Bird Watching February 2013 by Bird Watching

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FEBRUARY 2013

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Hawfinch SPECIES FOCUS

February 2013 £4.10

How, where and when to find this cracking bird near you

BIRDWATCHING ‘I THOUGHT I WAS MYTHS BUSTED GOING TO DIE’ Do Little Owls lure beetles to their larder?

The perils of chalking up a life list of 7,000 birds

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Build a nestbox UK Bird Sightings 10 new birding walks Nikon bins on test David Lindo in Nairobi

Your birding

month When, where and how to see more birds

birds in numbers

Long-line fishing and albatrosses 80 miles (130km) length of a long line with baited hooks 10-20,000 number of baited hooks on each long line 3 billion number of hooks set each year 300,000 number of seabirds killed each year by long line hooks 100,000 number of albatrosses killed each year by long line hooks

fieldcraft David Tipling

bird feeders February is often a very cold time of year. And with freezing conditions, birds find it very hard to get the food they need to see them through another frozen night. In midwinter garden bird feeding can make the difference between survival and death for our garden birds. Here are just a few reminders about the ‘best practice’ for feeding birds: use a bird table or bird tray: With bird tables, simple is best. Avoid bought ones with built-in nestboxes, for instance. All you need is a simple (cleanable) tray with a raised rim (to stop all the food spilling) with a gap to allow rain to run off. Attach to a post or even place it on the ground. Hanging feeders: Use a mix of seed feeders (usually plastic tubes with holes) and nut feeders (made of steel mesh – avoid plastic mesh bags, which birds get tangled in). If making your own feeder, for most seeds, holes of about 6mm diameter are best. Other ‘feeders’: You can of course use the classic hanging coconut with fat, seeds etc (not salty foods) and put seed or other food directly onto a lawn. You can also put seeds, nuts and fatball material into cracks and holes in bark or crevices in trees to attract creeping investigators such as Nuthatches. add water: Water is an essential part of bird feeding (for drinking and bathing). So, if you don’t already have a pond, please provide clean water, even if it is in the classic upturned Frisbee on the lawn. Keep it clean: Cleanliness is important with bird feeding, to avoid the spread of infectious disease. Feeders, bird trays and water containers, plus the area around the feeders, should be regularly cleaned with warm water and a mild cleaning agent move it: It is a good idea to move your feeders around to avoid infections. You may also wish to experiment with putting feeders in different areas to find where the birds feel most comfortable. A completely exposed hanging feeder may make your birds nervous of attacks from cats and Sparrowhawks, whereas one near or within a bush may offer the confidence of cover. 6 Bird Watching 2013

Can you attract this many blue tits to your feeders?

types of food there is a bewildering range of seed types available for birds, these days. in general, follow suppliers’ advice. seeds such as black sunflowers are great all-rounders, liked by many species, but you may want to use a mixed seed alternative to attract a different range of species. Peanuts can be shelled or unshelled, but never salted. nuts are best placed behind a steel mesh, so they can’t be

extracted whole, but picked into pieces. fat balls now come in all shapes or sizes, but they are a doddle to make, so why not prepare some, hang them and see what comes. melt some fat and mix with seeds, then allow to cool. nowadays you can also buy mealworms, nyger seed, and all sorts of different foods to atract and satisfty different birds. find what suits your garden birds best.

FLPA (Alamy)

fOur tO find

hang out for buntings in north america, they are called ‘sparrows’ because they are smallish, streaky brown birds with blunt bills and even proportions (ie they look like true sparrows). Over here, we call them buntings. being brown and streaky means that many birdwatchers may look the other way, and as they have various plumages according to age and gender and season, they can go unlearned. this is a shame as they are rather charming birds, and without a sound knowledge of the commoner species, how will you find the rare one? in winter, they often gather in flocks which may contain a few species, to provide a bit of challenge.

