Bird Watching November 2011

Is photography bad for birding?

secret survival skills

The clever ways birds avoid becoming lunch! november 2011

Britain’s best-selling bird magazine

Arctic terns

How they cope with their 70,000km annual migration

flock fActs

Find out why Long-tailedTits hang around in gangs

The story behind the daily dramas in your garden

The urban Birder David Lindo visits the UK’s natural history capital

Winter gloves offer! P48 T&Cs apply

November 2011 £4.10

UK bird sightings go birding Sandhill Crane and more in our new-look Rarity Round-up

Fantastic new places to see more birds this November

budget optics We test new bins for under £130

great book offers inside get up to 1/3 off!

month

Your birding

When, where and how to see more birds

Birder’s Guide to European and Middle Eastern Birds The follow up to Keith Vinnicombe’s classic and revolutionary Macmillan guide, which covered British birds, this volume from 1996 was an altogether more hardcore matter. Gone were the Song Thrush and Mistle Thrush, in came the Mediterranean Sylvia warblers, Aquila eagles, wheatears and obscure eiders. Each problem group has a host of annotated illustrations and an ID essay. This remains an indispensable tome for a visit to the outer reaches of Europe for the heavy duty Western Palearctic lister.

top ten birding

Rolling Stones 1 As Wheatears Go By 2 You Got Me Rooking 3 It’s All Plover Now 4 Egret Off My Cloud 5 Booby Tuesday 6 Redstart Me Up 7 Let’s Spend The Twite Together 8 Paint it Quack 9 Not Wader Jay 10 Gimme Shelduck Thanks to Steve Boyce, Cameron and Sheila Munroe, Malc Gwilt, Paul Casey and everyone else who took part. Next month we’re after Christmas birds, such as Silent Twite and Santa Macaws. birdwatching@bauermedia.co.uk or facebook.com/birdwatchingmag 6 Bird Watching 2011

Fieldcraft Digiscoping extreme basics

Digiscoping and digibinning basics Digiscoping has become ubiquitous among birders of all types. It is taking photographs with a digital camera using a telescope as a telephoto lens.

Digibinning is the same, but using binoculars instead of a telescope.

Both techniques are used to get record shots of birds; to take photographs of distant birds; or for the pleasure of taking bird photographs without a fancy, expensive lens.

For either technique you will need a camera which gives a reasonable field of view, preferably with no vignetting (dark stuff round the edge) when viewed through your scope or bins.

Some work better than others; some are hopeless.

This Greylag Goose was digiscoped...

...while this Little Bustard was digibinned

n Find a subject and focus on it n Turn camera on n Line camera lens with scope/ with one binocular eyepiece to fill screen n Use autofocus to get a sharp image n Take the photograph

manual set-up basics

n Use Aperture priority (Av, A) at lowest f number for maximum shutter speed n Use Macro setting for finer focus (flower symbol) n Set minimum ISO for minimum grain n Use an adapter (home-made to sky’s the limit bespoke) to align the lens with the eyepiece n If digibinning, use a tripod or clamp, or rest bins on a shelf

What’s your favourite bird?

This has proved so popular we’re extending our survey for another month to give everyone a chance to vote, so we’ll reveal Bird Watching’s Favourite Birds early next year.

To tell us your favourite birds, go to www.birdwatching.co.uk /myfavouritebirds

Mike Lane (Alamy)

classic book The Macmillan

On the move The glories of October may be over, but autumn is very much still under way and plenty of birds are still on passage. Here are a selection of birds which are worth seeking out during November.

To find what rare out have bee birds n move ne on the turn to Uar you, K Sighting Bird so page 95 n

Black-necked Grebe

These small grebes, not much bigger than a Dabchick, breed in small numbers (fewer than 65 pairs) in England and Scotland. Post-breeding they disperse across the country, and are supplemented by some continental birds, though still in small numbers (fewer than 150 individuals). They can turn up at inland water bodies (gravel pits or reservoirs) or along the coast. Black-and-white like Slavonian Grebes, they have peaked crowns, more extensive black in the face and ‘upturned’ bills.

