Table of contents for July 2018 in Bird Watching

Here we go again with another outlandish guess about what rare birds may turn up during the month. Any of these, this July, would be something special! AMUR FALCON There have only ever been two UK records of this Asian relative of the Red-footed Falcon, with the last and most well-twitched being a female last July in Cornwall. Will history repeat itself? PURPLE SWAMPHEN The one accepted Purple Swamphen was first found at Minsmere in 2016, later relocating for a more prolonged stay at north Lincolnshire. They look like a giant blue-purple Moorhen with big bright pinky-red bill and legs. LESSER SAND PLOVER The Lesser Sand Plover is a very rare Asiatic species which turns up from time to time in the UK, usually on sandy beaches (the clue is…

TREE PIPIT This is a widespread summer visitor, but has the bulk of its 88,000 breeding pairs in the west of the country. They are birds of heathland and new conifer plantations etc., using trees to bolt to when flushed and to sing from in courtship (or to launch their song flights). They are quite similar looking to Meadow Pipits, but are a little thicker billed, have dark lores and thicker breast streaking contrasting with very fine flank streaking (usually with a yellow wash to the breast). STONECHAT The pretty little Stonechat often associates with the Dartford Warbler. But, unlike the latter, Stonechats are birds which like to perch in full view, scanning the surroundings for caterpillars and so on. Males are distinctively black and orange, with a white half…

Someone once described the Oystercatcher to me as being the “plump ugly sister of an Avocet”. It is a statement that has lived long in my memory, probably because I think it is rather unfair, for I believe the Oystercatcher, with its conspicuous mix of black and white plumage topped off with a fabulous orange bill, to be one of our finest waders. If the Oystercatcher does have an image problem, it is not helped by its placement in bird guides. Now, taxonomically it may be correct, but if you end up sharing the page with the Avocet and that other long-legged stunner, the Black-winged Stilt, then I guess any comparisons are probably going to be unfavourable! They might not have the grace of the other two, and they may…

Mark Cocker is an author of creative non-fiction. He is also a naturalist and environmental tutor, who writes and broadcasts on nature and wildlife in a variety of national media. This year, he releases a new book Our Place (Cape) on the fate of British nature since the beginning of the 20th Century. He has travelled in more than 50 countries on six continents, and in 1999 was awarded a Winston Churchill Travel Fellowship to study birds in magicomedicinal practices in Benin and Cameroon. For the last 35 years his home has been in Norfolk, where much of his spare time is devoted to the restoration of a small wooded fen called Blackwater. He is married to the arts professional Mary Muir.…

Offering far-reaching views of the surrounding Devon countryside, The Jubilee Inn in West Anstey is located near the southern edge of Exmoor National Park. The inn offers a three-course breakfast, free Wi-Fi and parking. Guests can enjoy an exciting menu in the onsite restaurant or relax in the bar. Packed lunches are also available on request, as are bicycles to explore the local area. The inn is 35 miles from Exmouth, while Exeter International Airport is only 28 miles away. For readers of Bird Watching , The Jubilee Inn is offering 10% off published room prices and 10% off food in the restaurant for dinner or lunch. To book: Call (01398) 341401 Email: info@thejubileeinn.co.uk…

POSTCODE: PH38 4NA GRID REF: NM 741 836 HOW TO GET THERE: The A830 runs all the way from Fort William towards Mallaig. When you pass Lochailort you have roughly 2.5 miles to go to Polnish WHERE TO PARK: Close to the turn off for Polnish is a lay-by on your left. There should be plenty of space to park here TERRAIN: This path is marked with cairns on the moorland but most of it is easy to follow but with some steep worn areas at the beginning. Once up on the moor the views add to the walk and when dropping down to the settlement – breathtaking! FACILITIES: The bothy can fill up at weekends if you intend to stay overnight. Sea Kayaks can make it here so don’t…