Yellowhammer a classic farmland and hedgerow bird. the male can be a surprisingly bright yellow bird even in the winter; the female is more heavily streaked. both are infused with yellowish on the underparts and have obvious chestnut rumps, plus white outer tail feathers. the usual call is a rough-edged rather tuneless ‘chink’ but in flight, or when nervous, they have a rapid ticking. Oliver Smart

FLPA (Alamy)

Paul Cumberland (Alamy)

reed bunting

Corn bunting

Cirl bunting

A bird with a penchant for damp ground, the Reed Bunting is also found in scrubby bushy areas and gardens, far from water. Our most sparrow-like bunting, the male looks like a fancy, slim, version of a House Sparrow. The female is like a streaky female sparrow. Both have white outer tails, often flicked. The varied calls are a mix of drawn-out ‘pew’ notes and sparrow-like harsher notes.

The Corn Bunting is a monster of a bunting. A flock arranged on a telegraph wire can be mistaken for a bunch of Starlings. These are big, pot-bellied, heavy-billed birds, which even seem too portly to carry their legs up properly as they fly off. They are the ultimate streaky brown bird, lacking even the expected bunting white outer tail feathers and instead just presenting dirty brown. The call is a dry clicking sound.

A European bird with a tiny foothold in the UK (fewer than 1,000 pairs) in some areas of Devon, and reintroduced in Cornwall. Similar in size and shape to a Yellowhammer and similarly a very rural bird. Females and winter males are particularly Yellowhammer-like, but have more well-marked faces and greenish, not chestnut, rumps. Males retain the dark throat. The call is a high, clicking ‘zit’. birdwatching.co.uk 7

Species focus

HawfincH The secretive stonecrusher Just listen for the sound of cracking nuts in your local woodland… By Matt Merritt or us Brits, the word ‘finch’ is almost synonymous with ‘small bird’ – Chaffinches are among the most widespread and numerous birds we have, and other species, such as Goldfinch in recent years, can feel nearly as ubiquitous. We know what a finch looks and sounds like, too. Conical bills, bright plumage (very often), narrow tails (often with a notch), sweet and frequent singing, and powerful, undulating flight. Even Crossbills, with their bent-out-of-shape bills, don’t look too different. But one finch species stands alone. Partly, that’s because of its scarcity, with single sightings the stuff of pager messages and sightings, blog mentions. And the lack of numbers is compounded by a shy and elusive nature. In the main, it’s by virtue of the fact that this is a small bird that gives the impression of being much larger. It’s the Hawfinch, of

need to know...

1 2 3

The Hawfinch’s powerful ‘bite’ is equivalent to your own bite exerting around 60kg of pressure.

Listen for the hard, sharp ‘pic’ call, often uttered in flight, as a clue to the presence of Hawfinches. Don’t expect large numbers – in the UK, Hawfinches tend to be seen in pairs, or small groups.

22 Bird Watching 2013

course, that bull-necked, nutcracker-billed frequenter of the foliage. On the face of it, then, they should be hard to miss. They’re somewhere between the size of a Robin and Blackbird, with that immense bill and thick neck giving them a distinctly top-heavy appearance, and although they lack the bright reds, golds and yellows of some of their close relations, they’re sharply-marked birds, with dark chestnut mantles, tawny heads and subtle, peachy underparts set off by a black bib and a grey nape. In flight they’re distinctive, too, with broad white panels flashing in their glossy blue-black wings. And yet, except in winter, when bare trees and the need to roam in search of food can make them more obvious, they can be hard to find, often staying hidden in the foliage as they search for the seeds, buds and shoots that make up their diet.

in winter, the bill goes from bluish black to pale horn colour (FLPA - Images of Nature)

birdwatching.co.uk 23

Exposed!

