Índex per August 2017 a Bird Watching

AUGUST IS ALWAYS a curious time of year. Associated with hot summers and school holidays, it comes off the back of the often quiet month of July, yet holds so much promise, as autumn proper (at least in birding terms) starts to kick in. By the end of the month, chats, warblers, flycatchers and waders (and much more) will be passing through in good numbers. Time to put dragonflies and butterflies aside for a bit and go birding! Here are five birds to look for this month. RARITY RATINGS Common, widely distributed Localised – always a treat Very scarce or rare OSPREY Ospreys, especially unattached males, are prone to wandering the country throughout the summer. August sees them joined by juveniles starting their leisurely journey south, and they can turn…

Today, there are around 230,000 breeding pairs of Red Grouse, distributed across the uplands of Scotland and northern England THERE CAN BE FEW birds so closely entwined with the management and culture of a particular landscape, than Red Grouse and heather moorland. There are one million acres of moorland managed for grouse shooting in England, and double that area in Scotland, and this is a habitat treasured as emblematic of our uplands. However, these are not ancient habitats; they have been intensively managed for grouse shooting only since Victorian times, when the expansion of the railway network and manufacture of the breech-loading shotgun opened up grouse shooting as a pastime to city dwellers. The value of these areas today, however, is not universally agreed; their maintenance comes at the price…

“Seals will surely come into the agenda at some stage, with perhaps a boat trip to enjoy them up close and in their element” YOU MAY NOT know it, but I dibble in the ukulele and have been dibbling for a few years. I am not really a fan of the twee, cheeky ditties of George Formby (though admire his playing of course). I play more rock and folk sorts of tunes. At the moment, I have been practising a ukulele version of Here Comes the Sun, that gorgeous Beatles’ song. Its composer, George Harrison, was a great champion of the ukulele and banjo ukulele, so I am sure he would forgive me. And it is, of course, very much the sunny season (at least in theory), when everything is…

Twenty-five Black-tailed Godwits have been released into their new home in the Cambridgeshire Fens by the RSPB and Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) as part of a programme called ‘Project Godwit’. After the eggs were removed from nests and hatched in incubators, staff at WWT Welney Wetland Centre hand-reared the young birds until they were old enough to look after themselves. It’s the first time the conservation technique, known as ‘headstarting’, has been used in the UK. Headstarting will dramatically increase the number of young Black-tailed Godwits that fledge in the UK this summer. The surrogate human ‘parents’ have been able to safely raise far more chicks than the godwits themselves, away from the dangers of predators and flooding. And, crucially, by removing the eggs from their nests early, they…

DIGISCOPER CONTEST Swarovski Optik is running its Digiscoper of the Year competition for the 12th time, with a top prize of a complete digiscoping set. The contest runs until September 30, with entrants invited to submit photos and videos of animals (mammals, birds, reptiles, insects, and amphibians) in their natural habitat. They have to be taken with a digital camera or smartphone through the eyepiece of a spotting scope or binoculars. Visit digiscoperoftheyear.com SEABIRD POPULATIONS New research led by the RSPB shows that UK seabird populations could be affected by the amount of a critical fish species caught in the North Sea by industrial fishery, highlighting the importance of continuing to work with other countries on fisheries management after leaving the European Union. The study suggests a link between the…

THIS IS A great place to break a journey on the way to Islay. The estate is keen to expand tourism in the area and the arboretum is something which is hard to start from scratch. In fact, planting started in 1875 and now contains some champion trees which attract not just Crossbills but Siskin, redpoll, Wood Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher, Treecreeper, Great Spotted Woodpecker, and new to the area, Nuthatch. Birds of prey love these tall trees to nest in, with Buzzard, Sparrowhawk and Goshawk seen in the area. The river has both Dipper and Grey Wagtail, also look for Goosander, too. Loch Fyne attracts both Osprey and White-tailed Eagle to the area, along with Red-breasted Merganser, Common Sandpiper, Oystercatcher and Redshank using the estuary . Ducks and grebes will…

