Table of contents for Autumn Migration 2019 in Bird Watching

Bird guide Ian Parsons marvels at the mammoth journeys completed every year by the tiny Yellow-browed Warbler on page 22 Bird of prey ID expert, Keith Offord provides top tips on how to separate 12 raptors with ease. Begin your ID masterclass on page 26 Woodpecker specialist Gerard Gorman throws the spotlight on the wonderful and beautiful flamebacks, found in Asia. Page 33 Renowned bird author Dominic Couzens highlights the skills used by the Sanderling to find its next meal under the sand! Page 66 The Urban Birder David Lindo visits the Brazilian city of São Paulo and is surprised by the sheer number of birds it offers visitors! Page 88…

CAN YOU SPOT THE SLUG? Although variable in pattern, the Leopard Slug is one of our most readily identifiable shell-free molluscs – as it always exhibits spots. FUNGUS Waxing lyrical Fungi can readily bewilder those wishing to identify what they see. Waxcaps are a little easier to name, being ostentatiously colourful – rather like orchids in the world of plants. Many British species are yellow, orange or red, making the defiantly green Parrot Waxcap stand out. Waxcaps are valuable indicators of unimproved grassland – and thus to be cherished in our chemical era. SCENERY Autumn leaves They are everywhere and thus so easy to overlook, ignore or dismiss. This autumn, try instead to make time to savour the rich tones of autumn leaves – be they Beech, oak, chestnut or…

A study that put together data across 91 countries from scientific papers and government reports, noted that biodiversity is below safe levels across more than half of the world’s land, and that habitat destruction has reduced the variety of plants and animals to the point that ecological systems could become unable to function properly. Land conversion is the biggest driver for the loss of biodiversity, as forests are cut down for farm fields, fields turned into cities and land lost to factories and roads. But, so is the overexploitation of water supplies, increasing pollution, over-harvesting, invasive species and climate change. The collapse threatens human health and all agricultural production is at risk, because genetic diversity in crop and livestock species is declining. The change in land use and management, such…

For most of us humans, the months of July and August are considered the height of summer. It’s school holiday time, the days are long and sunny, and temperatures are high. It’s time to kick back and relax, head to the beach to make sandcastles and eat ice cream. Not if you’re a bird, however. Even as we humans are starting to enjoy the holiday season, many bird species have already completed their breeding cycle. Territories have been claimed, mates have been found, nests made, eggs laid, and many chicks already reared and fledged the nest. The busiest time in the birding calendar is over for many bird species and for them, autumn is already here. It’s time to move on from breeding and start thinking about heading back towards…

POSTCODE: PH36 4LG GRID REF: NM 526 666 HOW TO GET THERE: The A 861 takes you to Salen village after the Corran ferry from the east (A82) and then you drop off onto the B8007 heading towards Kilchoan. As you rise up the steep hill of Benn Hiant you will see your turn on the right. From Kilchoan it is on your left. If you are on Mull don’t forget you can also take the Kilchoan Ferry to cover this area WHERE TO PARK: Most birding will be from around the car. Park where there is enough room for other users to get by if leaving the carer users to get by if leaving the car TERRAIN: Some walking with mixed terrain – grassland, stone paths, sea shore etc.…

POSTCODE: PA42 7ED GRID REF: NR 464 536 HOW TO GET THERE: From Port Askaig take the A846 south towards Port Ellan. Drive through Port Ellan following signs for Ardbeg. A minor road takes you along this coast line. From Port Ellen just follow the signs for Ardbeg WHERE TO PARK: This minor road does not offer too much parking, so view from the car or park sensible. Locals use the beach at Claggain so you will find areas here to park TERRAIN: It can be rough anywhere around here so stout footwear is recommended FACILITIES: You’ll need to go to Port Ellen for everything PUBLIC TRANSPORT: There is a bus service running along the main roads to Port Ellen but sadly not to here. Ferry information – Caledonian Macbrayne,…

