Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2023 i Birdwatch

MARCH is here. It’s always a significant month for us birders – spring is arriving and so are longer, milder days, plus the hope of that first migrant encounter. Two species synonymous with March feature prominently in this edition. On page 22, Ken and Linda Smith take an in-depth look at Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. Ken and Linda are true experts when it comes to ‘lesser spots’ I’ve had the pleasure of spending time in the field with them monitoring the species – and they provide plenty of tips for seeking out these elusive birds this month. Another classic bird of early spring is Northern Goshawk. Unlike the previous species, it is increasing in much of its UK range and forms the focus of this month’s ID feature (page 36), which…

The eggs and eggshells of birds have been a source of fascination for humans for centuries. In particular, the colours and patterning that are found on the outer surface of the shell have long been a point of discussion among scientists, historians and birders alike. The beauty of eggshells has long been their downfall, with egg collectors contributing to the decline of many species over the last 200 years. Although the collection of wild bird eggs was made illegal in 1954, sadly this despicable activity still takes place. Indeed, the danger posed by eggs being illegally taken today is why the nests of rare species are still often kept secret or heavily guarded. Any eggs now confiscated from illegal collections, intercepted upon entry to or exit from the United Kingdom,…

The tang of salt and brackish water. The pops, glugs and trickles as the tide drains away. The industry of busy waders gleaning the glistening mud. Our estuaries are poetic, dynamic places as water and waterbirds ebb and flow. But what does that matter when it comes to the scientific enumeration of the birds that are present? A review of 30 years of the BTO/RSPB/JNCC Wetland Bird Survey Low Tide Counts (WeBS LTC) scheme has demonstrated that surveying only at high water is not enough. Monthly visits to estuaries for the WeBS Core Count scheme take place at high tide for most sites. As the water rises, birds gather in the gregarious safety of high-tide roosts, where teams of volunteers can undertake synchronised counts across the estuary. From this immense…

THE Micro Four Thirds (MFT) mirrorless system has gained a significant following among bird photographers in recent years. The MFT format refers to the smaller sensor, such as that at the core of the flagship 20-MP Olympus OM-1 body on review here, which provides a 2x ‘crop factor’, doubling the effective focal length of the lens to which it’s attached. In other words, the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 150-400 mm f4.5 TC1.25X IS PRO lens, also on test here, effectively becomes a 300-800 mm f4.5, or with the built-in 1.25x converter deployed, a whopping 375-1,000 mm at f5.6. These are dream numbers for the bird photographer – the more ‘reach’ and the faster the maximum aperture the better, and the zoom range offers superb flexibility. And all this in a package…

MARCH is a month when our resident birds are getting ready for a new breeding season. Some will already have territories and partners, while others, especially youngsters, are still in the process of preparation. In order to set up home, a male bird will have to establish a territory, which he will do with an ever-increasing amount of song. His territory must be large enough to provide enough food for two adult birds and their young, and must also contain a potential nest site, suitably protected. Only by finding an area which fulfils all of these criteria will he ensure he is adequately attractive to a mate. Many birds will have song posts, often along the border of the territory, and from these the male will proclaim what is his,…

Q I have sent some photos of a Taiga Bean Goose at Weybourne, Norfolk. Any views on the identity of its friend would be gratefully received. It seems to have characteristics of Tundra and Taiga Bean Geese and the head shape seems to vary depending on the view. Robin Chittenden via email A Dan Owen, BirdGuides news team member, replies: Sometimes it’s impossible to categorise a bird, and bean geese have a good knack for testing boundaries. Despite such good-quality photos, there are aspects of the bird in question that should perhaps remain that way. For avoidance of doubt, the larger ‘gander’ is acceptable as a Taiga Bean Goose in my opinion. Firstly, the sheer size of the bird, and the way it ‘swaggers’ through the sea of Pink-footed Geese is a…

February and March are the best months of the year to see one of Britain’s most enigmatic resident species: Northern Goshawk. Extinct in Britain until the 1950s, this powerful Accipiter has bounced back in style, especially in recent times. The 2020 Rare Breeding Birds Panel report in British Birds projected as many 1,300 pairs – a number achieved in part by an astonishing 5% annual increase during the last 20 years. Although it may be a species that’s on the up in Britain, it is still an elusive and shy woodland bird and is far more likely to be seen when being sought out, rather than bumped into. It is localised, too, and there are large areas of the country where it is not found, especially in Central England and…

Of the many natural history collecting expeditions to the Pacific Ocean, none captured my imagination more than the most comprehensive bird survey, the Whitney South Sea Expedition, especially the years from 1920-29 led by Rollo Beck, which resulted in voluminous findings published by Robert Cushman Murphy and colleagues. The vernacular names for the tubenoses Beck’s Petrel and Murphy’s Petrel celebrate their praiseworthy contributions. I visited the collection at the American Museum of Natural History in New York and was thrilled to see tubenose specimens from the remotest of islands, specimen labels written by the hand of Beck, and historic publications by Murphy. I lived great chunks of the expedition vicariously by reading the expedition log. The plan Kirk Zufelt and I first met in 2007 on a five-day pelagic trip…