Birdwatching myths

Charnel house ThE LEGEnd: Little Owls kill small animals and birds and use their carcasses as bait to attract beetles

BUSTEd! Goldcrests riding on Woodcocks’ backs, Little Owls luring beetles to their death? Richard Smyth finds out if there’s any truth in some of our most famous birding folklore

30 Bird Watching 2013

troubling to naturalists of the time was the disappearance of Swallows and Swifts in winter. Where on earth did they go? One widely believed hypothesis was that, like frogs and Hedgehogs, they hibernated. Gilbert White related several second-hand tales of Swallows and Swifts being discovered in a ‘dormant’ state; decades later, Henry Gosse concluded that, while legends of Swallows hibernating under water could probably be ‘safely dismissed’, the question of ‘torpidity’ remained unresolved. Of course, we know now a great deal more about the migrations of these birds than did White and Gosse. But we must resist the urge to scoff. At least one bird – the American Common Poorwill – is known to enter into a state of torpor during cold weather. To think that the Swallow might do the same is perhaps less of a stretch of the imagination than the truth: that this tiny, fragile bird undergoes a 10,000-mile migration across some of the harshest landscapes on earth. For all the progress we’ve made since White’s day, from modern study techniques to advanced recording and optics technology, there are still few definitive answers in ornithology. There are still mysteries to solve – and there are still myths to debunk. So, in a spirit of open-mindedness, let’s take a closer look at some of the bird world’s most enduring legends – bearing in mind that, as we have just seen, if something sounds unbelievable, that doesn’t necessarily mean it isn’t true...

Colin Varndell (Alamy)

Common Poorwill: chills out in cold weather

All Canada Phtos (Alamy)

irds, as every birdwatcher knows, can be maddeningly elusive: tricky to spot, hard to keep up with, and impossible to pin down. For ‘birds’, read ‘facts’. In the world of bird study, getting to the truth can be as challenging as chasing a Wren through a Hawthorn hedge. Biologists have a saying: “All biological laws have exceptions.” This is emphatically true in ornithology: what’s true of one Blackbird might not be true of another, and what’s true of two might not be true of the third. And it isn’t as though you can run an experiment in a test tube or petri dish in a bid to establish the facts; all you can do is keep watching, keep observing – and keep remembering that generalisations have a nasty habit of backfiring. The history of ornithology has been a gradual picking-apart of myth and reality. Early naturalists such as Pliny the Elder are often derided for their howlers (Pliny’s insupportable assertion that the Buzzard has three testicles, for instance), but they also had a nice line in debunking: the ‘dying song’ of the swan was just one of numerous bird myths rightly challenged in Pliny’s Natural History. By the 18th Century, naturalists were coming to accept the over-riding importance of keen observation; the Natural History Of Selborne (1789), by the unfeasibly sharp-eyed and curious Gilbert White, set the template. But still, absolute certainty was hard to come by. Claims made regarding bird behaviour, in particular, were almost impossible to verify – what evidence could anyone provide, after all, beyond “I saw what I saw”? This was the golden age of the ornithological argument. Whether conducted in person or – more often – played out in the letters pages of obscure natural history journals, fierce debates raged over questions of bird conduct. The Yorkshire naturalist Charles Waterton was a master of this sort of thing: he waged numerous vituperative wars over such questions as whether Dippers walk on river-bottoms and how a young Cuckoo clears its host nest of eggs. One mystery that proved persistently

The realiTy: This isn’t so much a legend as a slander. little Owls are a relatively recent import to the UK. When they were introduced here in the 19th Century, gamekeepers were up in arms. Why, these voracious foreigners were nothing but a pest! They would surely wreak carnage among pheasant chicks and other small creatures. One writer described the little Owl as “a scourge for the game-protector”. When it was pointed out that the little Owl, being rather little, was more likely to feed on beetles and other insects than on game birds, the gamekeepers and their allies concocted an ingenious libel: ah, they said, it may be true that the owl doesn’t eat these animals – but what it does do is even more fiendish. “it will regularly and systematically kill young birds and small animals such as mice and rats, and will carry the bodies to certain selected places, and will there leave them to become of the right sweetness of decomposition to attract beetles,” wrote el Grant Watson, marvelling at the bird’s devilish cunning. in 1935, the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) instigated a thorough study of the bird’s habits. led by alice hibbert-Ware, the painstaking study forensically demolished the anti-little Owl case: in 2,460 owl pellets and 76 nest-holes, the researchers found the remains of only 75 carcass-loving beetles. There remains no compelling evidence for the little Owl charnel house. however, recent findings from the US shed new light on the issue. according to a recent US study, the Burrowing Owl, a close relative of the little Owl, lures tasty beetles to its burrow – with dung. researchers found that the Burrowing Owl surrounds its burrow with pieces of dung. These, naturally, attract dung-beetles, which the owl, naturally, gobbles up. The researchers aren’t suggesting, however, that the owls came up with the dung-lure as a deliberate strategy; instead, they suggest that a nestful of dung has other advantages – as camouflage, perhaps, or insulation – and that the resulting beetle bonanza is simply a fortunate side-effect.