POSTCODE: HG4 3DY GRID REF: SE 271 680 HOW TO GET THERE: From the A1M from the south, take the junction 48 (A59) to Boro’bridge and then onto the A168 parallel to the motorway coming off on the B6265 to Ripon. Follow on towards Ripon and keep on this road through Ripon sign posted for Patley Bridge and brown signs for Fountains Abbey. Enter the Abbey via Studley Park or carry on for the main entrance. From the north come off the A1 for Ripon on A61 and follow onto the B6265 or approach from Harrogate again on the A61 WHERE TO PARK: At Studley or Fountains itself TERRAIN: The paths are all hard. Best to use stout footwear ACESSIBILITY: All year round except Christmas FACILITIES: Most on site, but…

POSTCODE: YO42 4RU GRID REF: SE 752 473 HOW TO GET THERE: Turn south off the A1079 near Barmby Moor, signed Sutton-on-Derwent and Thornton. Take the next left signposted Thornton, and parking is in a Forestry Commission car park half a mile along this road on the right WHERE TO PARK: Free parking at the Forestry Commission car park off Common Lane TERRAIN: Flat – variety of paths on the common, from narrow and muddy to wide and more accessible ACCESSIBILITY: Open all year FACILITIES: Plenty in nearby Pocklington, along with pubs in Allerthorpe and Melbourne PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Hull buses stop at Barmby Moor village, 2.3 miles away LOCAL INFO: ywt.org.uk/ nature-reserves/allerthorpe-commonnature-reserve & woodlandtrust.org.uk/ visiting-woods/wood/10645/allerthorpe-wood/ CONTACT: Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, 01904 659570, email: info@ywt.org.uk COUNTY RECORDER: James Spencer, email: eastyorksynu@gmail.com MAPS:…

GRID REF: SO 430 930 HOW TO GET THERE: From the A49 south of Shrewsbury turn into Church Stretton village WHERE TO PARK: Limited parking at Little Stretton. Grid Ref: SO 445 919 TERRAIN: Steep hillside, good views, wooded area, stream ACCESSIBILITY: Very limited disabled access. Dogs under control FACILITIES: All in Church Stretton PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Nearest railway station is Church Stretton. National Rail Enquiries, tel: 08457 700 240. Bus service, Traveline, tel: 08712 002 233 ORGANISATIONS: Shropshire County Council Countryside Service, web: shropshire.gov.uk CLUB CONTACT: Shropshire Ornithological Society, tel: 01743 761 507, web: shropshirebirds.com COUNTY RECORDER: Martyn Owen, 34 Peacock Hill, Alveley, Shropshire WV15 6JX. Tel: 01746 780 336, mobile: 07736 286 675, email: soscountyrecorder@gmail.com MAPS: OS Explorer 217, OS Landranger 137…

GRID REF: SP 017 748 POSTCODE: B45 8BL HOW TO GET THERE: The reservoirs are situated between Barnt Green and Hopwood, around nine miles from central Birmingham. From the B4120 Bittell Road at Barnt Green, follow signs to Alvechurch. Turn onto Bittell Farm Road and follow towards Hopwood. The road intersects Lower Bittell WHERE TO PARK: Room for a couple of cars on the bend of the road near Lower Bittell on Bittell Farm Road TERRAIN: The footpath from the road is on a slight incline to the dam and can be very muddy, even in summer ACCESSIBILITY: The area is accessible from public footpaths which give views from the dam at Upper Bittell. Both reservoirs are only viewable from public footpaths FACILITIES: None on site. Shops and pubs at…

POSTCODE: PE28 0BX GRID REF: TL 143 671 HOW TO GET THERE: Grafham Water is off the A1, near Huntingdon. Follow the brown signs through Perry WHERE TO PARK: Plenty of spaces available – Anglian Water parking charges apply TERRAIN: Surfaced cycle track round reservoir. Surfaced paths to Mander Hide and Valley Creek Hide. Other paths rougher ACCESSIBILITY: Reserve open at all times – entry free. Car park open 8am-dusk. Dogs allowed on leads FACILITIES: Hides, toilets, shop, cafe and picnic area PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Nearest railways stations are in Huntingdon and St Neots. Visit traveline.co.uk or tel: 0871 200 22 33 for bus services ORGANISATIONS: Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire web: wildlifebcn.org Anglian Water, web: anglianwaterparks.co.uk COUNTY RECORDER: Louise Bacon, email: recorder@ cambridgebirdclub.co.uk MAPS: OS Explorer 225, OS…

