Inhaltsverzeichnis für March 2018 in Bird Watching

PINE BUNTING A close relative of the Yellowhammer form Siberia, the Pine Bunting largely differs in lacking, in all plumages, the yellow tones of the former. Males are distinctive with white cheeks and crown and chestnut head and throat. Females are more like brown and white Yellowhammers. BAILLON’S CRAKE A rare visitor from the east, a Baillon’s Crake unexpectedly turned up on a Cornish beach, last March. Will history repeat itself. Check the sort of habitats where Water Rails can be seen. ZITTING CISTICOLA The tiny, streaky Zitting Cisticola, or Fan-tailed Warbler, is a resident species in Iberia and France, which has been threatening to colonise the UK for decades, but is still a very rare visitor. Uniquely small and stripy, they are not hard to identify, but can be…

I have just got back from the winter wonderland of eastern Hokkaido, the northernmost of the main islands of Japan. It was a trip of great nostalgia for me; in the mid-1990s, I spent a year or so as a research fellow at Hokkaido University in Sapporo, the island’s main city, which is in the west. This was the first time I have returned to Japan since those glory days of my short academic career. Hokkaido is probably the easiest of the Japanese islands to explore, with lots of open country, lots of wild spaces, and a relatively sparse population, compared to the main island, Honshu. Jo and I launched a few expeditions at different times of year, to explore the island by car, and made a few trips to…

SANDPIPER UPDATE If you enjoyed reading about hopes for the Spoon-billed Sandpiper in last month’s issue, you’ll be delighted to hear that there have been lots of important updates since the article was first written. You can keep up to date with all those developments and by reading the fully-updated feature on our website now. You’ll find it at birdwatching.co.uk/sandpiperupdate BIRD OF PREY MOVE The RSPB has ended its involvement with the Peak District Bird of Prey Initiative, following the partnership project’s continued failure to improve the fortunes of raptors in the Dark Peak, the northern part of the Peak District. The initiative set five-year targets for sustainable breeding populations of three species: Merlin, Peregrine and Short-eared Owl, and from 2016 expanded to include Hen Harrier and Goshawk. But it…

Some 35 years ago, I was a keen member of my local Devon Birdwatching & Preservation Society (DBWPS) group, based in the rural heart of the west of the county. Every once in a while, there’d be an indoor meeting and, at one gathering, an ageing gentleman mentioned that he was looking for a new home for his British Birds magazine collection. With a voracious appetite for increasing my teenage knowledge, I volunteered to take them all. Immediately I was drawn to anything relating to rare birds and soon all November issues were in a disorganised pile on the floor. These November issues were British Birds Rarities Reports, volumes that would become staple reading across countless nights when geography and English homework should have been the priority. "How do I…

This great piece of old Caledonian Forest was bought from the Seafield Estate in 2002 for the community of Grantown. Being Caledonian Forest, a number of rare Scottish birds benefit from the wood and none more so than the Capercaillie. This is a declining species in the area, with recent counts showing 50% of the birds disappearing. Wet summers are no help when chicks cannot dry themselves in dense vegetation. The woods here have a mixture of habitats, from peat bogs to open glades, offering these birds mixed insect food in their early life. You have to be lucky to find them but a good walk covering many of these areas may well come up trumps. Crested Tit is here, as well, with old dead pines an ideal place to…

This is an interesting site running through a very old village on the hillside above the River Onny, with various areas of woodland and winding back along the river. It is a good area to explore and there are lots of paths depending on your available time. The tracks go through many patches of woodland, so if you don’t know the area it might be wise to take a compass to keep you on track. The name Cheney Longville comes from around 1395 when Roger de Cheney, the Lord of the Manor, was granted a licence to crenellate (or licence to fortify) his Manor House at what was then Longfeld. Fortified manor houses were sometimes known as castles. So what are we going to see here? Up the hedged lane…

Described in 1794 by Charles Hassall, an agricultural pioneer and colourful figure, as “a tract of several hundred acres which within these four years was a perfect bog of little or no value”, Castlemartin Corse was very quickly drained, enclosed and divided by ditches. The engineer who oversaw the work was awarded the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacture and Science’s gold medal in 1800 for being ‘the most successful reclaimer of waste land.’ Two centuries on, the National Trust is endeavouring to restore the wetland, or at least that which occupies the lower part of the valley where drainage was least successful. The shingle and dune ridge backing the wonderful Freshwater West beach is all that prevents inundation at high tide, especially in stormy conditions. The National Trust…

