BirdGuides Blog

RSPB's Marshside reserve gets new lease of life

2014-08-28T13:10:00.001+01:00

After 20 years of successful partnership with Sefton Council, the RSPB is celebrating a new 99-year lease of the RSPB’s Marshside reserve, in Merseyside.

The new lease from the Council trebles the size of the nature reserve. It grants the RSPB control over the saltmarsh at Marshside as well as the fresh marsh and includes the former 'Rainford's marsh'. It also includes the car park and the roadside strip as far as the sewage works, but does not include the ‘Old Sand Works’, which is still under the control of the Sand Company.

Tony Baker, RSPB Ribble Sites Manager, said: "This is a fantastic way to celebrate 20 years of the RSPB and Sefton Council giving nature a home at Marshside. It’s great that it comes in the first year that our fantastic avocets have nested on the saltmarsh at Marshside."

There will be a chance to celebrate the news and talk to site staff about their plans for the future of Marshside at a special 20th celebration event, to be held at the reserve on Sunday 7 September.

Tony added: "We have lots to think about as we look to future plans for encouraging more wildlife and more human visitors to come to the reserve; adding further value to Southport as a tourist destination, and we know we can count on our wonderful volunteers to help us step up and meet the new challenges the new lease brings."

Avocet in flight © Lee Fuller. Image from the BirdGuides Iris galleries.

Cllr Ian Moncur, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Schools, Families and Leisure, commented: "The RSPB has done a great job of managing this part of our amazing coast. It’s good to know the Marshside reserve will be in good hands well into the next century."

The RSPB’s management of Marshside forms part of the conservation organisation’s Ribble Coast and Wetlands Futurescape. This is a large-scale project aimed at creating a network of linked homes for nature across the local area.

For more information about the forthcoming celebration event, visit www.rspb.org.uk/marshside.

Skokholm Island Sink or Swim - they call him 'Flipper'!

2014-08-19T10:51:00.000+01:00

Dodging dolphins, jelly fish and basking sharks and battling the Pembrokeshire currents to raise money for charity.

On the 22nd of August at approximately 7am Dave Astins, a daring volunteer and supporter of the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales will be attempt a treacherous sponsored swim from Marloes Sands, across Marloes Bay to the beautiful Skokholm Island approximately 2.5 miles in a straight line!

The Wildlife Trust have carried out research and have yet to find someone who has successfully completed and recorded the swim from the mainland to the island, so this is quite possibly a first! Dave who works in Education and Children’s Services for Carmarthenshire County Council said, ‘The distance isn't a fear for me but the strong currents, jellyfish and basking sharks are a different story...it will also be a truly unique way of getting to Skokholm Island’.

After the swim Dave also plans on staying on the island for 3 nights, and carrying out some volunteering for the Wildlife Trust whilst there.

Dave who trains with Pembrokeshire Triathlon Club will raise money towards the Wildlife Trusts’ work on Skokholm Island, a world famous seabird colony and Britain's first Bird Observatory.

If you’d like to help Dave support the Wildlife Trust then please visit the JustGiving page on the following link:

>>> https://www.justgiving.com/Dave-Swims-to-Skokholm <<<

Salford Quays Bird Watching Cruise, Saturday 24 May 08:00 - 10:00

2014-05-07T09:30:00.004+01:00

Join experienced local birdwatchers and our tame birder from the Greater Manchester Local Record Centre as you cruise around the stunning surroundings of Salford Quays and along the Manchester Ship Canal to the former Pomona Docks.

The area is steeped in industrial history, Salford Quays once being the busiest port in the world and is classified as a Site of Biological Importance. Over 100 species of bird have been seen here in recent years including Mute Swan, Cormorant, Grey Heron Kingfisher, Lapwing, Moorhen, Grey Wagtail, Skylark, Song Thrush, Dunnock, Bullfinch Goldfinch and Greenfinch.

On last year's cruise we watched a Peregrine Falcon feeding on prey on a penthouse flat balcony and Sand Martins hawking for insects over the ship canal. Kestrel and Sparrowhawk were also hunting alongside the canal.

Salford Quays, © Charlesdrakew/Wikimedia Commons

Please note although there is a sheltered cabin below deck, it's advisable to bring appropriate clothing in case of adverse weather conditions and should you wish to birdwatch from the open top deck. Don't forget to bring your binoculars!

Tickets £11.00 per person can be purchased online here.

Departure point - Lowry Footbridge (Lowry Centre side of Salford Quays). To left of footbridge. Parking – Lowry Outlet Mall, The Quays, Salford M50 3AH.

