Innehållsförteckning för April 2022 från Birdwatch

BIRD NEWS THE BIG STORIES FINDER’S REPORT Eastbourne in the USA Michael Clayton-Harding was in for a shock when his wife described an unusual bird that had visited their Eastbourne garden – fortunately it hung around for all to see. LEIGH PREVOST American Robin: Eastbourne, East Sussex, 8-27 February 2022 “THERE’S been a really unusual bird in the garden. I almost rang you.” This was how my wife greeted me on my return from walking my son to school on Tuesday 8 February. She then described a bird with striking white markings around its eyes and a red breast. It had been under the feeders with a Song Thrush and a Blackbird and appeared to be in between the two in size. Memories of the Disney film Mary Poppins came to…

SUBSCRIPTION OFFER SAVE OVER 20% A YEAR when subscribing to Birdwatch £3.92 AN ISSUE Billed £46.99 annually SUBSCRIBE NOW ✓ Hassle free – every issue delivered to your door ✓ No plastic – delivered in an easily recyclable paper envelope ✓ Save even more – qualify for exclusive Bookshop discounts Call today on 01778 392027 or visit our website www.birdguides.com/store/subscriptions DID YOU KNOW? Birdwatch is also available as a digital edition! Download issues directly to your digital device and read wherever you are. To find out more visit www.pktmags.com/bw-subs-2022.…

BIRD NEWS WESTERN PALEARCTIC Western Palearctic: February 2022 Low Countries on song A popular North American sparrow graced both The Netherlands and Belgium, while Germany was treated to a Sandhill Crane. Sam Viles reports. ARNOUD B VAN DEN BERG A steady month across the region saw a number of lingering regional rarities bedded in for the duration, although the Low Countries would nevertheless pull an impressive Nearctic mega out of the hat. The month’s undoubted highlight, a popular Song Sparrow was discovered at Prosperdorp, along The Netherlands-Belgium border, from 14th. The second record for both countries, the vocal visitor proved well behaved, although this didn’t stop birders on both sides of the divide resorting to nefarious means in an attempt to get it on their respective national lists, including the…

Going large Hot off the production line, Opticron’s latest addition to its binocular range breaks the mould and is also big on performance, says Mike Alibone. REVIEW Opticron Verano BGA VHD 10x50 binocular MANY birders will remember the era when 50 mm objectives were de rigueur – those large-diameter, light-gathering lenses, combined with a relatively high 10x magnification, meeting many an observer’s expectation in the field. In recent years, though, the trend has been toward the design and production of increasingly compact binoculars, with smaller objectives that strive to effectively punch above their weight. That’s all well and good, but it frequently comes with a hike in cost. With the launch last month of a further addition to its range, it appears that Opticron has taken a fresh look at…

A true treasure THIS is a truly beautiful book: between the highly decorated midnight blue covers is gold-edged page after page of stunning illustrations and photos of wildlife and natural objects from around the world. It’s aimed at younger readers – those who already have an interest in nature and those who might be inspired to. Arranged in four chapters – Animals; Plants, fungi, and algae; Minerals and rocks; and Made by nature – it displays a somewhat random collection of objects from nature. It describes each of these objects in prose that is simple and easy to understand without being condescending. The text is short and concise, with the real emphasis on the illustrations. These are by Toronto-based illustrator Kaley McKean and they’re gorgeous. Minimalist, bright and simple, they’re…

WHAT TO SEE IN … APRIL Western Osprey Western Osprey LOOK up: watch the sky. You never quite know what might happen. You might see a passing Peregrine Falcon or even an early Eurasian Hobby instead of the regular Common Kestrel. There may be a large bird of prey up there somewhere and you need to be sure of both Common Buzzard and Red Kite now that the latter is such a part of the scene in so many places. But a river valley or stretch of fresh water somewhere could produce a real treat. There’s one: a big bird of prey, not too high, half-circling, gliding, a bit of a soar on the breeze: are the wings in a ‘V’ (Common Buzzard) or long and arched (kite) – or,…

EXPERT ADVICE Q&A Q&A YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED Q We have read numerous reports in recent years about the decline of House Sparrow, and living in Central London I hadn’t seen any for several years before this year. We live on the top floor of a five-storey apartment block near the City of London, with two largish terraces facing north and south. As a result of hanging RSPB-approved fat-filled half-coconuts on the south-facing terrace – which also has thick shrubs in tubs, providing some cover – we have recently been treated to small flocks of House Sparrows, sometimes a dozen at a time, feeding on them. Their antics, as they squabble and peck at the fat, often hanging upside down three or four to a coconut, are hilarious and it is…

YOUR MAGAZINE In the next issue May WHITE STORKS AT KNEPP BY DOMINIC GREVES Pre-order your copy online now – see www.birdguides.com for details of how to subscribe and save more than 20% a year! ▝ Rewilding West Sussex Once intensively farmed, the Knepp Estate, near Horsham, has been devoted to a pioneering rewilding project. White Storks have bred at the site and it’s home to declining species such as Common Nightingale and European Turtle Dove. Matt Phelps reports on the ongoing success of the scheme. ▝ Gone for good? In the second part of his series on those intriguing vagrants on the British list that once occurred here but haven’t been recorded in decades, Dominic Mitchell turns his attention to passerines. He delves into the archives to examine past records…

