Bird Watching October 2012 by Bird Watching

Your birding

month Paul Dooley (Alamy)

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StarlingS

You don’t know what You’ve got till it’s gone Stop for a while and appreciate the Starling – while you still can, says Matt Merritt ometimes, all you need is a little distance. Even for many a keen birdwatcher, Starlings tend to impinge on the consciousness in one of three ways, and pretty fleetingly at that. Firstly, they’re the bullies of the bird table, turning up mob-handed to shoulder aside the finches, sparrows and tits with their halfstrutting, half-waddling walk. Secondly, they’re the birds whose astonishing ‘murmurations’ draw gasps of admiration

David Tipling (NHPA)

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every time a national newspaper’s picture editor enlists their help to cope with a slow news day. Thirdly, and worryingly, they’re a bird in serious decline. Recent figures have shown that 40 million Starlings have disappeared from the European Union, including Britain, since 1980. As far back as 2002, the Starling was added to Britain’s ‘red list’ of Birds of Conservation Concern, its population having halved during the previous three decades.

StarlingS

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guillemots

years of solitude

For 40 years, Tim Birkhead has been returning to the same small island off south-west Wales in search of Guillemots, and answers

have been birdwatching since I was about eight years old. As a teenager I hitchhiked around the country in search of birds. I even encountered some of the colourful characters so eloquently described by Mark Cocker in his book, Birders, Tales of a Tribe. Of all my juvenile birdwatching experiences, seawatching was the least stimulating. Certainly it requires some skill, but struggling to identify distant monochromatic shapes battling against the wind and waves just wasn’t my thing. This is ironic, given that I’ve ended up studying

World Pictures (Alamy)

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seabirds for almost my entire career. My passion for birds was so strong that I regularly took time off school, and on one occasion my father reprimanded me by saying that I needed to get some qualifications because I’d never get a job watching birds. Against all the odds, I did. I was lucky in being able to turn my obsession for birds into an obsession for zoology. An undergraduate degree in zoology was followed – via a lucky set of circumstances – by a PhD studying Guillemots on Skomer Island off the western tip of South Wales.

guillemots

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competition

s with last year’s competition, which attracted dozens of highquality entries and was featured in several national newspapers, we’re looking for gardens which have been designed and shaped specifically to provide wild birds (and other wildlife) with plenty of natural food, cover, and nesting/roosting sites. So, don’t worry if your garden doesn’t look like it would win prizes in the Chelsea Flower Show. What we’re looking for are gardens – from large rural properties to the balcony of a city centre flat – in which the needs of nature have been taken into account every bit as much as aesthetic appeal or productivity.

Steven Heath’s garden won our last Best Bird Garden Competition

There are three categories 1 Balconies, terraces and yards. 2 Gardens up to 50ft in length. 3 Gardens over 50ft in length. We’ll choose winners in each category, who will be able to order £500 (RRP) of selected wild bird food and accessories from our sponsor, Ernest Charles. Good luck!

WILDLIFE GARDENING

BriggsMoss (Alamy)

Andrew Darrington (Alamy)

Tell us about great birds you’ve seen – perhaps a Redwing?

OUR SPONSOR

Rowan and Cotoneaster to attract birds. But you can start small, too. Our Keep Britain Messy campaign has highlighted the need to allow small areas to grow wild, with longer grass, wild flowers and, dare we say it, weeds, to provide vital food for garden birds. Every month, we’ll be highlighting an aspect of wildlife gardening with the help of Ernest Charles and the BTO, and they’ll be providing vital tips on what to feed, when, and how. So, even if your garden’s not up to awardwinning standard just yet, with our help, it very soon could be!