Look at those eyes â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a pure cold-blooded calculating predator... if you believe 19th Century gamekeepers birdwatching.co.uk 31

In your garden

How to build your own

Nail it together like this! Þ

210mm 120mm

Hole sizes Different hole sizes are suitable for different types of species: ■ 25mm for blue, coal and marsh tits ■ 28mm for great tits and tree sparrows ■ 32mm for house sparrows and nuthatches The bottom of the entrance hole must be at least 125mm from the floor of the nest box.

350mm

42 Bird Watching 2013

and invertebrates by their parents, the food you can provide will be vital to the adult birds, as it enables them to spend more time looking for live food for the nestlings. Rachael said: “It is widely recognised that feeding wild birds all year round is key to the continued survival of many native species. "As natural food sources, as well as nesting sites, are eaten away by housing and industrial development, the provision of nutritious food throughout the year is increasingly vital for the welfare and conservation of wild and garden birds. Only with consistent support throughout the year can garden wildlife thrive.” Using the findings from its own unique and comprehensive study into the food preferences of British birds, Nature’s Feast has revealed the ingredients that will most appeal to different species during the nesting season, helping to provide essential nutrients as high-calorie sources of food become scarce. Rachael added: “During the breeding season adult species often require the lifeline of extra food as a result of the energy they require to feed their hungry young chicks. Luckily we can all lend a helping hand by putting out food packed full of energy. "For example, dried mealworms are ideal as they are high in protein, while sunflower hearts and peanuts both contain high oil content for long-term energy. “Finally, leftover food that does not contain salt doesn’t have to go to waste. Wild birds will simply adore grated cheese, apples, pears, berries, unsalted bacon, cooked rice and pasta, as these foods will help maintain their energy levels too. Simply leave it outside on the ground or a bird table.” By providing shelter and food, you'll be boosting your chances of getting as wide a variety of species in your garden as possible. Make sure you share your nestbox creations with Nature’s Feast by posting your pictures on Twitter and sharing with @naturesfeast and @BirdWatchingMag by 28 February. The makers of the best nestboxes, as judged by Nature’s Feast, will each win a 1kg bag of High Energy Supreme bird seed. Perfect for seed feeders and tables, the feed contains a broad variety of premium seeds and nuts. More information about Nature’s Feast can also be found at www.naturesfeast.co.uk

200mm

aking place from 14-21 February, National Nest Box Week is the perfect time for you to help garden birds, some of which have suffered population declines because of lack of nest sites, by creating your own nestbox. To help you on your way, we’ve teamed up with Nature’s Feast, one of the UK’s leading suppliers of food and accessories for wild birds, to bring you this simple step-by-step guide to building a nestbox. They're becoming ever more vital, because one of the factors driving the decline of some of our best-known garden birds, such as Starlings and House Sparrows, is lack of nesting sites, as we highlighted as part of our Keep Britain Messy campaign last year. The loss of old houses and buildings, which provided plenty of holes, nooks and cavities for them to nest in, and the popularity of DIY (meaning potential sites are blocked up) means that anything you can do to provide alternatives can make a huge difference. Rachael Dickinson, from Nature’s Feast, said: “With some garden bird species sadly in decline, National Nest Box Week is the ideal time to put up nestboxes to help protect a variety of wild birds throughout the breeding season. “In fact, with many nesting sites fast disappearing as a result of gardens and woods rapidly diminishing, nestboxes play a valuable role in helping provide the nation’s birds with a safe place to bring up their young and also shelter in the cold winter months.” As well as giving the declining species a helping hand, you'll be providing yourself with a chance to enjoy many hours of close-up viewing of birds and their behaviour. Rachael added: “Eco-friendly and educational, setting up a nestbox is an ideal activity for the whole family. That’s why we have provided our top tips on building your own nestbox to help ensure your garden has the flock factor come spring. Once occupied, nestboxes are a pleasure to watch, from initial nest-making, right through to seeing their inhabitants fly the nest.” Having attracted birds to nest in your garden, you also need to make sure that there's plenty of food for them at all times. Even in spring and early summer, when young are being raised and fed on insects

