Sommaire pour September 2019 de Bird Watching

Mike Dilger, best known for his slots on BBC TV’s The One Show, heads to South America to see where Birdfair’s proceeds have been spent. P24 Conor Jameson recalls the life of the formidable William Henry Hudson, an ornithological pioneer and RSPB leading light, on page 28 Joe Harkness highlights the therapeutic benefits that birdwatching has had on his life in his new book, Bird Therapy. Find out more on page 42 Renowned bird author Dominic Couzens reveals how life gets trickier for Tawny Owls once they have to fend for themselves. Page 75 The Urban Birder David Lindo visits the Japanese city of Toyooka – home to brilliant birds, including the Oriental White Stork. Page 98…

Here’s six of the best early autumn birding experiences for you to try. Get a couple under your belt and you’ll undoubtedly give your #My200BirdYear list a boost. And if listing isn’t your thing, then you’ll still see some great birds. Visit a migration hotspot This might seem obvious, but as birds move south towards the continent and Africa for the winter, and as others start to arrive from Scandinavia and eastern Europe to spend the winter here, then certain places on the south and east coasts are great places to be. Some of them are the stuff of birdwatching legend, with great records for attracting not only huge numbers of birds, but also a large number of rarities – think Spurn, in East Yorkshire, or Dungeness, in Kent. Both…

Anyone who has visited the inner sanctum of RSPB headquarters at The Lodge may recall a life-size portrait above the mantelpiece. It depicts a Victorian gent in a wool suit and matching cap, crouching in bracken, holding a small pair of field glasses. He is William Henry Hudson – W H Hudson to literature – an early leading light of the Society, and a rare male of the species among the flock of thousands of females who founded the organisation. Curiously, little else is called readily to mind about Hudson, so I’ve made it a bit of a mission to revive the man. Delving into his prodigious written output, I discovered a formidable character, of many surprises. An enigma. To begin with, as the poet Edward Lear said of Hudson:…

CONNECT Connect with the people around you – family, friends, colleagues and neighbours – and spend time developing these relationships. And how better than by birding together? BE ACTIVE You don’t have to go to the gym. Go cycling, play football, or find any activity that involves physical activity. Such as… regular birdwatching! LEARN New skills can  give you a sense of achievement and a new confidence. It doesn’t have to be mastering gull ID – it could just be taking a great photo of a favourite species, or getting birds to use your nestboxes. GIVE Once you’ve developed your birding knowledge even a little, start helping other beginner birders. Even a smile, or a thank you can help. Or if you feel up to it, why not volunteer at…

I’ve been a bit sad this month. One of the Great Tits has a case of Avian Pox, something I’ve not seen before, and it’s caused me some worry. Have you ever seen a bird who has it? He was only a young one and was looking for food around the plant pots near the shed. At first, I thought he had something stuck on him, but on closer inspection, I saw that he had two lumps the colour of uncooked meatballs attached to his face and body. Great Tits are more susceptible to this disease than any other garden birds and it severely impacts on their lives – causing visual impairment, and making them more vulnerable to being caught by a predator. The bad news is, infected birds are…

This area is rarely visited by the hordes around John O’Groats, but what a miss, with great history and scenery. You can travel back 4,000 years to the Iron Age, with a number of brochs (a hollow-walled structure) found at either end of the beach, while two castles’ remains can be found. One is from a Norse settlement, with the castle built about 1140AD by Sweyn Asleifsson, a Norse pirate, on fearsome cliffs at Bucholie or Bucholly, a mile south of Freswick House. This later became known as Bucholie Castle. Freswick House has castle remains and even an old ice house. The birds are not bad either, with a constant movement of waders heading to the Arctic or back again, along with some breeding waders as well. Flocks of Dunlin,…

In 1862, Osgood Mackenzie began to carve out a walled garden on the barren, rocky land beside Loch Ewe. Mackenzie was the son of Sir Francis Mackenzie, 5th Baronet and 12th laird of Gairloch. What he created was is an extraordinary sub-tropical garden surrounded by the glorious landscape of Wester Ross. Inverewe deserves its reputation as one of Scotland’s great gardens, with a wide variety of exotic plants including Himalayan rhododendrons, Tasmanian eucalyptus and South African, New Zealand and Chilean plants. This was left to the National Trust for Scotland. Mixed into this non-native fauna is a mixture of bird species such as Song and Mistle Thrush, mixed flocks of tits (but sadly not Crested Tit) and Chaffinch, with migrants like Redstart, Spotted Flycatcher, Tree Pipit and Willow Warbler passing…