POSTCODE: IP26 5HW GRID REF: TL 820 9 37 HOW TO GET THERE: Several roads can take you to Thetford Forest and from there you need the A1065 just to the north of Mundford where you turn east towards Lynford Hall and Lynford Arboretum and park in the car park WHERE TO PARK: Free car park opposite the entrance to the arboretum ACESSIBILITY: Most of the paths are hard and wheelchair friendly. Stout footwear advisable. All year-round location with free access FACILITIES: Thetford or Brandon PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Buses from around the area but Lynford is closer to Brandon station for the trains Traveline, tel: 0871 200 2233 LOCAL INFO: norfolkbirds.com/sites.aspx?s=6 MAPS: OS Explorer 229, OS Landranger 144…

GRID REF: TM 509 920 POSTCODE: NR33 8HU HOW TO GET THERE: From Lowestoft take the A146 south-west, turning right before you reach the Carlton Colville roundabout. The reserve is signposted WHERE TO PARK: At the visitor centre – parking is free TERRAIN: All-weather paths ACCESS: Trails open dawn to dusk, all year round FACILITIES: Visitor centre. Foot ferry offers access to Waveney River Centre, which has a shop and pub PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Oulton Broad railway station is about a mile away ORGANISATION: Suffolk Wildlife Trust, web: suffolkwildlifetrust.org, Burnt Hill Lane, Carlton Colville, Lowestoft NR33 8HU. Tel: 01502 56 4250 COUNTY RECORDER: Suffolk (North-East), Andrew Green, email: waveney@yahoo.com MAPS: OS Explorer OL40, 231, OS Landranger 134 & 156…

GRID REF: SO 937 034 POSTCODE: GL7 6LN HOW TO GET THERE: The village lies between Stroud and Cirencester. From the A419 between Stroud and Cirencester at Chapman’s Cross follow signs to Sapperton and bear left to Daneway. Nearest motorway junction M5, junction 13 WHERE TO PARK: At the Daneway Inn if having a drink or meal, otherwise there is parking for about three cars on the bend near the pub. For Strawberry Banks at Oakridge use SO 910 033 for grid reference and park by the church or access from Three Groves Wood TERRAIN: Steep inclines in parts. Dry in summer at Daneway Banks. Some gates and stiles are at Strawberry Banks ACCESSIBILITY: Open all year round. Dogs allowed under control FACILITIES: Reserve information board at the entrance to…

HOW TO GET THERE: Leave the B3227 from Taunton in the very centre of Wiveliscombe turning right for Langley Marsh & Huish Champflower villages. Just before the latter, take a tiny unclassified left turn at 050 288; continuing for a mile WHERE TO PARK: At 035 285 if you can – there’s a gate to pass through to begin your time here TERRAIN Hilly and can be marshy. Stout footwear, not easy going ACCESS All year round, but this one’s no good if you have trouble with mobility FACILITIES None at all. There are good pubs in Wiveliscombe (called ‘Wivey’ locally) and there’s also a small supermarket PUBLIC TRANSPORT Limited, although you could reach Wivey by bus. A car is the best option ORGANISATION Somerset Ornithological Society, web: somersetbirding.org.uk /…

GRID REF: SU 798 013 POSTCODE: PO 20 7AH HOW TO GET THERE: From the A27 Chichester bypass, take the A286 to Bracklesham. After 4 miles, at the roundabout, take the B2179 to West Wittering. After a mile, turn right signposted to West Itchenor and another mile to site WHERE TO PARK: In the signposted pay and display car park in The Street TERRAIN: Mostly on the level with good paths, some surfaced and suitable for the disabled near the village and along the harbour front ACCESS: Year-round access on public footpaths FACILITIES: Convenience store, interpretive boards, toilets, Quarterdeck Cafe and the Ship Inn PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Stagecoach buses operate a service from Chichester to West Itchenor that stops in the village centre, web: stagecoach.com ORGANISATION: National Trust, web: nationaltrust.org.uk CLUB…

