Bird Watching -julkaisun October 2016 -irtonumeron sisällysluettelo

FOR MANY OF us, October is the very best birding month. The last of summer’s birds are leaving, the winterers are arriving and there is a wealth of migrating birds passing through, including scarcities and rarities in profusion. These five are not the rarest birds, but all have potential to be seen in October. Enjoy! RARITY RATINGS Common, widely distributed Localised – always a treat Very scarce or rare LESSER REDPOLL The British breeding Lesser Redpoll is aptly named as the smallest of the redpoll complex. October sees birds move away from the breeding grounds, and they are frequently encountered during ’visible migration’ watches as fly-overs. They are tiny, tit-like finches with black on the bib, through the eye and just above the bill, before the red splash on the…

“Declines have been recorded across much of Europe, and here in the UK we have lost more than half our breeding population over the last 40 years” BIRD MIGRATION IS an amazing natural phenomenon, and, at this time of year, signs of movement are all around us. Some of these are clear, such as the first Redwings arriving for the winter, but others are more subtle, such as the increased visibility of Sky Larks as they start to shift from their breeding to wintering areas. While Sky Larks are common and widespread throughout the UK in both summer and winter, the BirdTrack reporting rate graph shows that they are far more noticeable at certain times of year. One of these times, of course, is the height of the breeding season,…

“Like Nightjars and Woodcocks, there is something special about cryptically patterned birds” REGULAR READERS MAY remember that recently I have strayed. I have fallen victim to temptation. I have been disloyal and have been a-wandering. The trouble is the birds of nearby Norfolk and even nearer Frampton Marsh in south Lincolnshire, have simply been so much more desirable than those around Peterborough. There, I’ve said what needed to be said. Frampton, in particular, has been silly, recently. On one day in late August, the site had 258 Curlew Sandpipers. Just a few days ago, there were more than 40 Little Stints there! But it was the appearance of a Wryneck just outside its 360 Hide that had me drooling and thinking of once more heading north for a taste of…

OWL ADOPTION Forest Holidays is funding the production of Barn Owl adoption packs for the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, to help raise money to provide nest boxes for the species, which has suffered a marked decline in recent years. The adoption packs include a soft toy Barn Owl and other Barn Owl related goodies, and cost £30. Visit gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk/barnowls SWALLOW ATTRACTION Swallows from different parts of the world have different views on what is attractive, a study led by the University of Colorado Boulder has shown. Female Swallows on both sides of the Atlantic seem to prefer a male with darker red feathers. But when it came to tails, American males with longer steamers left the females cold, whereas the same trait was seen as desirable by those Swallows who spent…

Name this wagtail Q We visited Cley Marshes in early August and saw this bird from the East Wall feeding on the mud. There was a discussion as to whether it was a juvenile Pied or White Wagtail? Can you help? Brenda Smith A We think that this is a juvenile Pied rather than a White Wagtail, though we’re basing at least some of that ID on the relative familiarity of the two birds. The Pied Wagtail is, of course, the British ‘race’ of the White Wagtail, and therefore a much likelier sight. Juveniles are very hard to distinguish to subspecies. However, this birds shows one or two dark feathers on the mantle which may betray it as a Pied Wagtail rather than the paler backed White.. HOW CAN I…

SITE 1 ARGYLL MILES ON FOOT: 1 TIME: 3 HOURS ITS NAME MEANS ‘Stranger’s Point’ in Scottish Gaelic. It was built in 1857 by David and Thomas Stevenson and the lighthouse offers great views across the water. The harbour can offer a variety of gulls, with both Glaucous and Iceland Gulls found most winters. As you reach the footpath, look over to Calve Island where a hunting Hen Harrier may be covering the island, or a herd of Red Deer which have crossed at low tide could be grazing. Woodland birds on Mull can vary from mixed tits to Lesser Redpoll or Bullfinch. Wood Warblers love the Beech and Sycamore in summer for their shade and food, while Redstarts can find some nice holes to nest in. Great Spotted Woodpeckers…

