Inhoudsopgave van December 2022 - Bird Watching

twitter.com/BirdWatchingMag facebook.com/BirdWatchingMag BAR-TAILED GODWIT A favourite of at least one member of the Bird Watching team (Mike Weedon), the Bar-tailed Godwit is a handsome bird in its rich brick-red of spring, but also very pleasing in its Curlew-like winter plumage. More than 50,000 Barwits winter around our coasts and estuaries. They are much more inclined to enjoy salty and brackish conditions than their long-legged cousin, the Black-tailed Godwit (which has tens of thousands of Iceland-bred birds wintering inland in the UK); and so are relatively rare inland. Bar-tailed Godwits look rather like Whimbrel-sized Curlews with long, straight or slightly upturned bills. DID YOU KNOW? Black Grouse and Capercaillies can hybridise to produce a bird called a Rackelhahn BLACK GROUSE One of the most unlikely looking native British birds, the male…

WINTER SLUMBER We tend to think of 7-spot Ladybird as a common insect of spring and summer, notably in our gardens. But the species also overwinters as adults, often gathering in good numbers. These small beetles secrete themselves in sheltered nooks and cosy crannies. It raises the spirits to spot their vibrant colouration on a nocturnal walk. TREE Dead leaves for real Talking of dead leaves, my favourite tree in early winter is the Silver Birch. In the season's wan light, the leaves range from yellowish-green to deep russet, with all manner of gold and bronze in between. Spending time admiring the variation in colour is a wonderful way to slow down, and to find joy every bit as magical as shiny baubles on a Christmas tree. MOTH Trunking I…

ID TIP! Shags are much smaller than Cormorants. Side-by-side, this is very obvious. Winter divers Here are the key differences between the three regular wintering British divers in non-breeding plumage Red-throated Diver • Smallest, slimmest diver • Holds bill tilted upwards • Bill fine, looking almost upcurved • Lots of white on neck sides and above eye • Pale at front, dark at back Black-throated Diver • Smallest, slimmest diver • Holds bill tilted upwards • Bill fine, looking almost upcurved • Lots of ‘smooth’ grey on neck sides, dark around eye • Grey at front, black at rear (white flank oval) Great Northern Diver • Large, robust diver • Holds bill flat • Bill large, with ‘gonydeal’ angle on underside • Dark head and blackish ‘half collar’ on neck…

A ideal spot to view the birds of Wigtown Bay MAX MILES ON FOOT: 3 MIN TIME: 2 HOURS Garlieston was once a famous port, and even had a railway connection, and now this Georgian village has had a new lease of life, with some smart building work adding to the older buildings. For birders, it offers waders, seabirds, and the chance of the unexpected. JOHN MILES 1 The waterfront is a must for birds, with several small roosts of waders, gulls and even waterfowl around the area. The minor road offers you the chance to use your car as a hide to scan/ photograph the birds, and if you get the tide right birds will be pushed up close to the road. 2 My autumn visit recently saw the…

A compact estuary with good viewing from both shores MAX MILES ON FOOT: 2 MIN TIME: 2 HOURS The Afon Teifi, one of the longest rivers wholly within Wales, having squeezed through the ancient town of Cardigan, finally broadens below St Dogmaels to complete a 75-mile journey, constricted here at low tide by mostly sandy shores; to the east in Ceredigion, to the west in Pembrokeshire. Beyond the estuary the waters of Cardigan Bay are renowned for Bottlenosed Dolphins which always merit attention and may be seen close to the estuary mouth. In winter, divers and grebes are seen, in summer Gannets and Manx Shearwaters the immense colonies on the Pembrokeshire islands are not far away. DAVID SAUNDERS WHERE TO WATCH 1 Mute Swans are quite a feature on the…

Classic woodland walks suitable for all ages and abilities MAX MILES ON FOOT: 4 MIN TIME: 3 HOURS RSPB HQ is set among 440 acres of mixed woodland, plus relic heathland and formal gardens. The open heath is the ‘jewel in the crown’, as non-native pines are removed, thus encouraging the growth of heather with the aim of attracting scarce breeding birds such as Nightjar, Tree Pipit and Wood Lark. This walk also includes the chance of river valley and farmland birds beside Biggleswade Common. A wide range of other flora and fauna are present, eg Natterjack Toad, Yellow-necked Mouse, Purple Hairstreak, and Brown Hare. PAUL TRODD 1 Check the feeders around the car park for Great Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch, Coal, Blue, Long-tailed and Great Tits, Greenfinch, Goldfinch and maybe…