Some birdwatchers cut their birding teeth at the local lake, others on estuaries, and more still in their local woodland. Most garden birds are really woodland species which have found the semi-natural equivalent around humans’ habitat. So, birdwatchers who start out with their gardens should have a good grasp of the basics of woodland birdwatching. For these people, this month’s ID Challenge should present no excessive difficulties. Indeed, it could be argued that it is too easy; you decide! Here, as usual, are six birds for you to identify. All are regular British species which are found in woodland in the UK. All you have to do is name them, then turn the page to see our answers and solutions; and then turn the page once more for some general…

Are we planting the right stuff? Thanks to this magazine everyone should know that an invasion of Hawfinches has taken place in the UK this autumn/ winter, but what are they feeding on? Morpeth has an avenue of Hornbeam, Castle Howard has Hornbeam, Sizergh Castle has Hornbeam and so on. Not one of these sites planted Hornbeam just for feeding Hawfinches, so who is planting the right food for this bird to stay and breed in the UK? Hornbeam is classed as a non-native [in the north], so few folk are planting this species. Other trees needed include Cherry and Yew. In Speyside, I saw Hawfinches feeding on Bird Cherry seed with even Scots Pine cones being investigated. Both Beech and oak can also be used, but Hornbeam is their…

October 21-26, 2018 DETAILS: This five-day break is held in partnership with Bird Watching and includes: • Five nights dinner, bed and breakfast • En suite rooms which are equipped with hairdryer, tea and coffee-making facilities, TV and toiletries • Gala dinner • Programme of evening talks and quizzes by Bird Watching’s Matt Merritt, Mike Weedon and Gordon Hamlett • Guided walks, films and entertainment • No single supplement • Please note: a car is essential on this break Leaders: COST: Bird Watching subscribers • Standard Room £406 dinner, bed and pp, £77 additional nights • Superior Room £496 DBB pp, £94 additional nights Bird Watching non-subscribers • Standard Room £424 DBB pp, £81 additional nights • Superior Room £519 DBB pp, £99 additional nights EXCLUDES:…

THE EVERYDAY GUIDE TO BRITISH BIRDS Charlie Elder, Bloomsbury, £12.99 If you're starting out in birdwatching, field guides can be daunting, just because of the sheer volume of species covered. This book, then, keeps it simple, dealing with 80 of the commonest and most widespread species in Britain. The advantage of this is that it can cover each one in depth – Charlie Elder sets out key ID features, confusion species, and likely habitat in which you'd find each species. But the best parts of each species account are the 'What makes it special?' and 'Added interest' sections. The former does a great job of putting each bird in a historical and ecological context, and makes you realise how easy it is to underappreciate some of our more familiar species.…

SOUTH WEST Highlights Perhaps the most exciting rarity in the region this month was a Killdeer, which turned up on St Mary’s, Scilly, on 29 December, apparently first seen in a chicken field, not far from the airport, then again nearby in the afternoon, but not found on New Year’s Eve. AVON CLEVEDON-WESTON-SUPER-MARE: The Clevedon-Yeo coast had a Common Scoter (5th), two Spotted Redshanks, and a Short-eared Owl (17th and 21st). Maxima were 28 Little Egrets and 750 Lapwings. A Great White Egret was at Bleadon. A Marsh Harrier visited Weston (5th). Seven Sanderling and 47 Ringed Plovers were on the Axe (9th). SEVERNSIDE: Three Whooper Swans were at Oldbury Power Station (9th). An Avocet was at Portbury Wharf (1st), with two Mediterranean Gulls there throughout. One or two Jack…

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) Southend-on-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 (+0:54) SCOTLAND Leith…

There’s a school of thought that ticking off the birds that you see has nothing to do with proper birdwatching, but, as we hope you are already coming to appreciate through #My200BirdYear, and as Mark Golley says on page 30 of this issue, adding new birds to your list, first of all involves getting to know familiar birds well. Really well, we mean – appearance, flight style, songs and calls, behaviour, even their nest type. Once you do, you start to realise there are certain species that you have overlooked. For example, if you’re lucky enough to live near an estuary, you may have spent the winter watching flocks of Dunlin. If you’ve watched them really closely, though, you’ll find that at some stage, you’re able to pick out the…

