Table of contents for July 2015 in Bird Watching

CHILDHOOD SEASIDE holidays played a big part in getting me started birdwatching – I can still remember the thrill of seeing an Oystercatcher fly over a South Wales beach when I was about eight or nine. This issue is all about our coastal birds. Not just the Gannets, auks, gulls, terns, skuas and waders you might expect to find in locations like Islay (p36) and Alderney (p29), but overlooked seaside species, too (p44), as well as the places to go to find the best of them. There’s also a look at the truly extraordinary migration of one of our rarest breeding birds, the Red-necked Phalarope (p72). It means you need never be far away from great birds wherever you are this summer – don’t forget to take your bins to…

SMALL, UNOBTRUSIVE AND easily forgotten, the cute and pretty Ringed Plover is one of our most looked-over, easily forgotten birds. This is partly because it is not uncommon, so quickly acknowledged, noted and passed over in search of something scarcer. It is familiar as a passage and wintering bird, where it is often a ‘stock bird’, like the plover equivalent of a Dunlin. But it is also one of our most widespread coastal breeding waders, with about 5,500 breeding pairs. Some breed inland, but most nest on beaches. When disturbed near the nest site, they are famed for feigning a broken wing to (mis)lead away potential predators. The stretched out wing shows a white wing bar (unlike the similar Little Ringed Plover). Ringed Plovers also have orange legs and base…

“NO ONE OWNS birds. That’s what I like about them. I think the vast majority of birds people enjoy are migrants and they’re global.” Right from the very start, Chris Packham nails his colours to the mast. We meet in the Kohn Room, amid the grand surroundings of the Royal Society of London, a few hours before he is due to debate the controversial subject of hunting and its impact on conservation. The two often polarised sectors of the game and conservation lobbies are to battle it out on the impact of hunting on migration, as well as the social and environmental implications of shooting in Britain. It is an understandably heated issue and one that has taken centre stage in recent years. Chris has been instrumental in the development…

WHEN THE HAYDEN Hide at Paxton Pits Nature Reserve was burned down by vandals, the Friends of the Reserve were heartbroken, but the arrival of the replacement hide has led them to think of this as the beginning of a new era, rather than the end of the old one. The new hide has come from S Jones Containers of the West Midlands, a firm that specialises in converting transport containers into housing and shops. The new hide, which has many anti-vandal features, creates the perfect conditions for viewing the 78-hectare reserve, famous for its Nightingales.…

THE GAME AND Wildlife Conservation Trust says its counters have witnessed what they call an “impressive uplift” in Grey Partridge numbers following last year’s warm summer. Once a widespread bird, with numbers in the millions, the Grey Partridge has suffered a worrying decline of more than 85% over the last 40 years, mainly due to land use changes and pesticide use. However, it seems that in areas where farmers and gamekeepers have changed their land management measures, there have been increases in numbers of up to 25%, with an average increase of 18% over the whole country.…

BRITAIN HAS A wide range of habitats and extensive bird list, but thereÕs one island with many of those habitats joined into one, with 12-month potential and easy access. Islay is lucky enough to be warmed by the Gulf Stream, which allows palm trees to grow, and makes frost and snow a rarity. Birding starts straight away with a 2.5-hour ferry journey from Tarbet on the mainland, giving the chance of some early goodies such as all three divers (we counted 42 Great Northerns on our return trip!), plus Black Guillemot and Red-breasted Merganser. You land on the island either by Port Ellen or Port Askaig. We came into the Straights of Jura with a pair of Golden Eagles, followed by a pair of White-tailed Eagles. Some start! Islay is…

DECEMBER IS A wonderful time to visit North Wales with its exciting blend of resident and winter birds and wildlife. Add to this the wide variety of habitats and stunning scenery, ranging from mountains to coastline, woodland and estuaries, and you have the perfect mix for a birdwatching and wildlife break. Expect to see plenty of exciting birds and wildlife during your stay in this beautiful part of the world! This is your chance to spend five days in the company of one of Britain’s best-loved television wildlife presenters, Iolo Williams. We know that not only will you enjoy wonderful birds and wildlife but there will be plenty of laughter during the trip! Your guides for this tour will be the local experts Alan Davies and Ruth Miller, along with…