Sunk Island started off as a sandbank in the Humber Estuary and is now a small community, about one mile north from the river mouth. With accumulations of sediments washed down the Humber over the years, the sand bank gradually filled in and, following the building of a flood bank to the front of the island, the land began to be used for agriculture. The open field and dyke system of the area often looks devoid of birds, but the list is very impressive, with Dotterel a key species in the spring, along with flocks of Golden Plover. The hedgerows and dykes act as a magnet for small passerines, with Hawfinch, Red-backed and Great Grey Shrikes, Bee-eater, Wood Lark, Firecrest, Snow and Lapland Bunting, Golden Oriole, Barred and Yellowbrowed Warblers…

This is a lovely green wedge of land on the borders of Walsall and Birmingham, which is used for recreation, but still holds a fair amount of farmed land, although currently there have been plans submitted for around 1,500 homes to be built on part of the area, which will mean a great loss of habitat in an area which has already seen a sharp decline in farmland species and is currently one of the last strongholds of Yellowhammer, Sky Lark and Linnet to the north of Birmingham. A small wood and surrounding horse paddocks together with the nearby high point of Barr Beacon, which attracts passage migrants, adds interest and gives a good vista onwards into Staffordshire and Worcestershire. Around 10 pairs of Sky Larks currently nest, along with…

Reaching Carmel Head at the extreme north-west of Anglesey requires that extra effort, an effort well worthwhile. A spectacular stretch of cliffs and hidden coves, moulded from some of the oldest rocks in Wales, a secret valley, while two miles offshore is The Skerries, with the largest Arctic Tern colony in Great Britain, also Common Terns and Puffins carefully guarded each summer by the RSPB. Why Carmel? The name in Welsh – Pen Bryn-yr-Eglwys – translates as Hill or Mount of the Church. Perhaps there was an early church here, a church named after Mount Carmel in northern Israel? A church perhaps used by miners for copper – abandoned shafts almost at the cliff edge and a chimney testify to an industry which probably commenced here in Roman times. This…

As I’ve mentioned before, the quickest route from my home to the Bird Watching office takes me along the Nene Valley, from its source near Daventry to its emergence onto the Fens at Peterborough; and there are fine birdwatching spots along the way to make the commute more enjoyable. Stanwick Lakes is one of them, although for the best results it really needs rather more than just a quick stop-off, given its size and variety of habitats. But that’s OK, because there are excellent facilities, so you can easily spend the best part of the day here if the fancy takes you. It can get busy with dog-walkers, families and other visitors at weekends and bank holidays, especially if the weather’s fine, but there are always plenty of quiet corners…

When you live ‘up north’ you often dream of the sort of money spent on reserves ‘down south’, and here is one which has been dramatically turned into a ‘wonder’ reserve for the people of London and Essex. A former military site, close to the Thames, it sees migration as well as having some great habitats, such as reedbeds, open water and hides you can only dream about on the English Solway! Added to this is a list of birds which most people go abroad for! The reserve has had Mediterranean birds including Bee-eaters, Great White, Cattle and Little Egrets, Spoonbill, White Stork and Firecrest. Waders have included Pectoral, Wood, Marsh and Curlew Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank, Little and Temminck’s Stints, Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwits, Knot, Grey Plover and Jack Snipe,…

The village of Worth, nestling on the western edge of the Lydden Valley, is the start and finish of this birding walk that includes a variety of habitats in a largely flat landscape. The wide open spaces are dominated by weedy market garden fields, grass leys and arable land, peppered with patches of scrub, hedgerows and one or two copses. Much of the old marshland is dissected by drainage ditches and streams with broad margins full of herbaceous growth, an ideal feeding ground for weary migrants and resident species alike. The RSPB recently purchased a section of the valley and is developing it as a wetland nature reserve. Fence lines around the route should yield passage Yellow Wagtails, Whinchats and Wheatears, along with flocks of Meadow Pipits, Sky Larks, Goldfinches…

