Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2025 i Birdwatch

Finder’s Report Pechora Pipit, Co Durham, 21-22 September 2025 SUNDAY 21 September started with my usual routine of taking the dog out for a walk around my local estate in South Shields, Co Durham. After the heavy overnight rainfall, I thought I’d give Trow Quarry a look in the hope of something different bird-wise. A flock of 120 Pink-footed Geese went over as I headed towards the main quarry – my first of the autumn. Being a creature of habit, I took my usual route around the quarry, where I met local birder John Chapman. Between us we saw one of the local Little Owls, a couple of Common Chiffchaffs and a Blackcap. The east end of the quarry was also quiet and I thought about my next move. Should…

Western Palearctic September 2025 CORVO did it again with a radiant Prothonotary Warbler on 27th. This, the third WP record, headlined a glut of early ‘Yank’ sightings on the Azorean island: Northern Waterthrush, American Yellow Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, two American Redstarts, Bobolink, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, multiple Red-eyed Vireos, Northern Harrier and two Cackling Geese also featured. Earlier in the month, an American Cliff Swallow was a brief visitor to Cabo da Praia, Terceira, while Snowy Egrets were on Flores and São Miguel. Also causing a stir on São Miguel was an adult male Great-tailed Grackle from 1st, having surely arrived via ship. The species regularly takes advantage of boats to travel around, with past regional records from Britain, France, Spain and the Canary Islands. The most migratory member of…

We are approaching the 20th anniversary of the first confirmed case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI; bird flu) in wild birds in the UK. That initial case presented an identification puzzle – not of the virus, but of the bird itself. A decomposed swan found in Cellardyke Harbour, Fife, was first identified as a Mute Swan, but days later reclassified as a Whooper Swan. Were there really no beak, legs or tail to provide a clue to its identity? At the time, neither the authorities nor the media appeared especially concerned with the species involved, despite the epidemiological implications being potentially very different for a migratory Whooper Swan heading to Iceland, perhaps from Denmark, compared with a resident Mute Swan. Ever since, I’ve kept a close eye on which…

“It’s on the tip of the stalagmite,” someone screamed as our target flew in from across the valley. We’d gathered patiently in the dried riverbank of the Wadi Darbat. Perched before our eyes was a bird with beautiful white cheeks, golden-yellow flashes on its wings and a heavy bill designed for crushing acacia and juniper berries. We couldn’t believe our luck; an Arabian Golden-winged Grosbeak was drinking from a naturally occurring water source only 30 m away, showing exceptionally well to the delight of all four of us. Although this was a huge target bird for the trip, it was one we simply didn’t expect to see. The regular site for this species – a nearby camel trough – had been devoid of recent sightings, and if it hadn’t been…

GURNEY is a name that will be familiar to most birders. Many will have heard of Gurney’s Pitta, and the man himself wrote a monograph on Northern Gannet. Otherwise, his contributions to ornithology are perhaps forgotten or overlooked – something this book puts right. This is an almost obsessive record of every scrap of evidence related to Gurney, his early life and business, and his long and remarkable involvement with bird collectors, scientists, writers and bird artists worldwide. As each contact is introduced, so we learn, too, a great deal about them. There are plenty of shooters, hunters and professional collectors. Verreaux – he of the eagle – assured Gurney that he knew the difference between male and female Bateleurs: after all, he had killed a hundred. It was a…

■ Bone idol Bonaparte’s Gull used to be a real rarity in Britain and Ireland, but has undergone a notable increase in records in recent years. Josh Jones takes a closer look at the rise of this elegant species on our shores. ■ Getting a rough idea In recent winters, Europe has experienced records of the North American sanctijohannis form of Rough-legged Buzzard, known as Rough-legged Hawk. This is an extremely tricky ID and Jack Ashton-Booth provides cutting-edge advice on how to call the taxon on this side of the Atlantic. ■ Eagles soar again The reintroduction of White-tailed Eagle into the UK was first initiated on Mull in 1975, and 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of this milestone. Dave Sexton charts the ups and downs of this ultimately successful…

THE Fens were once an immense wetland, a shifting mosaic of reedbeds, meres and marshes. Drainage schemes dating back to Roman times intensified between the 17th and 19th centuries, turning most of this landscape into farmland. Yet fragments remain: washes that flood in winter, ancient reedbeds and restored wetlands that are now strongholds for some of Britain’s rarest species. These habitats not only provide shelter for iconic birds such as Common Crane and Hen Harrier but also stage some of the most impressive winter gatherings of birds anywhere in the country. Winter arrivals As Northern Europe freezes, The Fens become a refuge for all kinds of birds. Among the most stirring sights are the Whooper Swans, arriving from Iceland in family groups and turning the arable fields white. By day…

The wind is howling, blowing from the north, the drizzle relentless, but it doesn’t matter – the weather has forced a small flock of waders to drop in, and there’s a chance an errant seabird may also be blown onto the reserve. However, this weather plays havoc with your optics too, mist and beads of water block your view and the penetrating wind makes you shiver and shake as you focus and try to concentrate. Fortunately, you’re only 100 m from the nearest hide, which will allow ample views over the reserve’s scrape, offer shelter from the wet and wind, and allow you to warm up. You can now scan the birds in comfort. It wasn’t always this way – birders in the past had to be made of sturdier…

