Indice dei contenuti per August 2022 in Bird Watching

twitter.com/BirdWatchingMag facebook.com/BirdWatchingMag RARITY RATINGS 1 WILSON’S PETREL One of the most abundant seabirds in the world, the Wilson’s Petrel (aka Wilson’s Storm Petrel) is an annual, but much desired bird in UK waters. They breed in the southern hemisphere, but many winter in the northern hemisphere, and a few reach the extreme south-western part of British waters every year. Most are seen on specialist seawatching pelagic boat trips, sailing out of Scilly in the late summer. Wilson’s Petrels are small, but slightly larger than the tiny (European) Storm Petrel and have a subtly different flight action with long glides and often dangling long legs which also extend beyond the tail (and the feet have yellow webs). Wilson’s lack the white underwing stripe seen on Storms and show a pale panel…

June is a funny old month in the birding calendar. On the one hand it is a quiet time, when birds have settled into bringing up their families and staying put at the breeding sites. On the other hand, failed breeders and other strays go awandering and turn up in extraordinary places. The usual spring and autumn passage migrants like waders and chats may be in short supply at an inland ‘patch’ like mine (around Peterborough, of course), but when something does turn up it is usually pretty special. Looking back over my spreadsheet (which stretches back to 2003), I note that June has delivered us Peterborians such special birds as Night Heron, Montagu’s Harrier, Red-footed Falcon, Baillon’s Crake (heard only), Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Bluethroat and Caspian Tern (in 2021). Four…

Calling young birders The BTO and Spurn Bird Observatory Trust are again on the lookout for the UK’s top young birders. This year’s Spurn Migration Festival (9-11 Sept) will play host to the latest edition of the Martin Garner Spurn Young Birder event, a celebration of the ID skill and dedication of bird lovers aged 16 and under. The event shares the aims of the late Martin Garner, a birder who encouraged so many others with his passion, expertise and hunger to explore the limits of bird ID. Go to bit.ly/MGSYB_22 and fill in a questionnaire that gives you a chance to showcase your passion for birds. Closing date is 3 July.. Stilts in South Yorks Black-winged Stilts have fledged for the first time in Yorkshire, at Potteric Carr nature…

Me: “Do you want to go out tonight?” Non-Birder-Other-Half: “What did you have in mind?” Me: “Someone told me about some Little Owls on the other side of the wood. Fancy walking down there to look for them?” NBOH: “Yeah, I’d be up for that”. That evening… Me: “Patrick said the owls were in the fourth tree counting up from the bottom of the lane. Do you reckon it’s that one over there?” NBOH, patiently: “I don’t think so… one, two, three, four, that one”. Me: “Ah yes. I’m just too excited. Shouldn’t we be whispering?” Little Owl: ‘Yiiippp. YIIIPPP.’ Me: “ I can see one. It’s on the forked branch halfway up on the right hand side”. A second owl flies across the lane, just visible against the darkening…

SPECIES FACTFILE YELLOWHAMMER Scientific name: Emberiza citrinella Length: 16-16.5cm Wingspan: 23-29.5cm UK numbers: 700,000 territories Habitat: Open countryside with bushes and hedgerows Diet: Seeds and insects WHERE TO SEE THEM Yellowhammers are found across the UK. They are least abundant in the north and west and absent from upland areas, such as the Pennines and Highlands. There’s something that everybody gets wrong about Yellowhammers. This article, published in August, isn’t helping, either. The widespread perception about this glorious bird, one of our very few yellow species, is that it is a creature of summer. The reality, though, is that although it is undoubtedly easier to see now at this time of year, it isn’t exclusively a summer visitor, such as a Swift or Swallow. Yellowhammers are very much here all year round, as are Sky Larks,…

After two years of lockdown and restrictions, my wife and three teenage children were really looking forward to relaxing by the pool. So, to be honest, was I. But, like any birder visiting a new location, I had also planned to spend time exploring the beautiful island of St Lucia, and discovering its unique birdlife. My target birds included a dozen or so species confined to the Lesser Antilles – the group of islands that run like a string of pearls across the eastern boundary of the Caribbean Sea – plus five species endemic to St Lucia itself; found here, but nowhere else on the planet. To start my quest, I didn’t even need to leave the hotel. St James’s Club Morgan Bay is on the north-west coast, close to…