F or anyone planning a birdwatching trip to the Scottish Highlands, there is arguably one bird at the top of the target list – Golden Eagle. This enigmatic raptor is synonymous with the Highlands, along with craggy mountains, heather-covered moorland, and the haunting skirl of the bagpipes. Is it the fierceness of this ultimate predator with its wickedly hooked beak and talons that appeals to us? Or the challenge of pitting our birding wits against a creature that can soar across a vast glen only to disappear over a ridge without so much as a flick of its primaries? Whatever may attract us to this charismatic bird of prey, we always make a special effort to look for Golden Eagles whenever we visit the Highlands. Usually, it involves checking the…

TRAVEL MADEIRA Geologically dramatic, bursting with exotic colour and warmed year round by the Atlantic sun, Portugal's most enchanting island is a place that keeps all its subtropical holiday promises. Pearl of the Atlantic, island of eternal spring – Madeira well deserves its nicknames and the affection visitors and locals alike feel for this volcanic island that offers so much. Repeatedly voted ‘Europe's’, and even the world's, top island destination, Madeira is a diverse place. Black sand beaches, the frothing Atlantic, towering rock walls and gushing streams and irrigation channels make this an outdoor nirvana. But it's also a place of gentler pleasures such as wine tasting, visiting lush botanical gardens and watching embroiderers and wicker weavers at work. But before I continue, dear reader, I wish to make two…

In association with Q A lot of my birding is done in woodland, but I really struggle to photograph birds such as Nuthatch and Treecreeper well because on a sunny day light levels change all the time. Do you have any tips on how to cope with this effect of sun coming through the trees (l use a Canon DSLR)? K Drummond, Aberdeen A Changing light can certainly be tricky but there are solutions. We would advise shooting RAW and shooting slightly under exposed and correct the ranges of high, medium and low exposure ranges in post edit. You could also try exposure bracketing, which shoots 3 shots at varied exposure, or high dynamic mode, which shoots 3 images at varied exposure for each shutter press. High Dynamic can slow…

Buying binoculars, spotting scopes, optics such as nightvision scopes and other specialised birding kit can be a daunting business - there are always plenty of options on the market, and if you're new to birding, in particular, it's hard to know exactly what to look for. In this special gear guide, we show you how to find gear that will suit you and the sort of birdwatching that you do, and then look back at the products we've reviewed recently. There are tests and reviews of binoculars, scopes, and other recommended products that could really enhance your birding enjoyment. Read it, keep it handy for the next time you're in the market for birding gear, and remember that they're all about helping you to enjoy birdwatching.…

Window feeders are a great idea if you haven't got a garden, or only a small one, and they can also be good at an office or school – the good thing about them is that once the birds have overcome any initial fears and started visiting them, you'll get superb, very close-range views of them. As with the other Finches Friend feeders we've tried, these are easy and convenient to clean, helping prevent the spread of disease which has affected Greenfinches and Chaffinches. It's made from durable, recyclable polycarbonate that won't weaken or discolour in the sun. It was a little tricky to work out how it went together to start with, but once sorted was straightforward enough, and of course keeps food rain-free, like the previous Finches Friend…

ADVERTORIAL How can thermal imaging make bird watching easier? A Pulsar thermal imaging device is an incredibly useful, easy-to-use tool for any bird watcher/surveyor. Detecting thermal energy, these devices effectively identify a bird's heat signature, allowing users to quickly and easily highlight hard-to-spot wildlife by day and by night, in all conditions — including adverse weather (such heavy rain or dense fog), and even through gaps in dense foliage. Gathering information about objects through a thermal sensor (or microbolometer) attached to a powerful objective lens, a thermal imager will formulate clear and detailed images of observed objects and present them on a viewfinder. Emitting no artificial light or infrared illumination, bird watchers can comfortably carry out surveys in the knowledge that they will not startle the wildlife they are observing.…

