Bird Watching July PDF

orn again birder
One man’s passion rekindled
10
pull out
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july 2019 £4.50
birding!
Learn to make the most of
long summer evenings
Stop, look and listen for
l Stone-curlew l Quail l Tawny Owl
and many more...
PLUS
NORTH-SOUTH DIVIDE
Are birders ignoring some of
Britain’s best birding spots?
RUTH MILLER…
…discovers some amazing
desert specialities
living on the edge
Dominic Couzens explores the fragile world of the Little Tern

july
Contents
12
6
news & comment
14
Weedon’s World
Nothing beats an exhausting
‘big day’ for excitement, says Mike
16
NewsWire
How you can help the experts
monitor our Puffin numbers
17
Grumpy Old Birder
Bo Beolens on how cats and birds
don’t always mix well
28
20
70
70
Garden birding
Goldfinches that visit our gardens
have quite the story to tell...
on the cover
20 Born again birder
28 Hidden Delight: Quail
38 View from the north
44 Desert birding
53 Go Birding site guide
65 Dominic Couzens: Little Tern
it’s not too late!
SIGN UP NOW
birdwatching.
co.uk/my200
20
28
38
44
65
features
Born again birder
Photographer Tom Bailey explains
how he was inspired to pick up his
binoculars again by our
#My200BirdYear challenge
Hidden Delight: Quail
Find out more about the elusive bird
that you’re more likely to hear
rather than see. Plus, other elusive
birds to listen out for
View from the North
James Walsh, AKA The Mancunian
Birder, looks into whether there’s
a north-south divide when it comes
to birdwatching
Desert birding
Ruth Miller enjoys a huge range of
interesting birds, including
sandgrouse and nightjars on a trip
to Morocco’s desert
Little Tern
Dominic Couzens reveals some
fascinating facts about the Little
Tern, a bird suffering a big
population decline in the UK
65
44
6
12
47
53
in the field
Your Birding Month
Birds to find this month include tits,
terns and warblers
Beyond Birdwatching
It’s the time of year to enjoy insects
galore, says James Lowen
ID Challenge
Test yourself and find out how well
you know juvenile waders!
Go Birding
10 great birding destinations to
head for this year!
subscribe
now!
for only
£3.90
a month
– see p18
81
82
86
89
90
bird the world
Reader Holiday
Give your #My200BirdYear list
an autumn boost with a trip to
the Highlands this year
National Treasure
Spend some time in Britain’s
newest national park for some
great birdwatching
opportunities
Urban birding: Oslo
David Lindo heads to the
Norwegian capital to see the
range of birds that the city has
to offer visiting birders
Travel round-up
There are still plenty of great
trips available to book – find out
more here!
tutorial
Camera School
How the use of water – for drinking
and bathing – can help improve
your bird photography
74
114
99
102
92
94
95
Your View
The best of the month’s readers’
photos and letters
Back Chat
Wildlife and well-being writer
Paul Brook answers our questions
bird sightings
Rarity Round-up
The best rare birds seen in the UK
and Ireland during April
UK Bird Sightings
A comprehensive round-up of birds
seen in your area during April
gear & reviews
Gear
Editor Matt Merritt puts Viking’s
Peregrine bins through their paces
Books
Latest releases including the
RSPB’s Guide to Birdsong
WishList
Birding-related gear to buy,
including beer!
4 July 2019 birdwatching.co.uk 5

uth
miller
Spotted Sandgrouse
coming down to drink
OBSERVATIONS
Male Desert Sparrow
Hoopoe Lark
Cream-coloured Courser
A wide variety of great birds, including a displaying Hoopoe Lark and a majestic
Pharaoh Eagle Owl, were enjoyed by Ruth on a birding trip to Morocco’s desert
Female Crowned
Sandgrouse
Male Crowned
Sandgrouse
pics: ruth miller, alan davies, martin oliver
Desert. The word conjures
up images of sand dunes
marching into the empty
distance. A lonely nomad
leads his camel train to
the sanctuary of an oasis
where palm trees cast
shade over a pool of water. It’s a romantic
Hollywood image and some parts of the
desert in Morocco look just like that. But
does your mental image include birds?