MORE SITES For a full list of the sites we’ve featured, go to birdwatching.co.uk/gbindex KEY Sites may be best visited by car, or a car may be required to get from point to point. Requires birding to be done on foot. Specified points to visit, but can be done in any order (known as KEYPOINTS) Specified points to visit and are best done in numerical order (known as WAYMARKERS) NB: The MILES ON FOOT is the amount of miles you will need to walk and not necessarily the amount of miles in the whole route. The TIME is how many hours we recommend. So, if there are fewer miles per hour, it could be that there is more to see. COLLECT & KEEP Every month we bring you 10…

This is a very scenic route offering you some of the best birds and flora of Teesdale. The starting point is the Bowlees Visitor Centre, supported by the North Pennine AONB, which has a great wealth of information as well as a well-earned cup of tea on your return. The land around the visitor centre has a mixture of habitats with woodland, stream and quarry where limestone plants can be found along with hunting owls and Kestrels. I found Redstarts with fledged young here in 2016 and there were plenty of Willow Warblers, Blackcap and even a Pied Flycatcher. The walk to the river saw a nesting Redstart as well as Treecreeper, Nuthatch and Great Spotted Woodpecker. The first fields held plants such as Spotted Orchid with general grassland flora.…

This is a very enjoyable walk across some open territory, with a hilly bit at the start then a more level open area followed by another steep hill to the remains of a multi-vallate hillfort from the Iron Age. It is about 225 metres (or 738ft) high, so the views across the county are wonderful. It’s thought that it was originally called St Ethelbert’s Camp when he was on his journey to the Court of King Offa. Take care at the top as there is a chasm with a drop of 62 metres (about 200ft). This is quite an adventurous walk as well as a good bird walk at any time of year and the history just adds to the interest. And what a great area for birds with open…

This is one of my favourite spring-time walks as a wide range of resident birds are almost guaranteed, alongside laggard winter visitors and harbingers of spring. It is a quiet and scenic location where the flatlands of Romney Marsh are dramatically separated from the rolling hills of the Low Weald by the Royal Military Canal, a broad defensive ditch and relic from the Napoleonic era. Between Kennardington and Warehorne bridges the canal meanders beside reclaimed sheep-grazed marshland to the south and the sloping arable lands abutting the Wealden woods to the north. The marginal strip of land either side of the canal with its tangle of hedgerows, scrub and marshy patches is a noted migrant route as birds follow the line of hills. Redstart and Ring Ouzel may be encountered…

I’m a bit behind in my reading and have just got round to Kate Risely’s ‘Species Update’ on the Spotted Flycatcher in Bird Watching’s autumn issue. Kate writes that “they are not found in urban areas” and I’m curious to discover whether this is just a British trait? When visiting Talbot House in the centre of Ypres in Belgium, a Spotted Flycatcher held forth in the middle of the garden, sallying back and forth, and quite unperturbed by the numerous visitors wandering around the garden.…

A birding trip to a very wet and windy north Norfolk coast proved the perfect location to put this latest walking shoe from KEEN to the test. I’d taken a bit of risk bringing these with me on the two-day Cromer break, as it was their first outing – I hadn’t brought a second pair with me and should these have hurt my feet this could have brought our exciting walking/birding plans to a halt. Thankfully, though, if I had packed some plasters for protection, they’d have remained unopened as, from the moment I first pulled them on, these shoes were comfortable and the delicate stretch of skin covering the back of my heels remained unscathed. Part of the draw of these shoes is the fact they’re waterproof so, of…

March is the first month of spring, and the month when the first wave of spring migrants comes into the UK. It is very much a transitional month; still cold and largely leafless, with wintering birds starting to return to northern breeding grounds. The woodlands are dominated by the songs of Great Tits and the early courtship/nesting activities of our resident birds. Here are five birds to enjoy during the month. MARSH HARRIER There was a time, not so long ago, when Marsh Harriers would be very tricky to encounter in midwinter. In this age of climate change, though, they regularly spend the whole winter in the country. March is one of the best months for witnessing the incredible skydancing display. You may first become aware of it, when you…