This year, we’ve been highlighting the vital role that all of us can play in reversing population declines among birds, mammals, amphibians and insects by gardening with them in mind. It doesn’t mean you have to turn your whole garden over to nature, just that bearing in mind the need for food, water and shelter at all times can pay dividends for the wildlife itself; and for you in the form of a vibrant, everchanging garden. That could mean creating a garden pond or log-piles, putting up nestboxes and feeders, or planting berry-bearing trees and shrubs such as

Established in 1844, at Ernest Charles we offer an extensive range of quality wild bird feeds and seed blends, which your garden birds will love! Our experience, combined with the research carried out by our partners at The British Trust for Ornithology, makes our quality seed blends not only delicious, but nutritious too! Visit us online at www.ernestcharles.com and check out our full range of feeds, feeders, accessories and much more today!

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competition

HOW TO ENTER In 200 words or fewer tell us why your garden should win. Tell us what you’ve done to improve it, a list of the birds that you see in it regularly – and any unusual visitors – including notable insect, mammal, reptile and amphibian sightings if relevant.

Email birdwatching@bauermedia.co.uk up to three photos – from any time of year – of your garden and the birds that visit it, and remember to include your name, address and daytime phone number, as well as which category your entry is for.

Alternatively, complete the entry form below, include a CD of up to three photos and up to 200 words about your garden, and send them to Best Bird Garden 2013, Bird Watching, Media House, Peterborough PE2 6EA. Closing date: 31 March 2013.

BRITAIN’S BEST BIRD GARDEN 2013 Name......................................................................................................................................................................................Address................................................................................................................................................................................... .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. Daytime phone no .....................................................................................................................................................Email ......................................................................................................................................................................................... Please enter this information so that Bauer Media (publishers of Bird Watching) and Wild About Birds can administer this competition. Bauer Consumer Media Limited (publisher of Bird Watching) and Wild About Birds would also like to keep you informed of special offers and promotions via post or telephone. Please tick the box if you do not wish to receive these from Bauer Media or Wild About Birds . REMEMBER to include your photo CD and garden description. Terms and conditions: The competition is open to residents of the UK aged 18 years or over, excluding employees of Bauer Media, Ernest Charles and their families, agents or anyone professionally connected with the competition. Any one person may enter a maximum of three images. and a maximum of 200 words telling us why your garden should win. Illegible, incomplete, defaced or corrupt entries will not be accepted. No responsibility can be accepted for lost entries and proof of transmission will not be accepted as proof of receipt. Entries must not be sent through agencies or third parties. All images submitted must be the work of the individual submitting them and must not have been published elsewhere or have won a prize in any other competition. It is the responsibility of each entrant to ensure that any images they submit have been taken with the permission of the subject and do

not infringe the copyright of any third party or any laws. Entrants must warrant that the photograph they are submitting is their own work and that they own the copyright for it. All entries must be received by the advertised closing time and date.The editor’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Copyright in all images submitted for this competition remains with the respective entrants. However, in consideration of their providing the Competition, each entrant grants a worldwide, irrevocable, perpetual licence to Bauer and Ernest Charles to feature any or all of the submitted images in any of their publications, their websites and/or in any promotional material connected to this competition.The winners may be required to take part in publicity. All prizes are non transferable and there are no cash alternatives. In the unlikely event that a prize should

become unavailable, Bauer Media. reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value. Winners will be notified by letter within 14 days of the closing date. A list of winners and results can be obtained by writing to the promoter at the above address. Prizes will be delivered to the winner/s within 28 days of notification. The promoters are Bauer Consumer Media Limited, Media House, Lynch Wood, Peterborough, PE2 6EA. The registered office of Bauer Consumer Media Ltd is: 21 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2DY. Registered No. 1176085. For postal entries: Original digital files on a CD or DVD are accepted. Entrants should include their own name, address and telephone number. Do not enclose any other material with your entry. All entries must be sent with the correct, completed entry form. Photocopied entry forms are accepted.