Because they are here in the desert, too,
they just take a bit more searching and
local knowledge to find.
We were on a birdwatching trip in
Morocco, a beautiful country with stark
landscapes of harsh mountains, stony
plains, dry wadis and vivid green oases,
wherever precious water came close to the
surface. But my favourite region was the
area of Erg Chebbi in eastern Morocco. This
was the landscape of legends, a sea of huge
sand dunes, where Lawrence of Arabia
might ride into view on his camel at any
moment. We had a modern-day camel, a
rugged 4x4 vehicle to cope with the terrain,
driven by Hamid, a Berber, born and bred
here, who could read the winds and the
shifting dunes like a book. Most
importantly, he knew where the birds were.
Sandgrouse spotted
At dawn, Hamid collected us from our
comfortable Kasbah and drove out into the
desert to a small pool of water, one of those
life-giving miracles in this parched
landscape. We waited silently. Then came a
weird bubbling call and, from nowhere, five
Spotted Sandgrouse suddenly flew in and
landed beside the water. These beautiful
birds cautiously lowered their heads to
drink, reassured as more sandgrouse flew
in to join them.
Their subtle spotted plumage really
blended in with the landscape and their
elongated shape made it hard to tell where
the ground ended and the birds began. Then
we heard more calls, as a pair of Crowned
Sandgrouse join the group. These looked
similar, though the male’s distinctive black
facial stripe stood out in the crowd. They
jostled for the best place to drink. Then,
refreshed, they flew off and melted into
the background.
Next stop: a Berber camp in the middle of
nowhere, just a collection of brown Bedouin
tents pitched close to a source of water,
surrounded by dunes and a few short
scrubby bushes. Here was another target
bird, Desert Sparrow, the male reminiscent
of a House Sparrow with its patterning, but
in shades of cream and grey. It’s a bird in
decline as the more robust House Sparrow
continues to make inroads into its
traditional desert territory; but here it was
confiding and obligingly posed on the tents
for our camera.
Amazing sight
Then, following the sound of lark song, we
took a walk among the bushes where our
attention was attracted by the sight of a
black-and-white arrow plummeting to the
ground. We froze on the spot and scanned
the bushes with our binoculars. There! A
large beige lark popped up on top of a bush
close by. It looked around and gave a little
call before suddenly taking off vertically.
We watched in amazement as its
black-and-white wings beat furiously to lift
the lark high up in the sky. Those striking
wings gave the game away: a Hoopoe Lark
in full display. It reached the zenith of its
climb and stalled, folded its wings and
plummeted head-first back down to the
ground, only opening its wings at the last
second to halt its fall. It hopped back up
onto its bush and looked at us beadily as if
to say, there, beat that if you can! It repeated
this remarkable display again, a beige lark
on the bush transforming into a black-andwhite
comet in the sky. What a bird!
Dozing nightjar
Hamid had more desert treats for us as we
continued to a flat area of sand, stones and
stubby foot-high bushes, the most this
incredibly barren area could support.
However, even here there was life. Running
among the bushes was a pair of Creamcoloured
Coursers; beautiful, elegant birds
with long legs and spindly necks, that
looked far too delicate for this harsh terrain.
Scurrying behind them were two chicks.
Perhaps we couldn’t see it, but food was
available here, if you knew where to look.
As if to prove the point of how blind we
visitors were, Hamid stopped again and
encouraged us towards a clump of larger
bushes. What were we supposed to be
looking at? He pointed to a lump of dry
earth in the shade. I focused my binoculars
and then chuckled under my breath. That
lump was in fact an Egyptian Nightjar. Its
cryptic plumage blended perfectly with the
ground and only a slight ruffling of its
feathers gave away the fact that it was alive
and oblivious to us as it dozed.
Here was another amazing desert
species perfectly adapted to its special
surroundings. It rested in the shade during
the now scorching heat of midday, but in
the cool of dusk it would fly to catch
insects borne aloft in the air.
Hamid continued the Egyptian theme
with the last bird he showed us. Heading
back towards civilisation, a range of
dramatic cliffs rose up from the sand. They
were ridged like gills with deep cracks
providing shade. And resting on a ledge in
one of these cracks was a majestic owl, the
appropriately named Pharaoh Eagle Owl.