Situated to the north-east of Arundel, this walk centred on the pretty village of Burpham takes in a range of habitats, thus ensuring a good variety of both resident birds and passage migrants along the way. The village churchyard is good starting point for crests, warblers and finch flocks, while House Martins nest nearby. However, the bulk of the walk covers open arable farmland on the southern slopes, lynchets and valleys of the recently designated South Downs National Park. Scan from viewpoints along the way for visible migration and scarce passage raptors such as Honey Buzzard, Red Kite and Osprey, on the move. The area known locally as The Burgh is managed with wildlife in mind and as a result many of the fields are surrounded by broad, weedy headlands,…

The South Devon Coast is an excellent site for sea birds. Gannets dive offshore and Peregrine are likely on the towering cliffs approaching Man Sands. The area behind Man Sands beach is managed by the National Trust. In 1985 gabions were installed to protect the previously-drained pasture from the encroaching sea, but in 2004 these were removed, allowing the sea to flow inland and recreating wetlands. In subsequent years, the protective shingle at the back of the beach has been breached during storms and the habitat here is in a state of flux, the ecosystem still evolving. Sea water mixes with fresh stream water and the lagoon is home to a host of species. The surrounding reed bed is expanding, the whole area well-managed for wildlife. Elusive Water Rail may…

For young Tawny Owls, midsummer nights are a dream. They fledge and leave the nest in June to begin a period of long and blissful dependence upon their parents. Each night, when darkness falls, they sit out on a perch in the crown of a tree, and fill the warm air with squeaky calls, sounding a little like an awkward kiss. Every so often a parent will pitch up and present the Tawny Owl equivalent of a Big Mac, one of their favourites, a Bank Vole or a Wood Mouse. They swallow it, digest it and, as soon as their hunger returns, they start begging again, incessantly. And so rodent body count swells as the summer simmers on. On good nights, when the food is easy and the Deliver-whoos are…

ID these birds, please Q I took these pictures on the same day and a matter of 10 miles away from each other in western Scotland last week. The first at Borrodale RSPB, the second and third at Ariundle NNR. On hearing both birds singing, Chiffchaff can be discounted. The first bird would therefore be either a Willow Warbler or Wood Warbler. Unfortunately, I do not know the difference song-wise between the two, so rely on picture identification. The supercilium is not too prominent, the breast not white enough, and the tail projection looks long. I therefore call it as a Willow Warbler. The other bird looks so much browner, and also looks like a Phylloscopus warblers, also either Wood or Willow Warbler. No yellow and hardly clean, so not…

ORIENTAL WHITE STORK This endangered species superficially resembles the far more widespread White Stork of Europe and Africa. Distributed thinly along coastal eastern Russia, China and North Korea, the Oriental White Stork shares it’s western congener’s basic plumage pattern, but is larger with a bigger black bill and stunning blue eyes that are encircled by bare red skin. It is also much less sociable than the White Stork. Originally a tree nester, they have now taken to using platforms provided for them. However, unlike the colonial White Stork they are solitary breeders, choosing never to nest on buildings. After being successfully reintroduced to Japan, there are now in excess of 140 breeding pairs in the country. When not nesting these sedentary birds can be found feeding on frogs and small…

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SOUTH WEST Highlights The rarest bird of the month was one of those identified with hindsight (and the use of DNA analysis). It was a Green Warbler in a private garden in Lizard village, Cornwall. One of the more popular rarities was a Caspian Tern found at Exmouth and Bowling Green Marsh, Devon, on 28th. AVON HIGHLIGHTS: Storm Miguel (8th) brought five Fulmars, 20 Manx Shearwaters, a Gannet and Little Tern to Anchor Head, Weston-super-Mare. Severn Beach (8th) logged two Fulmars, a Storm Petrel, Mediterranean Gull, Arctic Skua and two Guillemots. CLEVEDON-WESTON-SUPER-MARE: A Marsh Harrier hunted around the Rive Axe on the Somerset border (17th-18th). Seven Whimbrels were at Clevedon-Yeo, plus a Knot (27th) and two Bar-tailed Godwits (6th). SEVERNSIDE: A Common Scoter was off New Passage (1st-3rd). Severn Beach…

ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK There have been fewer than 40 accepted UK records of this chunky North American passerine. Most have been in the autumn and most on Scilly. And nearly all have been first-winter birds. CLIFF SWALLOW Since first being recorded in 2000, there have been more than a dozen records of this little North American hirundine. As is often the case with passerines from the other side of the Atlantic, most records are in autumn and in the west, especially on Scilly. YELLOW-BREASTED BUNTING This is a bird in serious trouble, possibly in genuine danger of global extinction. That said, the last two Septembers have seen individuals turn up on Shetland. Could it be three in a row?…