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go birding october

Difficulty

Walk 01: Dumfries & Galloway

Garlieston

site GuiDe John Miles

Waders shelter in this attractive bay

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south-westerly winds along with ‘wrecked’ Guillemots. Twite are another possibility along the beach in winter and Linnets and Yellowhammers are never too far away. John Miles

V5 OS 1:50,000 Region 5 Southern Scotland www.memory-map.co.uk 0870 743 0121

Stranraer 33m Û

Greenshank

David Chapman (Alamy)

arlieston is undergoing a revival, with development putting a shine back into the place, especially along the waterfront. Recent years have shown that if you look you will find, with some great records from this area, including a possible Black-eared Wheatear! Winter holds most birds, with a regular winter gathering of Greenshank around Rigg Bay sometimes making double figures. Along with these can be found Turnstone, Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Curlew, Oystercatcher and Bar-tailed Godwit. Some years a small flock of pale-bellied Brent Geese use the area as well. Walking back into the harbour you can look out for mixed gulls and terns in summer and possibility of even skuas blown into the bay with a strong wind. Mediterranean Gulls have been found here, so check the Black-headed Gulls for those white wingtips on an adult Med Gull. Walking back along Cairnhill, look out for a small wader roost with mainly Redshank, Dunlin and Ringed Plover. I even had a full summerplumaged Great Northern Diver here in the bay one autumn, sheltering from the strong

Postcode: DG8 8BQ Grid ref: NX 477 463 How to get there: From Newton Stewart come off the A75 and follow the A714, passing Wigtown, turning onto the A746 past Bladnoch and then the B7004 after Kirkinner which goes all the way to the village. Coming from Stranraer come off the A75 onto the B7005, joining the A714 south of Bladnoch. Where to park: Parking is easy along the front or anywhere in the village. Distance and time: If you walk the whole area you can cover around 5km, so give yourself a maximum of two hours to cover everywhere. Terrain: The walking is easy and flat with track and tarmac. Shoes or trainers. Accessibility: Year-round. Facilities: Everything you need in Garlieston or the nearby ‘book town’ of Wigtown. Public transport: Traveline, 01387 260383. Sites nearby: Wigtown Bay, Burrow Head, Crook of Baldoon. Organisations: The SOC, The Scottish Birdwatching Resource Centre, Waterston House, Aberlady, East Lothian EH32 0PY, Scotland. Club contact: SOC Stranraer Branch Secretary Geoff Sheppard Roddens, Leswalt, Stranraer DG9 0QR, 01776 870685, geoff.roddens@btinternet.com; Galloway RSPB members group, Cynthia Douglas, 01644 420605, cynthia@cdouglas.plus.com County recorder: Paul Collin, pncollin@live.co.uk Maps: OS Explorer 311, OS Landranger 83.

There is ample parking in the village especially around the streets and near the harbour. Walk along the minor road, viewing the end of the bay, looking between Cairnhill and Eggerness for waders in the small roost and on to Eggerness Point for another view of Wigtown Bay and possible divers. Check the harbour for waders at low tide and gulls and divers at high tide. Walk around a track towards Rigg Bay. This area has a history of Greenshank wintering along with a mixed bag of other waders using the area.

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competition

CATEGOrY 1 Migration Winner: Peter Beesley, White Pelicans “Large numbers of White Pelicans can be seen in Europe during the spring months as they arrive from Africa and Pakistan to breed in the shallow fresh or brackish waters of south-eastern Europe. “The pelican image was taken during a photography trip to the Danube Delta in Romania during the breeding season which lasts from May to August. “Because of the intense heat and bright conditions during the main part of the day, late evening was chosen as the best time to photograph this species. “A camouflaged boat was used to slowly approach the subject during that magical period of time some 30 minutes before sunset when all was bathed in a golden glow.” Sponsored by

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CATEGOrY 4 Birds in Britain

Dartford Warblers are such beautiful warblers and an encounter with one is always very special

Winner: Richard Steel, Dartford Warbler “This was a solitary male bird that appears to have been displaced into North Wales as a result of the recent very cold winters. Previous visitors to the bird had reported that it was actively calling to attract a mate but without success. “When I visited the bird in mid-May I found it foraging along the edge of a public footpath. The bird appears to have become a surrogate parent as it was busy collecting caterpillars that it was unusually feeding to an adopted brood of recently fledged Whitethroat. “Dartford Warblers are such beautiful warblers and an encounter with one is always a very special moment.”