Table of contents for Autumn Migration Issue 2018 in Bird Watching

Seawatching is one of those activities that requires a ‘eureka’ moment before you really appreciate it, whether that’s ID-ing a rare petrel skittering past, or suddenly realising that the distant ocean is covered with thousands of scoters. In our 16-page special section, we’ve got everything you need to make that moment just that bit more likely – enjoy it, get out there and try it, and then wonder why you didn’t start seawatching years ago. We’ve also got the winners of this year’s Bird Photographer of the Year competition (the announcement of which was one of the highlights of Birdfair), and an interview with Bill Oddie, the man who, perhaps more than anyone, helped raise the public profile of birdwatching over the last three decades. So, enjoy your autumn birding,…

Baltic Gull is not a name you will see in every field guide. It is the name applied to the Lesser Black-backed Gulls which breed around the Baltic Sea, and are generally placed in the subspecies Larus fuscus fuscus. In the last millennium, it was widely thought that fuscus birds were regularly seen in the UK. More modern thinking has it that the very dark-backed Lesser Black-backed Gulls we see among the usual mid-grey graellsii birds which breed over here, are really of the south-western Scandinavian subspecies intermedius . In fact, it is now widely thought that there is so much overlap between intermedius and fuscus birds that the latter cannot…

Mention the phrase ‘bird of prey’ and it is highly likely that the thoughts of many birders will turn to majestic eagles, soaring buzzards, dashing falcons and floating harriers. But should they also be thinking of giant gulls? The Great Black-backed Gull is huge; it is the largest gull in the world, weighing in at just under two kilograms and with a wingspan of around 160cm (a little more than five feet) it dwarfs most British birds. It even makes Buzzards look small. It is also a top predator. It might not have the lethal talons or hooked beak of a raptor, but make no mistake, the Great Black-backed Gull is a bird of prey in the true sense of the words. Yes they scavenge, yes they exhibit kleptoparasitism (forcing…

In the UK we are blessed with great numbers of wildfowl, arriving over here during the autumn to winter in our relatively mild country with its ‘island climate’. Additionally, we have breeding ducks and a few geese and swans, most of which will remain with us for the winter period. So, at any time of year, it should be possible to add several wildfowl species to any day list. Luckily, summer is drawing to an end. During the summer months, many of our ducks (or rather drakes) go into what is known as ‘eclipse’ plumage, and males and females look very similar, making things pretty confusing for identification. But that time is over, so here are some different challenges for you, with more of an autumnal theme. Identify these six…

I meet Bill Oddie in late May on Hampstead Heath by ponds with nesting Mute Swans. I start out by declaring that I lived on the other side of the heath a decade ago – probably the reason why I never encountered him while out birding. Bill has lived in the area for the past four decades. There was a time when his house overlooked the heath itself and migrants would regularly turn up in his garden. “I used to see things such as Spotted Flycatcher and Redstart there more than anywhere else.” Surprisingly, he never really regarded the heath as a birding site – his main patch was Brent Reservoir three miles to the west – until an established London birder suggested he spent more time there. He looks…

SITE 1 OUTER HEBRIDES // MILES ON FOOT: 0.5 TIME: 23 HOURS This area of the RSPB reserve of Balranald, North Uist is a mixed habitat of farmland, fresh and salt water, estuary and sand dunes, not forgetting machair, making this spot ideal for a wide range of birds. The reserve works with a total of 40 crofters and three landowners who are paid via stewardship to work for the birds. I was amazed that large areas of machair are ploughed to grow oats, given that: “it is a rare coastal habitat of low-lying grassland and shell sand unique to the northwestern fringe of Europe. More than 90%of the world’s machair is in Scotland and Ireland”. A public road gives you ideal views of many of the habitats, so especially…