IN CONTRAST TO the busy nearby birding hotspots of Minsmere and Walberswick, this walk around Benacre Broad is significantly less crowded, but potentially rich in birds due to its variety of habitats. The brackish natural lake of Benacre Broad is the focal point of the walk and a National Nature Reserve managed by Natural England, complete with a hide overlooking several artificial lagoons, marshes and reedbeds, is home to Marsh Harrier, Bittern and Bearded Tit. The water levels should be low enough to attract passage waders on their way south, so keep a lookout for Curlew Sandpiper and Little Stint, while Garganeys are often present among flocks of eclipse wildfowl. A seawatch from the beach opposite Benacre Pits could be rewarding if the wind is in the east – expect…

IN 1811, HISTORIAN Richard Fenton described Marloes Mere as ‘a common nearly all overflowed in winter’. He went on to say how during hot months, it afforded grazing for the cattle belonging to the villagers who derived a considerable trade from the sale of Medicinal Leeches, which were sent as far as London. The cattle still graze, although the leeches are sadly a thing of the past, while a bonus feature are two small irrigation reservoirs, one on the north side being specially designed by a drainage engineer with wildfowl and waders very much in mind. Situated at the north-west corner of the Mere is the well-named Oriole Hide. A hide stands on the southern embankment and provides a grand vista over the centre of the Mere and was funded…

WE MAY THINK of August as the height of summer, but the birds think differently, and many summer migrants are already on their way south for the winter. So, in essence, it is effectively autumn, early autumn, granted, but autumn, nonetheless, as far as bird movement is concerned. Warblers are one group of birds which are already on the move. And by the end-of-month bank holiday, the chance of finding a very decent scarce or rare bird on passage is greatly increased. But warblers are a tricky group of birds to get to grips with and can be a real challenge in the field. Here are a few to get your ID skill juices flowing and perhaps warm you up for finding something special this month. Put a name to…

BLACK GUILLEMOT These charming little auks are distinctive with their bright red mouths, legs and feet, black bodies and white wing patch in summer. Winter plumage is mostly white with dusty grey back. HEN HARRIER One of the UK’s larger birds of prey and one of the most threatened. The male and female look very different except for shape and white rump. Mainly on the uplands of Counties Antrim and Fermanagh. CHOUGH A member of the crow family, with glossy black plumage and bright red legs, feet and bills, they are easily distinguished from other crows. They nest on wild craggy sea cliffs and occasionally inland. GOLDEN PLOVER A wader with a mottled brown back which at closer look sparkles golden. It lacks black on breast and belly in winter…

Mark Coventry encourages you to get to know bird species better, as studying bird behaviour can throw up some wonderful surprises! Page 20 Ian Parsons reveals all you need to know about the grumpy Coot – a species he describes as the original Angry Bird! Find out more on page 36 Richard Smyth asks if our peatlands can be brought back from the brink. Our uplands are vital for the survival of lots of wildlife. Page 40 Dominic Couzens highlights some strange behaviour from the Dotterel when it comes to breeding and raising chicks. Learn more on page 48 Roz Gordon marvels at the wealth of wildlife in Northern Ireland and recommends five key areas to head for on a trip there. Page 78 Bernard Jones spent time birding with…

Once again, we will have a go at guessing some pretty extreme rarities that may turn up during August. These are not reasoned, seasoned predictions, but rather stabs in the dark based on previous history. Very rare birds are very rare, so don’t expect all these birds to turn up this month. BLACK-BROWED ALBATROSS There have been fewer than 30 accepted records of Black-browed Albatross in the UK. This may be surprising, as many seasoned birdwatchers will fondly remember the individual that ‘nested’ at Hermaness, Unst, Shetland for more than 20 years (1972-1995). But away from this bird which mixed up its northern and southern hemispheres, they are rare birds usually seen in flight off North Sea coasts or off the west coast of the UK. RED-NECKED STINT Four of…

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 FelixstowePier (-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 (+0:58)…

ITÕS LOOKING LIKE being a record year for breeding Black-winged Stilts in the UK, with much publicised successes at Potter Heigham Marshes, Norfolk, and the WWT’s Welney Wetland Centre, in the same county. It’s thought that there have also been other breeding attempts at sites which have been kept secret, with some birdwatchers estimating that as many as 15 pairs may have bred. The wader species is a regular vagrant to the UK, as it breeds on the Continent right up to the Channel coast, but in the past, there have been only a handful of successful breeding attempts. Black-winged Stilts –utterly distinctive with their black and white plumage, thin black bill and long, spindly red legs – are most common around the Mediterranean. They nest in wetlands, feeding on…