Blue Tit By: Georgina Tipper Camera: Nikon D3100 Lens: 55-200mm Shutter Speed: 1/500 Aperture: f/5.6 ISO: 110 Dipper feeding By: Julian Keeble Camera: Canon 7D Mark II Lens: 300mm Black-headed Gull vs Avocet By: Andrew Armstrong Camera: Canon EOS-1D X Mark II Lens: 500mm Shutter Speed: 1/1250 Aperture: f/9 ISO: 500 Great Spotted Woodpecker By: Kevin Bowers Camera: Nikon D7200 Lens: 150-600mm Shutter Speed: 1/320 Aperture: f/6.3 ISO: 800 Whitethroat By: Andrew Armstrong Camera: Canon EOS-1D X Mark II Lens: 500mm Shutter Speed: 1/800 Aperture: f/8 ISO: 640 Coots By: Jim Murdoch Camera: Nikon D500 Lens: 70-300mm Shutter Speed: 1/1,000 Aperture: f/10 ISO: 800 Get in touch with Bird Watching Bird Watching, Media House, Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6EA birdwatching@bauermedia.co.uk facebook.com/BirdWatchingMag twitter.com/BirdWatchingMag…

Do you think there is a need for some form of code of practice for the use by birdwatchers of artificial (usually recorded) bird song? I write as an enthusiastic, but only moderate, birdwatcher, and I have come across very different views, often held with great conviction. These fall, very roughly, into three camps; one: recorded bird song is completely unacceptable in all circumstances; two: recordings can be used, moderately, and never in sensitive sites and never during mating periods; three: they can be used (and are used) at all times. Perhaps it is time for the leading birding organisations (the RSPB, BTO, your magazine and its readers?) to come together to agree best practice? I fully accept this would be very difficult, if not impossible, to enforce. But it…

• Chukar • Cory’s Shearwater • Pygmy Cormorant • Squacco Heron • Cattle Egret • Great Egret • Glossy Ibis • Spoonbill • Greater Flamingo • Short-toed Eagle • Pallid Harrier • Black-winged Stilt • Collared Pratincole • Broad-billed Sandpiper • Marsh Sandpiper • Audouin’s Gull • Slender-billed Gull • Gull-billed Tern • Caspian Tern • Whiskered Tern • White-winged Black Tern • Rock Dove • Scops Owl • Alpine Swift • Pallid Swift • Roller • Calandra Lark • Crag Martin • Red-rumped Swallow • Black-headed ‘Yellow’ Wagtail • Zitting Cisticola…

WHITE STORK The White Stork is the classic bird of Mediterranean Europe that is often to be seen standing nonchalantly on top of enormous nests that grow with every year of use. Their range in Europe actually extends beyond the Mediterranean basin north to Finland and into Eastern Europe. Globally they range as far south as South Africa and east into the Indian subcontinent. Famously a long distant migrant, it has been discovered that birds in the Iberian Peninsula are increasingly overwintering to take advantage of the food sources found in refuse dumps as well as at more natural sources. This species’ black-and-white plumage makes it instantly recognisable in Europe, although care has to be taken when viewing distant birds as confusion may occur between it and its darker cousin,…

GRISPORT FUSE WALKING BOOTS, £99 These traditionally-styled, Italian-made waterproof boots, have high quality waxed leather uppers, and Vibram soles for durability and grip. The midsole is “extremely comfortable”, and “adds spring to your step” – that sounds like it’s worth paying for! What else? How about waterproof lining, padded toe joints to assist flexing, a jointed padded tongue (for those hard to pronounce words) and a double padded ankle. And they’re made with 70% solar energy. Sizes 7-12. Size 9s weigh 1,220g. countryinnovation.com PÁRAMO PÁJARO JACKET, MEN’S £320, WOMEN’S £300 A new version of this classic birding coat. The new Pájaro is well thought-out, with upper arm and torso vents, a two-way zip and push-up sleeves to help with temperature regulation. It’s made from waterproof Nikwax Analogy, which goes beyond…