SITE 2 ARGYLL // MILES ON FOOT: 1.5 TIME: 2 HOURS Mull has so many wonderful walks where wildlife can be observed, and Ardmore is a classic, with great views across into the Sound of Mull, Ardnamurchan and even beyond to Muck, Eigg and Rhum, not forgetting Coll. The area has two fallen townships with ruins to show, and easy walking. Extraction of timber means large open areas, which are being colonised by grassland species, and raptors to match. It has a good population of Crossbills, and if the spruce are lacking cones it may be the Larch where the birds are feeding. Siskins, redpolls and even Goldfinches can feed on this seed so best to scan around to find the birds. There is plenty of willow and birch self-seeding…

SITE 3 SOUTH YORKSHIRE // MILES ON FOOT: 7 TIME: 4 HOURS The Humberhead Peatlands, in South Yorkshire, are part of the last remnants of a large wetland that occupied the floodplain of the Humberhead Levels thousands of years ago. They also include Thorne, Goole, and Crowle Moors, and are designated as National Nature Reserves, and together represent the largest area of raised bog wilderness in the lowland UK at 7,134 acres in size. Hatfield has an impressive list of birds, thanks to a dedicated team of birders making this their patch. You may not fall lucky on some of the rarities, but there is always a good selection of commoner birds to see, with that impressive peat bog landscape to view. The first complex to view is Boston Park,…

SITE 4 NOTTINGHAMSHIRE // MILES ON FOOT: 3 TIME: 3 HOURS Over the years, Clumber Park has been a mixture of a monastery and a private estate, and is now part of the National Trust portfolio. The big house no longer exists, with fires, World War I and the Great Depression having taken their toll, but the park is more than 3,800 acres in extent, including woods, open heath and rolling farmland, with a lake covering 87 acres. There’s also the longest double avenue of lime trees in Europe, running for two miles. The estate itself has been a big draw for birdwatchers for many years, with Honey Buzzard and Hawfinch the most wanted birds, but the range of habitats allow a wide variety of birds to be found. There…

SITE 5 SHROPSHIRE // MILES ON FOOT: 5 TIME: 4 HOURS This is a superb walk, with inspiring views of the hills around you for the whole walk. At first there is some woodland to get you started, then a small reservoir followed by a stream coming down the hillside alongside the track and the ever-present areas of heather. You may see a glider up in the sky learning to rise on a thermal, and copying the local Buzzards. There are other high-flyers such as Raven, Kestrel and Red Kite, too. There is a chance to see Red Grouse with Wheatear, Stonechat and Redstart also. A good proportion of the walk has a stream, so always keep a lookout for Dipper and Grey Wagtail. After reaching the top of the…

SITE 6 NORFOLK // MILES ON FOOT: 1.5 TIME: 2 HOURS East Wretham Heath was purchased by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust at the start of World War II, making it the oldest Breckland nature reserve. This is a very rare habitat, both in the UK and internationally. This section of heath has three meres, or ‘pingos’, created by ice left from the Ice Age melting late, with underground springs feeding two of them. The 353-acre area has a couple of special heathland birds – Wood Lark and Nightjar. This may mean making an early morning and evening visit essential in spring and early summer to catch both doing their territorial displays. Stone-curlew is very much a ‘hit and miss’ bird here, but again spring and summer evenings will be when…

SITE 7 HEREFORDSHIRE // MILES ON FOOT: 3 TIME: 3 HOURS A Silurian limestone ridge in a lovely, rolling countryside makes this both an interesting bird route and a good exercising walk, mainly in woodland, but there are one or two open areas, too. Also, at one point, there is a large pond area, but it has private access so a good set of bins will be really useful here as, in addition to the Mute Swans, there are also Grebes, Moorhen and Coot and more. The steep hillsides of the area are home to many trees, with Ash and oak predominant but others as the walk continues. This is quite a good area for insects, too, with the local flora, so all in all there is a good range…