Through our telescopes we could pick out
every detail of this handsome creature: the
wonderful ear tufts, the dark outline to
the facial disk, the bold streaks around its
throat, the buffy belly.
What a thrilling finale to our desert
birding! As the daytime heat gave way to
the cool of evening, we returned to our
Kasbah at the oasis and enjoyed a very
welcome long drink! BW
Ruth Miller is one half of The Biggest Twitch team, and along with partner Alan Davies, set the then world
record for most bird species seen in a year – 4,341, in 2008, an experience they wrote about in their book,
The Biggest Twitch. Indeed, Ruth is still the female world record-holder! As well as her work as a tour leader,
she is the author of the Birds, Boots and Butties books, on walking, birding and tea-drinking in North Wales,
and previously worked as the RSPB’s head of trading. She lives in North Wales. birdwatchingtrips.co.uk
44 July 2019
birdwatching.co.uk 45

CLARE
HOWCUTT-
KELLY
Goldfinch at the
niger feeder
In your garden
this month...
l Of course, the British weather is far from reliable, but if
we have a July anything like last year’s, then water will be
at a premium, for the birds and for your gardening. So,
remember again to keep bird baths (or your alternatives,
such as upturned bin lids or large dish) topped up with
clean, fresh water.
l As regards watering the garden, try to keep this to a
minimum – that can be a lot easier if you have already
planted Mediterranean species such as Spanish Broom,
Lavender, Catmint and Rosemary. If you haven’t, then
start thinking about doing so for the future.
l If we do have another long, hot, dry spell, cut back on...
cutting back. The lawn can take care of itself for a
few weeks, and the result will be to retain more
insects for birds.
l You could dampen, dig and turn over a few patches of
soil, though, to make worms available for Blackbirds,
Robins and the like.
l DON’T stop putting food and water out for your garden
birds. Late breeders (including those having second or
even third broods) will appreciate it.
Tim Gainey/Alamy*
Woodpigeon, once more among
the blossom...
paul weston/Alamy
l If you’re going away, ask a neighbour to top up your
feeders every few days.
The glory of Goldfinches
Clare discovers that her latest visitors have quite the story to tell...
I
am excited to
announce the arrival
of a pair of
Goldfinches. They have
appeared since I last
wrote to you, and I’ve
been spending a fair amount
of time watching them while
I should have been weeding
the vegetable patch. But you
know, weeds grow all the
time. You’ve got to pick
your battles…
This is the first time since
we moved that I’ve spotted
Goldfinches and they are now
regular garden visitors. I
recently created a special area
in the garden, as a space for
birds to go and relax – there’s
a cafe, a bath and plenty of
places to take a rest. The
peanuts are plentiful and
I keep the tin bath regularly
topped up with water for
them. This is where the
Goldfinches spend most of
their time, taking it in turns
to dip in and dip out.
My favourite place to watch
them is from the hammock
I’ve hung from two trees and,
if I keep really quiet, I get to
see their gorgeous colours up
close. They really are
beautiful and their song
sounds happy, as if they are
doing it for the pure joy of it.
In Victorian times, they
were kept as caged birds.
Their attractiveness was, in
fact, nearly the death of them
– the large volumes being
caught to be sold as pets
brought them close to
extinction. For up to five
years, these birds would be
trapped, singing their
hearts out, hoping, I’m sure,
for release. Sussex was a
hotbed for finch-catching,
and it’s reported that more
than 100,000 were trapped
there in the space of a year.
It was bleak.
Thankfully, there were
people who wanted to end
this cruel trade and it was
around this time, that Emily
Williamson founded the SPB
(now the RSPB) from her
home in Manchester. She is
a hero of mine and like so
many pioneers was mocked
regularly, both in private and
in public via Punch
magazine, for her beliefs.
This woman was massively
underestimated, but if it
wasn’t for her, I might not
be sitting here talking to you
about Goldfinches – they
would have gone the same
way as the Dodo.
We can also thank wildlife
photographers Richard and
Cherry Kearton who were, to
be totally honest with you,
batty for birds to the extreme.