MANY will be familiar with the work of Xavi Bou, even if not necessarily well enough to put the name to his creations. The focus of Bou’s photography are extraordinary, almost mechanical-looking shapes, which are unrecognisable as birds at first glance, set against a range of spectacular scenic backdrops. A closer look reveals that numerous bird species are depicted in his displays and the remarkable forms on show in fact portray their flight, with the final images actually being a series of slow-shutter-speed images overlapped and layered up during post-production. The results are routinely astonishing. The patterns which Bou’s imagery create are beautiful and varied in their nature, not only providing a visual feast (the resulting patterns resemble waves, wire, whirlwinds and all manner of other complex structures) but also…

BRITISH Great Tits have bigger beaks than those in continental Europe due to our fondness for feeding garden birds. The appearance of larger-billed Great Tits has happened in a similar way to how Darwin’s finches evolved in the Galápagos Islands, according to recent studies. An analysis compared the DNA from more than 3,000 birds in the UK and The Netherlands and showed that there are striking genetic differences between the populations, especially with a gene variant associated with beak length. This change has taken place since the 1970s. Those birds with slightly longer beaks also appear to be more successful in raising their young in the UK, and give them a greater chance to survive. In The Netherlands any birds with longer beaks were less successful.…

ONE: Lesser and Greater White-fronted Geese (Strijen, The Netherlands, 14 December 2005). This wonderful image captures beautifully the two species of white-fronted goose together. The Lesser White-fronted Goose (top) looks only a little smaller here, but its short, small bill, short neck and rather rounded head profile are more obvious. Also visible are the Lesser’s bold yellow eyering and extensive white forehead patch which extends onto the fore-crown. The belly barring is also typically rather weak. Named for the white patch on the forehead, both Greater and Lesser White-fronted Geese occur in Britain in winter. The former can be seen around British and Irish coasts in relatively good numbers during the colder months, while the latter is now very rare and finding one is a real challenge. Separating these similar…

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It seems almost unbelievable to us now, but in Victorian times Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was the most common woodpecker in many parts of southern England, being much easier to find than the larger Great Spotted. Long gone are the days when it was always worth checking tit flocks in winter in case there was a ‘lesser spot’ in tow – you will rarely have such good fortune nowadays. If you are lucky enough to find one, the first thing you will notice is its small size – it really is only the size of a sparrow. The black-and-white plumage gives its back a ‘barred’ rather than ‘spotted’ appearance, but the feathers are often misplaced giving something of a scruffy, unkempt look. Males have a red crown but this is often…

Art has always been a major part of my life. Some of my earliest memories involve me drawing for fun – and for a similar amount of time I’ve been birding, too. They’re equally wonderful hobbies, but when combined, they create something even better! I’ve taken a few long breaks from bird art when life has got in the way, but I’m always lured back as there are few better ways to immerse yourself in the natural world without interfering with it. In recent years I’ve tried to expand my artistic range by trying out new methods outside my comfort zone. I’d barely ever picked up a paintbrush before a few years ago as I always went for the safe option of pencils and coloured pencils, so watercolour painting seemed…

Rule of four thirds With its emphasis on ‘reach’ and portability, Olympus’s Micro Four Thirds system has won many followers in recent times. Kit Day tested out the company’s flagship camera-lens combination. THIS MONTH’S EXPERT PANEL KEITH BETTON is Chairman of the Hampshire Ornithological Society and previously served as Hampshire County Recorder. DAVID CALLAHAN is a taxonomist and freelance nature writer based in North London, and previously worked for the Birdwatch team. JOSH JONES is Editor of Birdwatch. He has been an ardent birder since a young age, with a particular fondness for waders and gulls. KIT DAY is a Suffolk-based birder who has been photographing wildlife at home and abroad for more than two decades.…

ONE of the simplest ways to improve a bird photograph is to compose the image in an eye-catching and/or aesthetically pleasing way. It’s often tempting just to whack a square or rectangle around the bird and leave it at that, and the composition of images we see in identification guides and magazines is often dictated by the available space and the need to show as much detail or as many features of the bird as possible, rather than by aesthetics. The subject of photographic composition is often discussed in terms of rules or mathematical theory, but this can be difficult to apply when dealing with an uncooperative wild creature in an uncontrolled environment. There’s also a great deal of subjectivity to it; there are no golden rules. Beauty is, after…

MARCH can be a good month for catching up with winter year-list omissions and, hopefully, new arrivals. The right winds and conditions, especially southerlies or south-easterlies, could yield Sand Martins and, towards the end of the month, Swallows and House Martins. Most years I see all three before April on my patch at Titchfield Haven in Hampshire – much earlier than they used to arrive. Other early migrants to keep an eye out for are Willow Warbler, Northern Wheatear, Little Ringed Plover, Garganey, and maybe even Sedge Warbler. My earliest patch Sedge Warbler was on 23 March 2022 – a welcome surprise while wandering along the Titchfield canal path! Sandwich Tern and Common Chiffchaff used to be on my ‘early migrant’ list but with both now wintering in and around the…

Fancy a bird-filled trip in Europe or beyond? Look no further than our World of Birds reader tours for 2023! OUR World of Birds reader tour programme has been long-established and popular. Working in association with a select group of specialist birding tour operators, we offer destinations and departures with the promise of some fantastic birding and, importantly, excellent value for money. With travel becoming easier again, we have started to put together another exciting schedule of holidays for 2023 and beyond. An early spring eight-day tour starting on 25 March to western Sweden should bring the memorable sight (and sound) of many thousands of Common Cranes and Whooper Swans as they stage in the area before dispersing to breed. We have several days to soak in the spectacle, before…