SITE 8 GWENT // MILES ON FOOT: 3 TIME: 3 HOURS When walking the sea wall, the massive embankment which protects the low-lying lands of the Gwent Levels, it is difficult to imagine the destruction which occurred about midday on 30 January 1607. Whether a tsunami or a storm surge, there was massive flooding and destruction along both sides of the Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary – a plaque inside the porch of St Bride’s Wentlooge Church marks the height, some three feet, reached by the waters. Although both Cardiff and Newport are close by, there is a special feeling of tranquility, of remoteness on this coast and the hinterland of long, narrow, straight-sided fields separated by the reens, a secret world of pastures and essential drainage channels. From the…

SITE 9 BERKSHIRE // MILES ON FOOT: 4 TIME: 4 HOURS At just short of 1,000ft, Walbury Hill is the highest point on the chalk lands of England, and as such the view to the north from this section of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is worth a visit on its own. Historically, rehearsals for the Normandy landings were practised at the base of the hills, and on a clear day aircraft activity over distant RAF Lyneham can be a distracting backdrop to birding. Also of interest is the Combe Gibbet, a grim reminder of past justice. A scenic vista confronts the walker from this lofty perch of gently rolling farmland with scattered woods, copses and hedgerows. Open, stony arable land and grassy downland interspersed with…

SITE 10 WEST SUSSEX // MILES ON FOOT: 3 TIME: 3 HOURS Climping Gap is a welcome break of open, caravan-free land on the Sussex coastline between the crowded seaside towns of Littlehampton and Bognor Regis. The River Arun provides interest as it spills into the English Channel, particularly on the eastward side at low tide where the weed-strewn rocky foreshore attracts feeding waders, and where Purple Sandpiper are sometimes noted among the Turnstones. West of the river a boardwalk snakes through a sand dune system overlooking a golf course which can attract a few late migrants grounded on the fairways such as Yellow Wagtail or Wheatear. Marginal scrub and rank grass along the coastal track has delivered the likes of Red-backed Shrike, Dartford Warbler and Wryneck in the past,…

This month I am going to return to the old chestnut of how getting out into the field looking for one thing can turn up something else. The story starts in late July, when one morning, a birder friend of mine called me at work to say he was watching a Black Kite hunting the wonderful raptor habitat of the Great Fen, near the village of Holme, due south of Peterborough. In case you don’t know, the Great Fen is an ambitious 50-year scheme designed to acquire and restore or ‘rewild’ a huge tract of land between Peterborough and Huntington. Even in the first few years, the site near Holme has attracted such great visitors as Rough-legged Buzzard, a couple of Great Grey Shrikes, Crane, Quail, chats, Short-eared Owls, Merlins…

“My most-wanted bird was only a few feet away and I had found her myself! I couldn’t contain my excitement” Do you have a particular bird that you really, really want to see? A bird that’s top of your most-wanted list? Do you pore over it in your bird books and drool over the pictures? Do you daydream about it and imagine finally seeing it? Well, that was me with Snowy Owl. All owls are wonderful creatures, and I’ve been lucky enough to see plenty of exciting owl species around the world, ranging from Cuban Pygmy Owl to Great Grey Owl in Finland, Pel’s Fishing Owl in Ghana and Marsh Owl in Morocco (to name just four). But there was a big Snowy Owl-sized gap on my mental list of…

BIRD 1 Though this bird is swimming head-on towards us (and we can’t see all of it), it is still reasonable to say that it appears to have a relatively large head compared to its body. As we frequently point out, birds with proportionally large heads tend to be smaller ones; and in the case of wildfowl, this tends to mean they are ducks (rather than the generally much larger geese or swans). So, we have a duck with a blackish-brown head (with pale eyes), black bill, a white neck band, and a mottled grey body; there is also what appears to be an area of white on the wings. Let us return to that head, again, though. It is an unusual shape, bulging in the lower half. This distinctive…

