Birdwatching magazine blog

Show us your garden!

2011-03-22T14:25:00.008Z

We're looking for Britain's Best Bird Garden - and it could be yours.
Unlike other garden competitions, we're not after neatly trimmed borders and colourful combinations of creepers, we want the sort of gardens that birds love. That means plenty of shelter, plenty of food, plenty of water and plenty of nesting opportunites.
We'll pick one winner every month - who will win four 12.5kg sacks of Wild About Birds seeds - and then, at the end of the year, we'll choose an overall winner to receive a year's supply of Wild About Birds seed - that's a 20kg bag every month for a year!

To enter, just visit www.bestbirdgarden.co.uk
The closing date for entries is Dec 31, 2011.

Wondering about Waxwings

2010-12-15T09:18:00.003Z

I saw my first Waxwings of the winter right back at the end of October, a handful close to home, but it's taken until the last week to catch up with many more. On Sunday, though, there were three decent sized flocks in the middle of Coalville, Leicestershire, where I live.

The first thing to notice was that these birds were very much confirming what we're always told about Waxwings, with two of the flocks turning up in supermarket car-parks (Netto and the Co-op/Iceland, out of interest, although I'm not sure they're especially discerning).

The third flock, in a few rowan trees around the Clock Tower, tended to refute the Waxwing stereotype, though. They actually fed on very few berries (the trees around the square had been largely stripped anyway), instead spending most of their time eating the occasional insect, and hanging around in the manner of people waiting for a party to begin.

The good news for them is that, when the cold weather returns in the next couple of days, there are plenty of berries still around. The car-park of the nearby doctor's surgery is one huge cotoneaster buffet just waiting to be raided.

Finally, on the way to work this morning, a few were in a tree next to the A47 at Tixover. It's strange that, though they can look superficially Starling-like, you very quickly start to find them totally distinctive, even at distances at which their crests aren't apparent. It's something to do with the way they move and interract with each other - a classic case of 'jizz' being more important than more tangible ID factors.

UKBS reports for November

2010-12-13T15:06:00.000Z

Christmas meant an early deadline for our January issue, and as a result a few of the monthly UKBS reports arrived just too late to make it into the print issue. Here they are:

Greater Manchester - November
Highlights: A Pied-billed Grebe was at Hollingworth Lake (6th-21st). A Slavonian Grebe lingered at Audenshaw Reservoirs (1st-21st). Eight Whooper Swans flew over Burnt Edge and two were at Audenshaw Reservoirs (both 1st), 14 flew over Whitefield (10th), three flew over Horwich (13th) and two were on Hoillingworth Lake (16th). Waxwings were present in large numbers with maximum counts at Winter Hill (250), Wigan (230), Horwich centre (125), Bolton (81), Stockport (70), Swinton (65), Horwich Moors (37), Hale (30), Oldham Broadway (30), Salford (30), Moston (28), Timperley (20) and Rochdale (20).

Elton Reservoir: A Scaup was present (1st-20th). Seven Bar-tailed Godwits flew over (6th). A single Long-eared Owl was present (from 1st) with two later in the month (19th-30th). Two Whopper Swans were recorded (14th). Eight Waxwings was the maximum count (25th) with a single also present (20th-22nd).

Mersey Valley: A drake Mandarin was on Shell Pool (14th) as well as a pair of Goldeneyes. Peregrine (3rd) and Raven (20th) were both seen over Shell NR. Over 350 Pink-footed Geese flew over the Carrington Moss area. A Water Rail was still at Shell NR.

Other sites: A Lapland Bunting flew over Winter Hill (7th) with a maximum of nine Crossbills also over (19th). A Short-eared Owl flew over Whitefield as did nearly 2,500 Pink-footed Geese (both 10th). A Ring Ouzel was at Rumworth Lodge (13th) with another over Horwich (13th). Audenshaw Reservoir held a Yellow-legged Gull (10th-27th) while another was at Castleshaw Reservoir (10th). Two Black Redstarts were still in the Horwich/Winter Hill area and another was at Piethorne Reservoir (16th). A Bittern was in the Wigan Flashes at Hawkley Reedbed (30th).
Dr Paul Brewster (01606 590 491)

South Lincolnshire - November
RSPB Frampton Marsh: Three Bewick’s Swans (12th) were more unexpected than the more numerous records of Whooper Swans. A Black Brant was seen in company of the regular flock of 2,500 dark-bellied Brent Geese on several occasions. Good counts of duck on the Scrapes included 700 Teal (6th) and 650 Wigeon (13th). Two Scaup were on the reedbed for much of the month. A Little Stint remained (to 7th) and up to 53 Ruff were also seen. A Water Pipit made a brief appearance (1st), as did Frampton’s first ever Bearded Tits (three, on 15th), but Lapland Buntings were a little more obliging, with up to eight seen. The highest count of Twite on the Saltmarsh was 90 (17th).

RSPB Freiston Shore: October’s American Golden Plover remained with up to 8,000 Golden Plovers (to 1st). On the sea 75 Common Scoter and two Velvet Scoters were seen (7th) when a first-winter Glaucous Gull was watched following a shrimp trawler. Two Goosander were also present on the Lagoon. Strong onshore winds (9th) produced Grey Phalarope, Sooty Shearwater, two Manx Shearwaters, 141 Common Scoters, Little Gull and a Red-necked Grebe, which was also seen 14th & 21st. Two Long-tailed Ducks were seen (10th & 14th) and a Black Brant (21st).

Whisby Nature Park: November is usually a quiet month, but this one proved to be somewhat different. On the Whisby side some peak counts included 15 Snipe, 12 Tree Sparrows, 50-plus Lesser Redpolls and 65-plus Siskins. Other good birds included a Waxwing (11th), two Jack Snipe (13th), Peregrines (18th & 23rd), the first Woodcock of the winter (25th), a male Mandarin (26th-28th), a Water Rail (27th), up to three Goosander (26th-30th) and a wintering Green Sandpiper (30th). On the N Hykeham side regular gull-watching was rewarded with adult Caspian Gulls (25th & 29th), up to six Yellow-legged Gulls all month and an adult Med Gull (29th). A drake Scaup (15th-23rd) was another good local find.

Gibraltar Point NNR: There were two Taiga Bean Geese (29th) and five White-fronted Geese (21st). There 32 Barnacle Geese (29th-30th), four Velvet Scoter (28th), a Great Northern Diver (26th), an Iceland Gull (28th), a Bearded Tit (20th) and three (21st). Shore Larks were present from 4th, when there were 12, with 15 (13th) and 11 (28th). A Pallas’s Warbler was present (17th). Maximum number of Waxwings reported was 31 (5th). Up to 35 Snow Buntings were present during the month and 16 Lapland Buntings. A Rough-legged Buzzard was seen (30th), and one was nearby at Wainfleet (2nd & 5th). Three Pomarine Skuas were at Skegness (9th), a Black Redstart at Gibraltar Point (12th) and another at Skegness (13th).

Other sites: A Ring-necked Duck was present at Bardney Pits (1st-28th) and a Black-necked Grebe was there (21st). A Grey Phalarope was at Boston Golf Course (7th). A Great Grey Shrike was at RAF Woodhall (7th) and a Raven at Bicker Fen (21st). At Marston Sewage Farm, there were four Bearded Tits (6th) and five (15th), and a Cetti's Warbler (10th & 15th). Waxwings were widely reported, highest numbers being 12 at Spalding (7th), 14-plus at Lincoln (from 14th), 26 at Sloothby (24th), and 16 at Sutterton. There were 20 Lapland Buntings reported at Gedney Drove End.
Steve Keightley, County Recorder, assisted by Colin Jennings, John Badley, Grahame Hopwood.

Ayrshire - November
Highlights: There was an unconfirmed report of an American Herring Gull at Troon harbour (5th). A first-winter Black Redstart at Turnberry Point (24th-30th), a Little Auk off Saltcoats (26th), and a Water Pipit at Seamill (29th-30th) were notable.

General: The Waxwing invasion continued as birds dispersed widely. Largest flocks were 400+ at Irvine (9th), 300 at Prestwick (10th) and 200+ at Saltcoats (15th). Up to 3 Great Northern Divers were between Turnberry and Dipple throughout. Up to three Leach’s Petrels were at Troon and Stevenston (3rd-5th). By the end of the month there were five pale-bellied Brent Geese at Maidens. The largest herd of Whooper Swans was 75 at Springside/Knockentiber (2nd). Two Hen Harriers were near Cumnock (9th) and at Auchinleck there were two Jack Snipe on the same day. Single Merlins were at Irvine (10th) and Greenan (13th). A Great Skua was off Troon and Stevenston Point (12th) and off Saltcoats (13th) where there was also a Pomarine Skua (11th) and another along with a Storm Petrel (13th). A female Long-tailed Duck remained in Maidens harbour (13th-30th). A Slavonian Grebe was at Southannan Sands (14th), when six Grey Plovers were at nearby Hunterston. Another Slavonian Grebe was at Saltcoats (26th). An unusually high count of 39 Black Guillemots was seen between Portencross and Hunterston (14th). A Green Sandpiper was along the Cessnock Water at Barleith (15th) and four female Ruff at Saltoats on the same day. Two Snow Buntings appeared at Prestwick Beach (16th), a single was at Turnberry Point (26th-27th) and five were at Prestwick (30th). A Ring-necked Parakeet was in Skelmorlie (13th), Alloway (24th) and Saltcoats (28th). The adult Iceland Gull remained on the river Ayr throughout. A large movement of Woodpigeon was noted at the beginning of the month. Small groups of Bramblings were widespread and large finch and lark flocks were noted, particularly at the coast. Crossbills were noted in most forests and groups of up to 10 Woodcock were also reported. Nuthatches at bird feeders in Alloway suggest a consolidation in that area. Mixed flocks of Greylag and Pink-footed Geese were widespread but small.
Michael Howes

UKBS: Greater Manchester

2010-07-08T15:43:00.002Z

Because of an early deadline for the August issue, one or two UKBS reports may not have made the cut-off. Here, then, is the Greater Manchester round-up, with the birds seen in June.

Greater Manchester

Highlights: A Red Kite flew over Woodford Aerodrome (4th). The male Black Redstart was still in Manchester city centre all month. A Marsh Harrier was at Bryn Marsh, Wigan (12th-13th). A Quail was flushed from an Offerton garden (17th).

Mersey Valley: A drake Wigeon lingered at Shell Pool late month (23rd-30th).

Elton Reservoir: Star bird was a brief Little Tern with the Common Terns (6th). Ten Gadwall (3rd) was a noteworthy count. A Dipper was regularly seen nearby from Bury Bridge.

Other sites: A drake Garganey was at Horrock's Flash, Wigan (1st) with 31 Black-tailed Godwits there later in the month (17th).

Dr Paul Brewster 01606 590 491 (& Peter Alker Pennington Flash, 01942 605 253), Chris Nield, Peter Baron

Deceased Kingfisher

2010-06-25T16:54:00.004Z

(Assistant editor) Mike Weedon writes: I found this male Kingfisher dead at the top of the stairway up to our offices this morning. I am not sure how it died, but there were no obvious wounds and the neck was very floppy. I suspect that it may have flown up from the carp pond and hit one of the shiny windows. These photos were taken by Darren Harbar of Practical Photography magazine.

Derbyshire UKBS for May 2010

2010-06-21T15:22:00.002Z

Owing to a technical glitch in our July 2010 issue, Rod Key's Derbyshire report for UK Bird Sightings went AWOL (in fact it morphed into a duplicate of the Herefordshire report...). Here, then, for those of you who missed it (pretty much everyone), is the Derbyshire report for the birds seen in May 2010. Apologies all round.

Derbyshire

Highlights: A Great Reed Warbler, a county first, was at Straw’s Bridge Pond, Ilkeston (from 12th). A Red-rumped Swallow was at Ogston Reservoir (29th-30th). Nine Cetti’s Warblers were in the Trent Valley. A Spoonbill was at Willington Canal Pit (29th). A Montagu’s Harrier was on the North Derbyshire Moors (to 19th). Seven Dotterel were at Abney Moor (11th) with two (16th-18th). Two more flew over Big Moor (19th). Five Cranes were at Ogston Reservoir (3rd). A possible Black Kite was at Higher Tor, Hathersage Moor (17th).

Aston-on-Trent gravel pits: A Marsh Harrier flew west (1st). There were three Sanderling (29th), with a few Dunlin and Ringed Plovers.

Carr Vale: Eight Marsh Harriers flew through. The Bar-tailed Godwit remained (to 4th). A Whimbrel was seen (5th and 10th) with a Little Egret and Greenshank (19th). A Wood Warbler (3rd) was a rare record here.

Carsington Water: The Great Northern Diver remained (to 8th), as did the Scaup (to 1st). An Osprey sat on a buoy eating a fish (26th). There were two Sanderling (12th) with one (26th), a Turnstone (8th-10th), eight Whimbrels (5th) with 15 (8th), a Greenshank (10th) and three Black-tailed Godwits (5th). A Mediterranean Gull was seen (1st), with a Black Tern (28th). Arctic Terns peaked at four (8th).

Foremark Reservoir: There were seven Common Scoters (31st). A Black Redstart was seen (8th). A Wood Warbler was at Carvers Rocks (31st).

Middleton Moor: There were three Sanderling, four Dunlin and 19 Ringed Plovers (29th) with one Sanderling (30th). Seventeen Greenland Wheatears were seen (3rd).

Ogston Reservoir: There were Red Kites (1st and 23rd), Ospreys (8th and 15th) and a Marsh Harrier (19th). Sixteen Whimbrels were seen (7th) with one (10th), a Sanderling (22nd) and Turnstone (15th). A Sandwich Tern arrived (19th), with a Little Tern (26th) and 52 Arctic Terns (7th).

Willington gravel pits: Garganeys were seen (9th-12th and 22nd-31st), with four Wigeon and a Teal noted. Three Marsh Harriers were logged. There was a Grey Plover (10th), three Sanderling (6th), with one (22nd), up to 13 Black-tailed Godwits, a Greenshank (6th) and a Wood Sandpiper (19th-21st). A Mediterranean Gull (1st), Little Gull (31st), Sandwich Tern (2nd), Black Tern (22nd) and up to 17 Arctic Terns were seen.

Other sites: Red Kites were at seven sites including three over the A38 near Ripley (23rd). Marsh Harriers were at Ambaston gravel pits (3rd), Barbrook Pools (23rd) and Erewash Meadows (27th). An Osprey flew over Clowne (7th). Two Quails were at Etwall sewage farm (26th). Six Greenshanks were at Barbrook Pools (8th). Wood Sandpipers were at Ambaston gravel pits (3rd) and Pleasley Colliery (21st-22nd). Four Sandwich Terns were at Barrow gravel pits (3rd) with a Black Tern at Straw’s Bridge Pond, Ilkeston (15th). Two Hawfinches were at Cromford Canal (2nd). Long Eaton gravel pits logged two Shelducks, two Egyptian Geese and an Arctic Tern (5th).
Rod Key (r_key@sky.com)

Easter birding

2010-04-06T10:28:00.004Z

Easter's always a favourite time of year for me, because of course it falls during the spring migration period. A little earlier this year than some, and certainly a little colder, but still a great chance to get out there and try to catch up with a few migrants.

In fact, though, my two birding highlights of the long weekend didn't involve new arrivals at all. The first came on Saturday, in the unlikely surroundings of Welford Road, Leicester Tigers' rugby ground.