INVERTEBRATE POND-DIPPING GIANT Of Britain’s 50 species of water beetle, Great Silver Water Beetle is the mightiest, measuring most of the length of your little finger. A rare species, it thrives in ancient wetlands, such as the Somerset Levels and Norfolk Broads. Its typically silvery appearance underwater is a trick of the light – the result of an air bubble trapped on its underside to enable breathing. On land its shininess is definitively revealed to be black. LANDSCAPE WET-FEET TIME Boggy seepages, often on upland moors or damp lowland heathlands, repay close examination. Position yourself carefully – to preserve plants rather than avoid getting soaked (which is a foregone conclusion) – then get down low and inspect diligently. Can you spot the Bog Orchid? INVERTEBRATE COMMON CROWD-PLEASER It was a…

HEN HARRIER HELP Police and the RSPB are appealing for information following the disappearance of three protected, satellite-tagged Hen Harriers in Scotland and Cumbria. A Hen Harrier named Saorsa suddenly ceased sending transmissions in February 2018 while located in the Angus Glens, Scotland; a male bird, named Blue, then raised concerns in March when his tag suddenly and inexplicably cut out near Longsleddale, South Lanarkshire, and in the same month, a tagged bird named Finn (after young conservationist Findlay Wilde) vanished near Moffat, Scotland. Finn was tagged as a chick in 2016 from a nest in Northumberland. RSPB Investigations staff conducted a search for all three, but no tags or bodies were found. Where tagged Hen Harriers have died of natural causes in the past, the tags and bodies have…

Differing bill shapes of Oystercatcher are a result of the diet of that individual bird. There are two ways of opening a mussel or a cockle – you can either prise them open or you can smash them open. Oystercatchers do both as a species, but as individuals, only use one method. Birds that prefer to hammer open their shellfish have the shorter, blunter bill, while those that prefer to skilfully prise them apart have the more pointed looking bill. Pushing your bill into the narrow opening of a bivalve shell doesn’t produce much wear, but smashing your bill into the hard calciferous shell of a cockle or a mussel certainly does! The blunt-tipped birds have worn the pointed tip of their bill away from striking all those shells, giving…

Keen birdwatcher Jonny Rankin (pictured above) became more and more outraged about the plight of the Turtle Dove as each new catastrophic decline was announced. In 2014, Jonny and friends set up Dove Step with the aim of raising funds for Turtle Dove conservation and research. So far, there have been three Dove Step adventures. These aren’t strolls in the park; they are gruelling feats of endurance and gutsy determination. Dove Step One was a 300-mile walk in 13 days. Dove Step Two involved a 700-mile triathlon: a 25-mile sea kayak, a 570-mile cycle ride and a 150-mile walk all in the space of 14 days. Dove Step Three was an ambitious – almost over-ambitious! - 28-day walk across Spain from south to north, a ‘gentle stroll’ of nearly 705…

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 10…

POST CODE NE47 7AW GRID REFERENCE NY 750 676 HOW TO GET THERE: By the A69 Carlisle to Newcastle road turning off onto the B6318 (Military Road) which runs parallel to the wall and the A69. Steel Rigg is roughly 7 miles from Greenhead and 15 miles from Hexham turning off by the ‘Sill’ National Park Visitor Centre WHERE TO PARK: At the start of the walk at NY750676. There are parking charges here with little else to choose from TERRAIN: The tracks are solid along the wall but wet and can be boggy out in the open. Best to use stout footwear OPENING TIMES: This is an all year-round walk FACILITIES: The new ‘Sill’ National Park Visitor Centre next door should have everything you need, including a bunk bed!…