MAMMAL THE REAL RATTY  March is a cracking month to walk along calm, Mink-free waterways to look for signs of Water Vole presence. Although these endearing mammals shun hibernation, they are less active in winter. Accordingly, as the cold abates this month, ‘Ratty’ is less averse to emerging from its waterside burrows. And as bankside vegetation has yet to contemplate its annual crescendo, so the voles venturing outside can be easily seen. March marks the start of the breeding season. MOTH OF THE MONTH PERFECTLY NAMED, MARCH MOTHS EMERGE THIS MONTH. ONLY THE MALE HAS WINGS, AND IT OVERLAPS THESE AT REST, PRODUCING A DISTINCTIVE POSTURE. INVERTEBRATE WHAT A BEAUTY! Moth trapping remains arduous, with small catches, humble diversity and an excess of greys and browns. But persevere, for the…

I hope you did not receive this magazine through the post in a plastic wrapper. I hope that the corner shop, local butcher and fishmonger don’t give you your goodies in a skinny plastic bag. I hope that you did not just sip your fast-food beverage through a plastic straw. But I fear that you will have done all these things. I can’t really blame you and confess to being among you as there really is little choice in the matter. As far as most manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers are concerned single-use plastic is cheap. But is it? Throw-away plastic straws ride all seven seas to every corner of the world, being disastrously ingested by cetaceans and fatally injuring fish and turtles not to mention albatrosses and other seabirds. The…

These bright little things will not only make you look super-cool in the hide, but also show others just how seriously you take your hobby – it’s the badge that says ‘I’m aiming for my best birding year ever’, so wear it with pride! birdwatching.co.uk/shop-200 Coming soon! Bird Watching #My200BirdYear ruffs Versatile, stretchy and seamless microfibre neck tubes that keep you warm in the cold and cool in the warm, bearing the challenge logo with a green background colour. A pleasure to wear! Pre-order now at birdwatching.co.uk/shop-200 Not signed up to #My200BirdYear yet? birdwatching.co.uk/my200/…

Watching birds – all birds – is what this magazine is all about, of course. There can be just as much pleasure to be had from seeing a common bird on your garden feeders as a ‘mega’ on some windblown coast; the common bird might be new for your backyard patch, or you might get better views of it than you’ve ever seen before, or notice some unfamiliar behaviour. That said, there’s an undeniable appeal to seeing rare (or at least, rarer) birds, once in a while. James Lowen, who writes our Beyond Birdwatching page, says: “The allure of the rare – particularly my burning desire to FIND my own rare birds, rather than ‘twitch’ other people’s – so dominates my birding year that I try to minimise all work…

Dun Carloway is the best-preserved broch (prehistoric circular stone tower) in the Outer Hebrides, and is built on a rock on a steep south slope at the height of 50 metres. It was built around 100 BC and was in use, on and off, up to the 16th Century. The broch offers great views over Loch an Duin, often used by Greylag Geese, Mallard, Teal and Wigeon in winter with breeding and passage waders such as Oystercatcher, Dunlin, Golden Plover, Ringed Plover, Snipe, Lapwing and Redshank. The loch side holds Common Sandpipers in summer, while Black-tailed Godwits and Whimbrel pass through in spring and autumn from Iceland. The area seems full of fresh and salt water, with the estuary at Carloway ideal at low tide for feeding waders. Arctic Terns…

Holme brings back many memories, as it was the first bird reserve I ever visited in the 1960s. Three organisations are involved with the area – Natural England with the full SSSI, Norfolk Wildlife Trust NWT) with Holme Dunes, and the Norfolk Ornithologists’ Association (NOA) with the observatory and hides. The mixed habitats guarantees something of interest all-year round, with a staggering 50,000 birds having been ringed at the observatory and more than 300 species recorded in the area. Watch displaying Avocets, Little Ringed Plover and Redshank around the freshwater in spring, while Ringed Plover and Oystercatchers breed along the beach. Warblers include Reed, Sedge, Grasshopper, Common and Lesser Whitethroat likely. Cuckoos look for nests to lay in, while Bitterns catch eels by the hides. The seaward side of the…