The Iberian Chiffchaff in East Yorkshire

2014-04-23T16:43:00.003+01:00

A few images and a sound recording of the Iberian Chiffchaff, present on private land at Grimston (E Yorks) on 13th April 2014. Unfortunately, despite efforts, access could not be organised for a wider audience.

All images and sound recordings courtesy and copyright of Mark Robinson. More on birding in the area can be found at hornseamere.wordpress.com.

Images and sound recordings © Mark Robinson

Last call for North East Wildlife Photography competition

2014-04-07T14:30:00.002+01:00

There's still enough time to enter the North East Wildlife Photography Competition 2014 which has attracted a line-up of impressive judges including Ross Hutchinson ITV Weatherman and Sam Lee, folk singer and keen wildlife photographer.

Durham, Tees Valley and Northumberland Wildlife Trusts have again joined forces with the Natural History Society of Northumbria (NHSN) and the Great North Museum: Hancock in the hope that keen snappers will showcase the best of the region’s wildlife.

Last year people of all ages and abilities entered 1,500 photos of this region's amazing wildlife and left experts highly impressed by the quality of their pictures.

Sam Lee said: “I am really honoured to be squinting my photographer’s eye over the glorious images of the natural world for this competition. As a onetime photographer, who has decided to document the world around him through music, it is a great thrill to be getting back in touch with my visual training and see the world through the eyes and lenses of the talent across the North East.”

Nestlé which has worked with Northumberland Wildlife Trust on the planting of butterfly meadows at its factory in Fawdon is the main sponsor, with prizes being donated by Opticron, Newcastle College, BBC Wildlife Magazine, Bird Watching Magazine, Digitalab, Going Digital North East, Kielder Water and Forest Park, Naturetrek, Northern Experience Wildlife Tours, Serenity Farne Island Boat Tours, Speyside Wildlife, Vine House Farm and West Country Wildlife Photography Centre.

This year, there are six competition categories to enter, with each category winner and runner-up receiving a great prize and an overall winner being selected from one of these categories for the main prize of £250.

Wildlife portraits - photos that capture the character, essence or traits of a species
Wildlife in action - photos that capture wildlife behaviour and action
Wildlife in the landscape - photos that show wildlife in its habitat, landscape or setting
Botanical: photos of plants, fungi and lichen
Young person’s - photos of wildlife or plants taken by anyone aged 16 or under
Art in nature - photos of flora and fauna that are composed for artistic effect

Entry is free and open to everyone, but photographs must have been taken in the North East. The closing date for entries is midnight, Monday 5 May 2014. The winners will be announced at an award ceremony to be held on Thursday 3 July, and will be displayed at the Great North Museum: Hancock in Newcastle before going on tour around the region.

For details of how to submit your entry (online or by post) plus full terms and conditions visit www.nwt.org.uk/photocompetition2014 or write to: Steve Ashton, North East Wildlife Photography Competition, Tees Valley Wildlife Trust, Margrove Heritage Centre, Boosebeck, Saltburn, TS12 3BZ.

Latest BTO Wetland Bird Survey goes live!

2014-01-30T14:51:00.003+00:00

Waterbirds in the UK 2011/12, the latest report of the Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS), has been published. Search the interactive online interface to find latest information on the status of the UK's waterbirds and the wetlands used by them. With a new colour report providing a summary of the results and other waterbird related stories, the new style 'WeBS annual report' provides an invaluable resource for anyone with an interest in waterbirds in the UK and beyond.

AFRICAN BIRD CLUB: 20th Anniversary Meeting

2014-01-10T09:53:00.001+00:00

AFRICAN BIRD CLUB: 20th Anniversary Meeting

SATURDAY 12TH APRIL

Following its launch from small beginnings in 1994, the African Bird Club has grown its activities significantly and last year alone it spent over £30,000 on bird conservation initiatives in Africa – bringing the total to date up to almost £170,000 across 170 projects in 32 countries.

As it celebrates its 20th Anniversary a special meeting is being held at the Natural History Museum on Saturday 12th April. Doors to the prestigious Flett Theatre open at 1015 hrs. Admission is free to ABC members, and non-members are invited to make a donation.

Speakers include Achilles Byaruhanga from Uganda looking at the The State of Africa’s Birds and how we need to save them. Roger Safford will outline recent discoveries on the Birds of the Malagasy region. World-renowned lecturer and author Tim Birkhead will talk about Weaver birds and Honeyguides, and how promiscuity is widespread amongst these families in Africa. David Pearson will look back on four decades of intensive bird ringing at Ngulia in Kenya and Jim Reynolds will be “Terning” back the clock to look at lessons learned from 20 years of fieldwork on Ascension Island.