A new Osprey translocation project has been given the go-ahead to take place in Poole Harbour as the first step towards establishing a South Coast breeding population of the spectacular raptor. The project is being led by local charity Birds of Poole Harbour, Scottish charity the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation and local Poole based-business Wildlife Windows. Ospreys historically bred across the whole of Britain, but populations drastically declined in the Middle Ages and became extinct in England by the mid 1800s. The five-year project looks to restore Ospreys to their former breeding grounds in the south of England where they used to have the local nickname ‘Mullet Hawk’. It will also provide an important stepping stone between breeding populations in Britain and northern France. Ospreys are annual visitors to Poole…

CALLANISH Look across the loch for Greylag Geese, Red-breasted Merganser and more – plus, a good selection of waders NEW ENGLAND This lovely wooded valley with brooks and tracks to explore offers a range of different species at any time of year, including birds of prey MARLOES MERE A wader and wildfowl hotspot, but keep a lookout for birds of prey, too! STOODLEIGH Great views across the countryside, a walk along the stream and lots of birds WYEVALE WOOD A lovely stroll along the river here will reward birders with a range of woodland birds who will be making the most of the feeders ARDKINGLAS The area’s champion trees attract a range of birds including Spotted Flycatcher and Nuthatch BRIDLINGTON Oh, we do like to be beside the seaside –…

BRIDLINGTON IS A MINOR sea fishing port with a working harbour and is well known for its shellfish – but tourism is certainly the main income for eight months of the year, with visitors attracted to two impressive beaches. In recent years, the number of people enjoying seabird cruises has exploded with ‘the Yorkshire Belle’ the famous Bridlington-based boat, reaching a memorable milestone when she celebrated her 70th birthday in May. Of those 70 years, 35 have been spent mostly wildlife watching, particularly around the cliffs of Flamborough and Bempton, with the impressive limestone making guano less visible! Birds on the sea take centre stage, with better views of Gannets, Puffins and other auks close to the boat. In autumn, it is the turn of Sooty, Manx and Balearic Shearwaters,…

THIS FORMER LIMESTONE quarry is now a nature reserve managed by Warwickshire Wildlife Trust. The old workings have flooded in places, with woodland, grassland and scrub filling in the spaces in between. The result of this good variety of habitats is a good variety of birds to match. The pools play host to Little Grebes, Mallards, Tufted Ducks, Coots and Moorhens, with Teal joining them in autumn and winter, while Kingfishers are often seen. Summer sees Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Blackcap and Garden Warbler widespread in the woods and scrub, with Whitethroats also in the latter, while all three woodpeckers are possible, although I’ve only heard Lesser Spotted drumming here on a couple of occasions. Turtle Doves have been seen in the past, but as everywhere else, have become much harder…

A WIDE VARIETY of early autumn birds are assured on this part-coastal, part-farmland walk with Littlestone golf links sandwiched in between. There are spectacular views towards the North Downs and distant White Cliffs beyond Folkestone. The shingle foreshore and tidal mud flats of Hythe Bay are a notable hotspot for shorebirds, with up to 10 species on offer. Small numbers of Sandwich and Common Terns, Little, Mediterranean and Yellow-legged Gulls are also likely among the throng of gulls at low tide, with the occasional marauding Arctic Skua coming in off the bay. Rough grassland and fences around the golf links often attract passing migrants, such as Wheatear and Yellow Wagtail, while most of the migrating hirundines this early in the season will be Sand Martins. Patches of scrub should hold…