These former gravel workings bordering the River Avon offer good birdwatching throughout the year. Lying on a floodplain, during the winter months the fields can become inundated, providing a vast area for, in particular, dabbling ducks and geese to feed. Part of the area is now a thriving water park, but there is still plenty of potential in the surrounding area for a few hours of exploring. Good numbers of Mallard, Shoveler, Gadwall and Wigeon are joined by occasional White-fronted Geese, although these have become scarcer in recent years. Merlin and Peregrine may be also sighted chasing flocks of Meadow Pipits. Flocks of Redwings, Fieldfare, Mistle Thrush and Starling frequent the fields for feeding while there is also a chance of Great White Egret, Snipe, Ruff and Golden Plover. Spring…

This contrasting circular walk takes in two of Dorset s notable national trails: the West Coast Path along the Jurassic coastline and the South Dorset Ridgeway that bisects the Abbotsbury Plains. The stony beach is an extension of the famous Chesil Bank that sweeps back east in a dramatic rising curve towards the bulwark of the Isle of Portland. The calmer waters of West Fleet, trapped between Lyme Bay and rolling downland, are a magnet for a range of lingering wintering wildfowl and waders, along with gulls and incoming terns from the south. Migrant Wheatear and Black Redstart can be found along the shingle bank as hirundines whip inland and the first warblers appear in coastal scrub. The hinterland section of the walk winds through a mix of arable farmland…

I recently visited Golden Acre Park in Leeds. I was on my way back from Adel Dam Nature Reserve which adjoins the park when I saw birds feeding on some food that people had put out for them. I had some food in my pocket, as I had heard that the tits were friendly and often come to hand for food. To my amazement, a Nuthatch came to my hand and started taking food. It stayed for 30 seconds or so and then disappeared. I took out my phone and opened the camera and the Nuthatch came back for more food, in total it came three more times! I have never known of this happening before, I have had them come close but this was a total surprise to me…

Well, what a year 2017 was. After encouraging people this time last year to sign up to #My200BirdYear, I hope they enjoyed the challenge as much as I did. Mine being a UK-only list, I finished the year on 243, one down on my 2016 total of 244, which was the best since I started a UK year list in 2011. Had I included a trip to the USA and Canada in October/November, my year list would have stood at more than 300, but, for me, it’s the UK list that counts; 243 was not a bad total to celebrate my 50th year of birding and record keeping (now into volume 19!). Looking back in last year’s records, I see that I had passed the 200 mark by the end…

The Montera footwear range by AKU are sturdy, comfy and lightweight shoes perfect for roaming around an autumn nature reserve or a beach. I have been testing these for a few months now and have found them to be extremely comfortable right from the very start. I wore them on a beach where I photographed waders and they kept my feet dry and warm. On a trip to the Peak District I put their waterproofing to the test by walking over rocks at the bottom of a waterfall. My feet stayed dry thanks to the Gore-tex lining. If your birding takes you on a slightly rockier terrain, then they have a rubber toebox for protection The sole of the shoe, made by Michelin, is made is inspired by mountain bike…

LEICA LEATHER BINOCULAR CASES, £100 These new bits of Leica luxury are for 8x20 or 10x25 binoculars in the Trinovid and Ultravid ranges. The case is made from top quality black leather, and has a soft, red lining. It also has hidden reinforcement to keep the case in good shape, and protect your compact Leica investment. Comes with a removable, clip-on, shoulder strap – in matching leather of course. Good for general storage, or as travel protection. leicastore-mayfair.co.uk AQUAPAC PACKDIVIDER DRYSACKS, FROM £8.99 Available in four sizes – two, four, eight and 13 litres, these drysacks are meant to be used inside another bag. Use them to organise your kit and reduce your rummage time, and, of course, to provide some extra protection from the wet stuff. Or to stop…

What first sparked your interest in birdwatching, and when? My first interest was actually butterflies. My parents took me to tropical houses where I was shown that butterflies would drink the salt from your fingertips. When I was about five, I was taken to Skomer Island and from thereon, I was hooked. The Chough became my first ‘target’ bird. Who was your birdwatching inspiration or mentor? My father got me into birdwatching and, in the early years, many of my trips were with him. Bird alone or with a friend? It depends very much. As a fieldworker on some species, or finding nests for the BTO, I generally work alone. That’s more like hunting – hours of patient watching to collect data, best done alone. But if I’m doing day…