POST CODE: SY23 5BT GRID REF: SN 510 675 HOW TO GET THERE: From north or south by way of the A487 Aberystwyth to Cardigan road, from which a minor road in Llanon leads towards the coast WHERE TO PARK: Limited parking near St Fraed’s Church TERRAIN: Mostly sand, rock and pebble shores ACCESS: Open at all times by way of the Ceredigion Coast Path though after very heavy rain a section to the south of Llansantffraed may be impassable, resulting in a short detour inland FACILITIES: All available in Llanon or a short distance away in Aberaeron (where the honey ice cream is a must!) PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Llanon is on the major bus route between Aberystwyth with the nearest railway station and Cardigan. Traveline Cymru tel: 0871 200 2233,…

GRID REF: SO 063 605 POSTCODE: LD1 5NT HOW TO GET THERE: From the east, travel on the A44 turning off south at Crossgates to Llandrindod Wells. Follow signs to the town’s lake WHERE TO PARK: Free car parks by the café and all around the lake TERRAIN: Tarmac path all around the lake. Some of the woodland paths are very good and level, others steep and can be muddy ACCESSIBILITY: All year round. Easy access for wheelchairs all around the lake FACILITIES: Café with toilets, including disabled, overlooking the lake PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Llandrindod Wells train station is half a mile away CLUB CONTACT & ALSO COUNTY RECORDER: Radnorshire Bird Group, Pete Jennings Tel: 01688 680631 email: radnorshirebirds@hotmail.com MAPS: OS Explorer 200, OS Landranger 147…

GRID REFERENCE: SO 473 296 HOW TO GET THERE: From Hereford take the A49 for about 4 miles to the A466 then southwards to the village of Wormelow Tump WHERE TO PARK: In the village opposite the phone box on the other side of the road – there is a large parking area and the sign says ‘Simply Stunning’. Also parking at the pub (grid ref: SO 493 303) TERRAIN: Hilly in some parts and level in others ACCESSIBILITY: No disabled access. Dogs allowed under control. Several gates but all easy to open FACILITIES: All in Hereford. In the village there’s a coffee shop/café. Also the Tump Inn PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Nearest railway station is Hereford, National Rail Enquiries, tel: 08457 700 240. Bus services, Traveline, tel: 08712 002 233 ORGANISATIONS:…

Ruth is one half of The Biggest Twitch team, and along with partner Alan Davies, set the then world record for most bird species seen in a year – 4,341, in 2008, an experience they wrote about in their book, The Biggest Twitch. Indeed, Ruth is still the female world record-holder! As well as her work as a tour leader, she is the author of the Birds, Boots and Butties books, on walking, birding and tea-drinking in North Wales, and previously worked as the RSPB’s head of trading. She lives in North Wales.…

1 Bird baths – with smaller, lighter models, make sure you secure them to the lawn or patio, and top up with fresh water regularly. 2 Larger bird baths/ fountains – these, such as the two pictured (right), have pumps that maintain a supply of fresh water. 3 Ponds – you can build your own easily, with a bit of hard work, a good pond liner, some aquatic and edging plants, and ideally some water from a friend’s pond, to ‘seed’ yours. Make at least one shallow sloping entrance to the pond for animals and birds to drink from, and also include perches low down to the water. Then sit back and be amazed by how quickly it is colonised by amphibians and insects. 4 Bin lids – for a…

Across from Agis Ioannis Peristeron beach, the polished, upscale resort of MarBella Corfu is 16 kilometres from the airport and offers rooms from €130 per double room per night. The bright, modern rooms provide free Wi-Fi, flat-screens and balconies, along with mini-fridges and facilities for making hot drinks. Upgraded rooms add sea views towards the Greek mainland and/or sofa beds. Suites have living rooms; upgraded suites offer private pools or hot tubs. A breakfast buffet and dinner are complimentary. There are four bars and six restaurants, including an Italian eatery and a retro American diner. Other amenities include outdoor pools, a hot tub and a private beach, plus tennis courts, a gym and a spa. Minimum stay rules may apply. (marbella.gr; +30 2661 071183). Opportunities exist for guests to explore…