Now, over the years, I've got some reasonably good ticks while watching sport, with the best probably being an Osprey drifting over the cricket club where I play. But, in many years of watching at Welford Road, or more often at the nearby Walkers Stadium (and Filbert Street before that), I've learned not to expect much more than Feral Pigeons and Black-headed Gulls going overhead.

But, as I stood there around 20 minutes before the kick-off, with 22,000 people packed in for the game against old rivals Bath, my eye was caught by a bird flying diagonally across the stadium, just above the level of the tallest stand. The sun caught it, and I could see that it was a Woodcock, one of the last birds I'd expect to see in the middle of Leicester. I excitedly pointed it out to everyone around me - not suprisingly, most looked at me as if I'd lost my marbles!

Yesterday, as I returned home from looking for Wheatears, Ring Ouzels and Black Redstarts at Beacon Hill (only the former were to be found), a large bird drifted across the road in front of me at a height of around 100ft. For a second I took it for a gull, then realised that it was a Curlew, followed by another.

In the time it took to park safely, they'd landed in a large field where I've often seen them at this time of year (so much so, in fact, that I think of it as the Easer Monday Curlew field). They were a bit nervous, but for 45 minutes or so, I watched them feeding and occasionally doing their wonderful display flight and song, the latter a bubbling, trilling thing of beauty that is probably my favourite ever birdsong.

Whether they breed locally is unclear (they certainly did within living memory), but the Curlews that I see in this particular vicinity are always around six weeks later than the first I see going through the local gravel pits. For me, their appearance is always proof that spring has well and truly arrived.

Birding getaways

2010-03-23T11:34:00.002Z

Later this year in Bird Watching, you'll be able to read UKBS stalwart and Scottish birding enthusiast Gordon Hamlett's excellent account of an RSPB Birding Weekend at the Cavens Hotel, Kirkbean, Dumfries and Galloway.

In the meantime, though, you can find out more about the hotel (situated on the bird-rich Solway Firth) and the birdwatching breaks it offers here.

It has RSPB Weekends scheduled on April 23rd-25th and November 5th-7th, when you can join RSPB experts for a trip packed with the best of Solway birds, including flocks of geese, breeding waders, dabbling and diving ducks, spectacular seabirds, spring songsters, migrants and
birds of prey. Visiting some of the best bird-watching sites along the North Solway Coast, you can expect to see around 100 different species.

The all-inclusive weekends include:
Drinks reception with expert
Ranger-led daily excursions & talks
Delicious dinners including wine
Packed lunches
Hearty Scottish breakfasts
Afternoon tea
£137.50 pppn or £550 for Country rooms
£150 pppn or £600 for Estate rooms
(based on two people sharing)

In addition, 10% of your room rate goes directly to the RSPB.

30,000 Barnacle Geese

2010-03-16T09:25:00.002Z

This is what happens when 30,000 Barnacle Geese take off and fly directly over your head. This is just part of the massive flock we saw in Friesland, north Netherlands, on a weekend tour with Birding Holland (www.birdingholland.com) this February.

More migration watch

2010-03-10T08:30:00.002Z

We're starting to get the first reports of summer visitors arriving in the UK, with a small group of Sand Martins at Marloes Mere, Pembrokeshire, and both Sand Martin and Wheatear seen around Worksop, Nottinghamshire, at the weekend.

Let us know as and when you note the arrival of migrants, and we'll try to build up a picture of just what's going on out there.

And us? Well, we go to press with the April issue today, but once that's finished, we'll be out there scanning the skies with the rest of you...

LESVOS BIRDS 2009

2010-03-09T09:30:00.001Z

written and compiled by Steve Dudley

The first annual report for the island covering all species recorded on the island in 2009 and details of many rare and scarce species records from previous years.

50 pages covering 257 species, many colour photographs.

As well as accounts of commoner species, records covered also include many notable scarce and rare species including details of the first Lesvos records of Steppe Eagle, Pectoral Sandpiper, Red Knot, Little Swift, White-throated Dipper and Bluethroat; the second Caspian Plover; the fourth Whooper Swan; the fourth and fifth Terek Sandpipers; the fifth White-tailed Eagle; the eighth Common Pochard; and tenth Egyptian Vulture. In addition, the report includes the first recorded winter records of Black Kite, Turtle Dove sp. and Short-toed Lark.

FREE to view web version PDF (3Mb) via the Lesvos Birding Website – www.lesvosbirding.com

FREE high res PDF download (37Mb) also available from Lesvos Birding Website.

Migration watch

2010-03-08T09:40:00.003Z

There are two sides to visible migration. One is the hard slog – standing on a windswept hilltop, freezing cold, getting a crick in your neck as you try to log huge numbers of Sky Larks, Meadow Pipits, geese or whatever passing overhead.

Despite all that, the rewards are enormous. There’s no better way to get an idea of just how many bird movements go on in these islands, even among species we often think of as essentially sedentary.

The other side of it is the happy accidents. A couple of years ago, I went along to a local reservoir at the end of March to see a Lesser Scaup that had arrived the previous day. As I set up my scope on the crowded dam, I looked up at the observation tower just as a very bedraggled Wheatear alighted on it. For 15, maybe 20 minutes, it sat there, occasionally preening, but mainly just getting its breath back. It visibly revived, before heading on its way further north, perhaps even beyond the UK.

Yesterday was a glorious, clear day, but still probably a week or 10 days too early to realistically expect the first Wheatears or Sand Martins. I went over to Willington Gravel Pits, a fine Derbyshire Wildlife Trust reserve between Derby and Burton, mainly in the hope of seeing the Water Pipits that have been there.

After parking in the village, I walked up the green lane as far as the entrance to the reserve itself, when I heard the unmistakeable ‘coor-li’ call of the Curlew. Small numbers are fairly regular visitors here in spring and autumn, but at first I struggled to locate just where the sound was coming from.

I scanned over the valley of the River Trent towards Repton, and finally, between the trees and hedges and fences, picked up some movement in the water meadows there. A flock of 30 or so Curlew were bustling along the riverbank, feeding constantly as they went. Once or twice, they were flushed into the air by dogwalkers, but they quickly returned to the same spot and resumed their lunch, joined now by a pair of Oystercatchers.

Now, I love Curlews anyway, and although we don’t have huge numbers on my inland patch, neither are they particularly difficult to find in the course of the year. This, though, was the biggest flock I can remember for a long, long time, and the sight and sound of them even overshadowed the long-staying Bittern that flapped over the reedbed a little later, or the Whooper Swan drifting through a flock of Goosanders.

I suspect they’ll be gone on their way to their breeding grounds very soon (indeed, they’re probably already gone), which makes the lucky chance of our paths crossing all the more pleasurable.

We want to hear about migration on your patch. Let us know when your first summer visitors arrive, about large-scale movements of year-round birds, or anything else you see on your travels.

Matt Merritt, features editor

How did you start birding?

2010-03-05T10:30:00.004Z

What was your birding 'eureka' moment?

The Glamorgan UKBS report for the April issue arrived this morning, and the mention in it of the Ogmore Estuary took me back to childhood summer holidays in South Wales. My mum's family are all from Bridgend, Kenfig and the surrounding area, so every year we went down there and spent days on the beaches at Porthcawl and Ogmore. One year when I was still pretty young, I remember standing at the edge of the water at Ogmore and seeing a small flock of Oystercatchers fly over. They're such an eyecatching bird that they must have really caught my fancy, so off I went to find out more.

There were other things that got me started, notably having to do a project on birds at school. It led me to start watching the Kestrels that nested up a lane near our house (incidentally, walking down that lane a couple of weeks ago, it was good to see that there were still Kestrels doing well), but that moment on the beach might just have been the start of my birdwatching life.

So what was it that started you off? Let us know...

Matt Merritt, features editor

Keep the questions coming

2010-03-03T09:59:00.002Z

One of the most interesting, and enjoyable, parts of the production process at Bird Watching is putting together the Q&A pages.

Every month, we get a little flood of queries from readers about birds they've seen, behaviour they've noticed, or features they've read in previous issues of the magazine. While we're sometimes able to answer them straight away, on other occasions we send them out to friends whose specialist expertise can help us come up with a fuller explanation.

But, we're also always pleased at how often readers come up with the answers. What might be unheard of to a birder in one part of the country might be obvious, or familiar, to a someone else.

So, don't hesitate to write or email with your questions, or your answers. It's a learning process for all of us.

Make a difference

2010-03-02T09:45:00.003Z

You'll have noticed by now that I do a lot of thinking about birds and birding on my journeys to and from work, and today was no difference.

With the weather much more pleasant than it has been for ages, and spring on the point of exploding into life, it was disappointing to see long stretches of hedgerows not just cut back, but stripped almost bare, at exactly the time of year when many birds will be looking to use them for nesting.

Now this isn't an anti-farming rant. A lot of farmers do a great deal to help the birding environment, but the main problem in cases like this one, I suspect, is that some are still unaware of just how relatively minor changes to their routine can impact on wildlife.

A bigger hobby horse, for me, is the cutting of roadside verges by councils. In some locations this is, to be fair, absolutely necessary for the sake of visibility and road safety, but in others it seems absolutely pointless. It does, however, significantly affect birds, by reducing the amount of available insect and seed food, and by reducing scrubby cover.

So, if you get the chance, have a quiet word with your local farmer about bird-friendly scheduling of tasks such as hedging, and better still write to your local council to suggest that this spring and summer, they let the verges grow. They'll be doing birds a big favour, and they'll be saving themselves a lot of money.

Matt Merritt, features editor

Buzzard variations

2010-03-01T10:17:00.002Z

My birding over the weekend was pretty much limited to the garden, for one reason and another, although I did manage to walk a little two-mile circuit close to my house yesterday afternoon.

But home and away, the most noticeable birds were Buzzards, in pairs, soaring and mewing away like crazy. A pair drifted fairly low right over my garden at one point, a first, although I’ve seen one in the nearby cemetery regularly.

These days, they’re the UK’s commonest raptor, but the sound of them always makes me think back to the days when they were a comparatively rare treat on a trip to the Peak District or Wales.

It’s fast reaching a point when some birders don’t pay them much attention (although quite apart from anything else, it's always worth checking fro the possibility of Rough-legged Buzzard).

But one of the real pleasures of Buzzards is the variation in plumages. Within 15 miles of home, there’s one very pale bird, appearing almost white from a distance, and another very dark one. And then, driving into work this morning, I saw one on a roadside fencepost that, while mid-brown, had only the merest hint of the U-shaped pale breast band that’s usually such a distinctive feature. Variety - it's the spice of birdwatching.

Matt Merritt, features editor

FREE Collins Bird Guide

2010-02-26T10:17:00.000Z

If you want the best deal on the excellent new Collins Bird Guide, you can get it for absolutely FREE when you subscribe to Bird Watching.

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Shameless plug, but also a pretty good deal that could save you some money.

Wooden woodpecker

2010-02-25T10:14:00.001Z

About a week ago, there was an intriguing report on the news services of a Black Woodpecker at a site in Cumbria. One or two birding blogs mentioned it too, there was a little flurry of activity on Twitter, and we braced ourselves for one of the biggest UK twitches of recent years. Even though it sounded rather unlikely, we're as insanely optimistic as most birdwatchers.

For some reason, even though they can be seen immediately on the other side of the Channel, Black Woodpeckers never make the short hop across the sea to the UK. This, then, looked mega.

Sadly, the bird turned out to be a model, placed on a telegraph pole specifically to deter Great Spotted Woodpeckers! Binoculars, scopes and cameras were put away, travel plans cancelled, Ginsters pasties returned to chiller cabinets in petrol station shops.

I’m not laughing too loud, though. On some allotments near to my house, someone has placed a handmade and highly realistic model of a Tawny Owl on a fencepost. No matter how many times I drive past it, I feel compelled to look and check that it isn’t, in fact, a real owl.

But all this talk of woodpeckers leads us to a little trivia test for you all. There are five woodpeckers on the British List – can you name them all?

Matt Merritt, features editor

Spring migrants

2010-02-24T10:18:00.003Z

Our May issue is going to be taking a close look at the whole subject of migration, but in the meantime, we're all getting excited at the thought of the arrival of the first summer visitors. In little more than a couple of weeks, the first Wheatears and Sand Martins might be appearing locally, and there are already reports of some freakishly early arrivals.

We'd like to hear from you about what, when and where your first summer visitors are. Forget the annual Cuckoo debate on the letters page of The Times - this is where it's at! Email us at the magazine, or post your comments below, with details of your migrants.

Owling mad

2010-02-23T10:25:00.004Z

I've spent quite a few cold afternoons this winter watching the owls down at Cossington Meadows, a Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust Reserve just north of Leicester. There have been three Short-eareds (now possibly four - it's a long while since we've had even one long-stayer in the area), around the same number of Barn Owls, plus the resident Little Owls and Tawnys (although you only hear the latter).

Anyway, I'm no photographer, but Andy Mackay, AKA The Leicester Llama, has posted some great shots on his own blog, and at Soar Valley Birding. Enjoy!

Matt Merritt, features editor

I can see clearly now

2010-02-19T11:36:00.003Z

Seems like every post these days is about the weather, but sitting there waiting for the roads to clear this morning I noticed one little bonus of all this snow.

The light reflecting off it makes it much easier to identify flyover birds, and turned a straggly flock of Fieldfares from the usual dull silhouettes into the sharply marked beauties they actually are. Some consolation, at least!

Weather or not to go birdwatching

2010-02-18T10:04:00.002Z

Driving to work today was like barrelling through an enormous cotton wool tunnel - from beginning to end, visibility never got more than 50 yards or so, and at times the fog was even thicker than that.

But although it might, on the face of it, seem like the worst birdwatching weather possible, there are times when a bit of fog is the birder's friend. Six weeks from now, for example, when spring migration is well and truly in full swing and everything's on the move, a bit of early morning fog can be the signal to get down to your local reserve and start scanning, because it can ground all sorts of birds that might otherwise overfly your patch in the night without stopping.

In future issues of Bird Watching, we're going to be paying closer attention to the weather than we have in the past. We won't be making any rash forecasts, but we will be looking at how certain conditions can bring in certain birds.

We'd also like to know your weather-related birding tips. And we don't mean "always carry an umbrella"!

Getting twitchy

2010-02-16T11:39:00.004Z

Our thoughts, and those of Bird Watching columnist David Lindo, AKA The Urban Birder, have been turning to twitching these last couple of days.

The reason? A Dusky Warbler - London's first - discovered at Lockwood Reservoir, Walthamstow. It's around the allotments on Black Horse Road, E17, if any of you are interested in going after it. So far, the weather has stymied David, but we don't reckon he'll resist temptation for too much longer.

It's another sign that spring's on the way. In early January, it's easy to vow only to bird your local patch this year, but the closer the spring migration period gets, the more you start to think: "Well, maybe I'll twitch the odd county rarity".

We'll be looking at the psychology of twitching, and of birdwatching more generally, in the magazine in the near future, but what are your thoughts on it? Where do you draw the line? And what birds might lure you into a madcap overnight motorway dash to the other end of the UK?

Here comes spring

2010-02-15T09:35:00.002Z

I know that by saying this I’ll guarantee that I’ll wake up tomorrow to six-foot snow drifts, but yesterday really did feel like spring was right on the brink of exploding into life.