GRID REF: SN 352 102 POST CODE: SA33 5JX (for St Anthony’s Cottage close to the shore and just down stream of Llansteffan village) HOW TO GET THERE: The A40 from east and west together with the A48 from the east provide easy access to Carmarthen from the west side of which the B4312 winds to Llansteffan WHERE TO PARK: Beside the shore either end of The Green TERRAIN: Sandy beach and woodland paths, very steep in places ACCESS: Open at all time. Dogs are prohibited from one part of the beach FACILITIES: All to be found in Llansteffan or return to Carmarthen PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Good train services to Carmarthen from where a bus reaches Llansteffan six times a day Monday to Saturday. Traveline Cymru, tel: 0871 200 2233, web:…

GRID REF: TQ 038 915 POSTCODE: WD3 9XS How to get there: From junction 1 of the M40, take the A412 off the roundabout to Rickmansworth. After 3 miles turn right at a mini-roundabout signposted Harefield. And follow Coppermill Lane for a further half a mile WHERE TO PARK: In the lay-bys off Coppermill Lane, or alternatively along the Old Uxbridge Road TERRAIN: Mostly on the level with good paths, some surfaced and suitable for wheelchair users, particularly along the canal towpath ACCESS: Year-round access on public footpaths FACILITIES: There is a full range of facilities, including toilets, in Harefield and two pubs, (The Oaks and Coy Carp) nearby. There are several interpretive boards on site PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Red Rose Travel operate a bus service between Uxbridge and Rickmansworth stopping…

GRID REF: SY 668 754 POSTCODE: DT4 9XE HOW TO GET THERE: From Weymouth take the A354 to Portland. Once on the causeway road turn right off Portland Beach Road, just past the Ferry Bridge pub, to site WHERE TO PARK: Designated pay and display car park by the visitor centre TERRAIN: A combination of footpaths and a boardwalk on level tracks ACCESS: Open access on public rights of way throughout FACILITIES: The Chesil Beach Centre (open 10am-5pm) has a café, toilets, parking, disabled access and Dorset Wildlife Trust information centre PUBLIC TRANSPORT: First Dorset operate a bus service from Weymouth to Portland stopping on site, web: firstgroup.com / tel: 0870 0106 022 ORGANISATION: Dorset Bird Club, web: dorsetbirds.org.uk CLUB CONTACT: Dorset Bird Club Secretary, Jol Mitchell, email: jolmitchell@btinternet.com COUNTY…

Six big bottomed birds have taken up residence at the bottom of our garden, behind the vegetable patch. They are loud, bossy and pooping everywhere. Some jump on my lap, others peck at my toes and one tries to follow me into the house. Yes, dear reader, I got us some chickens. This has caused quite a stir among the wild birds, and it’s been fascinating to see how they interact with each other. Sparrows are smart and gregarious – operating in packs, they are opportunists and when the run is open, they fly in and make off with beaks and tummies full of chicken grains. It must be heavenly for them! But this isn’t a one-way street, hens are fantastic digging machines, turning over the soil and unearthing worms…

If you’re already planning on taking Bird Watching’s #My200BirdYear challenge in 2020, or if you just want to see the very best of Scotland’s birds in winter, then this fun holiday is for you. Get your New Year birdlist off to a cracking start with a week of birding across the Highlands from coast to coast! For the second week, you’ll be joined by Bird Watching editor Matt Merritt as well as Heatherlea’s own expert guides. Top priorities will be the resident specialities – Capercaillie, Ptarmigan, Black Grouse, Golden Eagle, White-tailed Eagle, Scottish Crossbill and Crested Tit – but you’ll also be able to look for a host of northern winter visitors, and finally round-up rarities. By the end of the week, you should have seen around 120 species. There’ll…