About 150 years ago, there were about a million ponds in the UK – a pond being a body of water smaller than two acres in area. Surprisingly, well over 90% of fresh water is held in such small ponds. Currently, there are less than a quarter of that number! When I was a lad, I used to fish with my dad in a small ‘estate’ lake… small even by UK standards, it would barely register as a pond overseas. Typically of estate lakes, a stream had been damned with a brick wall and a clay bank so that the stream flowed through an adjustable sluice and over a small cascade. Perhaps less usually, the stream then spread out among Birch and Alder, forming a soggy area surrounded by poplars.…

You could still hit the 200 mark this year, if you can’t resist getting started straight away. First, make a list of all the species you regularly see on your patch or at the sites you regularly visit. You might be surprised at how many that is. Secondly, start looking for some of the species that you’ve just read about. Thirdly, plan one or two trips a little further afield – just to somewhere you haven’t birded before, although you’ll reap particularly rich rewards if you head to the east or south coasts. Oh, and fourthly, go to: birdwatching.co.uk/2019-signup and sign up, then check Bird Watching magazine every month (and our exclusive Facebook group) for tips, advice and all sorts of expert help!…

We climbed aboard our private boat, the perfect size for our group of six excited birdwatching guests, at the jetty near Paraa Safari Lodge in Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda. Captain Sam steered us away from the hustle and bustle to a sheltered bay before killing the engine while he gave us our safety briefing. We drifted placidly downstream with the current while he spoke, passing an African Swamphen balanced on a floating bed of reeds. It’s hard to concentrate on safety features when there’s a large blue bird grasping a reed in its enormous red foot just a few feet away. But that pretty much set the tone for the next few hours; our biggest problem was knowing where to look next as we enjoyed masses of birds,…

● This is the month when gardeners traditionally get busy tidying up their gardens, but to encourage wildlife through the winter and into next year, you can take things a bit easier. ● Allow vegetation to die back naturally, for starters, as this will help provide birds with cover and food during the colder months. ● Leave seedheads on plants (especially the likes of Teasels, thistles and sunflowers), as these are popular with many small birds (especially Goldfinches) throughout the autumn and winter. ● If you have fruit trees (including the likes of Crab Apple), leave some of the fruit lying on the ground, if you can. This will provide food for Blackbirds, Song and Mistle Thrushes, and if you’re lucky, Redwings and Fieldfares, once they arrive. ● You probably…

Moult in chats We have mentioned this already, but it is worth emphasising that autumn chats don’t usually look like spring chats (with obvious exceptions such as Robins, Nightingales etc). After the post-breeding moult, many species have their distinctive patterns (which are the most commonly shown in fieldguides etc) covered by buff-feather tips. As the winter progresses, then the tips of the feathers wear off to reveal the brighter colours underneath. So, don’t expect striking black and pale-blue Wheatears or richly black, grey and orange Redstarts. Instead, expect toned down, buffer, browner birds. Get used to the autumn look of these birds and concentrate on size, shape, structure and behaviour. After all, redstarts will quiver their tails, no matter how pretty they look! Whinchat vs Stonechat Whinchat ● Generally paler…

GRID REF: ND 377 678 POSTCODE: KW1 4XX HOW TO GET HERE: It is the A99 that brings you up from the south and just look out for the turn to Skirza village. From the west use the A836 to John O’Groats and then down the A99 turning left to the village WHERE TO PARK: In the village and walk back to the lane down to the beach. Locals do park in the lane but it is hard not to block it TERRAIN: At low tide you can walk the beach but also along the sandy cliffs before you reach the big house. Watch your step along the cliffs as the area is well known for its ‘geos’ ACCESSIBILITY: Year-round access FACILITIES: No birding facilities – local shops and pubs…

POSTCODE: IV22 2LG GRID REF: NG 862 818 HOW TO GET THERE: Come off the A9 via Dingwall onto the A835 and then onto the A832 following all the way to the gardens. The gardens are 77 miles from Inverness and 136 miles from Fort William WHERE TO PARK: Car park just off the road on the left TERRAIN: Walk in the gardens solid paths; pine walk is undulated FACILITIES: Everything you need is in the gardens PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Limited in this area.Web: visitwester-ross.com/ travel-information.asp LOCAL INFO: Web: nts.org.uk/visit/ places/inverewe & northcoast500.com/see-do/wildlife-nature/ ORGANISATION: National Trust for Scotland, Hermiston Quay, 5 Cultins Road, Edinburgh EH11 4DF. Tel: 0131 458 0200 COUNTY RECORDER: Highland, Peter Stronach, email: highlandrecorder@gmail.com MAPS: OS Explorer 434, OS Landranger 19…