It wasn’t particularly sunny, or warm, but it was milder than it has been for a while, and everywhere I went, birds were in full song. Blackbirds and Song Thrushes in particular, but also the likes of a Nuthatch. One dense plantation of larches I walked past was absolutely alive with Goldcrests. There are fears that they might have suffered badly in the bad weather, but they seemed to be doing well here – stand still for a minute and do a bit of pishing, and six or seven would appear to have a look at you.

Of course, that’s why St Valentine’s Day is on February 14th – it’s when, traditionally, birds were thought to start pairing up for the breeding season. The truth is a bit more complicated than that, as you can discover in Bird Watching magazine soon, but it’s one of those pieces of folk wisdom that is firmly rooted in reality.

One of those days

2010-02-12T09:43:00.004Z

We've already talked on here about how the hard winter has affected birds (our March issue will contain more on the same theme), and it shows no sign of changing.

I had the day off yesterday, and although there was the odd wintry shower early on, things brightened up by the afternoon. I thought I'd head over to a rather nondescript field where, in the past, I've found Jack Snipe, but although it still looks perfect for them (boggy, with lots of tussocky grass), there was no sign. I did see a Kingfisher flash down the nearby stream, though.

So, it was on to Kelham Bridge, a former sewage works that's now a Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust reserve. It's my favourite local site, but I've neglected it a bit recently. Next to the first hide, there are a few feeders, and as I settled into my seat I did a double-take - underneath them, a Water Rail was pecking away at the fallen seed, along with a few Moorhens, Dunncoks and Robins. Now I hear the Water Rails squealing away here quite often, but to get such great, unobstructed views was amazing.

On the feeders themselves, there was a mass of Great Tits and Blue Tits, plus the bizarre sight of a Moorhen trying to climb out along one of the branches to get to the feeders (or possibly the tits - Moorhens can be voracious and none-too-fussy eaters). One of those days, as it turned out, to learn something new about birds you think of as familiar.

UK Bird Sightings

2010-02-10T10:07:00.003Z

It's deadline day here at Bird Watching, which means putting the finishing touches to the UK Bird Sightings section. It can be a bit hectic at times, but the real hard work is done by our little army of contributors and our UKBS sub-editor, Gordon Hamlett.

Every month, against a strict and pretty tight deadline, they produce reports from most corners of the UK We know from talking to readers, and from surveys, that it's one of the most popular parts of the magazine. You might not read every word, but most people will look at their own county and neighbouring regions. A lot of people use the information for the future - if you see that a site has a regular influx of, say, Smew in January, you can go there the next year in anticipation of seeing one.

Inevitably, over time, our entirely voluntary correspondents come and go, as they move house, change jobs and generally get on with everyday life. That means there are always a few gaps in our coverage.

So, if you think your county is not getting covered (at the moment, notable absentees include Oxfordshire, Surrey, Gwynedd, Shropshire and most of Cheshire, while Kent, Sussex and Northumberland will shortly need new writers), and you think you can do the job (we'll give you the guidelines), let us know in the comments box, or email matthew.merritt@bauermedia.co.uk

Challenging IDs

2010-02-09T09:47:00.002Z

There’s a really interesting letter in the current issue of British Birds (Vol. 103), concerning the identification of Willow Tit and Marsh Tit. To sum up, Dr JTR Sharrock and Barry Nightingale respond to a recent paper by Richard Broughton, and say that they feel he may have been too pessimistic. They add: “Positive field identification of these two species may be challenging, but it is – in our view – easier than that of, say, silent Common Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler”.

Now, I was thinking about separating the two when I was at Willington GP on Sunday, and I’d tend to agree with what they say. One thing that tends to get underplayed, in our experience, is the structure of the two birds – Willow Tits always look very bull-necked to us, and that seems to be a more reliable ID factor than any of the others (pale wing panel, shape of bib, glossy or non-glossy cap). The letter writers, to be fair, point out that the important thing is taking into account a whole combination of factors, and we'd agree.

But we'd like to know - would you find separating Willow and Marsh Tit easier than separating silent Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler, as they suggest? And are there any other match-ups that you find even harder?

Bitten by the Bittern bug

2010-02-08T10:49:00.002Z

One of the side-effects of the hard winter is that certain birds usually known for their secretive and skulking behaviour can be seen a lot more easily (see our forthcoming March issue for a look at how the bad weather has affected British birds). Woodcocks, for instance, of which I’ve seen more locally this winter than in the last 10 put together, and Bitterns.

There have been several seen around Soar Valley sites since around Christmas, but I’d managed to miss them every time, even the one at Swithland Reservoir that seemed impossible not to see, so small was the area it was frequenting. So, for a change, I went to the far side of my local patch, to Willington Gravel Pits, where a Bittern has been seen since early autumn.

Thing is, once I got there, I rather forgot about it. It’s a big site, and there was plenty else to divert my attention, and anyway the reedbed’s big enough that any Bittern can stay hidden for days at a time. I walked down to the first viewing platform, which overlooks an almost enclosed bay of the main lake, and after a scan of the water and the reedy fringes, started watching the nearby bird table. There were plenty of Reed Buntings, two Willow Tits (easier to find than March Tits in my part of the world), and several Robins and Dunnocks.

At one point, there was the sound of movement in the reeds behind me, but careful scanning revealed nothing, and when a Water Rail started squealing from the same area, I assumed it had been responsible for the whole commotion. I returned to watching the table, which now had a couple of Bullfinches in attendance.

Then there was the sound from the reeds again, and I looked round to see a Bittern flying almost straight towards me. Bizarrely, it seemed not to have even noticed I was there, even though the viewing platform is really rather prominent, and it got to within 15 yards before suddenly veering right then sweeping round in a wide curve, and finally dropping out of sight into a ditch. They’re really glorious birds, and always look more golden than you expect.

After that excitement, anything else was always going to be an anti-climax, so a single Stonechat, four Oystercatchers and a couple of Shelducks were no more than pleasant diversions. But out on the far side of the water, patient grilling of a flock of dozing Pochards produced a pair of Pintail, also dozing with their heads tucked out of sight. They’re not a duck we get very often in the East Midlands, so it was a nice tick.

As it turned out, my regular Soar Valley site, Cossington Meadows, had a Bittern, two Pintail, two Little Egrets and the three Short-eared Owls yesterday, but I’d bet my house that the Bittern wouldn’t have shown if I’d gone there instead!

Matt Merritt, features editor

Field guides of the future

2010-02-05T09:59:00.003Z

I've just downloaded BirdGuides' Birds of Britain and Ireland (Pro Edition) for my iPhone. Described as a high-quality digital field guide, first impressions are very good indeed - they seem to have done a very comprehensive job.

In fact, although a copy of that birders' Bible, the Collins Bird Guide, will always remain in my car for ID emergencies, this is the app that, when I first bought the iPhone, I dreamed about someone developing. You have pictures, descriptions and calls of 271 species at your fingertips, for a very reasonable £14.99, and without having to carry a chunky tome in your pocket. It'll complement the Collins Guide very nicely.

In the March issue of Bird Watching, new subscribers can get a free copy of the new second edition of the Collins Bird Guide, and there'll be an in-depth review of that iPhone app. I'm off to really put it through its paces now...

Matt Merritt

A taste of Jamaica

2010-02-04T14:10:00.002Z

In the March issue of Bird Watching, Mike Weedon will report on his recent trip to Jamaica, and particular his new found addiction to the endemic streamertail hummingbirds, which are very common birds on the island. Here is best flight shot of a Red-billed Streamertail. Great bird, isn't it?

To tick or not to tick

2010-02-03T09:39:00.004Z

I've been thinking again about one of my birding hobby horses - non-native species. Not so much the Ruddy Duck controversy, as the fact that most birders (myself included) are curiously inconsistent in what they regard as a 'tickable' species.

So, some geese and ducks (such as Red-crested Pochards, at some times of the year) immediately arouse suspicion, on the grounds that, although they might now have formed self-supporting populations, they're originally from captive stock. Even Egyptian Geese get ignored by some, although most of them in the UK are descended from stock released in the 17th century.

Mandarins, on the other hand, nearly always get ticked, even though they're surely just as suspect. Little Owls always get ticked. They're not native. Neither are Red-legged Partridges, or Pheasants. Or Rabbits, for that matter, which as a prey species must have greatly helped the rise and rise of the Buzzard. Where do you draw the line?

So, where do you stand? Do you have your own criteria? Send us your comments now...

On the move

2010-02-02T09:42:00.003Z

Driving into work this morning in the wind and rain, I kept seeing small, straggly flocks of Lapwings heading vaguely east.

It was only then that it occurred to me how few I've seen since the really cold weather started in mid-December, a reminder that, quite apart from all the bird movements into and out of the UK, there are also an awful lot within these islands.

We've been getting reports of larger than usual numbers of Redwings, Fieldfares, Sky Larks and various other species, including Lapwings, from the south-west, with the obvious conclusion being that the cold weather has pushed the birds further and further west in search of unfrozen ground. Now, it seems, they're coming back. It might not quite be spring yet, but it's not too far away.

In the March issue of Bird Watching, we'll be looking in more depth at just how the big freeze affected our British birds, including your pictures of some unusual garden visitors.

Matt Merritt, features editor

Owling mad

2010-02-01T11:40:00.000Z

I spent yesterday trekking round my local patch, attempting to kickstart my 2010 list, and to prevent my increasingly dodgy back from seizing up altogether.

It worked on both counts, with the early highlight being a good look at a lovely drake Smew at Swithland Reservoir, near Leicester. It took a while to find it, watching from the dam, because it was tucked in right underneath the overhanging vegetation along the Kinchley Lane side of the res, so I walked over that way and, as it gradually made its way out into open water, was able to get great scope views of it in all its cracked-ice glory.

Most of the rest of the day was spent mopping up some fairly bread-and-butter birds, but on most of my birding trips this winter, I seem to have been magnetically attracted to Cossington Meadows, and its Short-eared Owls (although there was also the hope that the Bittern found my John Hague the previous day would still be around).

It was a gloriously clear, sunny day, and as I entered the reserve and walked over towards Rectory Marsh at about 3.45, I could see a white shape flitting around behind the trees. As I got closer, it was revealed as a Barn Owl, and a very pale one at that, hunting along the hedgerows and occasionally perching on a fencepost. As I watched, along with a couple who’d made the trip over from South Derbyshire, I caught sight of a crow mobbing a large bird high in the distance. To my surprise, it was one of the Short-eareds. Surprised, because for most of the winter they’ve been waiting until it’s almost dark to come out, and because you don’t usually see them at any great height.

So, we trooped round to a position overlooking Swan Meadow, and stood with half a dozen other birders as the show commenced. The mobbing had finished, so the SEO descended to its usual level and started quartering the rough grass. Another Barn Owl appeared, this one much darker and more orangey on its back, and for the next hour, we were able to watch up to three SEOs and three Barn Owls hunting nearly non-stop. It was very noticeable, especially when they glided close in, that there was a considerable colour difference between the Short-eareds, too, with one appearing much lighter than the others.

I finally gave up when I realised I was getting positively dizzy with cold (or was that just with the experience and with having my eyes pressed up to my Swarovskis for so long?). There was a fantastic sunset over Charnwood Forest, with what seemed like every possible colour bleeding into each other, and after 15 minutes thawing out in the car, I drove home, enjoying the extra bonus of a Woodcock in perfect silhouette as it flew across the road between Bradgate Park and Swithland Wood.

Matt Merritt, features editor

Owls playing chicken

2009-10-21T15:55:00.003Z

Features editor Matt Merritt writes:

Last night, I was driving home from Nottingham, at about 11.30pm. It was rainy and windy, and I’d got about two miles from home, on a straight, downhill stretch, when I saw a Tawny Owl standing upright at the side of the road.

I slowed right down and managed to avoid it, and pulled to a halt a little way further on, hazard warning lights blazing, before going back with a torch. To my surprise, it was still there, and didn’t fly away even when I got to within almost touching distance.

Now I was worried. I assumed it must be injured, so I started trying to work out ways to pick it up without hurting it, and without suffering severe injury myself (the wildlife photographer Eric Hosking famously lost an eye to a Tawny Owl). Quite where I’d have taken it, I’m not sure, there not being any all-night owl surgeries in the vicinity. I went back to the car, found a padded photographer’s case to put it in, donned gloves, and prepared for the difficult part.

It had gone, thankfully. I had a good look around the area on foot, drove back up and down three or four times, but it had clearly flown away rather than just hopping into the ditch.

Thing is, this is the third time something like this has happened to me. The first, 10 years ago, was on a similarly lonely stretch of road near Bourne, Lincolnshire, where I was living at the time. That time it was a Long-eared Owl, which was stood in the centre of the road, stock still. I only saw it late and was terrified that I’d hit it, but when I got out to walk back, it watched me part of the way, then flew easily away.

Just a couple of months after that, the same thing happened with another Long-eared Owl (odd because I don’t know of any breeding locally) just about a mile from where I saw last night’s bird.

So, I’m baffled. Roads must be great places to catch voles, etc, as they emerge from cover, but I can only assume the owls get rather dazzled by headlights and are unable to fly away from approaching cars. I’m trying to get an owl expert to explain more, but has anyone out there had a similar experience?

Patch list challenge update

2009-10-21T09:59:00.005Z

Well, we're approaching the home straight, and intrepid challenger Mike Passman, who watches Thurlestone Bay in Devon, is hanging on to his lead, but there's still time for things to change...

He writes: "September was not as successful as I had hoped – very settled weather with few days with winds in excess of force four, so very poor passage of seabirds.

"A juvenile Pied Flycatcher (163) was found in the willows by East Soar Farm on the 14th. Next day, a Ruff (164) spent an afternoon on Thurlestone Marsh, while a walk around South Milton Ley on the 16th produced a juvenile Redstart (165).

"While searching the Bolberry Down area on the 21st, I flushed a Short-eared Owl (166), with the star bird of the month located in the same field on the 22nd – a juvenile Dotterel (167).

"As usual there was another mega dip – I went to Cornwall for a long weekend on the 25th, when a Glossy Ibis landed on Thurlestone Marsh before moving to South Huish Marsh, last being seen at 8am on the 26th. So far there have been reports of eight species which I have not managed to see! I'm going to need some very favourable weather conditions to achieve the 175 target."

Meanwhile, in the East Midlands, features editor Matt Merritt is desperately playing catch-up. He writes: "September was very quiet indeed, but a juvenile Common Rosefinch (147) trapped and ringed in a Thornton garden on the 26th was an unexpected tick to get - many thanks to Andy Smith for his generosity in letting me, and many other birders, see this great bird.

"October has brought a few ticks that I'd missed earlier in the year - fairly common birds that I'd trusted would cross my path at some stage. So, the 13th brought a flyover flock of Golden Plovers at Cossington (148), and the 14th a Kingfisher (149) at Cropston Reservoir (I've been hearing them at Kelham Bridge all year, but hadn't actually seen one). This one was, bizarrely, behaving almost like a wagtail, hopping around the small boulders on the dam near the waterline, and only once darting out to fish.

"Finally, on the 16th a couple of Marsh Tits were at Beacon Hill - they're usually harder for me to find than Willow Tits, which breed at one of my regular sites."

Patch list challenge returns

2009-09-04T15:23:00.003Z

August is always a fairly quiet time for birders, and it's been no different in our Patch List Challenge, with a month of clam before the forthcoming autumn storms, and one last effort to gobble up those ticks.

Challenger Mike Passman, in Thurlestone Bay, Devon, writes: "I only managed to add four new species during August, which also included a mega dip - Aquatic Warbler only 200 yards from my garden. It certainly beats Mike Weedon's moan about Little Tern!