SITE 10 SUSSEX MILES ON FOOT: 4 TIME: 3 HOURS AT THE TIME of the Norman conquest, the large area of wetland between Eastbourne and Bexhill-on-Sea, now known as the Pevensey Levels, would have been saltmarsh and flooded by the sea at hide tide. Over the subsequent years, the shingle sea wall has been reinforced and drainage channels and ditches dug to deliver a wide open landscape for stock-grazing and arable crops. Small reedbeds and marshes can still be found beside the dykes, which support a variety of plant life, while winter rains results in floods and flashes forming in saturated fields. Hooe Level is one of the more diverse sections of Pevensey Levels and, as such, parts have SSSI and NNR status, while there is also a small Sussex…

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SOUTH WEST Highlights August brought a string of great waders from North America to the region. Not least were the two Least Sandpipers which appeared at Seaton Marshes, Devon, one of which showed exceptionally well. There was also a Spitted Sandpiper in Somerset and the Cornish Hudsonian Whimbrel. AVON HIGHLIGHTS: Two Roseate Terns at New Passage (28th) were the first county records since 2001. PORTISHEAD & CLEVEDON: There was a Great Skua (20th) and Storm Petrel (21st). Whimbrel, Bar-tailed Godwit and Little Stints were noted. Four Grasshoppers Warblers were ringed (27th). An Osprey was seen (11th). SEVERNSIDE: There were four Storm Petrels (4th), six (21st) and two (22nd). There was a Fulmar (4th), Great Skuas (13th, 20th & 22nd), a record 23 Shags (22nd), Gannet (22nd) and Black Terns (21st,…

Wildlife author James Lowen highlights how October is a wonderful month for wildlife and nature, from Birch woodland and fungi to deer. P12 Ian Parsons sticks up for that ‘bird table bandit’, the Nuthatch. Read about its unique qualities, which include the ability to defy gravity! P22 Author and bird guide Dominic Couzens asks us to spare a thought for the poor old Capercaillie during the cold winter months. P34 Tom Mason looks at the creative side of photographing birds on location in the second part of his tutorial to help you brush up on your skills. P58 Urban Birder David Lindo visits the Estonian capital city of Tallinn and finds there are many birds to see and enjoy, including Blyth’s Reed Warbler. P64…

YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO There have been 64 accepted records of this North American cuckoo, widely spread across the country, though with a natural bias toward the South West and especially Scilly. Nearly all occur in the second to fourth week of October. Most birds do not stay long, and they are often found moribund or very weak. They are similar to Black-billed Cuckoos, both being brown above and white beneath, with bright chestnut wing panels and very long spotted tails. Yellow-billed Cuckoos have yellow-based bills, a white throat and larger white tips to the tail feathers than its cousin. SCARLET TANAGER There have been just seven records of Scarlet Tanager, most recently on Barra, Outer Hebrides in October 2014. All the others have been from Cornwall or Scilly and they are…

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)…

MORE THAN 50 leading wildlife and research organisations behind the State of Nature 2016 report have warned that only immediate action will save the UK’s nature. Experts from 53 wildlife organisations have pooled knowledge and resources to present a picture of the status of native species, and the report, which follows the ground-breaking State of Nature 2013, reveals that 56% of UK species studied have declined since 1970, while more than one in 10 (1,199 species) of the nearly 8,000 species assessed are under threat of disappearing from our shores altogether. Although the report also notes examples of conservation projects and work helping to reverse declines, such as restoration of reedbeds and heathland helping Bitterns and Dartford Warblers respectively, and eradication of rats on islands leading to greater breeding success…

NATURE WATCH Simon King Quadrille, HB, £20, BW Bookshop £15.99 (quote BW122) Simon King has the knack, on the TV wildlife documentaries that have made his name, of making it look easy to get close to nature, but this book sees him give away his one and only, but very significant, trade secret – the use of sensible, often painstaking fieldcraft. With clear, concise prose, well illustrated by photos, he teaches you how to track and watch some of the most memorable wildlife of the UK and Europe, by recognising droppings, footprints and other signs, and by knowing exactly where and when to look, and what for. You should end up seeing a lot more wildlife, wherever your home patch is, as theres a welcome emphasis on looking for some…