Siskin

Once upon a time, these were relatively scarce birds of the north, rarely seen in gardens. How times have changed. After almost single-handedly giving the red nut bag credibility, these gorgeous, stub-tailed, bright yellow, green, black and white mini-finches are now garden regulars. In the autumn and winter they spread across the country in search of Alder and Birch seeds, often in sizable flocks. Listen for their sad ‘pew’ calls and look up to see them acrobatically feeding, often mixing with redpolls.

Shag

The roadster sport version of the Cormorant, the Shag is a real lightweight compared to its Gannet-sized cousin, with a slim neck and thin bill to match.

In autumn, they dull down, lose the fancy crest and spread about the coast.

Some, especially this year’s brown brood, will turn up at inland water bodies and should be easy to pick out from your local Cormorants. Concentrate on size, head and bill shape, and lack of orange skin at the bill base (and only a tiny white throat patch).

Long-tailed Duck

This is a small, northern-breeding duck which unusually has a different winter plumage from its breeding finery. Luckily for us, the winter plumage is even nicer: the male is largely white with black patches and an absurdly long central tail, making them very special birds to see. It is fairly uncommon around most of the coast, with bigger numbers in northeastern England and Scotland, especially the northern isles. A few birds are found inland each year, so if you can’t get to the coast, find one on your own patch!

OVER THE PAGE Twite, tape-luring and rare petrels...

The

Great Escape Last month we looked at the hunters, now it’s the turn of the hunted. Adrian Thomas looks at the clever ways birds avoid becoming lunch Paul Hobson

W

hat would you do if something was hunting you? Run? Hide? Fight back?

I realise that it’s probably not something you often ask yourself. We are pretty safe these days, at least in terms of wild beast attacks.

Nevertheless, there certainly was a time, not so long ago, when our ancestors would all have had to be constantly on their guard.

For some people in the world, it is still a very real question, and it is certainly something that most birds have to contend with, every minute of every day. No matter whether they are out in ‘the wilds’ or in the apparent safety of your garden, they are permanently in danger, with threats possible from the ground and the air.

Only those that make the right choices – and are lucky – survive.

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Staying hidden

If I felt something was out to get me, I think the first thing I would try to do is find somewhere to hide. I might climb a tree, for instance. OK, who am I kidding! Perhaps I’d make a beeline for some dense vegetation instead or, if desperate, throw myself in a ditch.

For many birds, their first line of defence is also to stay out of sight as much as possible. Whether they use trees or bushes or reeds or grassy tussocks, birds are expert at remaining unseen.

And doesn’t it make birdwatching challenging!

I’m always amazed when I sit in front of a clump of bushes at a migration hotspot – it can be 20 minutes or more before I feel I’ve really exhausted the array of thrushes and Robins and Redstarts and warblers that are squirreled away

in there. If you’ve ever been bird ringing, you’ll have an idea of how many birds go unnoticed.

Conversely, some birds choose to spend most of their time as far away from cover as possible.

Think of how vulnerable birds look on the middle of a mudflat or lake – ‘sitting ducks’ (or waders), you might imagine. But by resting and roosting and feeding way out in open habitats, there’s little chance for predators to surprise them, and they have plenty of time to plan their escape should a long-distance assault be launched.

Blending in

The other trick for avoiding being seen in the first place is camouflage. There are very few of our birds that really stand out at a distance –

birds as prey

360˚ vision and incredible camouflage give the Woodcock great protection against predators

note the lack of common countryside birds that are all or predominantly white, for example.

But there are some birds that are absolute masters of disguise.

Take the Woodcock, a plump, main-meal of a bird, which eats, sleeps and breeds on the woodland floor. It would be a choice catch for many a predator, but evolution has draped the Woodcock in a magnificent disappearing tunic designed to match twigs, dead leaves and dappled shade. Stories of them being almost trodden on aren’t old wives’ tales – they can remain unseen until the birdwatcher’s clodhopping boots are almost on them.

My favourite master of camouflage, because it seems so impossible, is the Golden Oriole.

Admittedly, the females are a little drab and you

can see how they might melt away among the leaves. But how could you lose a male, so flamboyant in jet black and primary yellow?

Well, if you have ever heard the fluty singing wafting through the summer branches of a poplar plantation and then tried to locate the singer, you’ll know how near impossible it is.