Birds are such an interesting and engaging subject, and this fascination for our feathered friends often tempts us to try and fill as much of the frame as we can with them. I am as guilty of this as the next person, and for a long time my goal was always to get as close as I could for that frame-filler. Indeed, I could become so focused on filling the frame with the subject, that the other elements of the photograph became secondary at best, and completely ignored at worst. As much as these close portraits provide an initial visual ‘rush’, their effects can soon wear off and the impact of the photograph wanes over time, not a great recipe for consistently creating compelling images. It can be difficult to…

BIRDS CAN FLY LARGE SWIFT T-SHIRT, £25 Stretch the Swift season by wearing one on a T-Shirt. It’s a simple design – a Swift flying on stone blue, sand or white fabric. The fabric is certified organic cotton, the printing is low waste, there’s no animal testing, it’s GM free and made in a renewable-energy-powered factory. All that for £25. XS-XXL. A women’s relaxed fit version is available in stone blue or white (sizes 8-18). Other Birds Can Fly products include Hen Harrier and White Stork garments. birdscanflystore.com TRUE UTILITY TI POCKET MULTI TOOL, £39.99 You never know when you might need springloaded pliers when you’re birding. Not to mention a saw, wire cutters, an awl, a screwdriver, a knife, and (this last one might see more use than the…

SOUTH WEST Highlights Top rarity (subject to ‘acceptance’) of the region during May was a subadult Egyptian Vulture seen by lucky observers over Devoran, Cornwall on 22nd. A ‘reported’ Long-legged Buzzard seen at a few sites on The Lizard, Cornwall, would have been even bigger news if ‘confirmed’. Early in the month a female black-eared wheatear on St Mary’s, Scilly, was not identified to species. In association with AVON CLEVEDON-WESTON-SUPER-MARE: A Brent Goose was at Sand Point (3rd) and Clevedon-Yeo (14th). Clevedon-Yeo had four White Wagtails (1st), 35 Ringed Plovers, 42 Whimbrels, 17 Bar-tailed Godwits and two Greenshanks. A Purple Sandpiper was at Battery Point, Portishead (to 8th). There were 105 Kittiwakes, two Arctic Skuas and 49 Gannets off Anchor Head (10th), with 31 Manx Shearwaters (11th). Sand Point had…

The Quail is an extraordinary bird in many ways. Our only migratory gamebird, these birds, which are only the size of half-grown partridge chicks, fly vast distances to reach the UK’s fields to spend the summer, and breed. An average of only about 500 males are heard singing in the UK each year (though surely many go unheard), so these are scarce birds. Part of the reason they go unheard is that they are predominantly crepuscular or nocturnal singers, so often require a deliberate search in the evening (or very early morning) to hear. The sound is ‘whipped’ three note ‘whip-wipwip’, usually transcribed as ‘wet my lips’, a little like the ‘chuk-chukar’ call of the Red-legged Partridge, but higher pitched. The sound carries for a long way (across several large…

Find the location closest to your destination and add or subtract the hours and minutes from the high tide time at London Bridge, below. SOUTH WEST Weston-Super-Mare (+5:05) Barnstaple (+4:30) Newquay (+3:32) Falmouth (+3:30) Plymouth (+4:05) Torquay (+4:40) Bournemouth (-5:09)* Portland (+4:57) St Peter Port (+4:53) Swanage (-5:19)* Portsmouth (-2:29) Southampton (-2:53) SOUTH EAST Ryde (-2:29) Brighton (-2:51) Eastbourne (-2:48) Dungeness (-3:05) Dover (-2:53) Margate (-1:52) Herne Bay (-1:24) Southend-on-sea (-1:22) Clacton-on-sea (-2:00) EAST ANGLIA Felixstowe Pier (-2:23) Aldeburgh (-2:53) Lowestoft (-4:23) Cromer (+4:56) Hunstanton (+4:44) WALES Colwyn Bay (-2:47) Holyhead (-3:28) Barmouth (-5:45) Aberystwyth (-6:11) Fishguard (+5:44) Swansea (+4:42) Milford Haven (+4:37) Cardiff (+5:15) NORTH WEST Whitehaven (-2:30) Douglas (-2:44) Morecambe (-2:33) Blackpool (-2:50) NORTH EAST Skegness (+4:29) Grimsby (+4:13) Bridlington (+2:58) Whitby (+2:20) Hartlepool (+1:59) Blyth (+1:46) Berwick…