What’s in the digital edition? APRIL’S digital edition has lots of bonus content, including: • Video of Black-winged Kite in Belgium; • Film of a singing Willow Warbler; • An image gallery of Opticron’s Verano BGA VHD 10x50 binocular; • Footage of the Eurasian Skylarks on east London’s Wanstead Flats, plus a recording of the species’ stunning song; • Sound recordings of the flight calls of Ringed and Little Ringed Plovers; • Film of rarities and scarcities from Britain, Ireland and the wider Western Palearctic. The digital edition is available for PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad and Android. Sample issues are free, and subscriptions or single copies can be purchased. Visit www.pktmags.com/bw-digital to find out more. Birdwatch subscriber issues are now delivered in a paper envelope so you can easily recycle them…

FINDER’S REPORT The unlikely lough A quick stop at an unsuspecting inland lake produced a stunning transatlantic mega for Robert Vaughan. Double-crested Cormorant: Doon Lough, Co Leitrim, from 14 February 2022 I’VE been living in north-west Ireland for a few years, working as a wildlife illustrator and bird surveyor. The survey work is almost entirely in the mountains, which can be very bleak. Combined with working to tight deadlines at my desk I often have depressingly little free time in the field for birding. But I do love what I do, and an increasing part of this is working with my partner (diademadisara.com) to create wildlife maps, posters and fliers with local community groups. It is very rewarding to work with on these projects to highlight the special wildlife found…

BIRD NEWS ANALYSIS: BRITAIN AND IRELAND Rarities and scarcities: February 2022 Storm troopers Birders who battled a month of rough weather were rewarded with a range of rarities, particularly in Ireland where a suite of monster finds meant winter ended with a bang. Sam Vilesrounds up the action. JOSH JONES (WWW.JOSHRJONES.COM) February saw a run of highly unsettled weather barrel into Britain and Ireland, with three ‘named’ storms – Dudley, Eunice and Francis – following in quick succession. Alongside some of the strongest gusts ever recorded on these shores, pick of the spoils was a first-winter Ross’s Gull at Mutton Island, Co Galway, from 19th. It would be one of three recorded during the month – an adult was off the Aberdeenshire coast at Kinnaird Head from 6th, plus another…

COMMENT BIRDING ETC Persistence pays off Having moaned about his ill-fated attempts to see American Robin in Britain, Dominic Mitchell recalls happier encounters with two wayward Nearctic megas. DOMINIC MITCHELL Twitching is a mug’s game. At least it has certainly felt that way when I’ve abandoned commitments, spent a small fortune on petrol and been behind the wheel most of the day, only to have nothing to show for it. As my outpouring of self-pity about American Robin dips may have indicated last month, I’ve been birding long enough to have lost count of all the failed dashes to see some lost rarity in a far-flung corner of the country. Almost invariably, the dismal experience is followed by a promise to myself not to make the same mistake again –…

Birds on film Netvue Birdfy Smart AI Bird Feeder Camera LAUNCHED by Netvue late last year and advertised as a ‘world first’, Birdfy is an innovation that combines an auto-detect and recognise AI smart camera with a feeding station. It is said to be capable of identifying more than 6,000 bird species. Intrigued, I acquired one, set it up in my garden and, eagerly awaiting the results, sat back to see what happened. An element of preparation is required before the system is up and running. Assembly is straightforward, but the camera battery needs charging before use. A charging cable is supplied, but a standard DC5V/1.5A adapter isn’t, so I used my own camera adapter. The Birdfy camera requires a micro-SD card to capture images and video and, as with…

Feathered trees THE deep insights into how birds are related provided by the revolution in molecular analysis since the late 1980s can hardly have escaped the attention of any active birder. Indeed, most field guides and checklists are almost out of date as soon as they are published owing to even well-known species being split, as their DNA is taken apart and realigned. Such is the rapidity of these interspecific and greater ordinal changes, that it can be very hard to keep track of them, let alone gain an overall picture of where current knowledge stands and why it all happened in the first place. Douglas Futuyma has now stepped in to help. How Birds Evolve is a neat summary of how birds have adapted to their environments, responded to…

COMMENT YOUR TURN your letters &photos Tell us what you think. Write to: The Editor at: Birdwatch, Warners Group Publications plc, The Maltings, West Street, Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 9PH or email letters@birdwatch.co.uk www.facebook.com/birdwatchmagazine @BirdwatchExtra Going cheap SOME months ago, a friend confided in me that he was suffering with depression. I told him he should perhaps turn to nature for its well-known therapeutic benefits for mental health, and recommended, as a good start, birding, an activity I have enjoyed for more than 60 years. He was enthusiastic about the idea so I suggested he accompany me on a visit to a local nature reserve while, in the meantime, having a read of my latest copy of Birdwatch. A few days later I rang him to arrange our day out. He…