I’M a fan of Patrick Galbraith’s writing. His book In Search of One Last Song was my blog’s book of the year in 2022 but this is an even better read. Here, again, Galbraith travels the land and talks to some interesting people in some interesting places. The subject of those conversations is largely access to the countryside. And again, the author lets the interviewees speak to the reader. His own opinions don’t dominate and aren’t wholly clear to me. If you look at the access issue in binary terms then both sides get some brickbats from the author – I liked that. I found the book helpful to nudge my own thinking along a bit. I don’t really buy that there is an actual right to roam and I…

I have been lucky enough to visit quite a bit of Africa for birding, so on receiving this, the latest in the Habitats of the World series, I set myself the challenge to write down how many habitats I could think of. I like to think I am imaginative, but I could only come up with 12. To my shame, I then saw that the authors have covered 85 major African habitats in this book. These are not only landscapes; they extend to marine habitats too. Some of these are immense, but importantly, others are quite restricted, and they often contain the most endangered birds. So having been to north-west Zambia a while back, I decided to look at a really restricted habitat: the tall, dry woodland which is known…

WITH December almost upon us again, why not think about turning some of your bird photographs into a 2026 calendar or Christmas card for your family and friends? November is a good time to photograph European Robin, a staple species of both these crafts, as numbers in the UK are swelled by continental visitors in winter. Common, widespread, and bold almost to the point of being friendly, robins in the UK provide a lovely photographic subject. They are easily coaxed in with seed or mealworms, so it’s a relatively straightforward task to get them in a photogenic setting. A natural perch and smooth, diffuse, green background are good starting points, but equally, why not go for something a bit different? If you want that smooth backdrop, make sure whatever is…

I’VE had some great patch memories from November, as late autumn transitions to winter. The most unexpected highlight during this month was a Barred Warbler found by a local birder at Titchfield Haven in 2017. It later relocated to the small garden at the back of Haven House, where it remained for much of the winter. Siberian Chiffchaff is a much more frequent scarcity on my patch but is always nice to find. One particular highlight was a fine singing male in 2021 – the first time I’d heard this striking form’s song. Continuing the trend for warblers, a Yellow browed Warbler also appeared this month during 2020. Leach’s Storm Petrel is another November highlight. The only one I’ve seen to date was on 1 November 2022. The bird lingered long…

A few months ago, I wrote about my ‘new approach’ to birding (see Birdwatch 395: 70). This resulted in some the most surprising reactions to any of my columns; usually, when people get in touch, they’re irate as something I’ve written has mortally offended them. However, I’ve had so many lovely, personal messages from people, most of whom I’ve never met, relating, sharing their own stories and asking for more. Thank you if you took the time to do that. Since writing that column, I’ve undergone cognitive behaviour therapy and am now in counselling. We’ve worked on understanding the human nervous system, and how we move regularly through a ‘ladder’ that varies from a state of feeling balanced, safe and connected; to mobilised (fight or flight, with increased heart rate,…

Britain and Ireland September 2025 SEPTEMBER is a month that varies wildly in its birding make-up depending on prevailing weather conditions. But instead of the more expected east coast falls or mega American arrivals, September 2025 will be most fondly remembered for an historic influx of Glossy Ibis. A minimum of 605 individuals was totalled across Britain and Ireland combined on 8th. The first signs that something highly unusual was happening kicked off three days earlier, with a flock of approximately 30 birds in north-west England followed by 22 over Skokholm, Pembrokeshire, and then 15 arriving in off the sea at Portland, Dorset, the next morning. These were soon followed by multiple large flocks across southern England, Wales and Ireland. The British record for a single flock was smashed twice,…

One aspect of birding that I’ve felt the most ignorant of is the influence of weather on migration. I have been an active birder for more than 20 years, yet I feel as though I know about as much about the role of the weather as could be gleaned from a very short presentation or book chapter. And that is probably being generous. I have to admit that for a long time I wasn’t particularly interested. My approach was simply to be out as much as possible, usually at the same site in my earlier patch-watching days, so the forecast would have a limited bearing on my birding behaviour anyway. Rain or shine, easterly or westerly, I would be out. I knew the basic concepts, such as drift and the…

Some rarities have an uncanny knack of finding a home away from home when they turn up on our shores – an area of habitat which perfectly mimics their preferences on their own turf. This is trickier for some species than others. Take Desert Wheatear, for example. Surely its requirements are difficult to meet in this green and pleasant land? However, I’ve stood on windy, sand-blown strandlines at places such as Holkham Beach and Burnham Overy Dunes, both in Norfolk, on late autumn days and could clearly see why an off-course Desert Wheatear might substitute these barren landscapes dominated by sand and shingle for its usual stomping ground in the Sahara or Syrian Desert. This habit is not just restricted to coastal locations. Remarkably, a female Desert Wheatear that ventured…

SOME country profiles extoll the huge list of exciting species that can be seen. However, in this case, most of the birds on offer are familiar to us, and we can easily see them within a few hours of home. The difference that makes the Netherlands special is the sheer volume of birds involved – particularly in August as huge numbers of waders use the East Atlantic Flyway between the Arctic and Africa. At any one time, there can be up to six million birds present in the Wadden Sea, and many of them are in the Netherlands. A good place to witness huge numbers is Westhoek in Friesland. If you are used to getting excited by two or three Curlew Sandpipers in the UK, then get ready for a…