BEMPTON HOLDS THE best seabird colony in England, with around 200,000 birds to look for. On a bright day you are not just dazzled by the number of birds, but by the white chalk cliffs standing up to 400ft with a bright blue sea dashing up against it. Bempton also holds the record mainland based breeding Gannet colony at 4,000-plus pairs, and there are around 45,000 Guillemots, 7,000 Razorbills and 6,000 Puffins, The number of Kittiwakes peaked at 75,000, but like most of Britain numbers are falling due to lack of food and few young are reared each year. Other birds worth looking for are Fulmars with 1,200 pairs. They come to look at you as they glide along the cliff faces! At the lower part of the cliffs, Shags…

THIS IS AN enjoyable walk on the side of the River Wye and at one point joined by the River Lugg. So the main interest is the water birds and as this is a good all-year site, a visit at any time of year is of interest. Another interesting and frustrating knowledge, is that rarities occur, such as Little Egret, and even a Collared Pratincole has been recorded. But waders come through in the spring and autumn. Breeding birds include Sky Lark, Sedge Warbler and Reed Bunting in the willow and scrub and Kingfisher and Sand Martin in the riverbanks. Pied, Grey and Yellow Wagtails are often here and, because the meadows are flower rich, Swallow, House Martin Whinchat, Wheatear and Redstart are attracted. I’ve suggested a start at the…

MOST BRITISH BIRDWATCHERS are aware of the UK’s ‘La Brenne’ in mid-Somerset. The Somerset Levels may not have the illustrious French locality’s Whiskered Tern colony, but it’s catching up fast with breeding Little Bittern, Bittern, Great White Egret and more in recent years. However, The Levels is a very large expanse of varied habitat and can be made more con-specific by choosing just a bit of it. Catcott Lows is the name given to a local spot well checked by birdwatchers. I recall seeing my first Cattle Egret here a few years ago; that winter I was also shown a Goshawk. It is an interesting and easy walk all year and well served by good hides, one of which has a place to park right behind it. Spring has an…

THE OTHER DAY I went for a meeting. I wasn’t late exactly, but upon leaving there was only just enough time to get there. There was no leeway to have a break on the journey, or to make a mistake. To be honest, it was a sweat-on-brow ride that strained speed limits once or twice; and it was not at all relaxing. The return journey, by contrast, was a joy. With no need to rush, I stopped several times to take in the countryside, I was polite to other drivers and was able to avoid some of the fast, busy roads used in the morning. You might be wondering: “What on earth has this riveting tale got to do with birds?” Well, actually, it happens to encapsulate the difference, in…

MOLE FOR LUNCH I took these photos at Leighton Moss, as I watched a Bittern catch and walk off with a Mole! Tony Marsh, email Odd hiding place for Little Bittern I have recently returned from a week in Tenerife – basically, a family holiday, but you can always keep an eye open for the birds and it’s just as well I did, because on several occasions, sitting on the beach in Los Christianos, I was able to watch a beautiful Red-billed Tropicbird flying back and forth. But that is not the purpose of this email. While walking along the promenade at Puerto san Juan, we spotted a bird in among the black volcanic rocks, swallowing a fish. On closer examination, it proved to be a Little Bittern. Big surprise.…

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July is a turning point in the calendar for many waders. Many species breed in the high arctic, taking advantage of the abundant food of the long days and relative lack of disturbance, before heading south to winter in the UK or further south, even as far as Africa. Failed breeders start coming back south even in June, and July sees the first waves of neat juveniles on their first migration. Although this is a quiet month in many habitats, it can be rewarding to visit classic muddy wader habitats (estuaries, mudflats and mud-fringed lagoons) to enjoy the returning waders. Here are some key sites to try. WADERS IN NUMBERS 10,000 Number of pairs of Dunlin nesting in the UK 1-4 Number of pairs of Temminck’s Stint nesting in the…

SAID GORDON THE boat captain in his broad Lothian burr. The Fisher Lassie would not be making the seven mile journey out to the largest single rock gannetry in the world. The despondent group stood on the quayside looking down at the fishing boats and Eiders bobbing in the harbour. The disappointment was palpable. Many had had a long journey and a very early start for nothing. Guests are warned in advance that rough sea conditions may cause last minute cancellations, but you never think it’s going to happen to you. The group slowly fragmented. Some left immediately, others went for a closer look at the Kittiwake colony nesting on the remnant walls of Dunbar Castle. The latter's onomatopoeic calls echoed round the harbour and brought the maritime scene to…