"A juvenile Curlew Sandpiper (159) made a very brief visit, followed three days later by the only Wood Sandpiper (160) so far on South Huish Marsh. Amongst the large flock of Dunlin on the beach was a single Little Stint (161). Finally, the month ended on a high note with a Whinchat (162) at Soar Farm on the 31st.

"September will be the month that will provide some of my target species to achieve a year total of 175."

Meanwhile, features editor Matt Merritt has been catching up, ever so slightly, since our last update.

He writes: "A rainy Friday evening in July brought an unexpected bonus in the form of a sub-adult Gannet at Foremark Reservoir, Derbyshire. When I went back the following day to try to get a good view of it in the sunshine, it had gone, but a female Common Scoter was another new tick.

"Into August, Cossington churchyard provided five Spotted Flycatchers on the 14th (thanks to Dave Gray and John Hague for that one), and there were more later on, near Groby. I'd unaccountably managed to miss Hobby (even though they're reasonably common up here now), but there were several at Cotes Mill (16th).

"The day after Birdfair, I caught up with some Black Terns at Swithland Reservoir, then missed several possible ticks later in the week when laid up with a heavy cold. But Bank Holiday Monday, the 31st, brought number 145, well on my way to my target of 160. I walked around Measham Sewage Farm, vainly looking for Corn Buntings. As I made my way back to the car across a stubble field, two Whinchats were flycatching from the top of hay bales - they've been elsuive in recent years, so this was a nice find."

Cebu Flowerpecker

2009-07-10T11:20:00.003Z

Features editor Matt Merritt writes:

You may or may not know that the critically endangered Cebu Flowerpecker is the poster bird for this year's British Birdwatching Fair (at Rutland Water, August 21st-23rd).

While I was in the Philippines earlier this year, we attempted to see the elusive little fellas. Only two of our party managed it (yours truly wasn't among them), but it was a fantastic experience all the same, and American birder Bill Thompson III, editor of Bird Watcher's Digest, interviewed local conservationist Lisa Marie Paguntalan about her work in trying to save the bird from extinction.

You can hear a podcast of the interview here, and read more about the bird and the interview here.

Finally, there's my article about the Cebu Flowerpecker in the August issue of Bird Watching, due out July 20th, and a five-page feature on birding in the Philippines, plus a chance to win a great birding holiday there, in our special Summer Issue, due out August 10th.

Patch list challenge update

2009-06-25T09:57:00.000Z

Things have slowed down a bit recently in our patch list challenge, as you’d expect at this time of year.

Mike Passman, who watches Thurlestone Bay in Devon, writes: “Very little activity in May on the birding front. There was some sea passage on the 11th, with an adult Pomarine Skua (153) flying east in the early evening. There was another male Garganey, briefly, in late afternoon (12th), and next day the first Spotted Flycatcher was on South Milton Ley, with four (14th) in Soar Mill Valley.

“Strong southerly winds and rain (17th) produced three Arctic Skua, the second Pomarine Skua of the month and a Balearic Shearwater.

“The 25th brought a new site record – two mle and one female Tufted Ducks (155), my first in five years of covering this patch. In early afternoon (28th), a female Honey Buzzard (156) flew north over Aveton Gifford.

“Only 19 species to find in seven months, still on target for 175.”

Features editor Matt Merritt, meanwhile, made some slow but steady progress. He writes: “On May 15th, I saw a single Little Tern flying over Cossington Meadows, some reward for a lot of chasing round after Black and Little Terns that week. A gorgeous Wood Sandpiper was the best bird there, although I’d already ticked one at Willington GP earlier.

“Willington was the scene for my next tick (24th), with a pair of Garganey. Looking into the sun, they were difficult to find on the distant Canal Pit, but patience paid off.

“On a rainy Saturday (June 6th) I missed a Sanderling at Brascote Pits, but while driving into Leicester to do some shopping, had a Red Kite over rooftops at Field Head. I’ve been expecting one, because there have been a number of local sightings this year – is this the Rockingham population expanding into west Leicestershire?

“Finally, on June 23rd, I heard two or maybe three Quail calling at Groby Fishing Lakes. A really satisfying tick, this one, because I missed them last year.

“The total stands at 137 now, so my 160 target is looking achievable.”

Three’s company: The patch list challenge continues…

2009-05-15T10:31:00.001Z

Our patch list challenge has gathered pace, what with the arrival of the spring migrants, and of another challenger.

Mike Passman, who watches Thurlestone Bay in Devon, has been the pace-setter so far, and on May 5th he wrote:

“April certainly lived up to expectations, particularly some of the days spent sea watching. First addition to the total was Manx Shearwater (132), with a total of 52 flying east (6th) along with 110 Sandwich Tern and 43 Common Scoter. The same day, a single Cuckoo flew up the valley (133). Walking through Soar Mill Valley (8th) produced a male Dartford Warbler (134) along with two Tree Pipits and three male Cirl Buntings, while in the bay, a single Common Tern (135) was amongst the 23 Sandwich Terns.

“A strong southerly wind (9th) produced two new birds – five Whimbrel (136) and a dark phase Arctic Skua (137), while in the bay were 178 Sandwich Terns, 107 Common Scoters and 242 Manx Shearwaters.

“Early morning (11th) brought two Reed Warblers (138) singing in Thurlestone Marsh, and the following day both Garden Warblers (139) and Sedge Warblers (140) arrived. Monday (13th) produced the first Grasshopper Warbler reeling in South Milton Ley, while a single Whitethroat (142) was singing on the coast path. Next day a partial summer plumage Spotted Redshank (143) spent the day on Thurlestone Marsh while amongst the passing Manx Shearwaters was our second record of Balearic Shearwaters.

“April 16th saw south-easterly winds and as usual the passing seabirds produced most interest – a new site record for me in the shape of a single Great Skua (144). Next day a group of waders at high tide in the bay consisted of two Purple Sandpiper, a Common Sandpiper, five Turnstone and a single Sanderling (145). On 18th a male Yellow Wagtail (146) spent the day amongst the sheep on South Huish Marsh, and the next interesting record (22nd) was a Hobby (147) observed coming in off the sea.

“The 23rd saw the start of two days of good sea passage, including 107 Bar-tailed Godwits (148) with 133 Whimbrel. The 25th saw the largest movement of Gannets - 660 in three hours, plus two Arctic Terns (149), 101 Fulmars, three Great Skuas and a Black-throated Diver. Monday the 27th produced a new site record – an adult Little Gull (150) in the bay. On the 29th, a walk round East and Middle Soar provided 20 Whitethroats and a single Lesser Whitethroat (151). Early evening saw a drake Garganey on South Huish Marsh. Early on 30th the first Swift (152) flew through.

“The target of 175 by 31st December is looking more achievable – there are a few target birds for May which should get the total towards 160, leaving the autumn migration to produce the main thrust towards the target.”

Gavin Black, who birds a Gloucestershire patch, has risen to the challenge too, and writes:

“My list for a 12-mile radius now stands at 118, with about eight others beyond 12 miles and 37 of them seen at or from home, including a Peregrine, a Goshawk and a Woodcock.

“I have had three life ticks within 12 miles – Long-eared Owl, American Wigeon and one which I found for myself, a Cattle Egret. Woodland birds are quite easy to find as I live in the Forest of Dean. I have had Crossbills, Hawfinches and Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers, and there are 40-plus Bramblings in the garden every day and also Siskins (now starting to dwindle) which did total 100-plus. Ravens and Buzzards are over the house virtually daily.

“A friend and I had the county’s earliest ever Swallow on March 14th while carrying out a WeB survey on the river Severn. However, I hardly ever get House Sparrows at home (only twice in 26 years) and last week I had my first ever garden Collared Dove in that period. I visit RSPB Nagshead throughout the breeding season to check nestboxes and I shall certainly be adding Redstart, Pied Flycatcher and Wood Warbler to my list very soon!”

Finally, features editor Matt Merritt has been trying to make up for lost time, and writes: “My first House Martins were seen on the way home from work (April 15th), and the same evening, I picked up Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and Common Sandpiper at Swithland Reservoir. It all kicked off the next day, too, with a single Avocet at Wanlip Meadows, along with Green Sandpiper, Ringed Plover and a brief visit by several Dunlin. A Grasshopper Warbler was reeling at Kelham Bridge later that evening, but it was the Avocet – one of my target birds for the year – that was the biggest thrill.

“The 17th brought a single Yellow Wagtail and a Sedge Warbler at Cossington Meadows, and the following day a trip to Willington Gravel Pits brought more Ringed Plovers, plus Whimbrel, Willow Warbler, and a single Curlew (surprisingly elusive this year). The 19th brought a Red-crested Pochard at Watermead CP, a Whitethroat at Kelham Bridge, and my first Cuckoo of the year, on the pit bank at Snibston Grange (actually heard while playing cricket, rather than birding!).

“I was away for a week, and returned to find that all hell had broken loose! I dashed to see the Pectoral Sandpipers at Cossington Meadows (one was still left), then back over to Willington for two Whiskered Terns (a patch first, it goes without saying) and several Arctic Terns. There was a hiatus then until May 5th, when I managed to pop and see a Wood Warbler in Victoria Park, Leicester, found by Dave Gray.

“Last weekend, I mopped up Tree Pipit at Beacon Hill, and finally got my first Swifts, with loads at the cricket ground (there was a Garden Warbler on the pit bank, too) and a pair returning to the regular nest next door but one to my house. Kelham Bridge had plenty of Reed Warblers, then on the 12th I added a Lesser Whitethroat at Thornton Reservoir, plus a flyover Turtle Dove.

“Finally (14th), I saw two small groups of Black-tailed Godwits at Willington GP, plus a Wood Sandpiper, both good patch ticks and enough to give me hope that the 160 target is more than achievable. I'm now on 133 - it's tantalisingly within sight.”

Patch list challenge update

2009-04-09T10:46:00.000Z

The year list challenge continues. Mike Passman sent this latest bulletin from his Devon patch Thurlestone Bay, for the period March 12th-31st. He writes:

“As expected, some very good records while some days were very quiet, probably due to a spell of very settled weather.

“Saturday, March 14 produced the first WHEATEAR (121), a very nice male, while five RAVEN flew through with 20 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS on South Huish Marsh - signs of the start of spring migration.

“Monday, March 16 was a very sunny day with no wind and few birds in the Bay except for a very nice GLAUCOUS GULL (122), my first site record for this rare gull in the south-west. Tuesday, March 17 really did confirm spring was in the air – walking round the coast path, two SWALLOWS (123) flew past within six feet, and three SAND MARTINS were on the marsh. A late afternoon visit to South Huish Marsh found a pair of GARGANEY (124) tucked into one of the banks fast asleep. Wednesday, March 18 brought two female BLACK REDSTARTS and two male WHEATEARS, and the next day, there was the largest spring count of WHEATEARS – 15 in the field by South Huish Marsh, along with a single SAND MARTIN, whilst a female PEREGRINE caused consternation.

“Friday, March 20 produced the first SANDWICH TERN (125), with two arriving in the bay during the morning. Five COMMON SCOTER flew east, with a single BLACK-THROATED DIVER on the sea. Nothing of any significance passed through until Wednesday, March 25, with two new additions – the first TREE PIPIT (126) arrived off the sea and landed for a brief rest with a female BRAMBLING (127) by South Milton Ley. At high tide, six TURNSTONE, a DUNLIN and a PURPLE SANDPIPER were in the bay.

“Friday, March 27 produced the next addition to the year list – three GREY PLOVER (128) flew NE over South Milton Ley, whilst both BLACK AND RED-THROATED DIVER were together on the bay at high tide. Sunday, March 29 produced five SANDWICH TERNS together on the rocks in the Bay, while on Thurlestone Marsh a male GARGANEY was found together with a male SHOVELER (first for several weeks). The roost on the marsh produced nine SAND MARTINS and six SWALLOWS, with a late TAWNY OWL flying through my garden.

“Monday, March 30, saw, surprisingly, the drake GARGANEY still on Thurlestone Marsh, while a visit to the pumping station at South Milton Ley produced two WILLOW WARBLERS (129), with a highlight being a singing SIBERIAN CHIFFCHAFF – interesting to compare its song to the regular CHIFFCHAFF.

“Tuesday, March 31 brought a cloudy early morning and a slight east wind, which can be promising. Twenty-five SAND MARTINS and 10 SWALLOWS were over Thurlestone Ley at 8am while South Huish Marsh, at 10am, had a flock of 80 SAND MARTINS and 20 SWALLOWS with at least one HOUSE MARTIN (130) amongst them. Seawatching in the bay produced a few auks passing through, with one PUFFIN (131) close in.

“A very good end to what has been a very interesting start to the year – a total of 131 species for the local patch is certainly ahead of what I expected. April and May can only increase my expectations.”

Meanwhile, in the Midlands, landlocked features editor Matt Merritt is struggling to play catch-up. He writes:

“The first couple of weeks of March were a write-off, as I was out of the country, but our geographical position means that we rarely get any really early migrants.

“Attempting to make up for lost time, I caught up with a BLACK-NECKED GREBE at Swithland Reservoir on the 27th. I’ve seen them often in autumn, but to get one in full breeding plumage was a real treat.

“Walking round Cossington Meadows after work on the 30th, I got my first singing BLACKCAP, two LITTLE RINGED PLOVERS, and a really fine male WHEATEAR, three enjoyable if predictable ticks. I then started April with my first SWALLOWS, at Thornton Reservoir, and followed it on the 4th with a flock of LINNETS at Charnwood Lodge. They’ve been strangely elusive lately, so it was good to see them back. At the same site, a pair of MANDARIN were sitting on the little stream, and flew away into the heart of the woods, suggesting possible breeding.

“The next day, back over the Derbyshire border at Foremark Reservoir, I caught up with a female RED-BREASTED MERGANSER (very rare round my way), then added SAND MARTIN and WATER RAIL at my local reserve, Kelham Bridge (I’ve heard the latter umpteen times already this year, but I don’t count that).

“So, the running total stands at 104. I missed a RING OUZEL at Charnwood Lodge by minutes, but there’s time to put that right, and I’ve looked for LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKERS everywhere but the obvious site, Swithland Reservoir. Having failed miserably, I’m swallowing my pride, giving up all hope of actually finding one for myself, and going looking for the old regulars.”

Patch Challenge Update

2009-03-23T16:26:00.000Z

Time for the latest updates in our patch year listing challenge. Reader Mike Passman, who watches Thurlestone Bay, in Devon, is taking on our own Matt Merritt, who watches an area around his Leicestershire home. And it’s still Mike who’s setting the pace…

He writes: “On February 17th, we had 75 WIGEON on on the sea and marsh – one of the largest flocks of the winter – with COMMON SCOTER, BLACK-THROATED DIVER and GREAT NORTHERN DIVER in the bay. Among a large flock of 160 BLACK-HEADED GULLS was a full adult MEDITERRANEAN GULL, taking my patch total to 115.

“On the 18th the WIGEON flock increased to 116, with 11 SHOVELERS and five LAPWINGS on the marsh. In the bay there were five GREAT NORTHERN DIVERS (my site record) and a single BLACK-THROATED DIVER. On Monday 23rd February there were two MEDITERRANEAN GULLS, plus six COMMON GULLS and a RED-THROATED DIVER in the bay.