“ The most regal, the most perfect of all the swans, Trumpeter Swans are the largest extant species of waterfowl, and one of the heaviest birds capable of flight” I DROVE DOWN t o Boyton Marshes, and parking my car in a deserted lay-by, walked into what seemed immeasurable vastness. The depopulated land sinks ever lower and flatter, receding into sky where reedbeds and marsh grasses meet the sea wall. On the edge of the River Ore, winter remnants of Sea Lavender tint grey mudflats of a wide estuary that curls away into the sky. In 360° of flatness the only sign of human activity in a sinking horizon is a World War II pillbox and distant arable fields. Pockets of faraway woodland, trees in leafless silhouette, merge with the…

Many birds are great nibblers; using their bills to extract some morsel or other from the heart of a seedhead, fruit, nut, or cone. The leftovers and detritus can provide tell-tale clues as to which type of bird has produced them. Here are a few examples of evidence of particular birds eating particular plants. Great Tit: neat holes pecked in acorns Crossbill: cones stripped with split scales, pressed outwards Finches: rose hips opened up to reveal centres Blackbird: windfall apple eaten from the inside, leaving ring of skin Nuthatch (also Great Spotted Woodpecker): hazelnuts jammed into bark and hammered open…

INVERTEBRATE MIGRANT HAWKER In a sheltered, sunny glade of a damp woodland, a predator lurks. Spotting an unsuspecting victim, the Migrant Hawker throttles into the air and speeds towards its next meal. Banded in blue, black and green, this smart insect remains on the wing later than any other dragonfly (sometimes until November) and sometimes feeds in groups. INVERTEBRATE MERVEILLE DU JOUR One tends to think of moth-trapping being at its richest on balmy midsummer nights. While that is true in terms of quantity of moths captured, autumnal quality can actually be greater. One of October’s standout moths is the enchantingly named Merveille du Jour, which means, roughly, ‘the best thing I’ve seen all day’. Though, of course, it is active at night. MAMMAL FALLOW DEER They may not be…

“The public issues steam from its collective ears when mention is made of foie gras...” JONATHAN SWIFT OF Gulliver fame wrote his famous tract A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People From Being a Burthen to Their Parents or Country, and for Making Them Beneficial to the Publick advocating that the rich should buy and eat the children of the starving Irish. It was an ironic attempt to show up the British rich for their attitude to the poor. It seems that our elite has a long history of doing what they wish regardless of the sensitivities of the majority. UK ministers who issue Buzzard-killing licences to protect Ôshooting interests’ do so despite an overwhelming public antipathy. Or should that be apathy? It irks me beyond all…

THERE ARE MANY challenges in birdwatching. You pays your money and takes your pick about which of them you choose to embrace. Some are bitten by arguably the toughest bug of all, though: seawatching. It is all about the thrill of staring out to sea, picking out birds whizzing by in strong winds and naming them, counting them and enjoying them. It can produce some of the rarest birds you will ever see, and it can be simply magnificent. But nobody says it is going to be easy. However, for the purposes of this month s ID Challenge, we have simplified the whole business by asking you to identify birds frozen in motion by the power of modern photography. There are only six to name. Name them, turn for the…

SITE 3 CUMBRIA MILES ON FOOT: 4 TIME: 3 HOURS THE VAST INTERTIDAL mudflats of Morecambe Bay stretching for miles to the south contrast starkly with the uplands of the Lakeland Fells and combine to make a dramatic backdrop to this bird-rich birding walk. The landscape is further enhanced by different supplementary habitats, such as mixed woodland, a disused quarry, open farmland and the River Winster. Inevitably, the estuary will draw the eye, as it attracts thousands of waders during the autumn. Strong onshore winds can also bring in seabirds such as terns and skuas. Where the River Winster flows into the bay can also be a productive spot, as can the nearby old quarry for passage migrants. While bird song will be subdued in the woodland section, warblers and…

SITE 6 BUCKINGHAMSHIRE MILES ON FOOT: 2 TIME: 3 HOURS THIS DOWNLAND WALK on the northern scarp slope of the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty commands spectacular views across the Vale of Aylesbury to the north. Pulpit Hill and adjacent Grangelands are managed and owned by a combination of organisations including Buckinghamshire County Council, the local Wildlife Trust and the National Trust. Classic downland habitat of scrub and sheep-grazed clearings, with steep coombes of Beech woods, parkland and arable farmland, combine to ensure a rich and varied birding walk, while Happy Valley harbours one of the finest stand of native Box trees in the country. Viewpoints along the route are perfect for experiencing early morning visible migration and birds moving along the Chiltern’s ridge going to roost. While the…