The UK offers a wealth of opportunities for photographers and, often, it is only imagination and determination that limit the scope of activities. But, for a change, it can be a wonderful experience to venture further afield and see what other parts of the world have to offer. Avoiding obvious photographic hotspots such as south Florida and monumentally expensive destinations like Antarctica, here are a few personal suggestions. 1 New Zealand From an environmental point of view, New Zealand is an ecological catastrophe: 42% of its terrestrial bird species have become extinct since the arrival of humans 700 years ago, and the land is now overrun in places with alien plant and animal species. So, why visit New Zealand? Aside from the beauty of the landscape, the country boasts some…

The standard advice steers birdwatchers more towards an 8x than a 10x binocular. So what are the pros and cons? PROS HIGHER MAGNIFICATION. An experienced guide told a story of his 10x clinching a distant ID that his companion’s 8x didn’t. Some people like a 10x because it makes bird rings a bit easier to read. If your birdwatching is mainly in big, open spaces, you might prefer a 10x. BETTER TWILIGHT PERFORMANCE. That might have surprised you. It’s true that an 8x42 has a bigger exit pupil (objective lens diameter divided by magnification) than a 10x42 and therefore, gets more light to your eye. Assuming your pupil dilates enough to use that extra light that is – as we age, our pupils don’t dilate like they used to. The…

VORTEX 8X42 RAZOR UHD, £1,599 A new Razor… with a very impressive close-focus and field of view – 122cm and 140m @1,000m respectively. It boasts “stunningly clear views” thanks to Abbe-König prisms, top-notch HD lenses and an index-matched APO optical system and has fully multi-coated lenses, ArmorTek to protect the outer lens surfaces from filth and scratches, argon inside for fog and waterproofing, a magnesium chassis, and an open-hinge design. Weighs 920g. Unlimited lifetime warranty. There’s a 10x42 in the range, too. www.newprouk.co.uk COAST HP7-XDL LED TORCH, £29.95 Any outdoorsy person likes a good torch. This lightweight one can shine a 270m, 240 lumens beam for five hours, but that would annoy the neighbours. To annoy them less use it on low power – 147m and 70 lumens.…

TAIGA FLYCATCHER There have just been three accepted of this close relative of the Red-breasted Flycatcher (formerly also called Red-throated Flycatcher). Two were in 2003, at Flamborough Head, East Yorkshire in April, and Shetland in October, and the third on Fetlar, then Yell, Shetland, in September to October, 2009. GREY CATBIRD Before last year’s obliging long-staying individual at Land’s End, Cornwall, there had been just one Grey Catbird in the UK, a very elusive individual at South Stack, Anglesey on 4 and 5 October 2001. Looking a bit like a grey Blackbird (with a black cap and rufous undertail coverts), these birds are closely related to the mockingbirds. ISABELLINE WHEATEAR There have been more than 40 accepted records of this pale eastern wheatear, with nearly a quarter of these from…

Take your mind back to the last couple of weeks of July. It was hot. The BBC Weather people were getting obscenely overexcited, as if breaking the UK all-time temperature record was the equivalent of winning the cricket World Cup. Of course, gallivanting around in a car looking for birds is not going to help alleviate the global climate crisis. Better to find a spot and hang around, waiting to see what passes by. As it happens, the weather changed dramatically over the last weekend of the month, with the temperature dropping by tens of degrees; and birds suddenly appeared to be on the move. It invited a bit of hanging around. We all know that grim weather is better for birding than glorious sunshine. Sunday, 28 July 2019 was…

Corn Crake success Two pairs of Corn Crakes bred on Northern Ireland’s Rathlin Island, for the first time in 30 years. RSPB staff recorded two breeding males in two separate sites on the island this summer. RSPB Rathlin Island Warden Liam McFaul said: “It’s fantastic and really encouraging that the work we’re doing for Corn Crakes is making a difference. It’s been an exceptional year because for the first time since the 1980s we have two calling Corn Crakes and this is brilliant. The birds have two broods and the second brood hatched in late July.” BTO findings New research from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO has revealed that the release of Pheasants and Red-legged Partridges for shooting may be boosting numbers of avian predators and scavengers that feed…