SET A TARGET OF SEEING 200 BIRDS IN ONE YEAR! You’ll be reading this in early to mid-July, traditionally considered just about the worst time of the year for birding. The weather is hot, hopefully, so birds tend to be most active around dawn and dusk (and so incidental birding is rather harder), while many are either still in the process of raising young, or starting to moult, both of which necessitate staying out of sight of potential predators as much as possible. All of which seemingly makes it a hard time to add to your #My200BirdYear list – remember, our challenge is to see 200 species of bird in the course of the year. But don’t despair, because there’s still plenty you can do to keep your #My200BirdYear list…

When I was at primary school, one of the first books I can remember catching my attention was a children’s edition of Aesop’s Fables. In fact, I remember us having to read it aloud, to the whole class. The Greek author (if he existed at all, and isn’t a sort of nom de plume of another author or authors) was born around 620BC, so perhaps the fact that his stories were still deemed important in a 1970s classroom is probably all the evidence you need that there’s real substance to his tales of anthropomorphic animals. That’s what’s behind zoologist and writer Jo Wimpenny’s book Aesop’s Animals, which came out late last year and which seeks to discover whether there’s any scientific truth behind the fables. It is, I should say…

Origins Any visitor to the Global Birdfair will see plenty of bird tour companies there. Some offer full-on birding and work hard to build as big a list as possible, while others take a more relaxed approach. Mollee Brown believed that there was another niche, an unoccupied niche, and duly set about filling it. The Birding Co-op is based in the US, but does have a handful of members in the UK, is looking to organise tours to Europe, and is an approach that could well be just as relevant here as it is proving to be over there. Mollee grew up on a farm in West Virginia. She didn’t really use binoculars but still managed to soak up its natural history, identifying everything she saw – and not just…

In association with QI have noticed some cameras have touch-screen displays, but others don’t – is there any actual advantage to these? I suspect they would be hard to use with cold fingers. A Webley, Motherwell A That’s a great question. Touch-screen displays are a little bit like Marmite. Some photographers love being able to control their settings exclusively through a screen, while others prefer the traditional ergonomics of their camera’s wheels and dials. The removal of physical controls can cut down on size and weight, which helps camera brands to manufacture camera bodies that are amazingly small and light. Some cameras are now exclusively controlled via their touchscreen, with only a shutter release button to press. Some models with touchscreens also allow you to press the area you’d like…

HOW BIRDS LIVE TOGETHER MARIANNE TAYLOR, PRINCETON, HB, £25 This is a book about how birds live in flocks, when breeding, feeding or roosting. It’s very glossy, with coloured pictures on every other page and the odd double page spread. The real classics here are seabirds, on cliffs, islands and even in the forest when it comes to Marbled Murrelets! But you also have waders flocking for protection, and winter flocks of tits, teaming up to find food. Even birds of prey such as harriers, or Red-footed Falcons (while nesting) are covered, and there is plenty for everyone to digest here. BOOK OF THE MONTH CALL OF THE REED WARBLER CHARLES MASSY, CHELSEA GREEN, SB, £18.99 It’s not even a bird book, as such, and a lot of the writing…

Noting the age of waders at this time of year (which will mostly be juvenile) is a massive step in identifying them. From August into the autumn proper, the waders we see in the UK are dominated by juveniles. Juveniles are the birds which hatched from eggs this year, and are yet to moult into their first-winter plumage. Even though juveniles make up the vast majority of waders we see during this period, many older field guides used to ignore them, and instead illustrate adults in breeding plumage and winter plumage. These days, with masterpieces like the Collins Bird Guide, we birders have no excuses for not at least realising we are looking at juvenile waders, rather than adults. It is tempting to think that juveniles may look like scruffy…