Get in touch with Bird Watching Bird Watching, Media House, Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6EA birdwatching@bauermedia.co.uk facebook.com/BirdWatchingMag twitter.com/BirdWatchingMag Kingfisher (with larvae) by Don Davis Camera: Canon EOS 1D X Mk II Lens: 300mm Shutter Speed: 1/640 Aperture: f/6.3 ISO: 1,600 Grey Heron by Jane Davidson Camera: Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 Shutter Speed: 1/125 Aperture: f/4 ISO: 100 Corn Crake by Ian Ashton Camera: Canon EOS 7D Lens: 100-400mm Shutter Speed: 1/1,250 Aperture: f/5.6 ISO: 400 Tern passing food by Andrew Armstrong Camera: Canon EOS 1D X Mk II Lens: 500mm Shutter Speed: 1/1,250 Aperture: f/7.1 ISO: 800 Whinchat by Norman Clarkson Camera: Nikon Coolpix P610 Shutter Speed: 1/250 Aperture: f/6.5 ISO: 200 SEND US YOUR BEST PHOTOS Send us your best birding snaps to birdwatching@bauermedia.co.uk every month to be in with…

If you’re heading out in search of some upland specialities, or value a bit of extra stability wherever you’re birding, a trekking pole could be helpful. This one is made from carbon fibre and is very light (324g), tough and rigid enough for the job in hand, has four sections and extends to 170cm. The sections are released and locked with simple levers (the locking force adjusts with a screw mechanism). It has a removable rubber foot over a blunt metal spike, and offers a range of comfortable grip options. I tested it in the Peak District, with an accompanying cast of Red Grouse and Raven. The pole did its job well, held its length and was a useful extra leg when scrambling up a steep, rocky hillside. Using the…

AMERICAN WADERS IN NUMBERS 1887 Year of last of four records of Eskimo Curlew (shot on Scilly, 10 September); now thought extinct 4 Number of accepted records of Short-billed Dowitcher in the UK 46 Number of accepted records of Upland Sandpiper in the UK 3 Number of accepted records of Hudsonian Godwit in the UK FIELDCRAFT LISTEN AND LOOK FOR ‘RAPTOR ALARMS’ Birds make excellent birders. Many species can spot and identify a distant falcon, for instance, well before you, as a human, are aware of it. And they are usually very precise in their ID skills, distinguishing a flying falcon from a pigeon, for instance. There are three ways that birds can let you know there is a bird of prey around. Firstly, listen for alarm calls, such as…

Thousands of nature lovers are expected to turn out for the UK’s fourth Hen Harrier Day, at a series of events across the UK highlighting the disappearance of this stunning raptor. The talks, walks and rallies over the weekend of 5 and 6 August raise awareness of the persecution of the Hen Harrier, which is struggling to survive as a breeding species in much of the UK. Last year there were just three pairs in England, despite there being enough suitable habitat for 300 pairs. They are illegally killed because they can prey on Red Grouse, which are managed intensively for shooting. RSPB global conservation director Martin Harper said “Hen Harriers are on the brink of vanishing from England as a breeding species, and they’re declining in other areas of…

“We still send half a billion pounds’ worth of food to landfill, so gulls, corvids and rats have plenty to recycle” THE ‘RUBBISH PARTY’ won a council seat somewhere in Scotland in the last council elections. If you think this appellation is an unprecedented admission of political ineptitude, let me disabuse you; their main policy is cleaning up local litter. Litter, as I have ranted before, is an issue of utmost concern, directly or indirectly responsible for the death of millions of animals worldwide from plastic bags swallowed by cetaceans to grebes strangled by fishing line. Ironically, our massive trash heaps are one reason why gulls became familiar to the most inland of sites. We still send half a billion pounds’ worth of food to landfill, so gulls, corvids and…

THE CALLANISH STONES are the most popular attraction in the whole of the Outer Hebrides. It’s not just the three sets of stones though, but as many as 20 megalithic ruins within a two-mile radius, with the largest stone circle set up between 2900 and 2600 BC. Many of these ancient sites overlook the large sea loch of Roag, with its many inlets offering a wide variety of birdlife. On the loch, you can find Greylag Geese and Red-breasted Mergansers, Shelduck, Mallard, Teal and Wigeon. There is a good selection of breeding waders, with Oystercatcher, Snipe, Redshank, Ringed Plover, Lapwing, Common Sandpiper and Curlew. Passage Whimbrel, Sanderling, Dunlin, Knot and Black-tailed Godwit are possible, especially in spring, with Greenshank popping in to feed. You are never too far away from…