Pallas’s Leaf Warbler This tiny, compact, very pretty, leaf warbler occurs regularly in the UK, in smaller numbers and slightly later than the Yellow-browed Warbler. Eastern Crowned Warbler Extremely rare in the UK, this Asian species can be confused with Yellow-browed Warbler, but has a clearer central crown stripe. Hume’s Leaf Warbler Formerly treated as a subspecies of the Yellowbrowed Warbler, the rare Humes’ is like a toned -down version, with a subtly different call.…

Flamebacks are a group of wonderful-looking woodpeckers. They are found in woodlands and jungles from the Indian subcontinent eastwards through Indo-China as far as the Philippines and Indonesia. As their poetic name suggests, flamebacks have brightly coloured upperparts, typically shades of red, gold or yellow, or olive-green-splashed and flecked with fiery red. For the same descriptive reason, in India and Sri Lanka these gorgeous birds are commonly called ‘goldenbacks’. Most also sport scarlet crowns and crests, particularly males, and bold, black-and-white facial markings. Underneath, many are boldly marked with black scales and chevrons. In flight, most flamebacks also reveal a conspicuous red rump patch. All in all, flamebacks are very flashy woodpeckers. Taxonomists have placed the flamebacks into two groups (genera), the Dinopium and the Chrysocolaptes, which despite sharing a…

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…

Send your snaps to birdwatching@bauermedia.co.uk to be in with a chance of seeing your photo in print. All images should be high resolution JPEG files. 1 Great White Egret by Kevin Bowers Camera: Nikon D7200 Lens: 150-6mm Shutter Speed: 1/640sec Aperture: f/7.1 ISO: 400 2 Stonechat by Phillip Perry Camera: Canon EOS 7D Lens: 100-400mm Shutter Speed: 1/640sec Aperture: f/8 ISO: 400 3 Whinchat by Alan Gallagher Camera: Canon EOS 5D Lens: 100-400mm Shutter Speed: 1/500sec Aperture: f/9 ISO: 800 4 Kingfisher by Trevor Burch Camera: Nikon D500 Lens: 200-500mm Shutter Speed: 1/640sec Aperture: f/7.1 ISO: 1,250…

● As this is the autumn issue of Bird Watching, we’re going to take a break from suggesting day-to-day tasks for you to do in your garden, and instead make the case for carrying out a garden wildlife survey. ● It’s pretty simple. Start by making a list of all the wildlife that you can find in your garden – perhaps over an entire weekend, or failing that a day or even just a long morning or afternoon. Make a note not only of what you see, but also exactly where you saw it, as well as the weather conditions. ● Armed with this information, you can start doing a little research into which plants (and other features, such as ponds, bug hotels and nestboxes) might be responsible for attracting…

São Paulo is a bit of a dichotomy. On the one hand, it is an industrialised, and not a particularly attractive city – advance apologies to all Paulistanos – and on the other, it sits in the heart of the Atlantic forest. Indeed, 20% of the city is made up of forest so, despite the stark urbanity, there are birds galore. São Paulo is the most populous city in the Southern Hemisphere, with a whopping 21.5 million people living in the metropolitan area. Among the backdrop of traffic and humanity, you can discover a plethora of birds, ranging from some incredible endemic forest species, such as Pallid Spinetail, to Burrowing Owls scratching a living in the expansive grounds of the city’s university. Practically any expanse of green could host strutting…

Dancing on Ice Category: Best Portrait Gold award winner and BPOTY winner Photographer: Caron Steele/UK Bird: Dalmatian Pelican, Lake Kerkini, Greece Blue on Blue Category: Best Portrait Silver award winner Photographer: Ben Andrew/UK Bird: Kingfisher, UK The Guardian Category: Best Portrait Bronze award winner Photographer: William Steel/UK & South Africa Bird: Cattle Egret, Botswana Relaxed Foot Category: Attention to Detail Gold award winner Photographer: Pål Hermansen, Norway Bird: Goshawk, Trøndelag, Norway Flying Hunter Category: Best Portfolio winner Photographer: Thomas Hinsche, Germany Bird: Buzzard, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany Gown Category: Attention to Detail Silver award winner Photographer: Csaba Tökölyi, Hungary Bird: Little Egret, Pusztaszer, Hungary Camouflage Category: Best Portfolio winner Photographer: Thomas Hinsche, Germany Bird: Wryneck, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany Hummer takes a bath Category: Bird Behaviour Gold award winner Photographer: Ivan Sjögren, Sweden Bird:…