The Nuthatch is one of those birds that seems to re-emerge into our consciousness in the autumn, becoming obvious and noisy again after a summer when it seems to vanish behind the veil of canopy leaves. A Nuthatch might reappear at the bird table or the local patch, and you wonder where it has been, as if you were comparing your respective summer holidays with a colleague. Where once the tree trunks were empty, Nuthatches are now marching up and down them again, uttering their cheery whistling calls while holding preciously on, like human scaffolders. As far as we birders are concerned, they are back. They never went away. Most individuals, once adult, will never leave their territory. All this time, the Nuthatches have stayed put. Part of the reason…

1 Described as having a long established presence along the coast of Gwent, the Shelduck which nest here are a major feature once they begin to return from their moult migration. From October onwards many are easily visible feeding on the open shore. 2 The saltmarsh below the sea wall is protected by a low barrier of boulders. It is well worth carefully checking these as the tide advances as Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Turnstone and Dunlin often gather here. 3 More waders in the vicinity of the West Usk lighthouse and a striking high water roost a little beyond with large numbers of Knot and Dunlin, Black-tailed Godwits and Curlew, Grey Plover and Oystercatcher. The reward for your patient searching could be the sighting of a Bar-tailed Godwit, while Avocets,…

1 A good viz mig spot around dawn for overhead migrants; typically, Swallow, House Martin, Meadow Pipit, Sky Lark, Pied and Grey Wagtails, Blackbird, Song and Mistle Thrushes, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Siskin, Linnet, redpoll and Reed Bunting. Later in the season expect flocks of Woodpigeon, Starling, corvids, gulls, Redwing and Fieldfare. Open ground is good for Ring Ouzel, Wheatear and maybe a late Whinchat. Scan mid-morning for raptors such as Red Kite, Buzzard, Kestrel and Sparrowhawk, plus Raven. 2 Woodland harbours the usual range of resident tits, including the declining Marsh Tit, plus Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Treecreeper, Nuthatch, Mistle Thrush, Bullfinch, Jay, Great Spotted and Green Woodpeckers, plus Tawny Owl at dusk. Check conifer stands for Goldcrest, Firecrest, Coal Tit and the occasional Siskin, redpoll or Crossbill. A good spot for…

1 Check along the river and harbour entrance for Kingfisher, Grey Wagtail, Little Egret and Grey Heron. Scan the beach on the east side for Turnstone, Redshank, Ringed Plover and Oystercatcher; weedy rocks may attract Turnstone, Rock Pipit and Pied Wagtail while Black Redstart often perch on adjacent buildings. 2 A good viewpoint to scan for wildfowl and waders on the beach at low tide, typically Dunlin, Sanderling, Curlew and Bar-tailed Godwit. Check gull flocks for a Mediterranean Gull or maybe a late Sandwich Tern. An onshore wind can deliver seabirds such as Gannet, Kittiwake, auks, Red-breasted Merganser, plus the odd skua or diver. Visible migration offers a trickle of passerines overhead such as hirundines, pipits, wagtails, larks, thrushes, Starlings, finches and buntings. Peregrine and Merlin often hunt for migrants…

Bresser is a brand with a long and venerable history in birdwatching, but we’ve seen relatively little of them in recent years. A number of new binocular ranges have been released by them, though, so I took a look at the Condors, whose pricing ought to make them highly attractive to beginners, or the budget-conscious. They straight away score well for looks and design, with plenty of solid rubber armouring, but a well-balanced feel that makes them feel rather less than their quoted weight of 696g. They’re neat and straightforward, and perhaps the biggest compliment you can pay the design is that you really don’t think about it when you’re using them – you can start using them straight from the box without having to think about anything else. The…

Red-throated Diver The smallest, palest diver, though still bigger than a large grebe. Sits low in water, with long body partly submerged. In winter, pale face, including white above eye, dark grey on rest of upperparts. The bill is fine and looks upturned, accentuated by being held tilted up. In flight, head appears ‘low’ below level of body. Great Northern Diver Largest of the three commoner divers, much larger and darker than Red-throated Diver. Looks darkest at head end, slightly paler on back. Bill thick and robust. In winter, look for the distinctive black half collar, not found in ‘similar’ Black-throated Diver. Black-throated Diver Somewhat intermediate between Red-throated and Great Northern Diver, the Black-throated Diver looks grey at the head end and black on the back. Its bill is thicker…

