UK BIRd Hugh Harrop
Mark Stirland
Desert Wheatear, Lerwick, Shetland, December
Rob Wilson
Chris Cook
Lesser Scaup, Slimbridge WWT, Gloucestershire, 29 December
Western Sandpiper, Cley Marshes NWT, Norfolk, December
David King
Western Sandpiper, Cley Marshes NWT, Norfolk, December
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RaRITy
round-up
followed the lead of several rare waders and proceeded to stay put. Indeed, it was still available as a year tick, well into January. Other very rare birds which did the decent thing and stuck it out through the mild turn of the year, included the Northern Waterthrush on Scilly and the Greater Yellowlegs, at Loch Fleet, Highland since mid-December (probably the same bird which spent a leisurely spell in Northumberland). Perhaps more likely to raise an eyebrow, though, was the Christmas Eve finding of a Dark-eyed Junco in Hampshire (at Hawkhill Inclosure). The recipient of this unusual early Christmas present was not a birder, though, so it wasn’t until 31st that the news got out, and it was a further two days before its favoured area was determined. This North American passerine was still in place at time of press in mid-January, and as it is likely to have arrived during autumn migration is unlikely to be in a rush to head off. Those with good memories will recall that a junco was present in a garden at Waltham Abbey briefly in December 2010, and that there was a minor ‘influx’ in November and December 2008 (with birds in Somerset and Cornwall). But this small, grey emberizid sparrow remains a very rare visitor from North America. However, the junco was well and truly trumped
Mark Stirland
Chris Cook
Cattle Egret, Lydney, Gloucestershire, December 4
Rough-legged Buzzard, Gedling, Nottinghamshire, December
in the second week of January by news of a male Spanish Sparrow being present at garden feeders at Calshot in the same county. With fewer than ten accepted records in the UK, this could turn out to be the ‘biggest’ bird of the year so far, if it survives scrutiny as to its provenance. Apparently, the bird may have been present in the area since at least spring 2011 and the presence of hybrid Spanish x House Sparrows in the flock of sparrows it is with suggests that it almost certainly had a ‘fruitful’ breeding season. The rush to see it may therefore be a tad more paced than some mega twitches... Also seeing in the New Year over here was a Lesser White-fronted Goose, associating with the large flock of Taiga Bean Geese at Buckenham Marshes RSPB. Since there was also an adult with Taiga Beans here (and Cantley) in December 2010 into 2011, it seems likely that this is the same goose returning with the same group of ‘friends’.
phoTogRapheRs Bill Baston billbaston@btinternet.com Graham Catley graham.catley@btopenworld.com Mark Caunt markcaunt@hotmail.com Mark Chidwick mark.chidwick@btinternet.com Chris Cook cookyshaz@aol.com David King kingdrdavid2009@googlemail.com John Malloy disintegration89@btinternet.com Keith Scovell keith.scovell@ntlworld.com Oliver Smart smartimages@btinternet.com Mark Stirland markstirland@hotmail.com Rob Wilson ji11y@yahoo.com 90 Bird Watching 2012
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
Other rare geese included a Red-breasted Goose with Brents at Old Hall Marshes, RSPB, Essex, while others were in the Exe Estuary, Devon, and a third in North Yorkshire. Black Brants reached the teens across the country. Continuing the theme of birds benefiting from the unseasonally warm winter weather, December saw at least four Desert Wheatears in the country, with female-types at Titterstone Clee Hill, Shropshire and Lerwick, Shetland and first-winter males at Bempton Cliffs RSPB, East Yorkshire and Newbiggin, Northumberland. The latter two birds saw in 2012 on English soil, with the Northumberland first-winter last seen on 3 January, and the Bempton bird still present into the second week of the year. These days, perhaps a rarer bird, a Siberian Stonechat attracted admiration and attention at Seaton Common, Cleveland (3-4 December). Ten autumns/early winters ago, there were perhaps 20 individuals present at various times, compared to just three in the last few months. With the recent BOU Taxonomic Sub-Committeerecommended ‘split’ of Stonechat into African, European and Siberian Stonechats, it is unlikely this is down to lack of interest from finders... One species which is having a fine winter is the Rough-legged Buzzard, with at least a dozen individuals appearing at sites across the country, but with an expected easterly bias, including multiple birds in Norfolk, one or two in Cambridgeshire and others in Essex and Kent. These birds are presumably enjoying the bumper crop of smaller mammals which have drawn exceptional numbers of Short-eared Owls to the country. It is a matter of speculation as to how long they will remain, and what will be the next big story in this exceptional winter...
portugal special the north
One frOm the tOp The top end of Portugal is often overlooked in favour of its more famous southern counterparts. Steve Newman is our friend in the north
n
orthern Portugal is often overlooked by British birders who mainly prefer the large bird reserves to the south such as the Tagus Estuary near Lisbon and the joys of The Algarve. Apart from anything else it’s not as easy to get to directly, but is, I believe, well worth the effort. Some of this area is hardly inhabited and has some superb National and Natural parks with some of the finest scenery anywhere in Europe and one of the largest counts of raptors anywhere in Europe. Since 1974, shooting raptors, both diurnal and nocturnal, has been forbidden by law, as well as the destruction of nests and nestlings and the number of Portuguese birdwatchers has risen dramatically ever since. In February 2009 the adult male of the only pair of Spanish Imperial Eagles that successfully fledged young in the country the previous year, was found shot by its nest. This caused a national uproar and showed how much bird conservation had developed in the country. Hunting does still go on but there is no doubt that conservation has gone from strength to strength and will continue to do so.