BINOCULARS BUSHNELL FORGE 10×42 £539 These bins are very easy and comfortable to grip, and the thick and well-textured rubber armour make them feel robust. The eyecups are very comfortable and twist up and down to four positions, staying in place well. Offering a maximum of 18mm eye relief, they should do the job for most glasses wearers. The dioptre adjustment is on the right barrel. You pull it out, find your setting, then click it in. There was no problem with it moving. The focus wheel is 1.5 fingers wide, and well ridged, making it easy to find, and to move. It takes nearly two anti-clockwise turns from close focus to infinity, and moves smoothly but with moderately stiff resistance. Close focus is quoted as 3m, but felt closer…

30-MINUTE BIRDER Laura deftly lifts the extension ladder over the fence running along the edge of the barn and I clumsily grab the end of it. We walk like a Laurel and Hardy sketch past the milking parlour and follow a track up towards a mature oak in the corner of a pasture field. It's a hot early August afternoon and I'm puffing by the time we reach the tree. Attached to the trunk and about four metres off the ground is an owl box. Laura wants to check whether it's being used so she can organise her next ringing training session. Her trainer will come over to work with her once she's found some active nests. She's hoping to get her certificate before the end of the year. We…

SPECIES TREECREEPER As bird names go, the Treecreeper has rather an apt one! These are avian tree-climbers, creeping up the trunks of trees searching for their invertebrate food. As they go about their arboreal ascension they can be hard to spot, their plumage helping them to blend into the bark, the cryptic patterning and colouration easily tricking our eyes. They could be birds that are easily missed in woodland environments, but once they have got as high as they wish to go, they drop off the tree and fly down to the lower portion of another tree to begin a fresh gravity-defying ascent. It is this downward flight that often attracts your eye – the white undersides of the bird can almost seem like a bright flash in the otherwise…

A good spot for raptors on the edge of the ‘Toon’ MAX MILES ON FOOT: 2 MIN TIME: 2 HOURS This is a well-known birding spot in the North East of England with some great records. Once thought to be on the radar of the RSPB, the development of Newcastle Airport put a stop to that as it was felt an increase in birds via management may cause bird strikes to planes. The Northumberland Wildlife Trust manages a large portion of the wet grassland to the south of this area. JOHN MILES 1 The bumpy lane/minor road is a great place to start looking for a wide variety of birds at any time of the year. Large sections of rough grass make the site a haven for owls and birds…

A drive with great fenland and farmland birds on either side MAX MILES ON FOOT: 0 MIN TIME: 1.5 HOURS Thorney Dyke is a dead-end road which runs east from the B1040 north of Whittlesey and covering 4 miles parallel to the channel of the River Nene to the south and the Nene Washes RSPB south of the river. You can view the surrounding farmland from the car (or from the roadside), scanning for birds such as wild swans, raptors and Cranes, or something even rarer (Great Grey Shrike, Tundra Bean Goose and Pacific Golden Plover have occurred). MIKE WEEDON WHERE TO WATCH 1 Stone Bridge Corner. A good spot for Mistle Thrushes, and for scanning the fields for ‘worming’ Buzzards, Golden Plovers, Lapwings and egrets. In November 2021, an…

A walk in ‘kite country’ on the edge of the Chilterns MAX MILES ON FOOT: 2 MIN TIME: 2 HOURS This downland birding 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. The Ridgeway and Icknield Way national trails pass through the site, while the route also skirts the Chequers estate (the PM's country home). 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 walk. PAUL TRODD 1 Check the open downland scrub for early spring migrants such as Meadow Pipit, Black Redstart, Wheatear, Ring Ouzel, Redstart, Whitethroat, Firecrest and Cuckoo, followed by the likes of Willow Warbler,…