Would you for example, lie in
the taxidermied body of an ox
to take the perfect shot?
Would you? They did. And it
gets weirder. Sometimes, they
pretended to be a pile of
rubbish, quietly laying in
wait for birds to make an
appearance. The brothers
observed finches being
caught and captured at
a time when anything
living thing in the world
was considered fair game
for poachers.
Their book With Nature
and a Camera, published in
1897, revolutionised the
way people thought about
wildlife and, like Emily
Williamson, they were
ahead of their time. Even
today, some of their methods
would be seen as bonkers.
It’s important to know all
this when we think of
garden birds and that’s the
whole reason I write this
column for you every
month. I want you to look
at them differently – when
you see a Goldfinch, I hope
you appreciate them as
much as I do.
This month, I got a desk.
It’s pretty big news in our
house. I wanted it to overlook
the garden and it gives me a
good view of the blossoming
apple tree; but what is it with
pigeons and blossom? Why is
it so irresistible to them? I
can see one nibbling it off as
we speak. I read somewhere
that you can put a windchime
on the tree to keep them
away, but this also scares off
the other birds which I don’t
want to do. I also feel that it
would be unfair of me to call
myself the ‘Back Garden
Birder’ and then, when you’re
not looking, be banging on
the window shouting ‘do
one!’ to the pigeons.
Yes, the pigeons might
not be as pretty as the
Goldfinches, but all of
these creatures have
found a home in
my garden, and
long may that
remain. BW
Chris Grady/Alamy*
70 July 2019
birdwatching.co.uk 71

yourview
GET
PHOTOS, LETTER, TWEETS, QUESTIONS – HAVE YOUR SAY
Think before buying
On behalf of RSPB North
Bucks Local Group, of which
I am a committee member,
with the help of Naturetrek,
I organised a private tour for
group members to Spain and
Morocco: Birding on Two
Continents. On our first day
in Morocco, we were taken to
Merja Zerga lagoon on the
north-east coast.
We were soon to find out
just what an exciting place
this is when we got into two
small boats. We had been
joined by Hassan, a local
guide, who knew the waters
so well. This was the last place
that Slender-billed Curlews
survived and Hassan was one
of the very last people to ever
see one before they became
extinct. He certainly knew
where to take us and, very
quickly, we were looking at
two Lesser Crested Terns and
1
2
Moroccan
Marsh Owl
Audouin’s Gulls among the
numerous Yellow-legged Gulls.
The tide was coming in so
we had to make haste before
the mudflats got covered. A
host of waders were spotted,
including Whimbrel, Curlew
Sandpiper, a splendid Bartailed
Godwit and, for this
participant, one of the five
favourite birds of the whole
trip, Slender-billed Gulls. I had
seen them before, but never so
Barry Ratcliffe
close to be able to really
observe their lovely pink
breasts. If that was not
enough, Caspian, Sandwich,
Common, Little and
Whiskered Terns were added,
making six terns in all.
Following our boat trip, we
headed onto a private area of
fresh marsh which is under
increasing pressure from
ever-expanding strawberry
farms. These are growing to
fill the ever-increasing
demand for out-of-season fruit
in northern Europe,
especially the UK. We
lamented the loss of habitat
here and how this could have
been one of the drivers for
decline and extinction of the
Slender-billed Curlew.
Hassan accompanied us as
we walked for about a quarter
of a mile listening to Quails’
‘wet-my-lips’ calls, spotting
Zitting Cisticolas, looking at
a very obliging Cuckoo and
then, for many the highlight
bird of the whole trip, getting
excellent and close views of
Moroccan Marsh Owl.
We didn’t stay for too long,
IN TOUCH
birdwatching@bauermedia.co.uk
facebook.com/BirdWatchingMag
twitter.com/BirdWatchingMag
Bird Watching, Media House,
Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6EA
wanting to cause only
minimum disturbance but, for
the few minutes that we were
there, we had wonderful views
of this beautiful bird. If not
already, this must soon be
split from the abundant marsh
owls of South Africa; the two
races will never meet up and,
indeed, it may well be too late
now to save the Moroccan
race. I asked Hassan how
many birds remained.