This south-east corner of Islay is one which is sometimes missed by birders. It’s certainly not a normal ‘goose run’, but stands out for the number of rocky inlets and bays, which in winter can have plenty of divers hiding in them. Most people come down this road for Kildalton church and its famous cross. The Kildalton Cross is one of the finest early Christian crosses in Scotland. It stands 2.65m in height, with arms 1.32m across. It is fortunate the local grey-green epidiorite stone, a single slab of which was used for the Cross, is not only a very hard rock, but seems also resistant to lichens! The open area around the church offers you the chance to look for pipits and wagtails, with the odd Merlin hunting. Wheatears…

The dramatic ruins at Fountains are the largest monastic remains in the country. Did Henry VIII do us a favour all those years ago, creating such a modern visitor experience today, with so many habitats to wander around? If you have not been, this is such a great place to visit, scanning the various habitats. The National Trust manage the site today, so a great place to start is the bird feeding station, which has a hide. A mixture of species are found here, with many finches and tits and not forgetting the many Pheasants! Enjoy views of Great Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch and Marsh Tit, but the acrobatics of Grey Squirrels on the many wires holding up the feeders take some beating! I remember when Red Squirrels were still in…

Until last winter, I had overlooked Allerthorpe Common. I had it in mind as a place where I might get to see Adders, but for birds I was always drawn to the more familiar York-area commons of Skipwith and Strensall. But one small bird changed that for me, and quite probably for a number of other birders. When a Coues’s Arctic Redpoll turned up and stayed for a few weeks around New Year 2019, it proved quite a draw. I never did manage to see it, but while looking, I did get to study the difference between Lesser and Mealy Redpolls for the first time at close quarters, and I realised Allerthorpe’s great potential for birding. For a start, there are Crossbills, which are not an everyday bird for the…

This is a delightful area of hills, streams, open areas and woodlands, with lots of optional tracks, should you wish to spend a whole day in the area. It even has some interesting history, with Capability Brown having had an interest here. Apparently his nickname came from his habit of telling people that their estates had great capability! Because there are lots of tracks in the whole area it might be useful to take a compass if you are not familiar with it. So, this is a place in which to see birds of prey, such as Buzzard and Sparrowhawk, the usual woodland and woodland edge species such as Woodpigeon, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Treecreeper, Blackbird and other thrushes and, hopefully, the Dipper in the stream. The arrangement of different trees,…

These two canal feeder reservoirs tucked away in the pleasant countryside of north Worcestershire offer a varied cast of species over the course of a year. Upper Bittell, the largest body of water in Worcestershire, although used for sailing activities, always offers the chance of an exciting find, especially after gales or when lower water levels attract passage waders. Lower Bittell is the smaller of the two and has a more secluded aspect. The birdlife of the area has been recorded over many years, with reports dating back to the 1930s, with published lists of birds at the reservoirs in the West Midland Bird Club annual reports. Winter months see numbers of Wigeon, Teal, Goosander and Shoveler, with the visit of an occasional scarcer grebe, and a chance of a…

This is the third largest reservoir in England (just ahead of Pitsford Water, not so far away), and like that site and the big daddy of them all – Rutland Water – it’s a magnet for all sorts of waterfowl and waders crossing the country during migration periods. While the whole lake gets a good variety of birds, we’ll concentrate on the nature reserve, managed by Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust. Its hides offer views over the settlement lagoons, the best place to look for waders. Avocets have bred in recent years, but on an autumn visit you’ll most likely be looking for passage migrants joining the more regular species, such as Redshank, Lapwing and Snipe. The reedbeds are home to the noisy but elusive Cetti’s Warbler, plus Bitterns…