1 Ramore Head, Co. Antrim Strong north-west winds in autumn can bring Leach’s and Storm Petrels close inshore at this Northern Ireland site, plus Manx and Sooty Shearwaters, Shags, Arctic, Great and Pomarine Skuas, and the chance of both Sabine’s Gulls and ‘Blue’ Fulmars. You can also get bonuses such as Purple Sandpiper along the rocky shores, and a host of the commoner seabirds including Gannet, Cormorant and the auks. 2 St Bee’s Head, Cumbria While it’s well-known for its seabird breeding colonies (Kittiwakes, Razorbills, Fulmars and more make their nests there), St Bee’s Head might be somewhat underused as a seawatching spot. As well as a variety of species passing down the west coast, it can get a very good skua passage, with birds either entering the Solway Firth…

I last visited the Isles of Scilly back in September 2015, to birdwatch and learn about the Isles of Scilly Seabird Recovery Project. At that time, the project was rightly buoyed, having engineered rat eradication on St Agnes and Gugh in 2013, resulting in breeding Manx Shearwaters and also the return of Storm Petrels in the 2014 breeding season. Given the impressive results of the project and the years that had elapsed, I was keen to return and understand the impact that rat-free status has had on the birds on Agnes and Gugh – now into their fifth year of rat-free breeding grounds. I was also keen to simply enjoy the seabirds on the archipelago, having previously only visited post-breeding and during the autumn months. The trip started with a…

If you love seawatching, you will know that your essential requirement is an effective, reliable telescope. One that performs well in all weather, from bright sunshine to wet and murky conditions. One that is robust and sturdy enough to withstand the windy conditions that generally prevail along the British and North Sea coastline. The Swarovski BTX connected to the 95mm objective lens is an example of the perfect telescope for seawatching and will ensure that you can identify any bird from a great distance. The longer you spend observing, the more important comfort is, and Swarovski Optik has taken comfort to a new level. With its unique two-eyepiece set-up, you can observe with both eyes. The BTX combines the benefits of a spotting scope and binocular. It provides great balance…

Usually, for Bird of the Month, we feature a common British bird. Not so, this month. The Great Grey Shrike is a scarce bird in the UK, with not more than 50 birds wintering each year and fewer than 150 seen on passage, mainly on the east and south coasts. But now is the time to encounter those autumn passage birds, and it is such a wonderful, charismatic bird, we make no apologies for assigning it the glory of Bird of the Month status. And it really is a spectacular bird: surprisingly large, at about the same length as a Mistle Thrush, surprisingly long-tailed and with the mean look and hooked bill of a raptor. Indeed, the shrikes are the closest equivalent of a true bird of prey among the…

Owl pellets are regurgitated bundles of indigestible material that are safer passed back out through the mouth than through the other end of the alimentary canal. In owls, this generally equates to fur, bones and teeth. In Little Owls, the pellets are naturally smaller (15-40mm long by 10-15mm in diameter) than those of our other species, and contain a high proportion of undigested insect matter (ie indigestible chitin). They are generally a bit more crumbly than other owl pellets, and can be found in large numbers under roost trees (eg old oaks or willows with hollows) as well as by fences and gate posts.…

SCOTTISH CROSSBILL One of the most controversial of all our bird species. Officially, it is the only endemic species of British bird. But some argue that it cannot reliably be separated from Parrot Crossbill or even Crossbill in the field. In many ways it is an intermediate between these two crossbill species, with the main differences being structural (especially relating to the bill). All three species nest in the Highlands, so you have to make your own judgement as to which crossbill you tick as Scottish Crossbill… CRESTED TIT In Scotland, the delightful Crested Tit is mainly a lover of mature pine forests, especially in the Highlands around areas such as the forests of the Spey Valley. Arguably our cutest tit (in a family of very cute birds), the Crested…