WE LOVE… The nicely-framed shot of the Barn Owl. 1 Chaffinch by Linda Cooper Camera: Panasonic DC-G9 Lens: 100mm, Shutter Speed: 1/250 sec Aperture: f/4 ISO: 320 2 Osprey by Harriet Day Camera: Canon EOS 7D Lens: 220mm Shutter Speed: 1/2,700 sec Aperture: f/6.3 ISO: 1,250 3 Red Kite by Ian Judson Camera: Canon EOS 7D Lens: 220mm, Shutter Speed: 1/3,200 sec Aperture: f/5 ISO: 250 4 Barn Owl by Martin Yelland Camera: Canon EOS 7D Lens: 600mm, Shutter Speed: 1/500 sec Aperture: f/6.3 ISO: 5,000 PICS FROM OUR FACEBOOK GROUP Join our dedicated #My200BirdYear Facebook group and share your best birding experiences and images with the community: facebook.com/groups/My200BirdYear…

BIRDTHEWORLD THE BEST HOLIDAY OFFERS & TRAVEL REPORTS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE READER HOLIDAY The Avalon hide at Ham Wall on a spring day offers great views of hunting Hobbies chasing dragonflies, while Marsh Harriers perform their sky-dance and Great White Egrets drop in like ghostly pterosaurs. If we're lucky, a Bittern will drift over the reeds in sight of the hide. Whitethroats sing from the Blackthorn bushes, Cetti's Warblers erupt into an impossibly loud song and Reed and Sedge Warblers fill the fresh air with their liquid voice. Somerset's coastline is often overlooked by birders, but not on this trip, with a visit included to the wonderful reserve at Steart Marshes, always packed with interesting and varied birdlife. In addition, the ‘western oakwood trio’ of Pied Flycatcher, Wood Warbler and…

SWAROVSKI TEST Unveiled in September, the Swarovski ATC/STC is their lightest scope to date, but still packs an optical punch. Extremely compact, it has a length of 258-285mm and a weight of just 970g-980g — easily small enough to fit in a backpack. It's available as an angled or straight scope, with two colours to choose from — burnt orange or the classic green. The optics don't lack in quality, despite the low size and weight, with 17-40x magnification and a 56mm objective lens. The image has a large field of view, with very little edge distortion. The colours are vivid, and the image produced is bright and sharp. With all those factors, I was surprised that the price was relatively reasonable for a high-end scope. Now that more and…

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BINOCULARS I t's fair to say that there's one item of equipment that all birders need, regardless of their level of experience or ability. Binoculars bring birds within easy visual reach of all of us, while remaining easily portable. You might very well end up buying a spotting scope, and/or a camera with zoom lens at some stage, but binoculars are where it all starts. The good news is that there are plenty available that do a good all-round job without you breaking the bank, or breaking your back — those of us of a certain age will remember starting out with huge, heavy ex-military bins bequeathed to us by grandfathers and uncles. So, what do you need to look for? Bear these key points in mind. Choose magnification carefully:…

SCOPES No matter how good your binoculars are, there'll come a time when you wish you had just a bit more optical reach. Trying to separate waders on the far side of an estuary? Trying to tell Golden Eagle from ‘Tourist Eagle’ down a Scottish glen? Or trying to pick out a distant flying seabird as it skims across the waves? You need a scope. These days, there are scopes for most needs, so bear a few of these factors in mind when you're buying. Size is everything: The biggest scopes — and these days that means we re talking about those with objective lenses of 90mm and more — do offer an incredible viewing experience. All that light-gathering glass means that you get a very bright and natural image,…

SCOPES KOWA PROMINAR TSN-99A £3,449 (with TE-11WZII zoom eyepiece) With a 99mm objective lens, it's big, and you're going to feel the extra weight. The image produced is very bright, and very sharp right to the edges, with excellent contrast and very natural colour. The eyepiece really showed its quality on a murky evening, scanning distant waders on a gravel pit. That huge objective lens still creates a very bright image, and even zoomed right in to 70x, it was sharp and didn't feel restrictive. You do notice every little wobble, but it still felt far more usable than maximum magnification on many scope/eyepiece set-ups. Colourfringing was tough to find. The eyepiece twists up and down to four positions, and offers a maximum of 17mm eye relief. Wide angle hardly…

