Cooling Marshes, Kent, 7th December 2014

Friday 30 December 2011

My Birding Year


Year list (British): 164*
'Total' year list (inc abroad): 179
Lifers: 55
Number of times Woodpigeon mistaken for something else: 18

A brief glimpse of a Water Rail today, darting between reed beds, was a welcome late year tick on an otherwise overcast and dreary day at Rainham. It's been a frustratingly slow trawl through winter, but otherwise I've had an absolutely brilliant year watching birds.

So what is this 'year list' thing? Well, simply, it's a record of each species I saw this year. Not everyone keeps lists but like those that do, I had certain rules; I had to see the bird, not just hear it, they had to be wild too and on the official 'British list'. So, for example, the Black Swan that I spotted with a Mute flock on the marshes can't be counted. 164 in my first year of actually keeping a record seems like a good achievement. It helped that I travelled a bit; made short trips to far flung corners of the British Isles, including Wales, Ireland and Scotland. It also helped that since July I have found myself living on a stunning nature reserve in Kent. What a privilege it's been...it's unreal sometimes. It's not about ticks really, it's about birds and there have been some great moments.

Ok, so there were some misses too. You'd think that I should have been able to rustle up a Bittern somewhere, given their widely reported and welcome return from near-extinction in the UK. I missed a sitter on Egyptian Goose and Wood Warbler proved elusive during a camping trip to Wales in June. I felt sure that Brambling and Woodcock would be sure bets this winter, but not near me apparently. The latter, I'm 99% sure I had one day - my only glimpse a small, dark, brown shape flushed from undergrowth in a thumping whirr of wingbeats. So a classic Woodcock encounter but an element of doubt and it don't cut the cheese - them's the rules. And then of course there is THAT bird. The one that got away. We don't talk about it here, we'll just refer to it as that punk-haired visitor from Scandinavia and beyond. I think I'm the only person in the UK who didn't see one last winter.

My 2011 list apparently started with a Jay seen from my bedroom window in Lewisham on Jan 1st. To the untrained eye, south east London probably looks like a never-ending parade of fried chicken places and Tesco metros' (and that's a fair assessment). But in amongst it there is green gold and my favourite spots (stand up Sydenham Hill Wood, Hilly Fields, Nunhead Cemetary, Brookmill Park) were good for nearly 60 species between January and April. College field trips were great for birding (less so for actually working) and nabbed me a fine male Smew at Amwell Lakes in Herts and a pair of Whoopers over Enfield. Spring was spring and I went everywhere, whenever I could. My first Blackcap arrived in Lewisham on March 29th, closely followed by Willow Warbler in Crystal Palace on April 5th. Swallows weren't far behind, arriving on my patch by the end of the month, shortly before the first Swift of the year on May 3rd.
Great Crested Grebe, Hatfield Forest
 The fantastic array of habitats on offer at Northward Hill and Cliffe Pools (wet grassland, grazing marsh, saline pools, woodland and scrub) meant I swapped the daily coo and shuffle of pigeons outside my window for yellow wagtails, bearded tits, barn owls and all manner of waders. An amazing run in September and October also saw the sites share 3 'not-quite-megas'', but still very scarce birds. A stunning juvenile Pallid Harrier, a rare passage migrant from the east, roosted at Cliffe Pools for several nights in late September. Dipping this gorgeous bird on the 2nd day, I was thrilled to get several views on the next - the last day it was seen. Cliffe also turned up a superb adult male Isabelline Shrike (17th-18th Oct), the day after a Red-flanked Bluetail was found at Northward Hill. I didn't include Bluetail on my list because the bird was recovered during a ringing session. Assisting the ringer, it's hard to describe the joyous disbelief I felt at seeing this bird, probably the rarest bird Northward Hill has ever had. Unfortunately the encounter showed me the best and worst of the birding 'community' and triggered a series of decisions that I don't entirely agree with. Some people are petty - just because you didn't see it, howabout you congratulate those who did and celebrate it's remarkable journey.
A stunning female Red-flanked Bluetail
Oustide the UK, a flying visit to Portugal in June was memorable for unforgettable close-up views of Black-winged Stilts, Bee-eaters and more. But it was watching nesting Avcoets, a bird I probably take for granted here, that really brought home what I love about birdwatching. It's not just watching; it's learning something new and respecting the small, feathery life that goes on around us. The life that doesn't  really have a voice but that will still shout the heavens down if you get too close to its young.

But if I had to choose one bird that summed up this year for me, it would be this one (sorry crap pic):
Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur) from my bedroom window, RSPB Northward Hill, 9.7.11
 I always read that Turtle doves' were the 'sound of summer' in rural areas - certainly there was little chance of hearing or seeing one in London. But since this was the first lifer I got in Kent, perhaps it's the bird that I'll always remember as symbolising this chapter in my life. It also symbolises the massive struggle we face in this country to protect our birds and their habitats. A report in November revealed that Turtle Dove is now the most threatened farmland bird in the UK - in danger of extinction as a breeding bird within years. For every 7 birds there were 10 years ago, there is now 1. That's mindblowing. Once it's got passed the hunters' guns in the Med it has to contend with epic, industrial-scale farming both here and in Europe. It is just one of many species we face losing if we don't take a look at what is happening around us. It aint easy being a bird but I hope this is one that I can tick off for years to come. Here's to more awesome birds in 2012!

So what was your highlight of 2011? What did you see and what did you miss? Got a birding story? Get in touch...