Raspberry beret Clearwings are remarkable, waspmimicking moths that fly mainly in high summer. The last of their ilk to emerge – records typically peaking in early August – is Raspberry Clearwing. Discovered new to Britain in Cambridgeshire in 2007, it has since spread to other counties. This makes it ripe for finding in new locations, so why not buy a pheromone lure (a synthetic equivalent of a female’s ‘scent’) and chance your arm this month? DAMSELFLY Damsel, no distress Some British dragonflies and damselflies are in trouble, so need intensive conservation work, but many are actually profiting from warmer summers and milder winters. One such is Azure Damselfly. Already common and widespread beside streams, ponds and large waterbodies across England, Wales and lowland Scotland, it is spreading north through the…

Frustrated by spouse Diktat, I was not birding. Spring clean-up in the garden had progressed nicely, so winter’s frost-spawned gaps in the pots and flowerbeds needed filling. Rather than dawn bashing bushes for migrants, I was out at the crack of nursery opening hours to squander my hard-earned on osteospermums and saxifrage, campanulas and carnations to brighten our postage stamp. Much as I admire these showy blooms, I slipped barely noticed pots into the wheelie trailer which we dragged around the thoughtfully very long one-way path through greenhouses and plant yards. If I was going to overspend, I was determined to divert some expenditure to bee-friendly and butterfly beloved botany. Don’t get me wrong, Hawkeye likes to see any invertebrate with anything other than eight legs, and helps home them.…

SPECIES FACTFILE CHOUGH Scientific name: Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax Length: 39-40cm Wingspan: 73-90cm UK numbers: 250-350 (GB) 120-150 pairs on the Isle of Man Habitat: Rocky coasts with short grassland Diet: Insects and larvae The Chough is a bird that is unfamiliar to a lot of birders, it is our rarest member of the crow or corvid family, only being found on the western fringes of Britain, and with an estimated population of just 350 or so pairs in total, the Chough is a bird that many birders don’t get to see. But wow, are they worth seeing! The Chough has the typical black plumage of the crow family, but it has a metallic sheen to it, giving it a sleek, glossy look, which is topped off with a fiery red bill and red…

Every birdwatcher should love waders, shouldn’t they? After all they are not nasty chip-stealing gulls or boring, noisy geese, or skulking LBJs. They are hugely varied in size, shape, colour and behaviour. And it is the combination of their vast diversity, general good looks and fascinating behaviour which elevates them above many other types of bird. Late summer is a time when fresh juvenile waders start to pour in from the Arctic, alongside their weary and worn parents, who have earned a break after another tough breeding season. And, luckily for us, the UK is a great stopping place for these birds to feed at leisure, before heading off to winter here or elsewhere. In this month’s ID Challenge, we have six mystery waders for you to name, before turning…

MORE SITES For a full list of the sites we’ve featured, go to birdwatching.co.uk/gbindex COLLECT & KEEP Every month we bring you 10 more sites to build up your GO BIRDING collection ABERDEENSHIRE MAX MILES ON FOOT: 2 MIN TIME: 1.5 HOURS SEATON PARK A circular walk with a chance of Surf Scoter This is a circular walk offering good birding with woods, deep river gorge, wetland, reedbed, estuary mudflats, sand banks and seawatching. In places steep steps allow access down to the gorge of the river, where there is natural woodland. There are paths running both sides of the river between the two bridges, and a small hide at Donmouth. There are also paths that cross and circumnavigate the manicured parkland and open spaces. Seaton Park has numerous trees,…

This corvid may not be immediately known to you, but quite possibly, in the not-too-distant future, it may become a birding household name. Alternatively known as the Indian, Grey-necked, Ceylon or Colombo Crow, it also should be known as the Ship Crow, owing to its propensity for hitching rides on vessels. House Crows are a curiously built corvid. Between the size of a Jackdaw and Carrion Crow, they are more rakish and longer legged than either, with a glossy black plumage, and a dark grey wash across the nape and chest, although the shade of grey depends on the subspecies concerned. Naturally found in southern Asia, as the alternative names suggest, House Crows are well on their way towards total world domination. Their surge into new lands has been ongoing…