“About 20 pairs, so they will
be gone in about 10 years!”
was his reply.
And all because we, in
northern Europe and UK, in
particular, desire out-ofseason,
tasteless strawberries!
What a shame! Shame? Yes,
I think that’s a good word!
The next time you buy, or
better still, before you buy
strawberries from your local
supermarket, just take a look
at the label on the packaging,
note where the strawberries
came from and just ask
yourself, “Do I really need
these and what is the effect of
me buying them?”.
Paul Tucker
Reader Shots
Send your snaps to birdwatching@bauermedia.co.uk to be in
with a chance of seeing your photo in print. All images should
be high resolution JPEG files.
1 Blackcap by Kevin Bowers
Camera: Nikon D7200 Lens: 150-600mm
Shutter Speed: 1/400s Aperture: f/6.3 ISO: 800
2 Long-tailed Tits by Ken King
Camera: Nikon D7200 Lens: 200-500mm
Shutter Speed: 1/250s Aperture: f/8 ISO: 720
3 Sandwich Terns by Harriet Day
Camera: Canon PowerShot SX60 HS Lens: 247mm
Shutter Speed: 1/250s Aperture: f/6.5 ISO: 125
4 Bittern by Don Davis
Camera: Olympus E-M1 MkII Lens: 300mm
Shutter Speed: 1/1,600s Aperture: f/5.6 ISO: 400
3
Bird naming query
At the risk of opening up a can
of worms, please can you
advise me on the proper use of
capitalisation of bird names?
My understanding is that it is
only the first letter of a bird’s
common name that should be
capitalised. So, for instance, it
would be Black-headed gull,
Lesser black-backed gull and
Great tit. Or not?
Rob McCaffrey
n The editor says: There isn’t
really a set way. Some
publications use no
capitalisation at all, while our
‘house style’ is to capitalise
each word – so, Black-headed
Gull, Short-eared Owl, etc.,
– but to use lower case when
talking about families etc of
birds. You also see differences
in whether to use one word or
two. A lot of the time you see
Skylark as one word, while we
feel that it should be two, for
sake of consistency – you don’t
see Crestedlark, for example.
Nesting in Poland
Just an interesting
observation: on a recent
Saturday, a couple of Starlings
moved into a few-year-old
nestbox on a silver spruce
located 5m from my house.
Nothing special, but… since
we
love
Don Davis’ jumping
Bittern is a wonderfully
unusual photo of a bird
that is hard enough to
see at all!
mid-April, there have been
Collared Doves in the nest 4m
above the nestbox and… a pair
of Magpies had made their
nest 1m from the very top of
the spruce, just three days
before the Starlings arrived.
So far all quiet. Everybody
is busy going about their
own business!
Krzysztof Mieczkowski, Poland
My first bird
Having just read the
wonderful article of Ruth
Miller’s first bird in the May
issue, it brought to mind my
very first bird, which changed
my life. Like Ruth, my first
bird was also a member of the
finch family, the Chaffinch.
I can remember as if it were
yesterday, and that was almost
64 years ago, when I was only
five years old! Walking with
my dad through the orchard of
my Uncle Tom’s farmyard in
the village of Snainton, not far
from Pickering, North
Yorkshire. I remember Dad
putting his hand on my
shoulder and whispering in
his lovely North Walian accent
“Just a minute, sonny,” and
pointing out a beautiful male
Chaffinch singing from one of
the apple trees.
I was mesmerised.
My dad must have wished
4
Taff Williams will
never forget his
first Chaffinch
he never spotted it as it was
relentless questioning for the
rest of the day, even at bed
time, I couldn’t stop talking
about it and I am sure I must
have been dreaming about it.
On my sixth birthday, only
a few weeks later, there were
a few cards and a small
package – the excitement
when I opened it was
unbelievable The Observers
Book of British Birds and the
very first bird I went to was,
of course, the Chaffinch and
I must have read that page
over and over again. My first
binoculars were a cheap pair,
which were great if I closed
one eye to eliminate the
double vision! And I couldn’t
believe what I’d been missing
when I got my very first ‘real’
pair of binoculars!