THE BEST BIRDWATCHING areas in Britain have the knack of turning up surprises. So many surprises, in fact, that you can forget about the ones that got away. So, I’m not going to lose sleep over the Wryneck that I missed by 100 yards at Minsmere RSPB. I was ambling round the famous reserve, took a right turn to view some of the scrapes just inland, and found out an hour later that one of these bizarre woodpeckers had been just along the path that I’d have been on had I turned left. It’s a shame, because it’s a bird that continually evades me in the UK. But then, if I’d seen it, I might not have seen the Bearded Tits, so close that you could almost reach out and…

THE UNINHABITED ISLANDS of St Kilda lie some 41 miles off North Uist in the Western Isles and with more than a million birds make up the most important seabird breeding station in north-west Europe. Comprising four islands – Hirta (the only one you can land on), Soay, Boreray and Dun – as well as several sea stacks, St Kilda is truly spectacular and you will never forget it. Surprisingly, it is also easily accessible for a day trip, not only from the outer islands, but also from the mainland. Now in the care of The National Trust for Scotland, the main attraction for birders are the sea stacks, which hold the world’s largest gannetry. Within two minutes of being there, we saw a Great Skua rob a surfacing Gannet.…

FINEST AND MOST dramatic of all headlands on the coast of Wales, the Great Orme, so named from the Old Norse meaning ‘sea-serpent’, rises to 675ft and extends seawards two miles. Neolithic man buried his dead here and more than five miles of tunnels and passages comprise the largest prehistoric copper mines in the world. Despite its proximity to Llandudno, one of the top holiday destinations in Wales, the headland is a naturalist’s paradise, small wonder it was designated a Country Park in 1980. A marvellous maritime flora, a mixture of limestone and heath, includes a number of special plants. One unique to the headland, the Great Orme berry, a wild cotoneaster, was first discovered here in 1783 at what remains its only British location. Look out for the Kashmir…

BIRD 1 We start with an archetypal LBJ. At first glance there is not much to go on here, apart from it looks a bit finchy or bunting-like with that blunt bill and generally rounded look. Otherwise, what is there to go on with this essentially brown and streaky bird? Perhaps the stand-out feature is the colour of the rump, which contrasts with the rest of the bird (apart from part of the fringing on the tertials, in the wing) and has a chestnut, almost reddish-orange hue. That instantly helps rule out some finches and buntings, including Reed Bunting and Corn Bunting, which both have brown or grey-brown rumps and Cirl Bunting which has an olive-grey rump. Also ruled out instantly by this rump are the likes of Greenfinch, which…

THE GRADE 1 listed mansion formerly owned by the Smyth family and now owned by Bristol City Council is set in a luxurious 850 acres of woodland and grassland, attracting some 1.6 million visitors annually. Among the myriad of orienteering courses, dog-walkers, horse riding and mountain biking trails are two deer parks holding Red and Fallow Deer herds. A number of scarce plant species in habit corners of the park contributing to the Site of Nature Conservation Interest designation while a part of the meadow is managed by the Avon Wildlife Trust. As far as bird life is concerned, Jays are a major feature, harvesting the acorns from the many oak trees here, while the Sky Larks on the golf course will be heard long before you see them. There…

THE ASHDOWN FOREST is a former medieval deer-hunting forest, straddling the High Weald with commanding views over the Sussex countryside. The sandy soils support a variety of wildlife rich habitats from coniferous and deciduous woodland to what is the largest area of heather-clad heathland in the south-east, complete with scattered birch scrub and solitory pine trees, ideal perches for Hobby, Tree Pipit and Nightjar. The topography of the forest is such that there are many opportunities to scan across valleys to adjacent woodland to watch for soaring raptors, including the likes of Honey Buzzard and Goshawk. In places, streams falling off the sandstone have cut deep, wooded, ravines which adds to the habitat interest. This walk around Wrens Warren Valley is also good for a variety of other heathland wildlife…

THE RED-NECKED PHALAROPE is not a species to follow convention. Its colourful females do the courting, but it is the male that incubates eggs. It is a wader that prefers to swim, enabled by lobed toes which also allow it to run on land. Last year, a new idiosyncrasy was revealed, astounding ornithologists and sinking commonly-held assumptions about the bird’s migration route. Tagging data from a Shetland bird suggests that this busy but dainty species is the only UK migrant to fly west rather than east for the winter. Instead of joining Scandinavian brethren on the Arabian Sea, Shetland’s Rednecked Phalaropes are, apparently, completing an annual 16,000-mile round trip to the Pacific waters of South America. If a second tracking project confirms findings this summer, this tiny bird’s daunting migration…