Diving vs dabbling ducks Ducks can be conveniently divided into diving ducks and dabbling ducks, based on their feeding styles. Telling the two broad groups apart is a first step towards duck ID. The term dabbling duck is generally used for those of the genus Anas, which includes such species as Mallard, Teal, Shoveler, Wigeon and Pintail. All of these birds feed by upending or filtering, or indeed grazing, but not habitually by diving. So, the feet are placed in the middle of the body (as they are not used for powering the submerged bird). Other non-diving ducks include Shelduck and the naturalised Mandarin. Most of our other ducks are diving ducks, habitually diving beneath the surface to feed. Some, such as Tufted Duck and Pochard are mainly freshwater species,…

1 Turn off onto this minor road and scan the fields for breeding waders and grazing geese in winter. 2 Check the flashes for Corn Crake and breeding warblers in summer and feeding duck in winter. 3 Scan Loch Phaibeil for feeding waders at low tide. Look out for raptors and breeding waders. 4 You can cross the Machair from here or by Aird an Runair past the visitor centre to the sand dunes scanning for waders, buntings and wagtails. 5 Climb the dunes looking for plants and then scan out into the bay and along the shore. This area is ideal for divers and sea ducks.…

1 A lovely walk around an area close to Tobermory using mainly forestry tracks. Look out for feeding birds in the conifers, especially those with cone crops. 2 Open areas in the forest give you the chance to look out for raptors. Scan the sky for eagles and the tops of the trees for perched birds. 3 An old ruin, part of Ardmore village, along the track is worth checking for owls and the ferns growing in the lime. 4 Once down to the bay, there is a picnic table as well as a hide. Scan for divers and Otters, but also look out for cetaceans. You can return the same way or make a round walk of it. 5 Another township is found at Penalbanach. Look out for viewpoints…

1 Hatfield has a wide choice of wetlands and walks to enjoy. Start off with the local waters by the car park with a mixture of duck and waders. 2 The Boston Park area covers three hides, with a mixture of scrub and water to view. Listen to the various warblers singing there in spring. 3 Badger Corner Hide is ideal for watching grebes and winter diving ducks. A private feeding station attracts finches and buntings here. 4 Walk out on the trail for views of the open moor, with a chance of raptors hunting and flashes producing breeding and passage waders. 5 Try the Huggins Carr for wildfowl in winter and hunt out mixed sparrows and buntings in summer and winter along the hedges. 6 Walk up to Ten…

1 I tend to enter the site off the A1, coming onto the amazing avenue dropping down towards the main car park and facilities. Check for raptors using the height of the avenue. 2 You can park along the avenue off the road to give yourself a chance to look for warblers and other woodland birds around Hardwick Wood. Check the heathland for chats and pipits. 3 If you enter the National Trust property you scan the man-made lake looking for water birds or wander round the site and over the bridge to South Lawn for more heathland birds. 4 With more cover check for Mandarins hiding under the willows. Listen out for Kingfisher and check the ground for feeding finches in winter. 5 Check the open farmland for feeding…

1 From the cattle grid follow the track alongside woodland on your left. A little further along to the left of the small reservoir there is the opportunity to turn into the woodland to check for Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Wood Warbler and Great and Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers. 2 Then back to the track alongside the reservoir where you might see Coot, Moorhen, Mallard and Yellow Wagtail. A stream flows into the reservoir. 3 Now follow the track uphill alongside the stream and check for Dipper all along. On the hillside keep a lookout for Redstart, Stonechat, Whinchat or Wheatear. 4 Now it’s along the top of the hill checking the sky for Red Kite, Buzzard and Raven. But the area has recorded Peregrine, Goshawk and Merlin as well as passage Hen…