Ithel (Taff) Williams,
Cambridge
Thanks, Dominic!
I just wanted to send you a
quick note thanking you
for your most recent
magazine. As a reader for
about five years now, I
have to say that I always
enjoy it, but this issue was
particularly great. I know
that gulls are a divisive
family of birds, but
personally I don’t get the
controversy – I’ve always
considered them to be
beautiful and fascinating.
And so it should come as
no surprise that I
absolutely loved
Dominic Couzens’s very
educational article on
Lesser Black-backed
Gulls, so thank you for
that. I also very much
YOur view
appreciated that you included
a Northern Irish location in
your Go Birding section, the
first since I’ve started reading.
(I know that we represent a
considerably smaller
proportion of your readership,
but featuring NI a bit more
often would be nice!)
Anyway, sincere thanks
again for a particularly
fantastic issue and I will look
forward to the next one!
Rebecca Gindin-Clarke
Mostly male birders?
I’m a new birdwatcher, and
just bought my first copy of
Bird Watching magazine. I’ve
noticed that most
birdwatchers (at the least the
ones I’ve encountered so far)
tend to be male, and I also
noticed that all of your
contributors are male.
Is this a common feature of
the hobby? And if so, why do
you think it is?
Holly James
n The editor says: When we’ve
done surveys, the split usually
comes as around 65% male to
35% female among our
readers, although I’m not sure
if that would be true for the
hobby as a whole. I think men
do tend to predominate on the
more ‘twitcher’ side of things,
while there’s probably a more
even split among RSPB Local
Groups and bird clubs. There
were at least two female
(main) contributors in the
June issue – Ruth Miller and
Clare Howcutt-Kelly – who are
regulars in every issue, but we
have been trying for a long
time to get more contributions
from women. This does tend
to vary from issue to issue,
but there’s still plenty of
work to be done – so send us
your submissions!
David Chapman/Alamy*
74 July 2019 birdwatching.co.uk 75

Your Questions
Send all your birding questions to
birdwatching@bauermedia.co.uk and our
experts will give you the answers
pics From our
facebook group
Join our dedicated #My200BirdYear Facebook
group and share your best birding experiences
and images with the community:
facebook.com/groups/My200BirdYear
What’s this bird, please?
Q
This bird frequented my
feeders through March
and into April. I thought it was
a Common (Mealy) Redpoll and
posted it on social media as such
once it had departed after it had
spent nearly a month in my
garden! I soon had replies telling
me that it wasn’t a Mealy but
a Coues’s. What do you think?
Chris Grimshaw, Lincoln
Your bird certainly appears
A
to be either a Mealy
(Common ) Redpoll or (Coues’s)
Arctic Redpoll, Chris, just based
on its frosty appearance. These
species can be very difficult to
separate and usually require a full
suite of features to confirm
identification. The seeming
minuscule bill, white rump and
relatively lightly streaked flanks all
point to Coues’s, but are not
necessarily conclusive. The
absence of red on the forehead of
your bird probably points to the bird
being a first-winter individual. And,
in younger Arctic Redpolls, there is
apparently more chance of
streaking on the rump (as seen here)
as well as heavier flank streaking
(some Arctics are much less
streaked than your bird, which has
a rump which resembles many
Mealies’ ). Photos of the undertail
coverts would be very useful, if you
have any. Otherwise, we
recommend submitting your
detailed description and photos to
the BBRC (British Birds Rarities
Committee), for more expert
analysis than we can provide!
I’m stumped. Help!
Q
A friend sent me this picture
to identify the bird, it has
beaten me, any ideas?! It was
probably taken in the Burford
area, Oxfordshire.
Roy Lester by email
can you explain why this
woodpecker has an odd beak?
I have seen this woodpecker several times, recently. It
Q
seems to have something wrong with its beak. Any ideas?
Brenda Collin, Herefordshire
The bird is a Great Spotted Woodpecker (a male, as indicated
A
by the red patch on the back of the neck). It appears to have an
extraordinarily elongated and crossed pair of mandibles (or, more
technically, the mandible and maxilla). According to the British Trust
for Ornitholgy (BTO), bill deformities apparently occur in ‘fewer
than one in 200’ adult wild birds. That is still potentially a lot of birds!