Cut your plank like this! Ü

250mm

Bring more breeding birds to your garden this spring with our easy DIY plan. First up... find a plank!

You need: Weatherproof plank (1400mm long, 150mm wide, 15mm thick), galvanised nails, drill, hammer, saw, waterproof hinge

200mm

NESTBOX

How to build a nestbox

150mm

Where to put your nestbox ■ Place the nestbox in a quiet, safe place out of the reach of predators, and sheltered from the elements and direct sunlight. ■ In unsheltered areas, the box should be tilted slightly forward to channel rain water away from the opening. ■ The best position is fixed to a tree or wall, between 2m and 5m (6-16 feet) up. ■ Clean your nestboxes between September and January, ready for the breeding season. ■ Do not disturb the box between February and August as this is when it is most likely to be occupied. ■ A nearby supply of nesting material (moss, twigs, etc) will encourage birds to set up home.

David Kjaer (Nature Picture Library)

If youĂ&#x2022;re lucky, you could end up with a real star nesting bird, such as Pied Flycatcher

Need to know...

If you treat the wood with a waterbased wood preservative, ensure it is safe for animal use and only coat the outside of the nestbox. Join the panels together with galvanised nails to prevent rusting and drill drainage holes in to the base of the box to allow rain to drain away. Attach a waterproof hinge to the roof of your nestbox for ease of cleaning in autumn. Ensure it is fastened securely to prevent predators opening the lid.

birdwatching.co.uk 43

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Go birdinG

FEbruary Walk 9 kent

Difficulty

Trosley CP

Site Guide Paul Tordd

A birding walk amid the spectacular North Downs rosley Country Park is owned and managed by Kent County Council and comprises around 170 acres of mixed woodland, scrub and chalk downland on the North Downs. It is well laid out for the walker, with three colour marked trails graded in difficulty, plus an informative visitor centre and a welcoming café. This birding walk takes in various parts of each trail, some of which are very steep. Breaks in the woodland canopy along the way afford spectacular views across the Kentish Weald and provide ideal points from which to scan for birds on the move. Even by late February visible migrants such as thrushes, Starlings, finches and wagtails can seen moving eastwards along the line of hills. All the common birds of prey are possible with an outside chance of Red Kite or even Goshawk. Marsh Tits are regularly noted in the woodlands, while Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and Hawfinch are more likely to be seen now due to limited leaf cover and this being the peak period for drumming woodpeckers.

Alan Williams

Marsh Tit

Look out for early signs of spring plants along the way, plus Brown Hares and Badger activity in the scrub cleared fields at the base of the downs. In summary, a rewarding winter birding walk, if a little challenging at times due to some slippery slopes! And if, like me, you are a dog lover, then this is the walk for you, as wellbehaved dogs are welcome. Paul Trodd

Grid ref: TR 633 310 Postcode: DA13 0SG How to get there: The country park is situated six miles north-west of Maidstone on the North Downs. Take the A227 north from Wrotham to Meopham. After 1.5 miles turn right at Vigo village and follow the brown signs to site. Where to park: Pay and display car park is signposted off the A227 at Vigo. Distance and time: Allow at least two hours to walk the 2.5 mile route. Terrain: Three colour-coded trails vary from suitable for wheelchairs and buggies (yellow) to flat and relatively level (red) to steep and potentially slippery (green). access: The country park is open daily from 8.30am until dusk. Facilities: Pay and display car park, visitors centre, café (open daily from 10am-3pm during winter) toilets, picnic area, information boards and viewpoints. Public Transport: Arriva no. 308 from Bluewater to Sevenoaks stops at the country park. Traveline 0871 200 2233 Sites nearby: Bewl Water, Sussex, Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve, Kent Organisations: Trosley Country Park, 01732 823570, kentcountryparks@kent. gov.uk www.kentgov.uk/kentcountryparks Club contact: Kent Ornithological Society, 01580 891686, www.kentos.org.uk County recorder: Barry Wright, 01474 320918, barrybirding@tiscali.co.uk Maps: OS Explorer 148/163, OS Landranger 188. In association with