“A walk around Aveton Gifford (24th February) produced two GREEN and three COMMON SANDPIPERS with a YELLOW-LEGGED GULL (116), two MARSH TITS (117) and a single NUTHATCH (118). Last view over the marsh before departing on holiday saw a single BLACK-TAILED GODWIT return.

“Next records were on 11th March, with two SAND MARTINS (119) flying over the marsh, two CETTI’S WARBLERS and a male BLACKCAP in full voice, and surprisingly a female BLACK REDSTART still visiting my garden. On the marsh amongst a party of 10 PIED WAGTAILS was a single WHITE, bringing my total to 120. Favourable weather over the next three weeks should see the start of the spring migration.”

Matt writes: “I’m still making very slow progress, this time with the excuse that I was out of the country for two weeks. Just before leaving, I did get my first SKY LARKS singing and displaying at Sence Valley Forest Park, and luckily don’t seem to have missed any outstanding rarities while I away, apart from a Bittern.

“I finally got back out around the patch last weekend, and added four more ticks. First, at Willington Gravel Pits, there were two adult MEDITERRANEAN GULLS in breeding plumage, giving me almost a full set of gulls for the year (just need a LITTLE GULL now). On the Canal Pit there, REDSHANK was the only wader, but I’ll be going back over the next few weeks, because it’s a likely site to get a lot of passage waders.

“At nearby Foremark Reservoir, I finally caught up with the long-staying RED-NECKED GREBE, and then the following day, saw one of the RAVENS that frequent Swithland Reservoir mobbing one of the many BUZZARDS in the area.

“My total now stands at 94, but that includes a lot of species I wouldn’t have expected to get, and is still missing some that ought to be definites in one or the other winter period. If I can catch up with some of the rarer migrants (RING OUZEL, REDSTART and BLACK REDSTART are usually possible, with effort), then my target is in sight.”

The Great List Challenge 2

2009-02-27T16:12:00.002Z

Mike Passman, who has taken up our year list challenge, is watching his local patch of Thurlestone Bay, Devon, and so far is showing up Features Editor Matt Merritt's efforts on his Leicestershire patch.

Mike writes: "I returned from looking after our Grandaughter on Saturday, January 31st, and withdrawal symptons were quickly overcome with the sight of a DARK BELLIED BRENT GOOSE on South Huish Marsh, to increase the list to 103. On the morning we left - January 20th - a quick visit to the sea watch car park produced an immature male LONG TAILED DUCK whilst number 102 was MUTE SWAN, which I had omitted to count on January 2!

"February started out very good with two BLACK REDSTART in the garden - one a stunning male - two PURPLE SANDPIPER in the bay whilst a ringtail HEN HARRIER quartered one of the local fields in mid afternoon - she had been seen by other local birders whilst I was away.

"3rd February started the cold weather spell. While parts of Devon were to be enveloped in up to a foot of snow, our little area of the South Hams didn't even get a covering. Seawatching on the 3rd for two hours with a favourable force 5 south-easterly wind paid dividends. GANNETS started passing, and two FULMAR were quickly followed by a GREAT NORTHERN DIVER with a single BALEARIC SHEARWATER all flying east. On the sea a SLAVONIAN GREBE took the total to 108. At least 30 auks and 15 KITTIWAKE also passed through. Late afternoon saw the largest flock of LAPWING - 150 - this winter with 50 GOLDEN PLOVER and 35 FIELDFARE on South Huish Marsh - further evidence of cold weather movement.
Thursday 5th February, whist not adding to the year list, was notable for very good views of the ringtail HEN HARRIER, flocks of 15 SKY LARK AND 25 REDWING at South Milton Ley, with 14 CHIFFCHAFF still surviving the cold weather and a CETTI'S WARBLER calling.

"Saturday 7th February started very well with my early morning scan of THURLESTONE MARSH (from my bedroom window). Suddenly all the ducks took flight and at least 15 SNIPE were flying around, all the commotion caused by an immature female MARSH HARRIER which spent 15 minutes quartering the reeds before departing in a SE direction. Walking back from the village shop, a single female SISKIN became No. 110.

"After a period of very heavy rain the local marshes were flooded with standing water, and on 11th February I awoke at 6.30am with a TAWNY OWL calling from a tree in the garden, with the early morning scan of the marsh producing a very nice male PINTAIL. With clear blue skies and plenty of sunshine I decided to walk round Soar Mill Cove valley and was rewarded with three male and two female CIRLBUNTING - one of the special birds of South Devon – and a FIRECREST, taking the total of 114.

"There a very few birds known to be on the patch that I haven't managed to find - the most elusive at the moment has to be BARN OWL."

That's great going from Mike, and Matt's struggling to keep up. He writes:

"A week or more of heavy snow during February curtailed my local birding, but in between times I've taken my total up to 89, and added quite a few more 'elite' species. Best of all were the gulls at Albert Village Lake, a flooded former opencast pit. I didn't find the MED GULL reported (I won't sweat it, though, because I'm confident there'll be more), but I did mop up GLAUCOUS, ICELAND, YELLOW-LEGGED and CASPIAN, plus a single OYSTERCATCHER.

"It's also getting so that, although it's still too dark to actually go birding before or after work, there's enough light as I leave home and get back to get a few ticks from behind the wheel. So, in the last couple of weeks there's been LITTLE EGRET, LITTLE OWL, and several SPARROWHAWKS (including, twice, a bird flying virtually across the bonnet while I was stopped at junctions). Other ticks have included GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER, GOOSANDER and SHELDUCK, and as I write the first CURLEW and RINGED PLOVERS are going through, so they're my next target. Oh, and although I got them on January 1, the local PEREGRINES have been hunting spectacularly.

"Finally, I did a bit of off-patch birding at Great Easton, near Eyebrook Reservoir, last week, and saw four Short-eared Owls (very rare in Leicestershire) and, in a nearby tree in broad daylight, two Tawnys."

The Great List Challenge

2009-01-20T11:33:00.000Z

A number of Bird Watching readers picked up the year list gauntlet we threw down and challenged members of our team, and we’ll be making regular updates, in the magazine and here, to let you know how things are going.

Mike Passman, whose local patch is Thurlestone Bay, in Devon, challenged Matt Merritt, whose patch covers the area around his home in Leicestershire. And so far, it’s Mike who’s setting the pace!

He writes: “Anticipation was high at the start of the New Year, but with a houseful of guests staying overnight and celebrations continuing until the early hours, it was after 2pm before watching could start in earnest. Being fortunate to overlook Thurlestone Marsh, the count rose rapidly, with the total by 5pm reaching 45, highlights being a juvenile male Black Redstart caught by a local ringer, Lapwing, Snipe and a single Dunlin.

“An early start on January 2nd produced a female Black Redstart and five Black-tailed Godwits, both from my garden. A walk round Thurlestone Bay produced a Common Scoter on the sea and seven Ringed Plovers on the beach. An afternoon visit to Aveton Gifford added Redshank, Greenshank, Common Sandpiper (over-wintering), four Little Grebes, Great Spotted Woodpecker, closely followed by Treecreeper, Jay, an overhead Raven, and a group of eight Redwings and two Mistle Thrushes.

“ A late afternoon visit to South Milton Ley added Grey Wagtail, three Chiffchaffs, Bullfinch, Reed Bunting, and a Cetti’s Warbler, increasing the total to a respectable 69 species.
“First surprise came on January 3rd, with the onset of a very cold spell of weather. South Huish Marsh produced a male Pochard with an adult Gannet in the bay – the former is only the second record in four years. Over the next three days the total rose to 75, with Water Rail, Linnet and Fieldfare observed from my garden, plus a Guillemot in Thurlestone Bay.

“January 6th was the first outstanding day of the year at Thurlestone Bay, producing a Black-throated Diver, 11 Razorbills, and on the rocks, two Turnstones and two superb Purple Sandpipers – a very difficult wader to find on the coast. The day just got better with a Cattle Egret flying up the marsh at 1.45 pm – a great garden tick. A visit to Aveton Gifford in the afternoon (temperature constantly below zero) produced Yellowhammer, Green Sandpiper, four Common Sandpiper and Kingfisher. On the drive home I had to stop driving to pick up a flock of 16 Golden Plover, a first record for the patch since I started my records in 2004. A low flying Sparrowhawk took the total to 86.

“The following day was almost as good. With the marshes fully frozen over, a walk round the reedbeds of South Milton Ley produced two very elusive records – singles of both Jack Snipe and Woodcock.

“ A Black-throated Diver was present (9th), joined by a Red-throated Diver, while the 10th produced another new site record in Thurlestone Bay – a male Velvet Scoter. In a local garden there was a female Blackcap, while on a late afternoon visit to South Milton Ley, a male Peregrine flew across the marsh.

“Next additions to the year list came on the 17th – a Lesser Black-backed Gull was at Aveton Gifford with four Gadwall on South Huish Marsh, where a Bar-headed Goose was amongst a flock of Canada Geese. Very stormy conditions overnight produced a fly-through Egyptian Goose, with the 100th species of the year a Water Pipit."

Meanwhile, in Leicestershire…

“I was out at first light on New Year’s Day,” writes Matt. “There was a hard frost, and no one was around, so I started by looking for loitering Waxwings at Barrow on Soar. No luck, so it was straight on to Cossington Meadows, where I picked up plenty of ducks (Mallard, Tufted, Gadwall, Pochard, Teal, Shoveler, Wigeon), plus Great Crested and Little Grebe, Snipe, and a nice surprise – two Chiffchaffs along the river.

“ I called in at Swithland Reservoir – no woodpeckers at all, let alone a Lesser Spotted, but one of the regular Peregrines was up on its usual perch. I dashed across country, picking up all five thrushes on the way, and after a vital stop for hot soup, carried on to Staunton Harold Reservoir (on my patch, but across the border in Derbyshire). Here I was able to get Lapwing, Buzzard and Goldeneye, and in the car-park, Tree Sparrow and Yellowhammer (sadly no Siskin or Lesser Redpoll).

“I finished up at Kelham Bridge, a former sewage works now turned into a small Wildlife Trust reserve. Willow Tits (easier to find than Marsh Tits, in these parts) were around the feeder, but the reported ringtail Hen Harrier failed to show. I then spent the best part of three days looking for it, with no success, although Bullfinch was a consolation, as was a Jack Snipe across the road at Sence Valley Forest Park. I also slipped back across to Staunton Harold to see a darke Smew – a good ‘elite’ tick for me (ie. outside the range of birds I actually expect to see on-patch).

“At this time of year, work means I do no birding on-patch in the week, but the following Saturday, the 10th, made up for that. I started at Staunton Harold, and ticked off another elite – Scaup – plus Nuthatch, then added Grey Partridge during the drive to Cossington. Once there, I was able to find Linnet, plus four great wildfowl ticks – Brent Goose (dark-bellied), White-fronted Goose, Pink-footed Goose and Whooper Swan. All elites, and the Brent a patch first for me.

“The next day, I stopped off in Loughborough to see a flock of 50-odd Waxwings stripping berries from a tree, much to the consternation of the local Mistle Thrushes. A great tick, but an even better all-round birding experience.

“Since then, the only addition has been Tawny Owl, from my bathroom window, with the local pair hooting and kee-wicking all night. So, the total is 79.
“But (and it’s a big but), there’s a Great White Egret at Sheepy Magna, just on-patch. I looked for it the other day, but it was out of sight (though still present). Hopefully it will hang around, or, as it did last year, move to another local site such as Watermead Country Park. I live in hope.”

BOOK REVIEW: The Little Owl

2008-12-10T11:15:00.000Z

The Little Owl – conservation, ecology and behaviour of Athene noctua.
Dries van Niewenhuyse, Jean-Claude Génot and David H. Johnson.
Cambridge University Press. 2008. 574 pages. Hardback. £40.00
ISBN 978-0-521-88678-9

While many owls are difficult to study due to their relative scarcity and nocturnal habits, the Little Owl has become one of the best models for biological and conservation research. It is fairly common across much of Europe, and it occupies nest-boxes very easily, allowing researchers the chance to observe its nesting activities. This is the first book that I have seen to specifically focus on the species.

The authors synthesise information from 1,900 different sources and they discuss the Little Owl’s wide-ranging ecology, genetics and subspecies and population status by country. A lot of information has been incorporated from breeding atlases across Europe, and many maps have been included – although some have lost their impact by being in black and white.

A fact that many of us forget is that here in the UK the Little Owl did not arrive naturally. It was introduced into Kent and Northamptonshire, breeding for the first time in 1879. It has spread across much of England and Wales but has never advanced into Scotland or made the journey to Ireland.

The authors outline a strategy and monitoring programme for future conservation of the Little Owl. Although the UK population seems to be stable, the picture is not so rosy in some parts of Europe. Clear declines have occurred in Turkey and Spain and while a minimum of 560,000 pairs are thought to exist across the range, nest sites are often at risk from development.

Chapters cover every aspect of the Little Owl’s life, including history and traditions, taxonomy and genetics, morphology and body characteristics, distribution, habitat, diet, breeding, behaviour, population regulation and conservation. Perhaps most impressive, although of value really for the specialist, is an outstanding bibliography of literature on the Little Owl, listing publications dated from 1769 to the present day.

Books of this standard are often short of photographic content, but a clear attempt has been made here to lighten the book by the inclusion of 32 pages of colour images and in addition there are many black and white photos and line drawings.

Keith Betton

David Lindo on Little Egrets on The One Show

2008-10-28T11:42:00.006Z

One of Bird Watching columnist David's more or less regular appearances on BBC1's The One Show sees him in a running race (bizarrely), helping ring British-bred Little Egrets and briefing the nation on some top sites to visit.

Sat next to him is Clarissa Dickson Wright, whose comments about the RSPB and raptor-culling sent viewer Mike Weedon into a paroxysm of outrage. Read all all about it in Weedon's World in the November 2008 issue of Bird Watching Magazine – coming to the shops on October 30.

Testing tips

2008-09-24T11:06:00.001Z

In our October issue, we test seven mini-scopes. As always, though, our survey is only intended as a guide, and we strongly recommend that you try as many models as possible before you buy. With that in mind, here are our tips when buying any optics...

If you can, ask other birdwatchers if you can try their scopes, and take note of any features you like or dislike.
Before you go to buy, make a shortlist of models that you’re interested in, and give your dealer a call to check that they’re available.
Make sure the shop you buy from has good viewing facilities, so you can test the scopes yourself. Some retailers hold field days at reserves and birdwatching fairs.
Compare all the models on your shortlist thoroughly before trying any suggested by the shopkeeper.
If the shopkeeper gets too technical for you, don’t be afraid to ask for clarification. If he is particularly enthusiastic about a certain model, remember that profit margins vary, and that it might be one that earns him more money.
Try to compare only two models at a time, three at most.
Take your time about comparing. Don’t be hurried (good retailers will be happy to give you as long as you need), and make notes as you compare – these will be invaluable if you decide to come back later after thinking things over.
Take all factors into account – a superb image is all very well, but the scope also needs to be one that you’re comfortable using.
Always test the actual scope you’re buying before taking it home.
Check that the box carries an approved importers mark – buying a ‘grey’ import can cause problems if anything goes wrong.

Changes at Titchwell

2008-09-09T09:15:00.004Z

Our October 2008 issue will feature a special news story by kevin Wilmot on the proposed changes at RSPB Titchwell, north Norfolk, the RSPB's most popular reserve.

Here, reserve Manager Rob Coleman outlines the 'planned retreat' proposed in order to manage the site for the next 50 years.