POSTCODE: HU12 0DZ GRID REF: TA 267191 HOW TO GET THERE: Take the A1033 out of Hull and then onto the B1445 for Easington turning off at Ottringham for Sunk Island. Using these minor roads you can cover many large fields and drop to the coast and Stone Creek. Although this is only 20 miles from Hull, please remember this is a very slow road with a lot of bends so give yourself plenty of time if you have just come off a motorway WHERE TO PARK: Most of this birding is ‘stop and look’ TERRAIN: Can be muddy on the flood bank. Best to use stout footwear ACCESSIBILITY: All year round FACILITIES: In Partington PUBLIC TRANSPORT: East Yorkshire Motor Services, 252 Anlaby Road, Hull. Tel: 01482 592 929. Trains…

GRID REF: SP 071 965 POSTCODE: B43 7UE HOW TO GET THERE: Located to the north of Birmingham city centre (8 miles) and to the east of Walsall (5 miles), near Streetly, between the A4041 Queslett Road and the B4154 Beacon Road WHERE TO PARK: There is a small amount of parking at Doe Bank Wood and an off road free car park at Doe Bank Park (locked at night) TERRAIN: Level and good paths at Doe Bank. Slight incline on ascent to Barr Beacon. The whole area is fairly dry underfoot ACCESSIBILITY: The area is accessible at all times and popular with dog walkers FACILITIES: Benches and picnic tables around Doe Bank Park and Barr Beacon. Plenty of pubs and shops in surrounding areas PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Bus numbers 934…

GRID REF: SH 297 930 POST CODE: LL65 4LR (for Mynachdy, the nearest dwelling to the Head) HOW TO GET THERE: Having crossed most of Anglesey on the A55 (North Wales Expressway) join a short section of the A5 for Valley then north on the A5025. Just beyond Llanfaethlu, take the minor road through Rhydwyn. Alternatively, continue on the A5025 before choosing the minor road through Llanfairynghorwy to reach a point near the coast WHERE TO PARK: At SH 303 915 near Hen-dy, or the limited space at SH 317 927 TERRAIN: A rugged section of the Isle of Anglesey Coastal Path with some narrow and steep climbs ACCESS: Open at all times, save that a section of the Coastal Path south of the Head is closed for Pheasant shooting…

POSTCODE: NN9 6GY GRID REF: SP 967 715 HOW TO GET THERE: The site is just off the A45, between Wellingborough and Thrapston – it has its own roundabout so you can’t really miss it! WHERE TO PARK: There is ample on-site parking, with charges varying depending on when you visit. Take plenty of change, though, as the ticket machines only take cash TERRAIN: Firm gravel paths, although some areas can get a little flooded in winter, especially alongside the river ACCESSIBILITY: The site is open 7am-9pm March-September, 7am-7pm September-November, and 7am-5pm November-February. Visitor and toilet opening times vary within the hours detailed above – see website below for further details FACILITIES: There’s an excellent visitor centre for refreshments, etc, and on-site toilets PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Nearest railway station is in…

POSTCODE: CO2 0EU GRID REF: TQ 545 794 HOW TO GET THERE: The reserve is located off New Tank Hill Road (A1090) in Purfleet, which is just off the A1306 between Rainham and Lakeside. This is accessible from the Aveley, Wennington and Purfleet junction off the A13 and J30/31 of the M25 WHERE TO PARK: Large car park near the centre TERRAIN: Most paths are hard but I found they were badly looked after in summer with nettles dropping over in many places. Not good for shorts! Best to use stout footwear ACCESSIBILITY: Open 9.30am-4.30pm from 1 November-31 January, and 9.30am-5pm from 1 February to 31 October. Closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day FACILITIES: Toilets and refreshments at the visitor centre PUBLIC TRANSPORT: The Ensignbus 44 bus route which…