COMMENT MURMURATIONS Twitching with toddlers A trip to see the popular American Robin in Eastbourne was complicated by the presence of a bored youngster who would rather look at dinosaurs. LUCY MCROBERT One of the many problems of ‘Twitching with toddlers’ (husband claiming copyright) is boredom. One is prepared to stand around in the mid-February drizzle when one has the reward of seeing a mega Yankee thrush, but when one fails to understand the significance of such a bird or bother to raise her three-year-old head to see it, it’s unsurprising that willpower quickly fades. So, the American Robin. After a lightning stop at Polegate services for a taste of Scotland (Hooded Crow), I bailed out of a moving vehicle, abandoning husband and child to park, and was rewarded with…

LOCAL BIG YEAR THE BIG PICTURE WHIMBREL SUNRISE In association with DAVE HARRIS April is a truly wonderful time to be out birding, wherever you are. Birdlife at this time of year is rich and varied, while the unpredictability of migration makes each day as exciting as the next. Every birder will have their own favourite spring birding ‘niche’, but for many nothing beats the northward push of waders that occurs between March and early June, but peaks in late April and early May. Shorebird migration can be epic at coastal locations, but even inland patchwatchers are offered an exciting opportunity to connect with many species that otherwise would not be possible in land-locked counties – especially those working sites with little or no standing water. Whimbrel passage starts to…

Be in the know this spring “Spring has arrived and with it one of the most exciting periods in the birding year as our summer visitors start to arrive. Now’s the time to look out for that first Northern Wheatear on your patch or an exciting spring overshoot. Make sure you don’t miss out on the news by subscribing to BirdGuides!”Rebecca Armstrong, Editor of Birdwatch One simple price = instant and accurate bird news across all devices (mobile phone, tablet or desktop). Updated 16 hours a day, seven days a week, BirdGuides is the only sightings service that you will ever need. KEEP UP TO DATE IN THE FIELD WITH THE BIRDGUIDES APP + Search the latest, and past, records within the app + Locate birds on a map and…

COMMENT NEWS OF THE WILD Robins aren’t just for Christmas Following his recovery from a mystery illness in 2021, Bill Oddie reflects on the joys of encountering Britain’s favourite bird in the garden. BILL ODDIE Surely few people would deny – except maybe Blue Tit addicts – that Britain’s most cherished garden bird is European Robin. A tubby little embodiment of soppy clichés perhaps, but one that even hard-baked twitchers would condone. Perky, cheeky, smart, friendly and plump – the robins, not the twitchers. One of my neighbours hates most garden birds. But he trembles with a frisson that any twitcher would appreciate after nailing a crippler when he tells me: “Hey Bill, our European Robin is back again. He comes every year.” I am wickedly tempted to elucidate: “Most…

Coquettes and coronets BIRD evolution has taken the basic two-wing, beak and feathers template to many extremes of colour, shape and lifestyle, but few avian families are as extravagant and novel as the hummingbirds. Genetic research has shown that the closest relatives of this uniquely North and South American group are that other family of record-breaking extremists: the swifts. That knowledge, however, does not prime us for the sheer exoticism the Trochilidae have achieved in the 42 million years since they split from their common ancestors with the Apodidae. So striking are many species’ adaptations of bill, tail and plumage that in the 18th and 19th centuries they were a prized exhibit in the cabinets of curiosity, in which the landed and erudite displayed their collections of unusual objects to…

EXPERT ADVICE BUILDING KNOWLEDGE EXPERT ADVICE BONUS ONLINE CONTENT www.birdguides.com THIS MONTH’S EXPERT PANEL CHRIS HARBARD After many years at the RSPB, Chris is now a tour leader, writer and editor. He lives in Arizona, USA, and travels widely. ROB HUME began watching birds as a child. He worked for the RSPB for many years and has written several books, including one on jizz. REBECCA ARMSTRONG is Birdwatch’s Editor, having worked on the magazine for 14 years. She has a wide-ranging interest in all wildlife. ANDY STODDART is Vice-Chair of the Rarities Committee with many years’ birding experience, and the author of several books and ID papers. IAN LYCETT is Birdwatch’s Head of Commercial. He is a very keen British lister and has been birding for many years. MICHELLE REEVE…

COMMENT TALKING BIRDS Rising temperatures Climate change is the most important issue of our times and if we’re going to tackle it, we all need to make changes now, says Niall Machin. NIALL MACHIN Cards on the table. I vote Labour or Green. I’m 59 and I’ve been a birder since I was 10. I was a twitcher back in the ’80s when my 400th species in the UK was Red-breasted Nuthatch at Holkham in 1989. Being interested in birds led me to a degree in ecology and I’ve worked as an ecologist/environmentalist for 40 years. Birding is a broad church and my experiences are full of meeting people from all walks of life with a shared passion for birds. This was never more apparent than during my Octobers spent…