OPTICS RATINGS EXPLAINED OPTICS – Quality of optical image including sharpness, focusing etc HANDLING – How the product looks, feels and ease of use PRICE – Value for money against other models in its class FACTFILE Field of view (@1000 m): 110m (20x) – 52m (60x) Close focus: 6m-6.5m Eye relief: 20mm Dimensions: 380mm x 180mm Weight: 1,810g RRP: £499.99 Warranty: Limited lifetime guarantee Accessories: Carry case with shoulder strap, screw-on objective lens cover and eyepiece cap. Contact: Vanguard World UK Ltd, 73 Basepoint Business Centre, Aviation Business Park, Christchurch, BH23 6NX, info@vanguardworld.co.uk, 01202 651281 RATINGS Optics Handling Price Overall VANGUARD ENDEAVOR HD 82A £499.99 REVIEW BY MATT MERRITT THE FIRST THING THAT struck me about this scope was just how compact it is, considering it has an 82mm objective…

JUST IN TIME for the long, sunny days of summer, we’ve been trying out the rather splendid Amazonas Tarp Hats. Handcrafted from recycled truck tarpaulins, they come from a remote village on the edge of the Brazilian Amazon rainforest, which can take six to eight days to reach by plane, bus and finally boat. Each hat tells a story – the patches and Portuguese writing on them give clues as to their past lives. They’re durable, but lightweight and comfortable. Prices start at £26.99 for wide-brimmed hats (baseball caps are also available), and more information is available at tarphat.co.uk…

April 2015 happened to be the sunniest since records began in 1929 with long spells of high pressure predominating. Temperatures remained fairly low, however, with some migrants arriving later than usual and in much smaller numbers than of late. Somewhat out of the blue, though, was the arrival of three show-stopping rares from North America, going totally against the grain of easterly winds that predominated. The rarest was the first-winter Great Blue Heron that arrived on the Isles of Scilly on 13th. Found by Bob Simpson on the Gugh Bar, it was to be two days later (on 15th), when Ashley Fisher saw it at Lower Moors (St Mary’s) that it was to be confirmed. This was a ‘true mega’ indeed, the previous British record involving a one-day juvenile on…

The Dipper is like a big black-and-white Wren on steroids that spends its life on, in and around fast-flowing streams. It is highly unusual in that in addition to brief dips beneath the surface, this perching bird can swim underwater tilting against the current. Also, it can use its powerful feet and claws to cling to underwater rocks to stop it getting washed away. An old name was Water Ouzel, ouzel being an old name for the Blackbird. With its superificial resemblance to the Ring Ouzel at least in pattern, you can see where it got its name. The Dipper is also called the White-throated Dipper, to distinguish it from other dippers around the world. Our local subspecies has a chestnut band beneath the white breast, while nominate continental birds…

IF OUR ARTICLE on that remarkable globe-trotter the Red-necked Phalarope, on page 72, gives you a taste for Shetland birding, this property might be the perfect base for observing the dainty waders. Aithness is a unique, substantial property in a beautiful location on Fetlar, with magnificent sea views. Originally built for a religious order, it comprises a large detached house and chapel, two self-contained semi-detached bungalows plus a double garage/studio, the flexible accommodation having potential for conversion to up to seven individual units for visitor accommodation, or it could be used as a large family home with the additional accommodation providing extra income. Known as the ‘Garden of Shetland’ because of its rich, fertile soil, around two thirds of Fetlar is protected in some way, either as a site of…

SEABIRD CITIES ARE some of Britain’s greatest birding glories, but to get great views, you usually have to be prepared to take a boat out to some of our remoter islands. Alderney, the third largest of the Channel Islands, and a Crown Dependency rather than part of the UK, offers the chance to see a gannetry at close quarters without having to get your feet or your camera wet, although the Wildlife Trust’s boat trips can provide the icing on the cake if you want to get even closer. The main gannetry at Les Etacs can be easily viewed from the coastal path, with about 5,000 pairs using these rocks set in the turbulent tidal waters off the island’s western tip. Shags, Fulmars, Kittiwakes, Guillemots and Razorbills should be present,…

YOU’RE AT THE seaside, and you want to do some birdwatching. It’s all about gulls, terns, skuas and auks, right? Wrong. Even if you’re only snatching a few minutes with binoculars in hand, here and there, in-between making sandcastles with the kids or dozing in your deckchair, you can add some great new ticks to your list around the coast of Britain. Keep an eye out for all these species… OYSTERCATCHER This wader is like the Shelduck in more than just its pied appearance – it, too, is a basically coastal species that does now also nest inland, especially in Scotland. But the greatest numbers are still to be found at the coast, both on mudflats and estuaries, and on grassy turf and dunes – their ability to exploit various…