In quite extreme cases like your woodpecker, Brenda, the bird would
presumably find conventional feeding pretty tricky (especially
involving any chiseling of wood) and your fat cakes etc would be a
welcome source of easily obtainable nutrition. Incidentally, on the
BTO’s Garden BirdWatch site, there is a video of a Great Spotted
Woodpecker with a very similar deformity to your bird (uploaded in
2011). The causes of bill deformities are currently poorly understood,
but it is thought that it is invariably the outer, keratin part of the bill
(rather than the bony interior), which is affected.
As far as we can tell, Roy, your
A
friend’s baby bird is
a Goldfinch. We have not got a
tremendous amount of experience
of birds which are so young and out
of the nest (which is a bit worrying).
However, the combination of its
finch-like shape, overall brownish
plumage, contrasting with the
largely black wings (and emerging
black tail feathers), plus the broad
yellowish bands on the wing and
the little white feather tips on the
wing, all suggest this bird is going to
soon (all being well) change into a
typical, familiar, juvenile Goldfinch.
If anyone knows better, then please
write in and put us right!
Is this a hybrid duck?
Q
Attached are slightly iffy
pics of a duck seen on
Sutton Bingham reservoir
yesterday. Very bright and windy,
so sorry for the images.
Question is, what duck? I am
guessing some form of hybrid,
would you agree? I am seeing
Tufted Duck, possibly Shelduck;
red bill? Any ideas please?
Rob Sumsion
We agree, Rob, that your
A
duck (a drake) appears to be
a hybrid. The genes most strongly
expressing themselves, from its
parentage, seem to be those of
a Red-crested Pochard (including
the reddish head, the pinky-red bill
the black breast, brown back, pale
flanks and black rear end).
However, the head is a bit too
dark and its shape is wrong; the
flanks are too neatly defined
(Red-crested Pochards have
smudgy contacts between back and
flank). Perhaps the most likely other
parent would be a Tufted Duck
(which has neatly defined white
flanks and a dark head).
I saw this in France
Q
I am having trouble
identifying this bird
which seemed slightly bigger
than a sparrow. It was spotted in
a garden in central France
(Limoges) in late April.
I dismissed Willow Warbler and
Chiffchaff as it has no
supercilium. Then I thought of
Garden Warbler, but they are
rarely in the open I believe. So,
I wondered whether it could be
a Spotted Flycatcher, or a female
Redstart, as there is a hint of red
in the tail perhaps. Thank you so
much for any help you can give.
Neil Jarvis
Your analysis was good, Neil,
A
looking for key features and
dismissing birds, accordingly. The
closest you got was when you noticed
the reddish tail, as it is a female-type
Black Redstart. Note the Robin-like
shape, the plain plumage, which is
almost all dull grey or grey-brown, apart
from that orange-red tail with a dark
centre. Note also the dark legs and
indeed the fact that it is apparently
feeding on the ground. Black Redstarts
are very scarce breeding birds in the UK,
but in continental Europe they are very
widespread and common, often
occurring in gardens even in pretty
urban areas.
Is this a Dusky Grouse?
Q
This bird ran across our pathway
while walking in the hills above
Squamish, north of Vancouver.
I thought it might be a Dusky
Grouse, but would like your opinion…
John A. Smith
We think you are pretty close,
A John, but the Dusky Grouse has
its range a bit to the east of Squamish. In
this area (ie the western coastal strip of
Canada up to Alaska), the closely
related (and formerly considered
conspecific) Sooty Grouse is the main
large grouse species. Your bird certainly
seems to fit the bill for Sooty Grouse.
That said, females of both species are
apparently not reliably separated in
the field, so we only have distribution to
go on. BW
Goldeneye by Richard Hanman
Coot by Steve Clipperton
Garden Warbler by Carol Leather
Kingfisher by Nigel Mill
76 July 2019
birdwatching.co.uk 77

new products gear
WishList
Essential gear to spend your
hard-earned cash on this month
WORDs david chandler
Hilltrek Kintail
Lightweight Shirt, £125
Handmade on Deeside from lightweight ventile,
this wind and weatherproof shirt can be worn with
a baselayer or next to the skin. It’s “a perfect weight
for summer use or overseas trips” and is “naturally
mosquito proof”. The front, cuffs and flapped chest
pockets fasten with studs, there’s a back pleat for easy
movement and a scooped hem. And you can order it
with a shorter or longer body or sleeves (£30 extra).