MINOX manufacturer a wide range of high quality optics suitable for a variety of outdoor activites. Contact your local Minox Sport Optic Partner or Dealer for further information and guidance on selecting a suitable pair of binoculars or spotting scope for your requirements.

V5 OS 1:50,000 Region 1 Southern England www.memory-map.co.uk 0870 743 0121

The bird feeders attract the usual tits and finches but also Nuthatch, Great Spotted Woodpecker with an outside chance of Siskin or redpoll. The enclosed woodland ride was formerly a favoured spot for groups of Hawfinches feeding amongst leaf litter and they are still occasionally reported. The open scrub is a good spot for the likes of Yellowhammer, Linnet, Bullfinch, winter thrushes, plus hunting Kestrel and Sparrowhawk. Another good spot for open country birds to the south with the chance of partridges, Sky Lark, Yellowhammer, Mistle Thrush, Green Woodpecker and Buzzard. Check arable fields into March for an early Wheatear.

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4 Maidstone 7m Ü 62 Bird Watching 2013

Go birdinG

FEbruary

Walk 10 West Sussex

Difficulty

The burgh

Site Guide Paul Trodd

A bird-rich walk on the South Downs his scenic part of Sussex is set on the edge of the newly designated South Downs National Park, amidst gentle rolling chalk hills and the Arun river valley to the west. Much of the walk passes through arable farmland, which is also utilised for game shooting. The various farming stewardship schemes undertaken by the landowners has resulted in broad fields margins, many sown with game cover which also benefits a range of farmland birds, typically Sky Lark, Linnet and Yellowhammer, all of which are declining in numbers nationally. A small wood and several thick hedgerows adds to the habitat variety and provides vital roost sites. The Burgh has gained a reputation for birds of prey with Hen Harrier, Red Kite and Peregrine being noted most winters, as well as both Short-eared and Long-eared Owls, with the former being more likely hunting field boundaries in late afternoon. Roughlegged Buzzards have also occurred in the past, as has Pallid Harrier.

buzzard

This birding walk could easily be extended northwards, towards Amberley, along a maze of well marked public footpaths. So choose a bright winters day, pull on those hiking boots and enjoy the peace and tranquillity of the South Downs with the prospect of raptors and farmland birds along the way. Paul Trodd

4 1

In association with

V5 OS 1:50,000 Region xx www.memory-map.co.uk 0870 743 0121

Sean Bolton (Alamy)

Grid ref: TQ 043 090 Postcode: BN18 9RJ How to get there: From the A27 roundabout south of Arundel head east towards Brighton. Turn left after a quarter of a mile just past Arundel railway station, signposted to Burpham. The village is a further two miles north along narrow lanes. Where to park: Park considerately in Burpham village at P1 or the nearby road triangle of grass at P2. Distance and time: Allow at least two hours to walk the two and half mile route, plus extra for scanning the valleys. Terrain: Mostly rough surfaced farm tracks with plenty of slopes, slippery when wet. accessibility: Year-round access on well marked public footpaths, tracks and lanes. Facilities: None on site, apart from several information boards, and the George and Dragon pub in Burpham. Nearby Arundel has the full range of facilities. Public transport: None to site but Amberley Station is only two miles away. For train times, call 08457 48 49 50 or www.nationalrail.co.uk Sites nearby: Pagham Harbour, Arundel Wildfowl and Wetland Trust. Organisations: West Sussex County Council, County Hall, Chichester, PO19 1RQ. Club contact: Sussex Ornithological Society, Val Bentley, 01273 494723, secretary@sos.org.uk, www.sos.org County recorder: Nick Paul, 01403 264762, recorder@sos.org Maps: OS Explorer 121, OS Landranger 197.