JULY IS THE perfect time to take stock of your birding year so far, and try to catch up with those species that have eluded you up to now. This month’s sites offer a wide variety of habitat to help you do just that, from remote seabird colonies to parks close to the centres of major cities. Remember, we love to hear how you fared, so enjoy your birding, then please tell us all about exactly what you saw by emailing us at birdwatching@bauermedia.co.uk Highlights ¿ Close-up views of nesting seabirds at Bempton Cliffs, Great Orme and St Kilda ¿ Find waders and terns, plus all sorts of possible strays, at Pegwell Bay ¿ Get to know the heron and egret-rich Somerset Levels at Catcott Lows Where…

CORSEWALL POINT IS a very underwatched seawatching spot, sticking out in the Irish Sea 12 miles from Stranraer. It has a daily movement of local birds like Gannets, Fulmars, Kittiwakes and gulls but with good winds, species like Manx Shearwater can be seen in their hundreds. All four skuas have been found along with a small number of spring Long-tailed Skuas but so far, not the numbers found in Aryshire or the Inner Solway. Other shearwaters include Sooty, Cory’s, Balearic and Great Shearwater with one recent record of North Atlantic Little Shearwater. Divers range from many Red-throated to a long distant White-billed Diver. This is the best place in Dumfries and Galloway to see Leach’s Petrel in the autumn. A Black-browed Albatross was well out to sea, but winter Little…

THIS IS A woodland at the southernmost part of Shropshire and we can cross the boundary here and there into Herefordshire – but don’t worry there are no border controls! A good part of the area is of pine trees but there are other trees such as oak and Birch. So the range of woodland birds will include Goldcrest and Coal Tit and you may find Crossbills particularly in the Larch tree areas. Thinning out is done so Treecreeper can be found and Jay will be seen. Sparrowhawk seem to like the rides and Kestrel the recently felled areas, but up in the sky the Buzzard relentlessly hunts. There are plenty of optional routes, so it’s easy to spend a whole day here. This is a hilly site so good…

BILL STRUCTURE When dealing with bird ID in general, but particularly with birds of similar plumage, like LBJs, the shape of the bill is a vital clue. As Darwin knew when he studied his finches on the Galápagos, bill shape and size in birds is intimately related to the food which the birds eat. So, birds which feed predominantly on soft insects, such as tits, warblers and pipits, tend to have fine bills. Seed-eaters on the other hand have shorter conical bills, typical of sparrows, finches and buntings. Our finches don’t have the extreme range of bill form expressed by Darwin’s finches (which evolved to occupy all sorts of niches on the equatorial archipelago), but they certainly reflect their diet. And we have one or two extreme examples. Compare, for…

SITUATED TO THE south of Ramsgate and at the mouth of the river Stour, Pegwell Bay Country Park and nature reserve is dominated by estuarine mudflats, saltings and the sand dune spit of Shellness Point jutting into the bay. Coastal scrub and cliffs to the north add to the habitat variety, while nowhere else in Kent will you find this combination of coastal features in such a small complex. Shorebirds are the main attraction throughout the year but timing is all important. Viewing from the hide on an incoming tide is favourable and during the afternoon to benefit from the best light conditions. Good numbers of common waders should be assured and as the season progresses freshwater migrants such as Whimbrel, Greenshank, Common and Green Sandpipers haunt the creeks. Pegwell…

@BirdWatchingMag: Which country has the friendliest birders? @rowe_tc: Gambia and Singapore. Even the non-birders would offer info on places they knew held birds. @jamspangle: I went to The Gambia – didn’t meet many other birders but everyone was super-friendly there. @rhskraus: Sweden was great! Bird Watching: Where are your favourite coastal locations and what birds can you find there? Andrew Fortuna: In Gibraltar now we have Yellow-legged & Audouin’s Gulls, Mediterranean Shag, Cory’s, Balearic & Yelkouan Shearwaters, and birds of prey still coming in from Africa, such as Griffon Vulture, Honey Buzzard & Short-toed Eagle. Anne-Isabelle Boulon: Alderney in the Channel Islands! For Gannets, Fulmars, Puffins, Guillimots, Razorbills, Storm Petrels, Common Terns! Get in touch with Bird Watching birdwatching@bauermedia.co.uk facebook.com/BirdWatchingMag twitter.com/BirdWatchingMag Bird Watching, Media House, Lynch Wood, Peterborough, PE2 6EA…

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