Idon’t mean the question you pose yourself when you are freezing your binoculars off at silly o’clock on your day off, while dipping out at some windswept post-industrial wasteland. All of us question our sanity at such times. I’m asking what motivates you? Some say their birding obsession lets them slip the spousal leash; others are conservation-driven and some claim they expand ornithological knowledge. But explanations of why you started may not hold years later. When I cared more about people than Peregrines, I took a course on ‘substance abuse’. One exercise we did was to create a chart of our ‘drinking career’. Most were similar… people started to be as cool as their mates, even when hating the taste. Then came their full-on quaffing as students or young single…

Little Stint Very small White braces on juveniles Dark centre to brown cap Little Stint is our smallest wader. It breeds in the Arctic tundra east from Scandinavia. In Britain, it is a bird of passage and is most often encountered in autumn, although some birds do over-winter. This species is a fine example to demonstrate that not all families of birds travel together. Juvenile birds migrate across a much broader front than the adults and that is why, during this late summer period, it is mostly juvenile Little Stints that we see. Juveniles (below) are identified by a prominent pair of white ‘braces’ that form a V on their backs. The head pattern is distinctive, too, with a dark centre to the cap and a…

By train: Less than two hours from London and Birmingham on selected services. Train services operate from all over the country (and from the Eurostar for European services) to Taunton, Tiverton Parkway and Bridgwater, as well as the Tarka Line from Exeter to Barnstaple. Onward bus and taxi services operate from these stations to key settlements within Exmoor, the Coast and the Quantocks. By coach & bus: National Express provide coach services to Bridgwater, Taunton, Tiverton and Barnstaple which in turn link to Minehead and some of the larger villages in the area. Berry’s Superfast also operate coach services between London Victoria and Bridgwater, Taunton and Tiverton. Freedom is closer than you think! By car: Exmoor is 150 miles from London and Birmingham. The M5 motorway comes fairly close to…

This is a walk for the adventurer, with several interesting habitats to explore and the potential of a bed for the night in a bothy! I found this walk in The Scottish Bothy Bible, with not a word regarding the wildlife, but I felt it was one that was worth exploring and I’m pleased to say that I wasn’t disappointed. I started off with Garden and Willow Warblers by the van and managed to walk the wrong way to start with, as the best path rises up the hill, not down it. Plenty of scrub kept me listening for warblers, as the view was at first restricted by the trees. Greylag Geese were using the first lochan and the views finally gave me Loch Beag and a lost deserted croft.…

Steel Rigg is one of those sites along Hadrian’s Wall you just don’t want to miss. Many just stare from the car park, but the adventurous set out to walk a circular route taking in the crag, the lough and the moorland/pasture around the area, which is owned by the National Trust and contains the wall, Mile Castles and even early farming practices. With Crag Lough a draw for wildfowl you may come up with something good. It may not have the list of birds found at Grindon Lough, but then it is not as watched as that site. To start with, the Beech in the car park can draw Chaffinches and Brambling when there is a ‘mast’ fall, along with a mixture of tits and pigeons. The crag itself…

What better place to mix pleasure with many interesting birds and wildlife and a collection of more than 200 species of trees? The estate was purchased in 1865 by politician Stephen Lyne-Stephens and taken over by the Forestry Commission, with many more tree species added, with future plans to increase the collection yet again. A nearby gravel pit and a lake add to the habitat. A recent archaeological dig in the gravel found several Woolly Mammoths! The bird that people really want to see is the Hawfinch. With plantings of Hornbeam and Cherry, this bird cannot go wrong. An amazing count of 62 tells you that, in good Hawfinch years, it can’t be missed – counts of up to four birds are more normal. There are two distinct areas for…