The hedgerows and gardens around the village attract tits and thrushes as well as woodpeckers, Nuthatch, Treecreeper and the chance of a wintering Blackcap. Check the field margins for Yellowhammer, Corn and Reed Buntings and finches attracted to the seed hoppers. Grey Partridge are regularly seen amongst the commoner Red-legged Partridges in game cover and arable fields. The small wood atop the hill is a good spot to scan the valley to the north which regularly attracts Short-eared Owl and the odd Hen or Marsh Harrier. A panoramic viewpoint to scan for any movement overhead. Short swathes of winter corn can attract flocks of Golden Plovers, Lapwings and Common Gulls.

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Your bird

QUESTIONS Your bird problems soved by our experts OUR EXPERTS

Buzzard puzzle

If you’ve got a birding question, one of our experts will be able to answer it. Meet our team of bird brains and see if you can fox them with a puzzle of your own!

I took these photos in October 2012. We were driving along a narrow country road in Wiltshire when we spotted this bird on a telegraph pole some distance ahead. I am not an experienced birdwatcher and I have had great difficulty in ID-ing it. I have shortlisted Honey Buzzard, Hen Harrier, or Rough-legged Buzzard. I suspect the one in the air may be an adult Roughlegged Buzzard (given away by the white band across its chest). Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Ian Mulelly, via email

Matt Merritt Matt’s been overseeing our Q&A pages in their various guises for years – and has identified more little brown jobs than he’s had hot dinners... Mike Weedon If Mike’s not out birding he’s talking about birding. If he’s not talking about birding, he’s reading about birding. In short, he lives and breathes birding. Dave Nurney Having spent decades studying the tiniest of plumage differences in hundreds of birds, illustrator Dave has an eye for detail. Kate Risely As our BTO expert, Kate is bang up-to-date with all the latest population figures and trends. Need a fact or stat about a species? Kate’s got it.

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Let’s start by ruling out Honey Buzzard and Hen Harrier. The former probably wouldn’t still be around in October, having already migrated south, and has a noticeably small and greyish head. The head shape is also wrong for a female or juvenile

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What bird has Ian photographed?

Hen Harrier (or ringtail, as they’re collectively known), as like all harriers they have a rather owl-like face, with a pronounced facial disc. It’s a Buzzard. We’d expect Rough-legged Buzzard to show much paler plumage on its underside, and there’s no sign of the distinctively white and contrasting inner tail, one of the distinguishing features of this species. With the perched bird, we’d expect to see a lighter and warmer brown in the upperparts.

It can be very confusing, as Buzzards vary massively, not just between the different ‘morphs’, but within each one, but all typically show a pale band across the chest. The flying bird looks right for Buzzard in terms of structure, too, as a Rough-legged would appear longer winged. Don’t give up on Rough-legged Buzzard – though they breed no nearer than Scandinavia, a few come to the UK every winter, although they tend to be found around coastal saltmarshes.

What is this winter-plumaged diver?

Blackbird query

I took this photo in November, just south of Berwick on Tweed. Is it a Red-throated Diver? Ken Ormonde, via email

I took these photos at a local nature reserve, Longton Brickcroft, just south of Preston. They’re both Blackbirds – I think one is 18 months old but I’m unsure about the other. Can you help? John Gifford, Lancashire

It is a Red-throated Diver, and well done on getting a photo of one at sea – all divers can be surprisingly difficult to pick out in the swell as they sit so low in the water. In winter plumage, all three of the divers that we regularly get in the UK can appear similar, being essentially dark grey and white, Ken’s diver

but there are several diagnostic features you can look for. On this bird, the culmen (the upper part of the bill) is straight, whereas on a Black-throated, it’s curved (and the bill is larger overall). A Black-throated also has more grey on the neck and head, and a ‘peaked’ forehead – this bird has a much lower, sloping forehead, typical of Red-throated. Great Northern Divers are much larger, darker overall, and have a distinctive steep forehead and flat crown.