MAP REF: TR 337 562 POSTCODE: CT14 0DF HOW TO GET THERE: Take the A258 Deal Road from Sandwich to Deal. After one mile turn left signposted to Worth and site WHERE TO PARK: By the church in The Street TERRAIN: A combination of rough tracks, lanes and surfaced footpaths, mostly on the level ACCESS: Open access on well-marked public rights of way throughout FACILITIES: There is a shop and a pub, the St Crispin Inn in the village PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Stagecoach operate a bus service between Ramsgate and Sandwich that stops on site. South East trains from London stop at Ramsgate. Traveline, tel: 0871 200 22 33, web: travelinesoutheast.org.uk ORGANISATION: Kent Wildlife Trust, Tyland Barn, Sandling, Maidstone, Kent ME14 3BD. Tel: 01622 662 012, web: kentwildlifetrust.org.uk CLUB CONTACT: Kent…

GRID REF: TQ 040 089 POSTCODE: BN18 9RH HOW TO GET THERE: From the roundabout to the east of Arundel take the A27 for half a mile towards Brighton. Just past the station, turn left signposted to Warningcamp and Burpham for 3 miles to site WHERE TO PARK: The Street in the centre of Burpham TERRAIN: A variety of footpaths, some unsurfaced, muddy and steep but others surfaced along narrow lanes ACCESS: Year-round access on public footpaths FACILITIES: None on site apart from the highly recommended The George pub. Full range of facilities in Arundel PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Stagecoach buses operate a limited service from Chichester and Brighton to Burpham, web: stagecoach.com / Arundel train station three miles from site ORGANISATION: Visit Arundel, web: arundel.org.uk CLUB CONTACT: Sussex Ornithological Society, Val…

GRID REF: SX 933 547 NEARBY POSTCODE: TQ5 9QW HOW TO GET THERE AND PARKING: The car park for Sharkham Point is marked on the OS map and is at the end of St Mary’s Road, Brixham, beyond the John Fowler Holiday Park (postcode: TQ5 9QW). At the entrance to the holiday park a brown sign directs along the road to the rough-surfaced car park. The walk starts at the far end of the car park TERRAIN AND ACCESSIBILITY: Always accessible. The coast and field paths are very steep in places. If following the circular route the old green lanes can be muddy and there is a little quiet road walking FACILITIES: None on the circular walk but nearby Berry Head boasts the Guardhouse Café (TQ5 9AW, nearby car park…

Cats and birds... No one can be in any doubt that John Douglas doesn’t like cats! (Your View, August). In the five years that I owned a cat in the Somerset village where I now live, he caught a handful of birds. The fact that he was very large and ginger and I kept him in at night may have been a factor. The male Sparrowhawk which now visits my garden every day is frequently observed eating something, in spite of my efforts to place bird feeders sensibly. Cats and dogs provide companionship to many elderly and lonely people and it should be possible to strike a balance between their needs and wants and action to protect wildlife. Your other correspondent, Roger Hardcastle, is right – human activity is the…

For most people, bird photography is a solitary pursuit, not a group pastime – for pragmatic as well as aesthetic reasons. Most photographers will have their own ‘patch’ where they can do their own thing. But there are UK locations where the presence of other photographers affects neither the birds nor an individual’s ability to take images. Here are a few suggestions – a mix of locations where a single species is the star of the show and where the spectacle of numbers is more important than individual birds. 1 Gigrin Farm Located near Rhayader in central Wales, Gigrin Farm operates a Red Kite feeding station. Nowadays, it is not unique in that regard, but from a photographic point of view, Gigrin Farm is like no other. The location has…

What first sparked your interest in birdwatching, and when? Finding a Nightjar on a nest at the age of 10 within four miles of the centre of Bristol. I cannot imagine, now, a Nightjar nesting within 50 miles or more from the city! Your birding inspiration ? Sir Peter Scott. From an early age, my parents would drop me off at Slimbridge for the day. I would see Peter at his easel, dreaming I might work for him and the Wildfowl Trust one day. Bird alone or with a friend? You are never alone at Rutland Water Nature Reserve! Your dream bird to see? To see all the world’s ducks, geese and swans – there are only a few still to go. The dream bird would be finding a huge…

1,100 Estimated number of Slavonian Grebes wintering around UK coasts (compared with about 30 breeding pairs) 130 Estimated number of Black-necked Grebes wintering in the UK (compared with 30-50 breeding pairs) 50 Estimated number of Red-necked Grebes wintering in the UK (compared with one breeding pair!) 17,000 Estimated number of Red-throated Divers wintering around UK coasts (compared with about 1,300 breeding pairs) 560 Estimated number of Black-throated Divers wintering around UK coasts (compared with about 1,300 breeding pairs)…