Kevin is leaving

2008-09-03T20:54:00.002Z

Sadly, Bird Watching magazine will soon be saying farewell to its editor, Kevin Wilmot.

But before he leaves, check him out in his glory days, arguing with himself whether it is a Chiffchaff or a Willow Warbler.

Click the image above, sit back and be prepared to be scared...

Orca Blubberboys Birdfair triumph!

2008-09-02T10:08:00.004Z

Dylan Walker's Orca Blubberboys (aka Whale Madrid) gloriously lifted the prized Forktail Trophy at this year's Rutland Birdfair 2008 football tournament.
Left to right: Jack Thorpe of Bird Watching), Emily Thorpe (unused sub), Jasmine Weedon (unused sub) Darren Rees, Eddie Weedon (unused sub), Mike Weedon (of Bird Watching), Dylan Walker (with trophy), Colin, Dave Gray, Ian Rowlands.

After a shaky start in the tournament, losing to the Wildlife Trusts, the BW-rich team (featuring Mike W in goal), the Blubberboys scored two 1-0 victories, including over MKA Dons. OB eventually succumbed in a close semi-final, 1-0 to tournament faves, the RSPB [we blamed a bizarre series of rule changes followed and implemented by the mighty charity-cum-quango].

The final was also close with MKA Dons victorious over the RSPB.

However, as we beat the official winners, we rightfully claim that the Orca Blubberboys had every right to lift the magnificent trophy!

August 2008

2008-08-13T10:08:00.006Z

Now in a shop near you...

Our August 2008 issue is packed with great photos, news, advice and inspiration to help you get more from your birding this month:

FREE Birdfair '08 Showguide Pull-out guide to all you need to get the best from the British Birdwatching Fair at Rutland.

WIN Steiner binoculars Enter our competition for a chance to win some £1,000 binoculars.

Ospreys Latest news from the successful reintroduction of the magnificent Fish Hawk.

England, Scotland and Whales The best sites to watch seabirds, whales and dolphins in the UK.

ID Insights Pic out a Hippo – how to find and identify a Melodious or Icterine Warbler.

Hope for Malta? Adrian Thomas spent a month challenging illegal hunting in Malta and saw a chink of hope at the end of the tunnel.

Go Birding Special: Dragonflies and Birds 10 walks with great dragonflies and brilliant birds.

Showcase Top photographers form the overall winner of our top photographic competition IWP2007..

Secret lives: Lapwing: our strangest, most attractive wader.

Plus Plus PLUS – UKBS unique site-by-site guide to all the best birds of June 2008; page after page of ideas for August birding, and so much more!

Go buy it! Or subscribe here:

Birds on TV

2008-08-12T13:12:00.011Z

Naughty bird blogger Andy McKay, aka the Leicester Llama has come up with a few TV programmes with a bird twist. Check his list at this link, but don't click it if you are offended by rude words...

We took a bit of inspiration in the BW office this press day, and came up with the following TV shows for starters:

Hatch of the Jay

Little Bittern

Never Mind the Woodcocks/Buzzards

Hobby City

Songs Ospreys

Desperate House Martins

Filthy Ostrich and Catflap

Steptoe and Sunbird

Ready Steady Rook

Eggs Factor

The Bill

Stork and Mindy

Wren and Stimpy

Opportunity Dunnocks

Magpie

Cormorantation Street

Top of the Epops (featuring Yellowlegs and co)

John Raven’s Newsround

Have I got Smews for you

Doctor Hoopoe (Plus the spin-off Torchwoodpecker)

They think its all plover

Tonight with Jonathan Ross’s Gull

Mock the Beak

Top Gyr

Going for Goldfinch

Some Plovers do ‘ave em

Noel’s Grouse Party

Blue Tit Peter

Willow Tit the Wisp

Jack Snipe anory

Home and a jay

He Manx Shearwater and the Masters of the Universe

Robin’s Nest

Kitchen Nightjars

South Lark

I’m Alan Partridge

Golden Gulls

Rhubarb and Bustard

Hill Street Blue Tits

The Rail Family

Birds of a feather

Open All Owls

To the Mallard Born

Puffin the Mule

Noddy

Quail of the Century

Home to Roost

The Goldeneye Shot

Call my Buff-breasted Sandpiper

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Doves

The Starling buds of May

Easteiders

The Price is Kite (with Leslie Crowther)

Last of the Summer Wryneck

Inspector Moorhens

Dixon of Duck Green

Goose Women

Curlew've Been Framed

Birding with Bill Oddie

A new twist...

2008-08-11T09:30:00.000Z

...on an old favourite!

Birds of Britain

2008-07-15T23:01:00.001Z

We are making a DVD guide to birdwatching. In the meantime, enjoy this classic from YouTube...

July 2008

2008-07-01T08:49:00.002Z

Now in a shop near you...

Our July 2008 issue is packed with great photos, news, advice and inspiration to help you get more from your birding this month:

In your garden How to attract mammals, watch mammals and enjoy mammals in your backyard.

Inside Binoculars We all use them, but what is really going on in your bins?

Win Scottish holidays worth £2,230 Enter our easy-to-enter comp. It is, in a nutshell, easy to enter!

Go Birding Special: Dragonflies and Birds 10 walks with great dragonflies and brilliant birds.

Building for Birds We share our homes with a wider range of birds than you may think – here's how to encourage them to nest at your place.

Secret lives: Wren: small bird, big character!

Plus Plus PLUS – UKBS unique site-by-site guide to all the best birds of May 2008; page after page of ideas for July birding, and so much more!

Go buy it! Or subscribe here:

New for the Western Palearctic?

2008-06-30T10:51:00.002Z

Note the rather Woodcock-/Jack Snipe-like profile, with steep forehead and 'short' bill.

Swinhoe's Snipe, Tohmajarvi, Niirala, Finland, 27.6.08 (digiscope).

Mike Weedon has just got back from Finland, where he caught up with this new European bird, the Swinhoe's Snipe. It was particularly distinctive (and brilliant) in flight, when its bubbly drumming and trilling combined with a bouncing flight on bowed V-shaped wings and plunges to earth with a 'basket' of vibrating tail-feathers.

June 2008

2008-06-16T16:14:00.005Z

Now in a shop near you...

Our June 2008 issue is packed with advice and inspiration to help you get more from your birding this month:

In your garden An old favourite gets a complete overhaul. Packd with tips and advice for your garden including how to make a wildlife pond.

Reedbeds Everything you need to know (and more) about this brilliant wetland habitat.

Digiscoping v DSLR Mike Weedon puts the two photographic techniques to the test on real birds! Which wins? The results may startle...

Go Birding 10 new exciting bird walks for June.

Secret lives: Fascinating facts about the Goldfinch.

Identify: Young Common, Med and Black-headed Gulls.

It's all in the June 2008 issue of Bird Watching magazine. Don't miss it!

Plus Plus PLUS – UKBS unique site-by-site guide to all the best birds of April 2008; page after page of ideas for June birding, and so much more!

Go buy it! Or subscribe here:

Steppe-ing out

2008-05-30T13:21:00.002Z

Features editor Matt Merritt writes: Just back from a week in Aragon on a 'fam' trip - birding, eating too much, and drinking lots of splendid wine. I won't even attempt to call it work, because it really was a lot of fun with a great group of people.

One of the things that really struck me was just how huge and empty the landscape is - it's something that takes you completely by surprise in western Europe. Given that around half of Aragon's 1.2 million population lives in the capital, Zaragoza, that probably shouldn't be a shock, but it is. Standing out on the steppes (above left), you can imagine yourself in the middle of the American South West.

Birding highlights included seeing several glorious Lammergeiers, a Golden Eagle on the nest feeding young, more Griffon Vultures than I could even have imagined, a very showy Rock Thrush in the spectacular setting of Castillo Loarre, a displaying Little Bustard out on the steppes, the maddeningly elusive Dupont's Larks, and both Black and Black-eared Wheatears (one of the latter subjecting a male Cuckoo to the most fierce mobbing I've ever seen from a small bird). And then there were Bee-eaters and Hoopoes galore, Alpine Swifts chattering overhead, and a whole host of great warblers, including Subalpine, Dartford, Sardinian, the not-very-aptly named Melodious, and the lovely Bonelli's (basically the southern equivalent of our Wood Warbler).

I shouldn't forget the Nightingales. Other than on the steppes, they were everywhere we went, and when we stayed a couple of nights in the mountaintop village of Alquezar (pictured right), you could hear them singing throughout the night (luckily, we were far too shattered to be kept awake by it). In fact, the local name for them is Ruisenor, meaning 'noisy man', which hits the nail right on the head.

It's a part of Spain that has tended to be overshadowed by the likes of the Extremadura or the Ebro Delta, but it offers fantastic birding in a memorable landscape. You'll be hearing a lot more of it in the future, not least in a forthcoming issue of Bird Watching. For now, here's a picture of our tired but happy group to close with...

PS. As you'll see, the rain in Spain doesn't fall mainly on the plain at all.

Peewit composite

2008-05-12T19:52:00.000Z

Mike Weedon writes:

When I was a child, I thought the Woodcock was the Peewit – somehow the name suited the extraordinary appearance of this most charismatic of our waders. You could still sort of argue that that is what they squeak between croaks in the magnificent roding display flight.
I had a joyous evening at a site near here on Friday, watching multiple roding Woodcocks, including a pair chasing each other with short excited clipped notes. Grasshopper Warblers were everywhere, Nightingales trying to out-dominate them. Tawny Ows hooted and a Barn Owl screeched repeatedly, while an angry Chinese Water Deer barked out its evil warning.
But best of all was a duetting pair of Long-eared Owls, with one bird even indulging in a spot of wing-clap display.
Pure summer joy for the lover of the glorious, crepuscular gloaming.

Tern tern tern

2008-04-25T10:39:00.006Z

Kevin Wilmot writes:

A fruitless lunchtime trip for Mike, Matt and me to see a reported Wryneck (it was a Mistle Thrush!), ended with one of the most amazing sights I've ever witnessed on my local patch at Ferry Meadows near Peterborough.

As we splashed into the damp car park at Gunwade lake, we were greeted by what can best be described as a 'swarm' of terns, more than I'd ever seen at once. Incredibly, they were nearly all Arctic Terns, stopping off on their way to their breeding grounds in the high Arctic. A quick count revealed more than 150 of them – pale, graceful, red-billed beauties that Mike was quick to photograph with his DSLR (see photos above). The mirrored surface of the windless lake lent a surreal feel to an incredible half-hour.

Lunchtime twitching

2008-04-18T11:39:00.002Z

The BW team twitched this delicious Redstart on 16.4.08. This is a digiscoped shot by Mike Weedon.

Flying Mallard

2008-04-18T11:13:00.001Z

Mike Weedon writes:
My daughter Jasmine (just turned nine) took this video of a drake Mallard taking off from the edge of our pond. She filmed it with my old digiscoping camera, the good old Nikon Coolpix 880.

The Urban Birder – How not to make a nestbox!

2008-04-16T14:34:00.003Z

David The Urban Birder Lindo shows off his best effort at building a nestbox on BBC's The One Show

Fieldfares

2008-04-15T13:44:00.002Z

Matt, Kev and I (says Mike) all went twitching a local Ring Ouzel this lunchtime, found by Peterbrough recorder and champion local bird-finder Brian Stone. And very nice it was, too (for pics, see here).

We then took a wee drive around to find an ouzel of our own. We had no direct success, but saw one or two Buzzards (always nice) and bumped into a couple of surprisingly approachable Fieldfares – perhaps a pair. So approachable were they that I was able to wander back to the car, grab Matt's scope and come back and digiscope them before they scarpered.

Here are a couple of shots (one of each bird). Note how dark and well-marked one is (which we took to be a male).

Armchair birding

2008-04-14T15:03:00.003Z

Matt Merritt writes:
One of my most regular moans is about having to sit around at home waiting for deliveries, meter readers – you know the sort of thing. Well, never again.

On Saturday, I was up early because a firm was coming round to do a safety check on my gas meter. As is always the way with such things, they said they’d be around “between 8 and 2”, and so I found myself sitting there in front of the TV, whiling away the hours, and itching to get outside to look for a few spring migrants.

I live in a large, industrial village, and much as I like it, the one big problem with my house is that it’s near impossible to watch birds from inside it. At the back (it’s a terraced house), outhouses and walls block the view of the garden, while at the front, there’s a window box and a tiny patch of gravel, and then across the road an old factory (converted into multiple work units) and an old people’s home.

Oh, and between those two, there’s a patch of weed-strewn dirt and gravel used as a car park for the work units. Occasionally it attracts a Jackdaw or a Blackbird or a Robin, or even a Woodpigeon, but not a lot else. On this occasion, I was watching a pair of Jackdaws (probably the ones who nest in my chimney pots) collecting nesting material from it, and noticed a small, dull, Robin-sized bird moving around beyond them. Trouble was, it was partially obscured by grass and weeds, and I’m ashamed to say that for quite some time I was far too lazy to go and get a pair of bins to get a decent look at it, or to go upstairs to get a more unobstructed view. Finally, though, a brief full-length glimpse showed it to be considerably slimmer than a Robin, and I began to get just a little bit excited.

As soon as I got the bins on it, it turned away from me, revealing a rufous tail, constantly flicking as it picked its way over the ground. The rest of it was a pretty uniformly mousy grey-brown. A female Black Redstart, and not 25 yards from my front door!

Trouble was, my scope was in the car outside, and going out to fetch it might have frightened the bird off, so I spent the next half-hour watching it from inside the house. It occasionally flew up onto a nearby fence, or to the roof of the old folks’ home, before resuming its dashing around after insects. At last, it retreated to the far corner of the car-park, so I dashed out and got the scope, and watched it for another half an hour from as close as I dared.

I’m afraid I’m not signed up to any bird news services, so couldn’t spread the word very easily, and anyway I was far too absorbed to take my eyes off the rare visitor. In the end, it disappeared into the nearby park, which meant me dashing round the corner to the main entrance and searching for it, fruitlessly, for about an hour. After that, it was home to jot down a few descriptive notes and email the sighting to LROS.

Predictably, I spent the rest of the weekend trudging round likely spots searching for migrants, and turning up nothing more than a few Wheatears and Willow Warblers, so the moral of the story for me is never to ignore the birds just outside the front door, and more importantly, never to complain again about being stuck in waiting for this or that caller.

Events

2008-03-31T15:42:00.002Z

In addition to the events listings in Bird Watching magazine, we will be listing birdwatching-related events on this blog. Scroll down the sidebar to just below Breaking News, click on the link, and you'll find April 2008's events.

If you have an event that you'd like added to the listings, email us at:
birdwatching@emap.com and we'll post it.

May 2008

2008-03-28T11:24:00.008Z

Now in a shop near you...

Our May 2008 issue is packed with advice and inspiration to help you get more from your birding this month:

Major binoculars survey. An in-depth look at four of the best 8x32 binoculars on the market.

Finders keepers. Seven unmissable pages to help you find that bird-of-a-lifetime.

How to photograph birds in flight. All you need to make your garden the place to photograph birds.

Win! A holiday in bird-rich Scotland.

Go Birding. 10 exciting bird walks for the month of May.

Photography special. Portraits of London Grey Herons.

Secret lives: Fascinating facts about the Great Crested Grebe.

Identify: Kites and Marsh Harrier in flight.

It's all in the May 2008 issue of Bird Watching magazine. Don't miss it!