BIRD OF THE MONTH PURPLE SANDPIPER Like the Green Sandpiper, at first glance the Purple Sandpiper appears to be one of those birds named when they had run out of more imaginative adjectives. But, while there is nothing particularly green about the Green Sandpiper, a close look in the right light may reveal a delightful hint of the gorgeous purple in the feathers of this bird's mantle or upperwing coverts. These would be dream views, and most of us are happy to see these dumpy rock clingers looking grey (with orange legs and bill base). It is one of those highly desirable birds which we all want to see, braving a trip to a rocky coast in mid-winter. They are often seen in the company of Turnstones, which equally bravely…

Many of you will have been to or heard of ‘Bird Fairs’, such as the former one at Rutland Water, or the annual one at WWT Martin Mere. When I heard of the ‘Gathering’ at Wild Ken Hill, held in September, I thought “now that is something different!” Not only is it based at the rewilding and regenerative farming estate, but its guest speakers and authors all had something in common – their commitment to a brighter future! I was fortunate to be able to stay with a couple I knew from my son's tours around Britain, Colin and Helen. In fact, Helen was volunteering at the event for the RSPB. They had a stand advertising the great work they do with Wynona Legg, the project officer for Plovers in…

I stop in my tracks as I wander around Kensal Green cemetery. Ahead of me, a Carrion Crow pulls apart a dead Woodpigeon on the grassy top of a grave. The blood on its beak glimmers in the sunlight as it walks away from its meal, satisfied with the morbidity of the situation. Walking around urban cemeteries, I'm hit with an overwhelming sense that I'm witnessing the full spectrum of life — from birth to death. Blackbirds chasing each other around the shrubbery, Great Tit chicks begging for food, woodpeckers hammering bark. Life is flourishing above the urban cemeteries of London, while the deceased inhabitants of the city lie below. This might all sound terribly grim. But London has some of the most nature-friendly cemeteries in the country, with many…

ROBINS OF THE WORLD SPECIES Perhaps no bird symbolises Christmas more than the Robin. Grey Partridge is in decline, the few surviving Turtle Doves are in Africa, and geese, swans and hens too domestic. Ubiquitous on cards, often intimately approachable and familiar to all, the Robin is well-loved enough to have been voted Britain's National Bird in 2015. Despite its roots in western Christianity and Paganism, Christmas is celebrated by many millions globally on every continent. And, while ‘our’ Robin is the bird most associated with Yuletide, most of those continents have their own version of the robin which goes largely uncelebrated at any time of the year. The archetypal Robin, of course, has a red breast, off-white belly, olive-brown upperparts and a chat-like appearance – and, though chats were…

ID TIP! Experienced birdwatchers find most kingfishers by their calls; then look for a small bird dashing on blurred wings, low over the water. BIRD 1 Here is an interesting looking swimming bird; sort of unfamiliar, yet familiar at the same time. It is a compact sort of bird, with the wrong bill shape for a duck. The neck also looks thick and short for a diving duck. The black bill is medium length and goes to a (slightly hooked) point, looking almost like the bill of a gull or even a corvid. This bill suggests the bird could be a diver (but surely not with that ‘short’ thick neck!), or even better, a guillemot. Even in winter, though, a (Common) Guillemot has a blackish crown and solid black upperparts…

See eagles, seabirds and more against superb scenery MAX MILES ON FOOT: 4 MIN TIME: 3 HOURS Glengorm offers you a lovely walk, with magnificent scenery and history all around. Check out the ancient castle down by the sea, and the harbour and swimming pool! There has been a ranger service operating from the estate with a great list of both mammals and birds recorded here. JOHN MILES 1 The road up from Tobermory passes several habitats like the Ardmore Forest, an ancient derelict village and open farmland. Scan for the chance of some great raptors, like Hen Harrier, Short-eared Owl, Buzzard, Sparrowhawk and Kestrel. 2 You can park near the castle, where there is a café and information centre. Mixed scrub here can give you a mixture of birds,…

A wetland reserve with an accessible reedbed MAX MILES ON FOOT: 15 MIN TIME: 2 HOURS Marsh and reedbed, open water, grassland, scrub and trees make for a varied and always interesting reserve, just a minute or two off the M1 (it's somewhere I've regularly called in at on the way to and from the North and Scotland), and there's always the chance of something unusual turning up. MATT MERRITT 1 The main pond is likely to have Mallard, Gadwall, Moorhen. Coot, and occasional visiting gulls and even terns. In winter, Wigeon and Teal are usually plentiful, with Wigeon also found out of water, grazing on the grassland areas. 2 The grassland has breeding Sky Larks, plus Yellowhammers and Reed Buntings around the edges, where there are also breeding Whitethroats…