Recently, I got another reminder of how good camouflage can be: I managed to walk past a ploughed field without noticing the thousand Golden Plovers sitting in it, pretending to be sods of earth. Each individual plover was also hiding in another way – among the flock.

Should a predator spot them, it would probably only catch one of the thousand, so that’s a 99.9% chance of surviving. That’s pretty good odds!

The plovers were also still and quiet, another

great means of avoiding detection. Birds of prey tend to focus on movement rather than shape, so playing the part of a statue can be a life-saver.

The chicks of many ground-nesting birds instinctively freeze once they hear their parents’ alarm call, but there are also wonderful accounts of Great Spotted Woodpeckers, obvious birds to our eyes, escaping the attention of a Sparrowhawk just inches away by perching absolutely stock-still.

Breaking cover

At some point, though, birds need to stop the hiding and actually do things. They have to find food, attract a mate, raise young, migrate.

Now they are in danger, and it is easy to see their nervousness. www.birdwatching.co.uk 21

go Pete Hackett

TOP TIP presented by

Skunk Cabbage can be seen in the boggy areas.

Site guide Grid ref: SP 054 840 Difficulty

5 West Midlands

Edgbaston Pool

One of the oldest studied wildlife sites in Birmingham

E

dgbaston Pool is probably one of Birmingham’s best kept birding secrets. Lying just 2.5 miles south of the city centre and situated within Edgbaston Park, this SSSI (noted for its alder bog and beech woods) has been studied for many years by members of the Birmingham Natural History Society, and formerly by pupils of King Edward’s School.

Although the pool has never been open to the public, access from the nearby Winterbourne Botanical

Gardens, owned by Birmingham University, allows good views of it. The recording of the area goes way back to the mid 1800s, when this must have been a most tranquil setting with such notable records as Nightjar, Nightingale and Hawfinch – almost unthinkable these days.

Bordered by Edgbaston golf course and the gardens of Winterbourne, with pleasant woodland surroundings, there is still much to admire. Recent sightings have included Slavonian

Grebe, Whooper Swan, Firecrest and Waxwing.

For those of you interested in plants the botanical gardens offer much of interest, while Winterbourne House has been restored to encompass displays of its Edwardian heritage. A site well worth a visit at any time of year, particularly if you have a spare hour or so when visiting the second city. The setting will inspire and surprise.

Pete Hackett

V5 OS 1:50,000 Region 2 Central England www.memory-map.co.uk 0870 743 0121

How to get there: From Birmingham city centre take the A38 Bristol Road. Turn right into Edgbaston Park Road by Birmingham University and follow signs for Winterbourne Botanical Gardens (do not follow signs for Birmingham Botanical Gardens).

From the south, leave the M5 at j4 (signposted Birmingham SW) to join the A38. The University is on the left, eight miles from the motorway.

Postcode: B15 2RT Where to park: There is limited parking at Winterbourne Botanical Gardens.

Distance and time: Allow 2-3 hours for reasonable coverage of the lake and gardens.

Terrain: Easy walk, on good paths around the gardens and boardwalks in parts through the damper alder bog. Damp, grassy paths around the pool.

Accessibility: Open daily.

April-September 10am-6pm.

October-March 10am-4pm. Small admission charge.

Facilities: Tea room, toilets and craft shop on site.

Public transport: To get to Winterbourne from Birmingham city centre the numbers 61 and 63 provide the most regular services, with a joint frequency of every 3-4 minutes; alight at the fire station/Gun Barrels pub on the corner of Edgbaston Park Road and the Bristol Road.

University Station, on the Cross-City line, is next to the University campus, 10 minutes walk from Winterbourne. The nearest mainline station is Birmingham New Street.

Sites nearby: Go Birdings: Edgbaston Reservoir (February 2010), Hill Top (October 2007), Sandwell Valley (January 2001), July 2009 (Lickey Hills).

LOcal guide

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A path to the left from the reserve gate leads through to the beech woodland. Nuthatch, Treecreeper and Goldcrest are regular, together with Great Spotted Woodpecker and common warblers during summer.