Plus Plus PLUS – Ten new Go Birding walks to try; unique site-by-site guide to all the best birds of March 2008; page after page of ideas for May birding, and so much more!

Go buy it! Or subscribe here:

Drummer

2008-03-25T13:56:00.003Z

Drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker digiscoped in video by Mike Weedon at Woodwalton Fen NNR, Cambs, on 24.3.08.
Pump up the volume!

Out now!

2008-03-20T11:36:00.004Z

Production Editor Matt Merritt writes:

I’m going to ask all of you out there to allow me to indulge in a spot of shameless self-promotion for a few moments.

When I’m not hard at work here at Bird Watching Towers (gazing out of the window trying to add to our year list), I dabble in the world of poetry, and my first full-length collection has just been released by Arrowhead Press. It’s called Troy Town, it’s in hardback, it’s 80 pages long, and the splendid cover pic was taken by Bird Watching photographer Tom Bailey. Not surprisingly, given my interests and line of work, there are plenty of birds in the poems, although there are plenty of other things too.

Should any of you wish to buy a copy (£8.99 including p&p), you can do so here, or directly from me, at my Troy Town blog, which contains further information, reviews, etc.

Flight photography

2008-03-19T12:34:00.003Z

Assisitant editor Mike Weedon writes:

In our May issue, we will have a special practical feature by Elliott Neep on photographing birds in flight. Kevin Wilmot and I went to try out one or two techniques that Elliott recommends, at Ferry Meadows CP, Peterborough. So, Kevin chucked the bread and I took the shots, while Trevor Ward photographed us in action.

Here is one of the results, a Black-headed Gull:

Our office swan

2008-03-13T15:02:00.002Z

Assistant editor Mike Weedon writes:
This Mute Swan is one of a pair that were blown into the pond outside our office in the high winds. They are preoccupied with courtship dancing, but this one came to see me, spotting, perhaps that I was scoffing chips...

Want to guard godwits?

2008-03-12T13:44:00.003Z

Black-tailed Godwit © Mike Weedon

The RSPB and Fylde Bird club are looking for volunteers to help man a 24-hour guard for breeding Black-tailed Godwits – to protect them from egg-thieves.

Each year one or two pairs of the endangered Black-tailed Godwit nest on marshland near Freckleton on the Ribble estuary, near Preston, Lancashire.

RSPB project officer Carol Coupe said: “We are asking for the support of people to get involved by giving just a few hours of their time to help watch over the nest site.

“Volunteers do not need to be knowledgeable about birds as training will be given and there is a huge amount of satisfaction in helping to safeguard the only nests in the North West of these rare and beautiful birds.”

For more information about volunteering should contact Carol Coupe
tel: 01995 642 251
e-mail: carol.coupe@rspb.org.uk.

Window list latest

2008-03-10T16:39:00.002Z

The BW office window year list has taken another few steps forward (so we are still just pipping the RSPB webteam...).

Recent additions are:
Grey Heron (27.2.08)
Red Kite (3.3.08) and
Wigeon (10.3.08)

The total is now 41 species.

Garden Goldfinch

2008-03-06T11:40:00.004Z

Here is the latest digiscoped effort from editor Kevin Wilmot's back garden. This time, though, it was his wife Nikki who came up with the shot of this Goldfinch, feeding on niger seeds. (Feel free to click on the shot for a larger version)

Kev's digiscoping

2008-03-04T11:24:00.010Z

Griffon Vulture

Black and Griffon Vultures

White Stork, with squatting House and Spanish Sparrows

White Stork

Blue Rock Thrush in mid-leap

Griffon Vulture
Kevin Wilmot is certainly improving his digiscoping! He has recently returned from Extremadura, Spain with these excellent efforts (click each image for a larger version). All images were taken with a Nikon P5000 camera hand-held to a Swarovski ATS 65 HD scope with a 30x eyepiece.

At my wits' end

2008-03-03T12:24:00.004Z

Assistant editor Mike Weedon writes:

I don't think I have seen such large flocks of Black-tailed Godwits as were rising up from the RSPB Nene Washes, Cambridgeshire yesterday. I estimated there may be 5,000 birds in the air. So, to try to present some evidence of this count, I photographed one of the flocks (even though they were miles away).

I have put coloured spots on each godwit (grouped in 50s), and reckon there are about 3,000 birds visible in this flock. Add together another couple of flocks, and I think you could comfortably reach 5,000...

Patch-watching

2008-03-03T10:11:00.001Z

Production editor Matt Merritt writes:

I was on holiday last week, so managed to get out and about and do a fair bit of birding. There was a definite feeling of spring in the air, and I had high hopes of finding a few waders on the move through my local patch, plus filling in some strangely elusive year ticks (where have all the local Little Grebes gone?). I had a loose schedule of local gravel pits, pools, etc planned.

One of the best things about birding, though, is that it springs its best moments on you just when you’re least expecting them. On Monday, I was strolling back to my house from the nearby leisure centre, and was moderately alert for raptors, having noticed the Jackdaws, Rooks and Woodpigeons getting a bit noisy and edgy. Nothing was in sight, though, so I strolled on and was about to turn the corner into my road (pictured above). Suddenly, above the trees in Whitwick churchyard, there were two soaring Sparrowhawks, one of them an impressively large female, and the other a much smaller male. As I watched, the female dropped like a stone into the trees, while the male swept in a shallower dive across the road towards me, scattering pigeons and Jackdaws as he came. Woodpigeons, of course, are hopelessly slow off the mark, and the hunter streaked towards one, gaining all the time. I braced myself for the collision a few yards ahead of me, expecting a sickening thump and a cloud of feathers, but at the last moment he slammed the brakes on and glided gently over the pigeon’s head, clearly having realised at the last moment that his quarry was just a bit bigger than he had thought.

Later that day, I was up at Charnwood Lodge, a Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust reserve a couple of miles away. On a blustery day, as it was, it can be a pretty bleak place, with the granite outcrops and bracken giving it far more of an upland feel than you might expect in the supposedly gently rolling East Midlands. In the woods around the little reservoir, tit and finch flocks were noisily moving around, and there was regular yaffling from a nearby Green Woodpecker. Best of all, though, was seeing two different pairs of Treecreepers. Presumably the breeding season was already getting into swing, because in both cases, two birds arrived on the same tree, then pursued each other up it in quick spirals like little clockwork toys.

As I made my way back towards the entrance, I made my usual stop to scan a particular bare tree on the edge of the reserve (pictured above). It often holds Great Spotted Woodpeckers (sure enough, one was there), as well as winter thrushes (again, my luck was in, with three Fieldfares and a couple of dozen Redwings). The field beyond, looking towards Mount St Bernard’s Abbey, is good for Red-legged Partridges and Yellowhammers. As I searched for them, my attention was caught by what looked like a large crow but quickly resolved itself into a Raven, increasingly familiar around Charnwood Forest. Quite apart from the sheer size, its cross shape in flight is distinctive, and it flew with power and grace, occasionally tumbling and rolling seemingly for the sheer pleasure of it. If I’d had any doubts as to its identity, they’d have been dispelled by the three loud ‘gronk’ calls it made as it headed towards the monastery (one friend has told me that they occasionally turn up there to look for scraps around the picnic tables). Where the cawing of crows and rooks immediately calls to mind gentle, typically British farmland, the croaking of Ravens says wild, untamed landscapes, and even something supernatural.

So, the waders remained elusive, save for four flyover Oystercatchers and a solitary Redshank at Cossington Meadows later in the week, but they can wait. Sometimes you just have to take what’s on offer.

March 2008

2008-02-29T15:45:00.005Z

Also, coming soon to a shop near you...
(click the pic for a bigger version)
UK readers, why not try WHSmiths or Tesco:

Bird Watching, March 2008

This month, the UK's most popular monthly birding mag includes the following:

Peregrines – Matt Merritt takes an up-to-the-minute look at the spread of these exciting falcons into our cities.

Big Garden Birdwatch – The Bird Watching team report how they and their families got on with the RSPB's huge annual garden watch.

Six weeks to become a better birdwatcher – Jammed full of tips to help you be a better birder by spring.

Andy Rouse Showcase – A brilliant portfolio by one of the World's top wildlife photographers.

ID Insights: small green warblers – All you need to tell a Chiffchaff from a Willow Warbler and a Wood Warbler.

Secret Life of the Goldcrest – The mysteries and secrets of our smallest bird.

Plus Plus PLUS – Ten new Go Birding walks to try; unique site-by-site guide to all the best birds of January 2008; WIN one of four pairs of Vortex binoculars; page after page of ideas for March birding, and so much more!

Go buy it! Or subscribe here:

March Tidetables

2008-02-29T10:41:00.005Z

In our March 2008 issue, we inadvertently published the UK tidetable for February instead of March. Here is the correct tidetable for March. (click the images to see them clearly)

A spot of local twitching

2008-02-25T10:04:00.006Z

© Mike Weedon

Assistant editor Mike Weedon writes:

I was out and about early on Saturday morning (23.2.08), searching for a Firecrest which had been seen a little north of Peterborough, when I got a call. Peterborough recorder Brian Stone had seen an egret fly past his house (just west of Peterborough) and was "as certain as I can be" that it was a Cattle Egret. Now, there have been loads in the country recently (perhaps 85 in total), but this was still something special for around here.

Brian declared that he was committed to going off to relocate the bird, but, though I made as encouraging noises as I could muster, this was surely wild-goose-in-a-haystack stuff. I had little hope for the poor fellow.

An hour later, though, and Brian was calling again. The bird was in a sheep field near Fotheringhay, Northants (but still in the Peterborough recording area).

So, when I got home, I rudely bundled the entire Weedon family into the car, delivered my daughter to her singing lesson and took Jo and Eddie on a Cattle Egret hunt.

Half an hour later I was hobbling as fast as I could in the direction of a distant Brian Stone. The egret was wandering around the fields getting bullied by butting lambs, and I never really saw it feed (so, it seemed likely to move on, soon). But it was there and very pleasurable on the eye.

A mere handful of hardcore Peterborian birders saw the bird, and another fistful of the Northants brigade – the bird was a county tick for the UKBS stalwart Bob Bullock. By midday, though, the bird was apparently seen by no-one else and there are one or two local birders left in a deeply-frustrated state of dipping anguish.

At the current invasion rate, though, surely the next Cattle Egret won't be long coming...

He's at it again...

2008-02-22T10:28:00.000Z

Assistant editor Mike Weedon writes:

Kevin Wilmot's digiscoping has taken another tentative stride forward – his shots are really getting quite good. One day soon, I'll persuade him to abandon the 'auto' setting, and we may see even better shots! Meantime, enjoy these Black-headed Gulls he took at his local country park (click the pics for larger versions).

BW office list update

2008-02-22T09:32:00.000Z

Our office window year list has now risen to a respectable 38 species. Don't whisper it too loudly, but we are currently thrashing the webteam of the RSPB at Sandy, depite their fancydan Mealy Redpolls on the feeders. Not bad, really, considering we are on a modern industrial estate and they are in the middle of an RSPB reserve!

Here is the current office year list:
Cormorant
Greylag Goose
Canada Goose
Mallard
Teal
Buzzard
Sparrowhawk
Kestrel
Golden Plover
Lapwing
Black-headed Gull
Common Gull
Herring Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Woodpigeon
Feral Pigeon
Stock Dove
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Green Woodpecker
Sky Lark
Pied Wagtail
Song Thrush
Redwing
Mistle Thrush
Fieldfare
Blackbird
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Starling
Jay
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Rook
Jackdaw
Greenfinch
Chaffinch
Goldfinch

The Urban Birder on The One Show – BBC1

2008-02-21T11:06:00.008Z

Here, for your viewing pleasure is Bird Watching columnist David Lindo starring on BBC1 as the One Show's regular bird expert – The Urban Birder, complete with binoculars in the studio!! Here, he invites us to watch Robins in his garden...

Digiscoping technique (A640)

2008-02-19T15:51:00.008Z

Editor Kevin Wilmot adopts the handheld digiscoping pose for the Canon PowerShot A640.

Assistant editor Mike Weedon writes...

Since I wrote about how much I like the Canon PowerShot A640 (in our January issue), I've had quite a few calls from readers asking how I go about digiscoping with it (I use it with a Kowa TSN-823 scope and 32xW eyepiece).

In the Digiscoping Made Easy DVD I used a PowerShot A95 with a sort of metal tube (a Lensmate) clipped onto a bayonet fitting on the camera. The tube slides neatly into the scope eyepiece, centring the camera and holding it just the right distance from the eyepiece – there was no vignetting at any magnification and it worked beautifully.
I upgraded to the A640 because it has twice the megapixels (10 rather than 5) and the macro is amazing (with an incredible close-focus distance of about 1cm).

The downside is that there isn't a convenient Lensmate-equivalent to connect for digiscoping.

Fear not, though, there is an easy solution – plastic tubing.

Below is the step-by-step guide to how I do my digiscoping. To align the camera with the scope eyepiece, I simply use a plastic ring cut from some plastic piping from a DIY store.

I use one of two rings. The deeper one lifts the camera slightly further away from the eypiece, to stop vignetting at the lowest camera magnifcation. The thinner one is for when the camera is slightly zoomed in. (I worked out the distance by measuring how far back I needed the camera until the vignetting disappeared).

If I am going to be digiscoping all I do is whip out the relevant ring, comme ça...

...then I pop the ring in the scope's eyepiece.

So, it looks like this.

Then all I need to do is insert my camera's lens in the tube.

So, you end up with a set-up looking like this...

...or, if you like, this...

Then you snap away. Here is Kevin Wilmot impersonating my digiscoping technique beautifully.

The system is very simple, and I think the results speak for themselves. Here, for instance is a shot I took of a Snow Bunting this weekend in Norfolk. Not bad, is it?

How not to use binoculars

2008-02-06T15:00:00.000Z

Something for this year's Rutland Birdfair? Perhaps put various brands of binoculars up against each other...

Office list extras

2008-01-30T13:28:00.000Z

Assistant Editor Mike Weedon writes...

In addition to the list posted below of birds seen from our office window this year, I am pleased to add:

Herring Gull and
Great Black-backed Gull

Both of which flew past today.

It has been pretty sunny around here today, and the exceptional mildness has even brought out a Red Admiral butterfly in the garden of one local birder who lives in Peterborough.

The sun has provided plenty of thermals, which are being enjoyed by passing corvids, but most notably by a pair of Sparrowhawks, which have even indulged in a spot of sky-dancing, which I must say is very pleasing on the eye.

Sparrowhawk by Mike Weedon (not taken in the office)

BW office window year-list

2008-01-30T09:05:00.000Z

Assistant Editor Mike Weedon writes...

Last July Bird Watching moved to a new office at Lynchwood Business Park at the west side of Peterborough. From our desks, Matt Merrit and I can just about see out of the large, permanently-sealed windows. We can't quite see the ground, but we can see enough sky and the tops of enough trees to have a stab at a 'window list'.

So this year we are trying to have a birds-seen-from-the-window-while-we-are-at-our-desks-in-2008 list.

So far we are up to 27. Here they are:

Cormorant
Greylag Goose
Canada Goose
Mallard
Sparrowhawk
Kestrel
Golden Plover
Lapwing
Black-headed Gull
Common Gull
Woodpigeon
Feral Pigeon
Stock Dove
Green Woodpecker
Redwing
Fieldfare
Blackbird
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Starling
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Rook
Jackdaw
Greenfinch
Chaffinch
Goldfinch

Please feel free to let us know about your office year list and how it compares to ours... (click on 'comments' below)

Big Garden Birdwatch

2008-01-28T15:55:00.000Z

This weekend, four members of the Bird Watching team took part in the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch.