SITE 9 DEVON MILES ON FOOT: 2.5 TIME: 3 HOURS MANY YEARS AGO, Thongsleigh Wood was donated to the National Trust by one Mr Matteson, in memory of his wife, Vera. At his request it became known as ‘Buzzards’ after the birds the husband and wife enjoyed watching here. Since then, further tracts of mixed deciduous woodland have been added, Cross’s Wood and Huntland Wood. These all flank the valley of the Little Dart River (not to be confused with the much bigger River Dart in South Devon). Together with steep pasture and water meadows, the area of public access extends to more than 100 acres and is beautiful with Bluebells in spring. Although not known for rarities, the site is very good for a couple of hours of ‘gentle’…

SPRING IN SCOTLAND means rich wildlife potential amidst rugged beauty, and you can join us there for an exclusive trip from April 9-14, 2017. Bird Watching magazine editor Matthew Merritt and assistant editor Mike Weedon will be joined by UKBS editor, and Scottish birding aficionado, Gordon Hamlett to lead a week of wildlife watching, based at the lovely Grant Arms Hotel in Grantown-on-Spey. The hotel boasts high quality en-suite rooms and traditional Scottish fare prepared with local ingredients, and while it takes care of bed, breakfast and dinner, we’ll provide optional guided walks, expert tips, bird quizzes, films and evening talks. From our Highland location we’ll be within easy reach of sites such as Glenmore Forest Park, for Crested Tits and Crossbills; the Cairngorms, for Ptarmigan and possible Snow Bunting;…

LOTS OF EYE RELIEF There’s a whopping 19mm of eye relief, with next to no loss of field of view when fully extended, and viewing is very comfortable. The eyecups stay in place well, with a little experimentation, although the positions are slightly confusing – you basically have five to play with. IT’S ALL ABOUT THE GLASS Schott HT (High Transmission) glass helps give very true-to-life colour, while the lens coatings deliver a very bright image in all conditions, as well as great contrast. ‘Baffle systems’ get rid of reflections, and the lenses also have an AquaDura coating, which helps shrug off water and dirt, and the binoculars are waterproof to 5m. RATINGS OPTICS HANDLING PRICE OVERALL NB: Price rating reflects value for money against others in its class FACTFILE…

AUGUST WAS A very busy month in terms of rare vagrants, with no fewer than 12 new species being added to the country’s year list and thus pushing the cumulative Britain and Ireland total to a very impressive 413 species. If we take the continuing Purple Gallinule out of the equation, the highlights of the month were both seabirds and both in the Republic of Ireland – a stowaway immature Brown Booby off County Kerry and a near-adult Royal Tern in Counties Kerry, Clare and Mayo. The booby roosted overnight on a trawler not far offshore of Dingle on 13th-14th, while the tern pitched up on Roonagh Lough, south-west of Louisburgh, on 16th-17th, entertaining and pleasing 19 of Ireland’s top twitchers before being relocated at Beale Point, north-west of Listowel,…

In a nutshell, birds migrate for two main reasons – to breed, and to find enough to eat. And as the success of the former is dependent on achieving the latter, in fact it’s for one reason – food. So, the birds that arrive here in spring do so because Britain has the natural food, namely insects, that they need to raise their young, and they depart again in autumn because they have more chance of finding enough food in more southerly, warmer climes, whether around the Mediterranean or in sub-Saharan Africa. Other factors can come in to play, as you’ll see, but all essentially come back to food, and survival. Britain’s migrants, then, can be split into several categories, which you can read about here… Full migrants These are…

As in spring, east coast sites can be particularly good places to look for migrants, as birds stop off on their way south from Scandinavia and the Arctic, or from eastern and central Europe, and others are blown ashore by seasonal gales. But there are great autumn migration sites throughout Britain. Why not try one of these? 1 Ynys-hir RSPB Renowned as a site for spring songsters, this reserve on the Dyfi estuary can also be spectacular in autumn, with the arrival of White-fronted and Barnacle Geese (pictured above) alongside Teal, Shoveler and Wigeon. Waders will include large swirling flocks of Golden Plovers, plus Lapwings and Curlew, and keep an eye out for passing or wintering raptors – Ospreys breed nearby but also fish along the estuary and nearby pools…