During autumn and winter Woodcock, Siskin and Lesser Redpoll may be present. The beech woodland also holds 60 Bird Watching 2011

a colony of Jackdaws. Lesser Spotted Woodpecker has also turned up at times over the years.

Little and Great Crested Grebes nest, while Grey Herons are plentiful. Reed and Sedge Warblers often sing from reeds. During the winter months ducks increase, with good numbers of Wigeon and smaller numbers of Shoveler,

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Pochard, Gadwall and occasional Goldeneye and Goosander. Larger gulls drop in from time to time, with Yellow-legged Gull being a recent addition to the bird list.

Check the golf course for overflying Buzzard, Sparrowhawk and Green Woodpecker. Peregrines have also been seen nearby.

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Website: winterbourne.org.uk Club contacts: West Midland Bird Club, Secretary Mrs B Oakley 147 Worlds End Lane, Quinton, Birmingham B32 1JX, www.westmidlandbirdclub.com County recorder: Kevin Clements, 26 Hambrook Close, Dunstall Park, Wolverhampton WV6 0XA, west-mids-recorder@ westmidlandbirdclub.com Maps: OS Explorer 220, OS Landranger 139.

November 2011

Abigail Hamilton-Thompson

TOP TIP presented by

Visit early in the morning, and watch for roving tit and finch flocks

Site guide Grid ref: TL 443 068 Difficulty

6 Essex

Parndon Wood NR Ancient woodland forms an urban oasis

P

arndon Wood Nature Reserve is located on the outskirts of Harlow, a new town created post-war by Sir Frederick Gibberd. The town is well known for its large collection of sculptures dotted around the shopping precincts and individual neighbourhoods.

The reserve, though, is situated within ancient woodland which dates back at least 900 years and mainly comprises Oaks and Hornbeams. The site of the reserve was bought by

Harlow Town Council in 1968 and was designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1974. The woodland has been coppiced regularly every 10-15 years and the practice is carried on by the reserve’s volunteers, leading to the reserve recently winning a Green Flag award.

You can explore Parndon Woods Nature Reserve by following the 1.5 kilometre guided trail which shows the main points of interest. These include the observation hides,

conservation centre and pond.

In terms of birds, it attracts the likes of Goldcrest, Treecreeper, a variety of thrushes, and Woodcocks, but other notable plant and wildlife includes Fallow and Muntjac Deer, Pipistrelle Bats and a good variety of fungi. The reserve carries out a large amount of conservation and educational work, as well as staging events such as bat-watching and pond-dipping.

Abigail Hamilton-Thompson

Around the pond-dipping area you may see small birds feeding off the insects – these include warblers in summer, and possible Blackcap and Chiffchaff year-round.

November 2011

LOcal guide Organisations: Essex Birdwatching Society, www.ebws.org.uk Harlow Council, Civic Centre The Water Gardens Harlow Essex CM20 1WG, www.harlow.gov.uk County recorder: Les Steward, les.steward@btinternet.com Maps: OS Explorer 174, OS Landranger 167.

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

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How to get there: Exit off the A414 into Harlow. Follow the signs for the Crematorium, and access to the reserve is just past the Crematorium.

Postcode: CM19 4SF Distance and time: Guided trail is around a mile long in total, but if you wander and take your time birding, one to two hours are needed.

Terrain: Good footpaths around the reserve, but may be muddy in winter.

Accessibility: Check with the reserve by telephoning 01279 430005.

Facilities: Three bird hides, plus conservation centre and toilets.

Public transport: Railway station at Harlow; there are buses from the town terminus passing the reserve – call Traveline South East on 0871 200 2233 for details.

Sites nearby: Amwell Nature Reserve (Go Birding, October 2010).

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Keep an eye out or listen for the Greater Spotted Woodpeckers and Treecreepers on the trees in this area.

Look out for here include Nutchatch, Goldcrests and Woodcock (especially

in the winter months) in the quieter areas of the reserve, if the Jays don’t noisily announce your arrival!

www.birdwatching.co.uk 65

Photo sensitivity Has affordable digital photography spawned a generation of bad birders? Birder and photographer Mike Weedon investigates

A

row brewed up in Cambridgeshire recently. September’s hurricanes had blown an adult Sabine’s Gull and a couple of Grey Phalaropes to the landlocked county’s seabird hotspot, Grafham Water. The views were excellent from the dam at the east end, but one or two photographers had got down to the water’s edge for killer shots at point blank range. Technically, they were apparently in an area reserved for paying fishermen, so an unholy stink was raised on the local birders’ internet newsgroup condemning the interlopers, who may have climbed over the wall.