Short sleeve version also available. S-XXL in dark navy
or moon. 300g (medium). hilltrek.co.uk
Country Innovation
Traveller II Jacket,
from £195
CI have made the Traveller II better
than its first incarnation. The upper
and lower pockets now have
side elastication so they open
wider and there’s less strain
at the attachment points.
Other changes include a
slightly lighter weight lining
– for more comfortable
warm weather use, and a
waist drawcord. 100g. S-4XL.
countryinnovation.com
Patagonia Women’s
Lightweight A/C top,
£52 to £65
This 95% organic cotton 5% hemp top should be
good for hot and humid places. Growing hemp
is illegal in many places but not China – which is
Patagonia’s current source. Hemp
fibres are tough and the crop
is grown without irrigation,
pesticides or synthetic
fertilisers. The fabric’s
breathable, linen-like texture
keeps it lifted from the skin.
This top is hip length with short,
rolled-cuff sleeves and a chest
pocket. eu.patagonia.com
Woodland
Animal Masks, £6.99
Ever wanted to dress up as a woodland animal? Go
on, admit it. Now you can. For less than the price of
two pints of beer you could have this pack of four
animal masks. You could be an owl, a rabbit, a fox
or a deer. Great for stag parties. They’re for children
really – from the age of five. Who knows what might
happen if a four year old put one on. Complete with
3D noses. Honest. shopping.rspb.org.uk
Bridgedale Lightweight
Storm Socks,
£32(ankle)/£35(boot)
These socks fit close, have a merino inner and
are 100% waterproof. They are low-bulk, have a
waterproof, breathable and windproof membrane, and
are “ideal where maximum breathability and minimal
insulation is required”. Sounds like a summer sock to
me. They protect you from the wet and soggy stuff,
but for the sake of your image, are best not worn with
sandals. Available in boot and ankle lengths in dark
grey or black in four different sizes. bridgedale.com
Wallace Bug Viewer,
£3.99
You’ve probably seen this sort of thing before –
a plastic pot with a lid that’s a magnifier – great for
looking at minibeasts. I know I have, but not one this
big. This one is 11.5cm wide and 13.5cm high. The blurb
says it’s “ideal for
viewing larger insects
or those who are
very active” (insects
I presume). The lid
has a 3x magnifier,
and the whole thing
has a carry handle.
birdfood.co.uk
Olympus Pro
Binoculars,
£449.99(8x)/£479.99(10x)
There’s an 8x42 and a 10x42 in the Olympus Pro range,
with “high performance Zuiko optics” and “a bright,
clear field of view with sharp details”. They have ED
glass, dielectric prism coatings, and extra-low reflection
coating. The field of
view is 131m/108m
@1,000m
respectively, both
models close-focus to
just 1.5m and neither
of them weigh much.
Full review soon.
olympus.co.uk
Kowa Neoprene Stayon-Cases,
£159 (for
553/4)/£179 (for 883/4)
If you’ve spent that much on a scope you
should look after it. These cases will help.
They are made in Germany from high
grade neoprene with bits
of leather here and there
for added class. Each
one comes in four
parts, fits the scope
well, improves
its handling and
protects your
precious glass.
kowaproducts.com
Bird Brewery
Fuut Fieuw, £2.49
for 33cl
This Dutch brewery produces “quality
beers with a quirky twist”. Their birdy
beers feature the Roodborst (Robin),
Vink (Chaffinch), Huismus (House
Sparrow) and more. Fuut is Dutch
for Great Crested Grebe and this
beer is a “blond, fruity session IPA
with white foam head”. Watch out
for citrus, yellow tropical fruits and
light caramel in the nose… I don’t
want yellow, tropical fruits in my
nose thank you very much. 4.6%.
beerwulf.com
birdwatching.co.uk 95