A little-known and used Somerset Wildlife Trust reserve, Huish Moor is an intriguing place which always leaves me well satisfied. It lies just west of the delightfully named Huish Champflower in a remote part of north Somerset hill country. Villages like these have remained much the same for centuries and the Brendon Hills are renowned for hiding several. In maybe 20 visits to Huish Moor I have never met anyone else, not even a dog-walker. The reserve lies on a north-facing, steepish, downward scarp of c.275m falling to a lower damp, marshy area maybe 80m below your start point. Paths tend to be the ones you make yourself and this is a walk to enjoy best by frequent pauses to survey the sky and the landscape above and below; as…

The popular sailing village of West Itchenor is situated on a tidal channel of Chichester Harbour, one of our most scenic south coast beauty spots and within a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Historically, the village and tidal reaches were used for ship building, a practice that continued until the middle of the 20th Century. More latterly, a seasonal ferry operates between Itchenor and Bosham Hoe to the north. This circular walk takes in the foreshore of the Manhood Peninsula complete with spectacular views across a complex of intertidal habitats of the Chichester Channel where the main attraction is a variety of shorebirds. Among the numerous Dunlins, look out for returning gems such as Little Stint and Curlew Sandpiper, of which many of the adults should still be in…

Last month we looked at a group of birds which are unfamiliar to most of us because they are found almost exclusively at the coast or beyond. This month, we have birds which are unfamiliar because they don’t usually come out to play until the crepuscular hours or even later, in the true dark of night. Some of them are rarely seen at all during the day, but may be more or less familiar through the sounds they make. Just because a bird is most often associated with darkness, don’t rush to the assumption that it must be an owl. Birds of various groups are more prominent at night time than during the day. Here are six examples of just such birds. Try to identify them, then, as usual, turn…

The Dancing Couple Solar Birdbath Fountain is a beautifully decorative feature depicting a couple mid-dance under the pergola which has running water trickling off into the surrounding pool, creating a gentle trickling noise. Twin integrated solar panels power a pump which is hidden in a water chamber below the figures. Made from frost-resistant polyresin with a beautifully detailed bronzer effect finish. With the solar panel built in to the design, you have no cable to worry about but it does mean the whole feature needs direct sunlight to work. Dimensions: Height 83cm x Diameter 47cm…

I would just like to share a pic of my very excited daughters with the newly-hatched Blue Tit chicks on our TV behind them, which is coming from our own nestbox on our house wall. They have been waiting for this day to come as they have patiently watched the eggs being laid daily (nine in total), followed by the incubation period, and finally today, before school, they got to see them hatched. I would love if you could include this into one of your upcoming magazine issues; I have been a subscriber for a few years, and still am! Thank you very much, from three very happy sisters Amelie (6), Maisie (5) and Isla Hartley (4).…

DARWIN, THE MAN, HIS GREAT VOYAGE, AND HIS THEORY OF EVOLUTION John Van Wyhe, Andre Deutsch, £18.99 There's a huge amount to enjoy in this account of Charles Darwin’s life, his great voyage of discovery, and his theory of evolution more generally. It’s written in an accessible but authoritative style, and it's beautifully presented, too, with the main account broken up by plenty of side panels, as well as colour photos and illustrations. That means that you can dip in and out profitably, rather than having to read straight through, if you prefer. Extracts and sketches from the great man’s notebooks are fascinating, and help demonstrate how his thinking developed. The ornithological content is scattered throughout, but of course the central place of finches and mockingbirds in Darwin’s formulation of…

What first sparked your interest in birdwatching, and when? About 15 years ago, stumbling across Titchwell while on a break in Norfolk – then walking into Island Hide and a friendly birder showing me a Pintail through his scope. Blew my mind. The combination of the beauty of the Pintail and the tranquillity of the hide. Who was your birdwatching inspiration or mentor? Chris Packham – for his love of all nature and punk music! Do you bird alone or with a friend? Usually alone. If not, with my best friend from schooldays, Graham Roberts. Coincidentally, he’s a birder, too. Your dream bird to see? Waxwing (I know, how can I have missed them, two winters ago?!) Your favourite birding spot? The north Norfolk stretch: Titchwell, Holme and Cley. Fantastic…