Arguments levelled against the photographers included that they were selfish idiots; that health and safety issues were being flouted; that fishermens’ tackle was being compromised; that other birds could be flushed and that law-abiding citizens were having their views impeded. A few questions that were not raised included: were the condemned dambusters really watching, enjoying or even understanding their targets while they were just blindly snapping shots of the birds? Or were they gaining an intimate insight that only close, studious proximity can deliver?

We are birding in an age when all birdwatchers, from kid listers to old duffers, tweedy dudes to hardened mega listers, beginners to experts are taking photographs of birds. Bird photography is not the ridiculously expensive exclusive realm of the well-to-do elite or pros it once was.

Digiscoping and relatively inexpensive DSLRs and lenses are ubiquitous and in the hands of all who want them, from birding numpties to experts. The old order when there were birders and there were bird photographers and these occupations were mutually exclusive, is over; the boundaries becoming increasingly blurred as digiscoped images get correspondingly sharper.

But what impact is all this photography having on birders and birding? Are the old skills dying out, or is the digital age promoting a whole new birding revolution?

The birding basics

Certain old-school die-hards hold that the traditional way is the best. All a birdwatcher needs is a pair of bins, a notebook and a pen or pencil. By the ‘rules’ many of us were brought up with, even a fieldguide was taboo in the field, a sign of weakness of ability and of diminished moral fibre. The key was meticulous observation, noting down everything you see with as much painstaking detail as possible, and including as good a drawing or series of drawings as you could muster.

It is very difficult to argue that this way is not excellent – tough and exacting, but nonetheless excellent. However, despite the best intentions and principles, the rigorous discipline was only followed by relatively few birdwatchers.

The rest of us were happy to see birds, look them up in fieldguides at the time or afterwards and get on with life, which was, after all, too short...

Then as now, despite some rose-tinted recollections, it was actually quite rare to see birdwatchers taking notes. The difference in the olden days was that all most all of us took from seeing birds were memories.

Now, things are definitely different, though. The instinct of many modern birders is to see a bird and almost immediately whip out the camera and try to get a photograph of 80 Bird Watching 2011

Ths Grey Phalarope was at the centre of a recent row over photographers’ behaviour

Mike Weedon

photography

www.birdwatching.co.uk 81

round-up Rarity

But, perhaps the perfect example of the quality of bird we are talking about was the Black-and-whiteWarbler on St Mary’s, Scilly. With fewer than 15 accepted UK records, this little zebra-banded nuthatch among New World warblers, with no records since the mid-1990s, is a giant among rarities. Indeed, it is the symbol of Birdline which adorned Richard Millington’s Rarity Roundup since time immemorial. So, the appearance of one of these delightful creeping humbugs was a fitting and timely tribute to RM who has stepped down from his role this month; though we will doubtless be enjoying his writing in the magazine in future.

The northern isles were not going stay (relatively) quiet for long, though, and struck back with a Lesser Kestrel on North Ronaldsay, Orkney, and Swainson’s and Grey-cheeked Thrushes on Shetland, as well as multiple Pallid Harriers: part of a national trend which made Pallid Harriers a more likely find this autumn than Montagu’s!

Birders already not sure in which direction to head for an autumn break had further dilemmas with megas across the country, including a (probable) Long-toed Stint at Weir Wood Reservoir, East Sussex, an American Black Tern in Lincolnshire; and reports of a Sandhill Crane on the move, which had birders looking to the skies.

Their scans eventually proved fruitful, as this bird turned into one of the key rarities in a month heaving with them. Only the second Sandhill Crane seen from mainland Great Britain, it first settled for a spell in the Loch of Strathbeg area, Aberdeenshire (22-26 September). The bird then rose and was tracked heading south along the coast all the way to Suffolk.

Some birders who made the long trek north to pay homage to Sandy, were now faced with the

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same bird on their doorstep, as it lingered around Boyton Marshes (despite brief sojourns elsewhere) until 7 October.