WHAT WAS ONCE an industrial area is now a beautiful, picturesque wooded valley with not one but two brooks, the Bind and the Borle, with the reserve centred around their confluence. Parking is extremely limited (or nearly impossible) so start at the Woodhill area of Highley and enjoy the walk across an open area to join the Jack Mytton Way. The walk then heads through woodland and alongside the Bind Brook until it joins a path near Rays Farm back to the confluence through hillside woodland. This is one of those sites where you can spend hours checking different areas, following little tracks in and out of the woods or just walking alongside the brook. The main birds are woodland birds but the brooks encourage others – there are usually…

THIS IS A small reserve not far from the River Wye so the walk is extended to allow a stride by the river and to add to the day’s list. The wood itself is on an ancient woodland site, but is now more secondary woodland. Historically, it was Green Lane Wood and, in the old days, was a part of a drovers’ road from Wales to Hereford and London, a long journey indeed. They stayed overnight just past the current reserve where there was a pond for the animals to drink. So, the first part of the walk is woodland with many woodland birds, some of which feed at the hide area where volunteers top up the feeders. On the west side of the reserve is a public right of…

MID-DEVON BOASTS many off-the-beaten-track areas where a patchwork of small, well-hedged fields tumbles down hillsides towards fast-flowing streams. Pockets of broadleaved woodland are dotted around the region, the pastoral whole providing a diverse wildlife habitat with good birding opportunities. Rifton Wood, near Stoodleigh, has had a well-monitored nest box scheme in place for decades – as a teenager , I helped a friend ring Pied Flycatcher here. There’s a good chance of finding Treecreeper and Great Spotted Woodpecker in this wood. The walk enjoys vast views across the surrounding countryside and towards the high hill of Stoodleigh Beacon, which was originally set up by Edward ll in the 14th Century. The long lane to the village is known as ‘The Drive’, having once been the private drive to Stoodleigh Manor,…

1 LOUGH NEAGH The largest freshwater lake in the British Isles, it covers 153 square miles and claims the largest concentrations of diving ducks in Britain and Ireland. The lough attracts up to 100,000 wintering waterfowl rafting offshore. Ballyronan on the western shore has the most winter Scaup in all of Ireland. The wet grassland complex of the Lough Neagh wetlands is one of the key breeding areas for Lapwing and Curlew, whose numbers have plummeted in Northern Ireland. There are a few access and viewpoints. Oxford Island on the south shore has a visitor centre, hides, meadows and wildlife ponds and is also very popular for outdoor recreation. Boat trips are available around the Lough. 2 RATHLIN ISLAND Lying about six miles from Ballycastle on the Antrim coast, Rathlin…

BIRDS OF INDIA Bikram Grewal Princeton University Press, SB, £37.95. You pay £29.99 if you quote BW135 Long overdue, this is the first comprehensive photographic guide to the birds of the Indian subcontinent, utilising some superb work by Sumit Sen, Sarwandeep Singh, Nikhil Devasar and Garima Bhatia. A total of 1,375 species are covered, with more than 4,000 photos, and the species accounts are kept close to hand for easy reference. They're not large, for space reasons, but they give you all the information you need, especially with the most unfamiliar species (to European birders). The distribution maps are detailed, but (necessarily) rather small, so you may have to keep your reading glasses or binoculars to hand to get the best use from them! The introduction does a good job…

SOUTH WEST Highlights The rarest and most exciting bird of the month was a male Spectacled Warbler, found at Portland, Dorset, on the afternoon of 8 May, a first for the county. Other rare birds in the region include a summer-plumaged Gull-billed Tern at Steart WWT (30 May), and a ‘showy’ Little Bittern on St Mary’s, Scilly. AVON HIGHLIGHTS: A Purple Heron was at Portbury Wharf (10th), with a Bonaparte’s Gull there (6th). Pilning Wetlands had a Black-winged Stilt (7th-9th). A Red-backed Shrike was at Horton (29th). There were widespread reports of Red Kites. Several Severnside sites held Little Ringed Plovers, maximum eight. PORTISHEAD AND CLEVEDON: A Great White Egret was at Clevedon (11th). Three Black-necked Grebes were at Portbury Wharf (3rd), with a Little Stint there (2nd) and a…