This hill, with surely the finest view from a castle in the whole of South Wales, is always well worth the climb (there’s no vehicle access). Iron Age people 2,000 or more years ago appreciated the safety which the high ground provided, with some of their handiwork still visible, the rest hidden by the castle. The castle changed hands in bloody conflicts between the Welsh, the Normans and their successors, before passing into peaceful obscurity. Arriving from the north-east, the Tywi hugs the foot of the castle hill on the last miles of a journey from the Cambrian Mountains to its confluence with the Gwendraeth and Taf. The three rivers having merged, reach Carmarthen Bay where at low water a vast expanse of sands are revealed, the notorious Carmarthen Bar…

The Colne Valley has some of the most mature gravel pits to be found anywhere in the London area. Combine that with the river itself, the Grand Union Canal and relic Watercress beds and you have the recipe for a walk rich in riparian birds. Stands of waterside willows and Alders, reedbeds, scrub and open farmland towards the M25 all add to the habitat diversity. Autumn wildfowl will be the main attraction, with the larger lakes attracting substantial flocks of both diving and dabbling ducks, including a good chance of an early Goldeneye and, occasionally, something rarer, such as a scarce grebe. Scattered reedbeds can harbour Bittern, Cetti’s Warbler, Bearded Tit and maybe a late passage warbler. At dusk large gull roosts form on the open waters and Tawny Owls…

This coastal birding walk takes in two of Dorset’s notable national trails: the West Coast Path along East Fleet, and the England Coast Path that overlooks Portland Harbour, leading out to Sandsfoot Castle and beyond. The majority of the walk skirts tidal fleets, trapped between the stony bulwark of the famous Chesil Bank, sweeping westwards and protecting the low-lying wetlands from the ravages of a stormy Lyme Bay. The starting point by the recently built Chesil Beach Centre at Ferrybridge, affords good views over mudflats and saltings, where a range of passage waders drop in to feed; check carefully through those plovers, as Kentish Plovers are regularly recorded here. It is also a good spot for loafing gulls, with Mediterranean Gull most likely, and the chance of a rare tern.…

You would not want to compete with a Sanderling on a lucky dip, the game at village fetes and other events where you sink your hand in sawdust or paper shredding to try to feel for a prize. A Sanderling would win every time – assuming, that is, that it could dip in with its bill, rather than its wings. That’s because Sanderlings have a remarkable trick. When they probe into wet sand or mud, they typically detect edible items by touch. Nothing unusual there, every wader does that – but Sanderlings can detect items by touch even when they don’t touch them. So sensitive is the tip that, even when it has missed its mark, the touch receptors can pick up the vibrations of moving prey. So, if a…

RUFOUS-BELLIED THRUSH Voted as the State Bird of São Paulo since 1966 and as Brazil’s national bird since 2002, this thrush is one of the most common birds across most of east and southeastern Brazil. Roughly the size of our familiar Blackbird it, too, can be found hopping on lawns up and down São Paulo. It is also much lauded as a songster, being heard predominantly in the afternoons. Its simple song sounds like a slowed down, sweetly mellifluous Blackbird. Although being designated as a species not considered threatened by the IUCN, they are caught and sold on the black market as a household songbird. In the wild they are prone to brood parasitism by Shiny Cowbirds.…

Day 1: Saturday Arrival, welcome, briefing and dinner. Days 2-7: Sunday to Friday In these six days we concentrate on looking for Black Grouse, Red Grouse, Capercaillie, Golden Eagle, Crested Tit, Scottish Crossbill and (weather permitting!) Ptarmigan and Snow Bunting as priorities on local days. We search for these in a range of habitats from the mountains and high hills, to the pine forests and moors. Our daily itinerary will be flexible, and on our other days we visit coastal sites spending time on the Moray Coast and possibly the Black Isle. Up to date bird news and the weather conditions will help to dictate these days, with your guides deciding whether we head to the far West Coast to look for Black Guillemot, White-tailed Eagle, Twite and Great Northern…