Meanwhile, the predominantly westerly winds had blown waders knee-deep from America. In addition to record flocks of Buff-breasted Sandpipers (reaching a European record of 28 at Tacumshin, Wexford on 27 September) came most of the main contenders (including record numbers of Semipalmated Sandpipers spread across at least 12 Irish sites), with some very juicy mega treats including Shetland’s second ever Least Sandpiper and more Solitary Sandpipers on Jersey and in Lancashire, plus a Wilson’s Snipe on St Mary’s, Scilly.

While the American influence pervaded the whole birding nation, Asia was not to be denied, especially on Shetland. In among the Olive-backed Pipits, Isabelline Shrike, Pallas’s Grasshopper and Citrine Wagtails came a rare passerine which would have been absolutely massive, if it had not been found killed by a cat (called Paddy, apparently) on Foula (1 October). With just a couple of previous UK records, this Siberian Blue Robin was a massive one which got away (or rather sadly failed to get away).

With all this wind-blown action going on, it was not surprising that seabirds also had their penneth of the action. Even not considering the major influx of Sabine’s Gulls (including some small flocks in the south-west), and Grey Phalaropes (and flyby Sandhill Cranes watched from coastal stations in the east), there were some extraordinary things going on at sea. These included a possible Black-bellied Storm-petrel (or something very similar) off Minehead, Somerset (18 September), probable Yelkouan Shearwater off Long Nab, North

Star birds 1 Black-and-white Warbler, St Mary’s, Scilly 2 Northern Waterthrush, St Mary’s, Scilly 3 Solitary Sandpiper, St Mary’s, Scilly 4 Sandhill Crane, AberdeenshireSuffolk 5 Siberian Blue Robin, Foula Shetland 6 Long-toed Stint, Weir Wood Reservoir, Sussex

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7 4 6 1 2 3

7 American Black Tern, Covenham, Lincolnshire 8 Lesser Kestrel, North Ronaldsay, Orkney

Yorkshire (5 September) and inevitable Little Shearwaters from various shores, including a possible Southern Little Shearwater off Bardsey (Gwynedd).

There was a time when even claims of Little Shearwater were met with raised eyebrows; but with modern ‘splits’ the stakes have risen!

As a new season of Buff-bellied Pipits arrived on cue and an Upland Sandpiper turned up on St Mary’s, Scilly, the second week of October was still bringing in the goods. By the time you read this, who knows what will be the latest big thing in this classic rare bird season!

Solitary Sandpiper, Lower Moors, St Mary’s, Isles of Scilly John Carter

Northern Waterthrush, Lower Moors, St Mary’s, Isles of Scilly John Carter

photographers Steve Ashton ashsteve55 ashsteve55@btinternet.com Paul Brewster drpaulbrewster@gmail.com John Carter jp.carter@o2.co.uk Graham Catley graham.catley@btopenworld.com Allan Chard allan.chard1@talktalk.net Romano Da Costa wildworldimages@hotmail.co.uk Kit Day webmaster@kitday-uk.com Jim Duncan jduncan36@blueyonder.co.uk Kevin Du Rose kevin.durose@scottwilson.com Hugh Harrop hugh@hughharrop.com James Lees james.lees@wwt.org.uk Garth Peacock garth.peacock.t21@btinternet.com Graham Powell graham@ogmoreman.wanadoo.co.uk Simon Richardson richardsonhome1@yahoo.co.uk

96 Bird Watching 2011

Semipalmated Sandpiper, Davidstow Airfield, Cornwall, October John Carter

Can’t find your patch?

If you’d like to cover an area that isn’t currently covered, please email matthew.merritt@ bauermedia.co.uk or telephone Matt Merritt on 01733 468536 Taken a great shot?

If you’ve taken a photo of a rare or scarce bird in the last month, send it to mike.weedon@bauermedia. co.uk – please include ‘UKBS’ in the subject line

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UK Bird

Black-and-white Warbler, Lower Moors, St Mary’s, Isles of Scilly, 19 September Will Soar

American Black Tern, Covenham, Lincolnshire Graham Catley

www.birdwatching.co.uk 97