearly reach the magic 200 total (falling just short, on 199 bird species, including five PBC area ticks for me), 2025 had a lot to live up to. As I write, it is earlyish December and my local year list stands at 191 species, with one PBC tick, one exceptionally rare subspecies tick, one second-ever sighting, one third-ever record and a couple of all time Peterborough area find ticks. In…

Discounting cats (if only!) and birds (never gonna happen), Frogs sit at the top of the food chain in my postage stamp yard. Foxes haven’t found a way back in yet, and mice seem to be only occasional winter visitors. On my nightly Frog safari (I’m taking photographs, to see just how many individuals are in my tiny yard) I heard the underfoot scrunch of snail shells; they come out in the rain to dance with slugs, and the frogs follow to swallow their supper. Our pond was rammed with water snails that possibly ate most of the Frog spa wn, and the water surface had long disappeared beneath an overgrown water lily and an even bigger Golden Club (Orontium aquaticum). We never replaced the goldfish when the last one…

In association with os.uk/osm MAX MILES ON FOOT: 3 MIN TIME: 3 HOURS A coastal walk along the western arm of Morecambe Bay overlooks intertidal habitats including sand-bars, mudflats, saltmarsh and creeks, depending upon the phase of the tide. Nationally important numbers of shorebirds, gulls, terns and ducks utilise the rich feeding grounds in winter and when on migration. The broadleaf Sea Wood very much complements the habitat diversity and in spring attracts Redstart, Pied Flycatcher and Wood Warbler. PAUL TRODD WHERE TO WATCH 1 From Wadhead Hill, scan the sands at low tide for large flocks of shorebirds comprising mainly Oystercatcher, Curlew, Dunlin, Sanderling, Knot and Redshank, plus lesser numbers of Turnstone, Ringed and Grey Plovers and Bar-tailed Godwit. As spring approaches, Whimbrel and Greenshank move through. Little Egret,…

In association with os.uk/osm MAX MILES ON FOOT: 6 MIN TIME: 4 HOURS This large reservoir gets a good range of the wildfowl and waders that you’d expect, but its position close to the Bristol Channel means it has attracted some interesting rarities and scarcities in the past. There’s a circular trail, but you can easily dip in and out. MATT MERRITT WHERE TO WATCH 1 1The deeper water in the middle of the reservoir is the place to look for rarer grebes and even divers, as well as regulars such as Great Crested and Little Grebes. Ospreys pass through in spring and summer, so keep an eye out. Shelducks are regular. 2 The north east sector of circular walk is closed from November to March, to minimize disturbance to…

GET IN TOUCH birdwatching@bauermedia.co.uk facebook.com/BirdWatchingMag twitter.com/BirdWatchingMag Bird Watching, Media House, Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6EA Duck confusion A big thank you to all at Bird Watching magazine for your excellent guide to female diving ducks in the December 2025 issue. On a recent day out with my wife, at Cambridgeshire’s Grafham Water, however, I utterly failed to apply any sense of logical diagnosis to what I assumed to be a scarce species I’d not before encountered. It wasn’t until she photographed the back of my camera and performed a Google image search that my wife informed me that we were looking at female Goldeneyes and not scoters of any variety! The eye colour, of course, should have been a giveaway. And the shape of the head… Anyway, hoping that this…

FOOTWEAR GRUBS BEARLINE 8.5™ BOOTS Grubs Boots are based in Bolton. It’s a family business that has been making footwear for eight generations – since 1776, that is. Today, David Foster is Mr Grubs and he describes their current boots as “the most comfortable you will ever wear”. It was David and his wife, Jan, who “created the neoprene revolution in sports and agricultural boots back in 2000”. Why Bearline? It’s named after the Bear River, where there are lots of bears. And it’s said to be a revolutionary boot, with Ultra-Bounce™, Tough-Toe™ and the BEARPAW™ sole among its innovations. Bears’ paws have rough skin over soft pads and that’s the inspiration for the sole on this boot. The Bearline seems to be very well made. It feels reasonably heavy…