That period from June into early July can be decidedly slow for local year listing. And 2019 was no exception for this lover of that particular game. I was able to add calling Spotted Crake (on 21 June) taking my Peterborough area year list to a healthy 180, however. And on 29 June, I found a couple of Sandwich Terns on the famed ‘wader pit’ of the Baston and Langtoft pit complex. “Big deal!”, you may think, “They’re common as muck at the seaside”. But Sarnies are rarer than Spotted Crakes in these ‘ere inland parts; less than annual. Indeed, these were the first I have personally ‘found’ since 2013; and only my second ‘multiple record’ (the first being in 2003). But summer’s slow drift is not all about ticking…

Back from the brink A major island restoration project could bring Roseate Terns – Europe’s rarest breeding seabird – back from the brink in Northern Ireland. Blue Circle Island, part of the RSPB’s Larne Lough reserve, has suffered flooding and erosion but has been restored in a £391,000 project, thanks to the EU-funded Roseate Tern LIFE Recovery Project and match funding from Tarmac and the RSPB. The entire UK and Ireland population of Roseate Terns in 2018 was 1,987 pairs, distributed between Rockabill Island and Lady Island Lake in the Republic of Ireland, and Coquet Island in Northumberland. Garden findings Early results are in from the BTO’s Gardenwatch, an ambitious citizen science project launched during BBC’s Springwatch 2019. Collectively, the UK’s gardens cover an area larger than the county of…

Despite being best known for my antics on BBC’s The One Show, and pigeon-holed as a British naturalist, many are surprised to find that prior to selling my soul to TV, I spent more than four years working as a field biologist in the tropics. Having sampled three very different and distinct biogeographic regions during that period, my favourite realm was undoubtedly the Neotropics. If you’ve never visited South America, I feel duty bound to inform you that you’re missing out. The culture, scenery and an immense biodiversity combine to make this the ‘must visit continent’ on any world birders’ bucket list. And having maintained my Spanish fluency since a spell working in Ecuador in the late 1990s, I was thought the perfect candidate to accompany Birdfair founder Tim Appleton…

Scientific studies have confirmed that exposure to and contact with the natural world have a beneficial effect on mental health. One of the most recent, by the University of Exeter, the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), and the University of Queensland, has shown that people living in environments with “more birds, shrubs and trees” are significantly less exposed to feelings of “depression, anxiety and stress”. The study, which surveyed more than 270 participants of varied ages, incomes, and ethnicities, found that the health benefits were the same regardless of whether people lived in crowded, urbanised environments or greener suburban areas. Most of the birds seen by the people surveyed were common species, such as Blackbirds and Blue Tits, so it would seem that the number of birds seen (and 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…

1 The churchyard and surrounding area supports flocks of Goldfinches and a few Greenfinches. Check for Spotted Flycatchers on tombstones, Goldcrest and Firecrest in the Yew trees. Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Mistle Thrush, Treecreeper, tits and Great Spotted Woodpecker should also be present. 2 The market garden fields attract a variety of farmland birds, such as Stock Dove, partridges, corvids, Sky Lark, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Linnet, Goldfinch, Yellowhammer, Stonechat and Corn Bunting, plus passage Turtle Dove, Yellow Wagtail, Wheatear, Whinchat and Cuckoo. Ploughed fields attract corvids, Lapwing, Golden Plover, Wheatear and gulls, including Mediterranean Gull, while Kestrel hunt here. Little and Barn Owls are present at dusk. 3 The watercourses attract passage warblers along the margins such as Sedge and Reed Warblers, Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat. Curlew, Oystercatcher, Golden…

Japan is a fascinating country that is on many a birder’s bucket list. It’s an archipelago that encompasses many different habitats; from subtropical to temperate, coniferous forests to impressive ice floes. Japan is also a pretty big place, despite its elongated sliver-like appearance on maps. It has a greater landmass than Germany and a population of about 127 million people. When one thinks of birding in Japan, the main image that springs to mind are the icy wintry vistas of Hokkaido in the north, watching mighty Steller’s Sea Eagles frolicking in the snow, dwarfing the attendant White-tailed Eagles – themselves not exactly puny. Toyooka is a city on the country’s north coast, some 375 miles west of Tokyo and is not, at first glance, an obvious target for urban birders.…