1 This is a charming reserve, which I visited on a warm March day and still found a great mix of birds. First impressions – Rabbits! They are needed to keep the heath free of trees. 2 There are some great pines in this area of Langmere Plantation, which has a large Rookery giving great views with plenty of nest building and calling going on early in the spring. Check for those smallest of British birds – the Goldcrest and Firecrest. 3 The first of these winter flashes is Langmere, with a hide overlooking this non-permanent water. I had a mixed flock of ducks and waders, with a few grebes thrown in for good measure. 4 A rough area of heath may offer you mixed warblers in spring while the…

It’s still light – and warm enough to sit outside on a blanket and look down to the river. The rather un-British heat has come as a shock to us all I think, and while it has its advantages, there’s a lot of downsides to it as well. Take the river, normally so clear. It’s now pea-soup green, like Shrek has been pureed. The birds don’t seem too impressed and the swans look highly irritated having to wade through the swamp to get out onto the bank. You could argue they always look angry, but I’ve hung around with them long enough to know when they are really cross and the illuminous green clings to their feathers. And its name? Duckweed. It’s full of protein and while some birds may…

Sunrise. The Exe Estuary shrugs off its duvet of mist, night-hushed stillness dissolving into daytime. Early morning light bathes a mercurial waterscape, shaped by tide and time. With the rising tide, the expansive mudflats, on which a wealth of birds depends, are gradually covered, robbing the birds of breakfast. It will be hours before this rich source of food becomes accessible again. But this is good news. For just around the corner lies Bowling Green Marsh, one of the RSPB’s Exe Estuary reserves, and a superb place to watch the resting and feeding birds displaced from the mudflats. My first encounter with the Bowling Green Marsh bird hide was more years ago than I care to think about. A favourite spot, great for birds but distinctly chilly in winter. Birding…

London has recently been designated as a National Park City, and our whistle-stop journey around its ornithological hotspots continues with a look at the west. For the sake of convenience West London will be, broadly speaking, the area north of the Thames and west of Kensington, as far out as the Colne Valley that borders Surrey and Berkshire. Indeed, it is the Colne Valley that for a long time held the crown for being one of the capital’s premier birding localities. Staines Reservoir is perhaps the most famous birding spot in the valley, and has a bird list longer than most people’s arms. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to the important numbers of wintering diving ducks it attracts. It is, in fact, two reservoirs (north…

The Leki Micro Vario walking poles combined with the photo adapter are brilliant for the birdwatcher who struggles to walk longer distances or on hilly terrain. I’ve been using them for a few months across different seasons, and they were especially great when I tested them when the ground was muddy and slippery. You can only fit the photo adapter onto the Aergon series of poles. The adapter is super easy to fit in just a few minutes. I used them with the photo adapter head on them and just left the screw attachment in my camera. I would recommend changing the head of the pole to the photo head at home rather than in the field because, although it is easy, it can be fiddly with small pieces and…

Hands up if you have ever heard of Trindade Petrel, or even can point to Trindade Island on a map. For this bird was potentially the great find of the month (and perhaps of the year). The bird was seen by a group of seawatchers at Porthgwarra, Cornwall on 29 July. Trindade Petrel is a Pterodroma species, closely related to birds such as the Fea’s Petrel and Zino’s Petrel, though potentially distinguishable in the field (being somewhat ‘hooded’ in pale birds, and with dark undertail coverts etc). It breeds in the Southern Atlantic, some 1,100km east of Brazil (which owns the territory) on Trindade and Martim Vaz Islands (and possibly also on Round Island in the Indian Ocean). The global population possibly numbers in the few thousands. In the Pacific…

The merest mention of seawatching can make some birdwatchers break out in a cold sweat. The prospect of standing on a windy clifftop, peering into a scope, trying to identify distant specks as they appear momentarily above sea swells is not an enticing one for many. And of course, there may be gulls, with all the ID nightmares they represent. But don’t despair. Here are 10 tips to ensure that seawatching becomes a pleasure, and an unmissable part of your birding year. 1 Get the right optics Good quality binoculars and scope (and a sturdy, steady tripod for the latter) are absolutely essential. That’s not to say you necessarily have to go for the most expensive on the market, but ED glass will be a help (as well as coatings…