Riverside meadows and hedgerows with the chance of migrants MAX MILES ON FOOT: 3 MIN TIME: 2 HOURS This is a an easy-paced and level walk close to the River Soar, not far from where it flows into the Trent – the presence of those rivers and the nearby M1 mean that it's very much on a migration flyway, so some less expected species can turn up alongside some familiar farmland and woodland birds. MATT MERRITT WHERE TO WATCH 1 Check the cricket ground and football ground, on opposite sides of Pasture Lane. Whiie Blackbirds, Redwings, Fieldfares, gulls and Woodpigeons are the most likely species, Ring Ouzels have turned up at the latter in spring (particularly liking the churned up ground after a match), while Wheatears are also possible in…

Mixed farmland and woodland habitat near Exmoor MAX MILES ON FOOT: 4 MIN TIME: 3 HOURS Just off the southern edge of Exmoor is an area of remote and deeply undulating countryside with villages that aren't necessarily on the way to anywhere, but are a delight to find if you seek them out. Molland is one such. The churchyard was voted Devon's Best in 2019 and it is managed for wildlife, with abundant long grasses, and Swallows nesting in the porch. A rare Pyrenean Lily also grows nearby, possibly brought here by monks. Despite the presence of a nearby commercial shoot, there is still good birding to be had, including a number of birds of prey. SIMONE STANBROOK-BYRNE 1 Visit the churchyard in spring and summer for abundant wildlife –…

TRAVEL SUFFOLK Everyone knows about the joys of birding in Suffolk in spring and summer, with its great heathland habitats full of Dartford Warblers, Nightjars and Stone-curlews, not forgetting Wood Lark. Or those massive reedbeds. And don't forget the famous scrape at Minsmere, the migration hotspots along the coast, or the Cranes and Hobbies of Lakenheath. But how do such sites fare in the darker days of winter? I took the 330-mile trip down from north Cumbria to find out. Now, Suffolk is not a county I know well. My longest stay there was way back in 1978, when I had just finished a summer contract at St Bees Head RSPB in Cumbria, and hitched south to do six weeks voluntary work at Minsmere. At the time, the reserve warden…

October 2022 will go down in history as one of the most spectacular in recent years. There were daft numbers of ridiculously rare birds and all the key rarity areas got their share. Shetland possibly pipped Scilly in producing a ‘first’ for the UK, but Scilly had arguably the prettiest rarity of the month, and East Anglia and Yorkshire had more than enough goodies to keep them smiling. There is only room in this roundup to cover the rarest of the rares and the biggest stories, so look for the rest of the detail in the main county-by-county, site-by-site part of UKBS on the following pages. That first for the UK was, of course, a Least Bittern (the American ‘equivalent’ of the Little Bittern), one many birders had been expecting…

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TRAIL CAMS Little Acorn have been making wildlife cameras since 2010, and during that time, the Chinese company has released evermore advanced models culminating in the recent release of the 8830. The newest addition to the range is physically not a lot bigger than many others, with the exception of the Mini30, but the 8830 packs a significant amount into a compact space. As with many other manufacturers, Acorn has opted to give users not only 4k video at 30fps and high-resolution stills but to also provide both 4G and 5G connectivity. This connectivity allows you to see when the camera has captured images, video or a mix of both and for you to be able to send a range of commands to the unit to alter settings whilst in…

TESTED NIGHT VISION You can hardly fail to have noticed that night-vision devices have become big news in the world of birdwatching. As they've become cheaper, more portable, and frankly much better, they've been gaining in popularity, not least because they can help reveal birds that we just didn't know were there previously. On last year's Winterwatch, for example, one local birdwatching group were able to show that not only were there more Jack Snipe and Woodcocks present at a wetland than had previously been thought, but that numbers of wintering Sky Larks and similar species had also been underestimated. So, how does this new device from Pulsar perform? Let's start with the technical side of things. It features a 640x480, 12 µm, NETD <40mK thermal sensor, combined with a…