These are both first-winter birds, as shown by the lack of yellow on the bill, but they seem to be at slightly different stages of their development. One still seems to have a certain amount of juvenile plumage on its head, while the other can only really be told as a first-winter bird by that dull bill and the brownish tinge to the wing. An 18-month-old male would have adult plumage.

In association with

Two mystery birds for you to identify Please could you help me identify these birds. The possible Dunnock was seen in the Gower, and the other at Otmoor, Oxfordshire. Paul Wilks, by email The first is indeed a Dunnock. Perhaps because it lacks bright plumage and has a rather shy, retiring nature, it’s a species that seems doomed to be either overlooked, or mistaken for something else, and it would be interesting to know if it is underreported because of that. On this particular one, the

blue-grey colour of the head, contrasting with the streaky upperparts, isn’t as obvious as you’d expect, but it’s that thin, warbler-like bill that sets it apart from similarly coloured sparrows and finches. The second picture is a Goldfinch – the yellow wing flashes from which it gets its name are very visible here. As a species, it’s been doing well in recent years and is now a much more common garden visitor than previously, with a liking for black niger seed – it can also be attracted by thistles and Teasels (as below). Can you identify these birds?

Unseasonal duckling I saw a Mallard duckling out on the river twice over the last week or so. Just one, always with an adult nearby, but they don’t seem interested in each other. Is it normal for there to be chicks at this time of year? What are its chances of survival? Rosie Shannon, via Facebook It’s hard to say, although without an adult looking out for it, its chances wouldn’t be great. Mallard parents can appear deceptively offhand at times, though, so perhaps the adult you saw was keeping an eye on it. Most winters bring a few reports of Mallards breeding – because so many of them, in the UK, are basically feral, or at least used to being fed regularly by humans, they have a better chance than most species to do so. Woodpigeons are the other species, in the UK, that seems able to breed pretty much year-round, while Moorhens, by having several broods and using older chicks to look after young ones, often extend their breeding season well into the autumn.

Is this a Desert Wheatear?

Did I capture a Desert Wheatear on camera? On October 5, I was over at Ballykelly RSPB, where I took a number of photos of a single Wheatear. It is only after I have carried out a New Year’s review of my photos, that I thought I might have captured a rarity. I have asked a number of people on a Facebook group, and the general consensus is that this may well be a Desert Wheatear. My advice was to contact you guys. Can you assist? Craig Leonard, via email

We’re not really sure what would suggest this bird is a Desert Wheatear, as they’re usually much paler about their underparts. The white edges at the top of the tail are also visible if you zoom in, making this a Wheatear in its autumn plumage. The darker ear coverts also suggest this. There might be a possibility of it being a bird of the Greenland race (leucorhoa), as it does seem to have a relatively large amount of pink-buff on its underparts. What do our readers think? Email birdwatching@bauermedia.co.uk

ARK WILDLIFE QUESTION OF THE MONTH

What is this redpoll? I took these pictures of redpolls in my garden over the New Year. There were seven at any one time on my niger feeders. I have not seen a redpoll since about 1985, so am uncertain as to what species this is – could you help out please? Art Sangster, via email

One of the first redpolls in Art’s garden, but what species is it?

These are Lesser Redpolls, the most common of the redpoll species found in the UK (they were previously lumped into a single species). The relatively dark, warm brown upperparts distinguish them from Mealy (or Common ), and Arctic Redpolls, both of which you’d expect to be paler, and both of which are also larger than Lessers. There’s a possibility that they’ll be lumped back into a species again, incidentally, so Lesser Redpoll may become a subspecies once again. It’s interesting to see them on the niger seed – they’re another species that, in recent years, has been seen to increasingly take advantage of garden feeders. Congratulations to Ken who wins £50 of Ark Wildlife products: 8kg Ark No Mess Feeder Mix and a Super Premium ONYX Seed Feeder. For more information, a free catalogue or to place an order call FREEPHONE: 0800 085 4865, visit www.ArkWildlife.co.uk or find us on www.facebook.com/arkwildlife birdwatching.co.uk 111