Saturday 24 December 2011

Glad Tidings

A Heron at the top of the Christmas Tree?!
(Photo - parent's back garden, Dec 2011)
According to blogger analytics, this blog has had over 2200 hits this year. They can't all be mum checking up on me so I'm pleasantly surprised by it. I had no expectations when I started but it's amazing to see readers have checked in from as far afield as India, Alaska, Peru and Russia. Sorry if you were drawn in by the promise of poetry - if so, here's a suitably seasonal haiku for you:

Winter solitude--
in a world of one color
the sound of wind.

(Matsuo Basho)

And in the spirit of the season let me take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy Christmas or if you're the reader in Latvia - laimīgs Ziemassvētku!

Thanks for reading.

Tuesday 20 December 2011

Wo die Vögel sind?

Urban birding: Berlin, 16th - 18th December 2011

Why fly when you can take the bus? Hooded crows (Corvus cornix), Berlin 17.12.11
It was great to be back in Berlin for Rob's birthday this weekend. I'd forgotten how much I love the place; the way modern buildings sit alongside brutalist tenements and tree-lined avenues lead on to expansive soviet squares. Currywurst was a new thing for me, since my vegetarianism recently evolved into something not...quite...vegetarian. But hey, it was a holiday. And it tasted good. Anyway, birding didn't feature at all on my companions' agenda for Berlin, but between the bars and musuems I still managed to sneak in a bit.

One of the first things I noticed were the Hooded crows; flying over or poking about in the street. This close relative of the Carrion crow (Corvus corone -which is thought to have evolved from Hooded, rather than the other way round) is fairly uncommon in England, though can be found throughout Ireland and northern Europe. Those who think corvids are ugly might like to a take a closer look at this one.

Gulls were more of an attraction for me on a frozen walk along the East Side Gallery - a remnant of the old wall now tarnished with really crap art. Black-headed, Common, Herring and at least one Yellow-legged gull dipped in and out of car park puddles in an adjacent lot while others swirled over the nearby River Spree.

Berlin is a city full of green spaces, from small town squares to the majestic Tiergarten in the west. A supremely hungover walk through the beautiful Volkspark Friedrichshain in Prenzlauerberg on Sunday ticked numerous boxes - it was quiet, it had weird sculptures and I'd also heard it was a good area for Hawfinch. I didn't find any of the latter but I was totally smitten with a flock of (northern) Long-tails flitting between the impressive old poplars on bunker hill. The 'northern' race of Long-tailed tits (caudatus) have all white faces as opposed to the ones we see in the UK which have a dark-black nape/crown - the 'western' race or europaeus. They're generally resident birds, not migrating far so it's pretty rare to see caudatus ssp in the Britain.

All-white. Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus caudatus ssp)

At the top of the hill I froze for a moment as I thought heard the tell-tale whirring of a Waxwing overheard but whatever it was, it was lost in the wind and the pounding in my head. Blue tit, Great tit, Greenfinch, Chaffinch and Goldfinch were all active throughout the park, accompanied by the occasional Goldcrest. Out in the open, rooks hobbled about and the shrill alarm calls of blackbirds rang out. The ornamental lakes held Mallard and a large number of Mandarin (above). Say what you like about the latter, there's no doubt they bring a touch of colour to surroundings.

Ok, so a freezing northern city in the middle of winter isn't going be a birding goldmine but it sure beat a trawl around another godawful christmas market. Oh and my trip wasn't complete without a visit to the amazing Berlin Ramones Museum! Bird is the word:
Surfin' bird - Joey Ramone. The Greatest. Berlin Ramones Musuem, 18.12.11

Sunday 11 December 2011

Photoblog: A lazy Sunday afternoon

A lazy Sunday afternoon and a lazy space-filling post! Ha. The last few weeks have been a headspin so it was kind of nice to have the place to myself today. I had a bunch of stuff to do but took a walk round the farm instead...

New neighbours. The grazier moved the first lot of livestock into their winter quarters this week. These are this years calves, spared the rigours of winter on the marshes.


These boots are made for wading. Some showers this week have helped, but in actual fact ground water levels are really low. The rain gauge shows that the rainfall in October (21mm) and November (42mm) was the lowest for several years. We need the rain water to increase levels in the ditches and reservoirs. When it reaches a certain level we can begin extracting and pumping water onto the fields - this will help wintering birds and prepare the ground for spring waders.
Windfall. I love walking through the orchard at the moment; rotten fruit squelching underfoot and all manner of birds flitting overhead. These bruised, sugary apples attract a lot of wildlife including foxes, badgers and field mice. Today I could barely take a step without a "chak chak chak" call signalling the fright of a nearby Fieldfare.
Walls come down. When the leaves drop it's like an open house event in the wood. All manner of nests are exposed, from the untidy, straggly efforts of a pigeon or corvid like this one, to the small, boutique efforts of a Wren, Robin or Whitethroat. 
Euonymus. Spindle berries provide a burst of colour.
 
Ash 'keys'. The dry clusters of fruits on Ash trees stand out a mile in winter. I always think they look like bunches of keys. The dark crevices of these heads provide shelter for insects and can attract birds like Bullfinch.

Perched like a ghost in a tree. The Barn Owl has been out hunting over the scrub by the barns most afternoons this week. If it's not too windy, chances are it'll be around somewhere. A glorious moment in the fading winter light. 
 
All wrapped up. Bales of silage lining the track. This will keep the livestock fed through the winter.