All you have to do is count the maximum numbers of each species in your garden (or other spot you chose) over a one-hour period over the weekend January 26-27. Then you submit your records on the website. Easy.

Read all about how Carol Debney, Mike Weedon, Matt Merritt and Kevin Wilmot got on in their respective gardens in our March issue (so, you'll have to wait about a month).

Meantime, here are a few shots Mike took during his hour-long garden-watching stint with his children Jasmine and Eddie.

Magpie guzzling peanuts like a Puffin guzzles sand-eels...

This Blue Tit and its mate were checking out the nest-box nearest Mike's kitchen window. Last year the babies sadly died when still rather featherless. Fingers crossed for this year...

Collared Dove and House Sparrow.

February 2008

2008-01-25T10:12:00.000Z

Coming soon to a shop near you (click the pic for a bigger version)
UK readers, why not try WHSmiths or Tesco:

Bird Watching, February 2008

This month, the UK's most popular monthly birding mag includes the following goodies:

Budget binoculars – We have tested 12 pairs of unbelievable-value binoculars for under £150. These include some incredible roof-prism models as well as brilliant porro-prism pairs. The perfect starter pair is in this test.

Winners of IWP 2007 – Chris Packham and his fellow judges have chosen the best photographs from eight mind-blowing categories in the world's biggest bird photography competition. We present simply the best bird photographs in the world!

The Best of 2007 – Top bird man Richard Millington gives his unique view on the best rare birds of last year.

New Year Birding – Despite rupturing his Achilles tendon before Christmas, Assistant Editor Mike Weedon made a brave attempt at his local New Year's Day Bird List Record. Did he succeed? Read the answer inside!

ID Insights: small brown finches – All you need to tell a Twite from a Linnet, plus Snow Bunting tips.

Plus Plus PLUS – Ten new Go Birding walks to try; unique site-by-site guide to all the best birds of December 2007; 8 chances to win a Páramo gilet; page after page of ideas for February birding, and so much more!

Go buy it! Or subscribe here:

Rat trap!

2008-01-21T14:07:00.000Z

Production editor Matt Merritt writes:

More and more when out birding, I notice rats picking around underneath feeders and bird tables. And of course, they can't be blamed for taking advantage of an easy, accessible food source, especially when such feeders are often close to bins overflowing with man's leavings, to say nothing of rubbish simply dumped by the wayside. These opportunistic rodents rarely show any fear of humans or birds, although at one feeder I see regularly, the Mallards are often willing to claim sole rights to the ground below and its rich pickings.

On Saturday, then, I wasn't surprised to see three rats scuffling around in the undergrowth below the bird table in the car-park at Staunton Harold Reservoir, near Melbourne, Derbyshire. They went about their business entirely unconcerned by human or avian passers-by, sometimes feeding side-by-side with a pair of Dunnocks. After watching them for a while, I turned my attention to the real business of the day - Yellowhammers, Tree Sparrows and Siskins, the former two always encouragingly easy to find at this probably underwatched site.

Then, as things went quiet for a few minutes, I noticed that the smallest of the three rats was climbing one of the nearby bushes in preparation for an attempt at jumping, squirrel-style, on to the table itself. There's wire there to stop it, but it wasn't to know that, and all that prevented it was the fact that its weight bent the branch out of reach every time it looked to be within leaping range. As I watched, fascinated, and the rat pondered its next move, there was a sudden flash of black and white, and a Magpie landed next to it. It gave one savage peck to the head, and the rat fell from the branch, dead, before the Maggie started making a meal of it. Its demise didn't seem to bother the other two rats, who carried on feeding, and none of the other birds seemed especially wary of the killer corvid.

Nature, red in tooth and claw, and all that, and a reminder that there's always someone out there just that bit more opportunistic than you.

Kev's digiscoping: Phase 2

2008-01-14T11:36:00.001Z

Assistant Editor Mike Weedon writes:

Kevin Wilmot went out again this weekend for a spot of digiscoping in his garden. After his first efforts (see below), Kev reported to me that he was having a few problems – mainly that he had to zoom in a long way (with the camera) to avoid vignetting (blackening around the edges). I thought that perhaps there was a slight geometry problem between the camera, adapter and the scope's eyepiece.

So, I recommended that he tried going for the hand-held approach, as featured in our digiscoping DVD .

Kev's Nikon camera has a Nikon tube adapter which fits to the Swarovski digiscoping adapter. He found that he could hand hold the camera with the Nikon tube attached and easily centre the camera on the scope. And, lo and behold, the vignetting was gone even at the lowest magnification!

Lower magnification means less shake, faster shutter speeds and cleaner, sharper photographs. So, Kev went for it...

And he was rather pleased with his results, namely this Woodpigeon and Blue Tit (click the pics for bigger versions)...

Not bad, eh?

Watch this space for when I finally persuade him to let go of his 'fully-Automatic' parachute and learn to use the other settings on his camera...

Meantime, if you want to learn to digiscope birds using minimum fuss and no adapters (ie. the hand-held way)), check this link
for our exclusive Digiscoping Made Easy DVD.

Holiday owl

2008-01-09T10:28:00.000Z

Great Horned Owl, near Tucson, Arizona (click for larger version)

This magnificent Great Horned Owl was photographed in Arizona by Louise Parker. Louise, a former Bird Watching designer (remember her?) who now works for Trail magazine, was on holiday near Tucson over the Christmas period.

"There were birds everywhere" she says, "Gila Woodpeckers, Cactus Wrens, Northern Cardinals... and there were birds of prey everwhere you looked".

Louise's nights in the Sabino Canyon were disturbed by a deep hooting from nearby trees. One morning one of the locals told her he knew which tree the local owl preferred to roost in, and a few moments later, there it was in its magnificent glory.

Louise took the photo using a simple compact digital camera on full zoom. Not bad, is it?

New Year Digiscoping

2008-01-07T16:15:00.000Z

Bird Watching Editor Kevin Wilmot writes:

Happy New Year, everybody, and good birdwatching to you all!

This year, I have decided to act on at least one of my resolutions: to take up digiscoping.

After threatening to do it for several months, I finally took the digiscoping plunge at the weekend with a morning trip in hazy winter sunshine to Ferry Meadows Country Park near to my Peterborough home.

Armed with scope (Swarovski ATS65 HD), camera (Nikon Coolpix P5000) and the appropriate adapter, I wanted to try to photograph the abundant wildfowl and gulls that frequent this three-lake nature reserve.

However, a wheezing Greenfinch was too tempting a target to resist even before I’d arrived at the lakes, perched promisingly, but at distance, at the top of a tall tree. You can see the results above (click the picture for a larger version). Not bad, but could do much better...

Tufted Ducks and Coots were the next birds to receive the Wilmot digiscoping treatment, neither very successfully I have to admit.

Still, the ‘delete’ button is a wonderful invention, and it was then off for coffee and bacon baguette at the waterside café… when a flock of 20 or so Pochards landing obligingly some 50 metres away had me scuttling for my scope again. Now these proved a real challenge as they nervously made off towards the other side of the windy lake, and you can see my best effort here.

Finally, the group of dozing Black-headed Gulls on the jetty close to the café made the easiest subjects of the day, and I think the results show this.

Anyway, I’m not ashamed to show you my first attempts at digiscoping, thanks also to my colleague Mike Weedon, who weaved his magic with some very welcome Photoshop work on the images.

The main problems I encountered were these: 1 - Focusing through the camera’s display screen was difficult in the glare, and 2 - Birds move, and the camera’s half-second delay between shutter being pressed and photo being taken resulted in more shots of empty water than of birds. But, improving is all part of life's great adventure...

The best thing is that digiscopiong is fantastic FUN! The digiscoping bug has now well and truly bitten and I can’t wait to get out again.

Watch this space!

Frost

2007-12-14T09:46:00.000Z

Assistant Editor Mike Weedon writes:
It was very cold here in Peterborough yesterday. Ferry Meadows CP was bathed in mist and outrageous frost, and I feared for the IWP 2007 judges (see below), driving from Suffolk, Norfolk, Lincolnshire and Hampshire, through the ice and fog of frozen England. During my cycle into work, I spent precisely one minute snapping some of it, but my fingers became too numb to press the button any more...
Canon PowerShot A640

IWP 2007 judging

2007-12-13T15:30:00.000Z

Today (13.12.07), we judged the International Wildbird Photographer of the Year 2007 competition.

The judging panel in our Peterborough offices were (left to right):

Chris Packham, TV star, photographer,
Mike Weedon, Assistant Editor of Bird Watching,
Chairman: Kevin Wilmot, Editor of Bird Watching,
Peter Partington, wildlife artist,
Angie Pickavance, Marketing and Creative Manager of Warehouse Express (co-owners of IWP),
Tom Bailey, award-winning landscape photographer,

IWP 2007 was entered by nearly 400 photographers from a record-breaking 34 countries, submitting more than 4,000 images!

Winners and runners-up were chosen from each of eight categories (Birds of the UK; Birds of the world; Birds in flight; Bird behaviour; Birds in the landscape: Best amateur; Best digiscoped image; Best portfolio. An overall winner of the the title of International Wildbird Photographer of the Year 2007 was also chosen.

Who won?

Read our February 2008 magazine (out January 30, 2008) and find out!

Wagtail attack

2007-11-29T16:10:00.000Z

Reader Brian Stone took this video of a Grey Wagtail, viciously attacking his car – see Brian's blog. The shameless vandalism took place today (29.11.07) at Newborough Fen, near Peterborough. The bird clearly had a problem with its own reflection.
Have you ever seen anything like this? Please let us know.

Back on the patch

2007-11-26T13:32:00.000Z

Production editor Matt Merritt writes:
I had a few days off last week, so used them to try to fill in some of the gaps on my patch year list, with an almost total lack of success. Not that they weren’t enjoyable, though. In fact, the lack of ticks meant I spent nearly all my time looking very closely at the familiar and everyday.

I started on Wednesday at a flooded Wanlip Meadows, where there were good numbers of Teal, Wigeon and Shoveler. If forced to make a decision, they’d be my three favourite ducks, so it was good to sit there, with the air full of Wigeon whistles, watching them swimming in and out of the grass tussocks that line what would normally be the riverbank.

From there, it was off to Cossington Meadows (spotting a small flock of Goosander and a Sparrowhawk at Watermead Park on the way). Cossington was pretty flooded, too, so there were more of the same ducks, and a couple of Snipe, but little else. Oh, and at least 10,000 Starlings, even at 1pm in the afternoon. There was little of the spectacular formation flying going on, just a steady leap-frogging march as they fed across the grassy areas. Every now and then a little breakaway group of 500 or so would disappear for ten minutes, but numbers remained pretty constant, and the highlight was when the whole flock upped and moved a few hundred yards, passing overhead in a rush of wings.

Thursday, it rained. I dodged showers in the afternoon to sit in the hide at Kelham Bridge, watching the few ducks, Moorhens and Black-headed Gulls. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something large, long-winged and pale gliding towards the hide. Thinking it might be a Great Black-backed, I waited for it to emerge from behind bushes. Another split-second glimpse of a whitish underside had me thinking Barn Owl, and then it came into full view – a big, unmistakeable male Hen Harrier, quartering the reedbeds and grassy scrub with wings held in a typical shallow harrier V. I watched it until it disappeared behind the hide, then ran out to try to follow. Just as, eventually, it flew out of sight over a hill, I bumped into two workmen from Severn Trent Water.

“You didn’t just see a big, silver-grey bird of prey go past, did you?” I asked.

“Why, have you lost one?” was the deadly serious reply.

On a gloriously sunny Friday, I thought I’d see if I could find the bird again, either at Kelham or at nearby Sence Valley Forest Park. No luck, despite there being plenty of likely Hen Harrier (and Short-eared Owl) haunts, but there were good scope views of feeding Snipe, and Stonechats popping up on top of bushes and fenceposts. The latter are one of my favourite small birds, and looked superb in the late afternoon sun.

Saturday was a write-off, thanks to the weather, so Sunday I went off in search of the Long-eared Owls reported from Bagworth Heath Woods. A fair few birders had the same idea, and although we didn’t find a single owl, standing staring at their roost site for three hours did allow us to see plenty of Goldfinches and Siskins, and a Kestrel hunting until the light had almost gone. We were all in the first stages of hypothermia by the end of it, but the banter was good. I’m usually a solitary birder, so it was a nice reminder that once in a while, it’s great to share birding time with a lot of highly knowledgeable, generous-minded, funny fellow obsessives.

Weedon's World, May 2007

2007-11-24T17:14:00.000Z

Each month in Bird Watching magazine, Assistant Editor Mike Weedon writes a monthly column called Weedon's World.

Here is May 2007 for unseasonal starters. Click on the 'image' for a readable-sized version. Enjoy. And please let us know what you think of it in the Comment section, below.

In case you don't know, Bird Watching magazine is easily Britain's highest-selling monthly bird magazine. It is available from WHSmith etc and of course you can subcribe by clicking here.

Mini-sits

2007-11-21T11:34:00.001Z

Assistant editor Mike Weedon writes:
Matt Merritt, Kevin Wilmot, Tom Bailey and I spent Monday (19.11.07) tyring out a different kind of bird race, which we will call a Mini-Sit. We spent exactly an hour in a theoretical 17-foot diameter circle, at each of three sites in the Peterborough area (all in Cambridgeshire), seeing how many species we could see and hear from each place. We chose the Nene way at Eldernell, east of Coates, a hide at Woodwalton Fen NNR and a high point at Ferry Meadows CP.
We were prelasantly surprised at the results, and you can read all about them in the January 2008 issue of Bird Watching
Some of the birds seen included Barn Owl and Stonechat at Eldernell...

Mike Weedon

Mike Weedon
...Teal in good numbers at Woodwalton Fen...

...and the inevitable Mallard at Ferry Meadows.

Mike Weedon
Boy did we struggle with Grey Herons, though, and we didn't record House Sparrow or Collared Dove at any of the sites!

Frosty morrning snaps

2007-11-16T12:16:00.000Z

Grey Heron

What a beautiful bird the humble Moorhen is.

Lake reflected in a Coot.

Assistant Editor Mike Weedon writes:
I took advantage of some lovely frosty sunshine this morning and cycled my usual rouite in to work via Ferry Meadows (west Peterborough) with my DSLR strapped to my back. Here are some of the shots I took. Enjoy (and click them as usual for larger versions).
All photos were taken with a Canon Eos 30D with a 300f4 IS USM and 1.4x converter.
Don't worry, though, digiscoping fans, I use both technques in my day-to-day birdwatching, as there are benefits for both. Hopefully, we will be doing a feature on Digiscoping v DSLR (pros and cons) in early 2008 in Bird Watching magazine. Wath this space.

Fieldfare digiscoping

2007-11-13T15:34:00.000Z

Fieldfare, Tanholt pits, 10.11.07. Click on the photos for larger versions.

I digiscoped this Fieldfare in poor light at the weekend (10.11.07). I used a Canon PowerShot A640 handheld to a Kowa TSN-823 scope with a 32xW eyepiece. My only 'adapter' is a bit of crude plastic tubing to centre the lens.

Want to learn to digiscope birds using minimum fuss and no adapters?
Check this link
for our exclusive Digiscoping Made Easy DVD.