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The area’s main problem is that the region is overshadowed by its larger neighbour and many birders are unaware that many of the most sought-after species in Spain are also found in Portugal such as Egyptian Vulture, Azure-winged Magpie, White Stork, Bonelli’s Eagle etc, as well as many warblers, waders, shrikes and passerines. I would suggest that you use the fantastic World Heritage Site of the valley of the Dorou River as a guide and keep as close as possible all the way to Oporto. It is impossible to do this for the entire trip, as in places the roads are simply unable to penetrate the steep gorge. Leaving Salamanca we headed west on the N620 and were immediately struck by the huge numbers of White Storks in the fields and circling in the sky above us. They were kept company by equal numbers of Black Kites in the clear blue cloudless sky. The sides of the road were littered with green oaks that had been especially cut to provide shade for the livestock and during a brief stop for a bite to eat and something to drink (do take a lot of water out with you if you go in July as we did)
brought us an Azure Winged Magpie hopping around the rocks below. The bird is at the northernmost point of its range here, which made it even more welcome. Crossing the border we made our way to Castelo Rodrigo , a high village, still with its 13th Century walls, that gave us incredible views of the countryside where we were able to scan for large raptors. However it was the rocky sides of the cliffs below the walls that gave us our best find, with both Rock Sparrow and Rock Bunting putting in an appearance whilst Red-rumped Swallows vied for insects with the Swifts. This area holds the Douro Internacional Natural Park covering 852 sq km along the Portuguese/Spanish border – not to be confused with the Douro Valley itself. It is the second largest natural park in Portugal and is where the river Douro passes through stunning mountainous territory. The area across the border in Spain is also protected and home to a huge amount of birds of prey. Indeed, as we descended into the valley on the N221 we stopped at the viewpoint of
nest records
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Alan WIlliamns (NHPA)
The future looks bright for Bullfinches and those of us who love to watch them – 2011 was a bumper breeding year
Carry on ringing While technology is helping us to understand more about birds, ringing still reveals vital information, for 2012 and beyond. By Dave Leech
Dawn Balmer
atellite tags on Cuckoos are revealing not only where they winter, but when they leave, what route they take and how quickly they travel. So, in this age of micro technology, why are we still, after 100 years, tracking birds with a humble leg ring? It’s a question staff at the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) headquarters in Norfolk are often asked. Is it not finally time for ringers to hang up their pliers and shave off the beards that have kept chins warm over a century of early morning catching sessions? The answer is a resounding “no”, as ringing can tell us a lot more about birds than just where they travel to or from – and 2011 was a perfect example.
S
2011: a season of two halves Preliminary survey results for 2011 have recently been published and highlight the very different breeding seasons experienced by resident and migrant birds (www.bto.org/ nrs-results and www.bto.org/ces-results). For nine of the 17 resident species monitored by the Constant Effort Sites (CES) scheme, adult abundance at the start of the season was significantly lower than the average over the previous five years (2006-2010). Numbers of Dunnock, Song Thrush and Reed Bunting all fell to their lowest levels since the survey began, while Wren, Robin and Chaffinch were all less numerous than they have been for at least 20 years. The most likely explanation for these low numbers was the severe weather that heralded the beginning of the 2010/11 winter. The average temperature recorded in December 2010 was -0.7°C, the first time that this measure had fallen below zero since the 1890s, and many areas also experienced heavy snowfall. Previous analyses of ringing data have shown that ground-feeding species such
season, the more luxuriant the vegetation becomes and the larger the insect populations that it can support; as the birds can find food more easily, they are more likely to survive the return journey to the breeding grounds. The 2010 growing season in sub-Saharan Africa was one of the wettest since the 1950s and many migrant species returned to the UK to breed in abundance, delighting CES participants who ringed significantly more adult Reed Warblers, Garden Warblers, Whitethroats and Willow Warblers than they would expect to during an average year. Short-distance migrants prospered, too, with numbers of Blackcap and Chiffchaff the highest recorded since CES began, suggesting that conditions were also favourable in the Mediterranean Basin.
as Robin suffer during snowy conditions, as they struggle to find invertebrates among the leaf litter. Finches and buntings may have encountered similar difficulties searching the frozen ground for seeds, but those birds that forage primarily in tall herbs, shrubs and trees were still able to find sufficient food. As a result, good numbers of Blue Tit, Great Tit, Willow Tit, Treecreeper, Goldfinch and Bullfinch were caught by CES ringers. Migrant species may escape the rigours of our winter, but they are still at the mercy of weather conditions in other countries. Previous studies have highlighted the impact that rainfall in the African wintering grounds can have on long-distance migrants such as Swallow, Sand Martin and Sedge Warbler. The more rain that falls during the growing
BTO Archive
John Harding
Dunnock numbers fell to a recorded low – possibly due to the big freeze last winter
Numbers of migrant Blackcaps were the highest since CES records began
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