In particular ABC would like to see as many of its Founder Members as possible on the day – and no doubt there will be a few celebrations in at least one pub in South Kensington!

More details at http://www.africanbirdclub.org/club/events.

Butterfly Conservation 'Match Pot Appeal'

2014-01-07T11:29:00.001+00:00

Butterfly Conservation are asking for your help to transform the fortunes of in their Match Pot appeal.

A tax on landfill operators was introduced in 1996 to encourage recycling and waste reduction, with the money raised from this allocated to environmental projects.

In order to be eligible, Butterfly Conservation must contribute 10% of the total amount required for the work they want to do to save threatened butterflies and moths.

As such, Butterfly Conservation needs your help to secure landfill funds so that they can expand their landscape-scale projects. Every pound donated to the Match Pot Appeal unlocks £10 from the Landfill Communities Fund.

Please visit the donations page by clicking on the Butterfly Conservation logo below to contribute:

Golden Eagle found poisoned in the Angus Glens

2013-12-21T12:01:00.000+00:00

RSPB Scotland yesterday condemned those responsible for the killing of a satellite-tagged Golden Eagle, found poisoned on the hills above Glen Lethnot in Angus. The bird was discovered after Roy Dennis of the Highland Foundation for Wildlife, who was monitoring the eagle's movements, became suspicious when the satellite signal remained static for several days. He immediately alerted the police and RSPB Scotland investigations staff who later visited the area, which is intensively managed for grouse shooting, and a search of the moor allowed the recovery of the dead bird.

The eagle's movement's prior to its discovery poisoned.

Tests carried out by the Scottish Government laboratory of Science and Advice for Scottish agriculture confirmed that the bird had been poisoned. The eagle, named "Fearnan", was ringed as a chick in a nest near Loch Tay in Perthshire in June 2011 and had spent much of its life in Badenoch, before moving to the Angus glens in early November. Just three weeks later, it had been poisoned.

The poisoned Golden Eagle © RSPB Investigations Team

Stuart Housden, Director of RSPB Scotland, said: "This appalling incident involving a species recently voted as the nation's favourite bird, marks a dreadful end to the Year of Natural Scotland. We have recently submitted a petition to the Scottish Government, asking for the Golden Eaggle to be officially designated as the national bird of Scotland. Incidents such as this show very clearly why this iconic bird needs not just our recognition, but also greater protection. We sincerely hope that those responsible are swiftly brought to justice and would encourage those with information to come forward."

In the past five and a half years, another four eagles, a Red Kite and seven Buzzards have been shot, poisoned or trapped on sporting estates situated in the Angus Glens. In January 2013, the nest tree of a pair of White-tailed Eagles was felled. No-one has been prosecuted for any of these offences.

Duncan Orr-Ewing, RSPB, fitting the satellite tag harness onto the eaglet prior to stitching and glueing the harness bands to establish a good fit (© Keith Brockie)

Mr Housden added: "I will be asking the environment spokesperson of all the parties in the Scottish Parliament to take cross-party action to stiffen the penalties for those convicted of such offences and to look again at the regulation of sport shooting. The current state of affairs is simply unacceptable."

A recent report by RSPB Scotland revealed that a significant number of incidents of illegal killing of birds of prey took place in areas managed for driven grouse shooting.

Thoughts on the Baikal Teal in Lancashire

2013-12-01T22:52:00.004+00:00

Following the report of a drake Baikal Teal at Marshside RSPB, Lancashire yesterday an image subsequently emerged via social media. The digiscoped image from the finder appeared to show a drake with an unusual face pattern, lacking the black vertical line running from below the eye to the chin.

Initial internet searches failed to find any comparable images of drake Baikal Teal with this vertical line absent, and this aligned with news that a hybrid had been seen the previous week resulted in the incorrect conclusion that this individual was one and the same and of hybrid origin.

Later yesterday evening an image was circulated apparently showing a drake Baikal Teal from Japan that did not show the black vertical line (see here). We did some further digging however and located the original image and additional images taken the same day of this presumed 1st-winter drake in Japan that clearly show it did have the black vertical line albeit a narrow one (see here). In addition communication with the observer of last week's hybrid pointed to a different second individual being involved.

In order to try and clarify the identification and establish whether drake Baikal Teal can ever lack this black line we emailed various individuals for comment. Our first response came this morning from Peter Kennerley, who has extensive experience of Asian duck. Peter made the following comments:

"In my personal experience drake Baikal Teal would always show this vertical line...However it is variable in width, on some narrow, others broad"

"...the lack of a black bar on the face isn't a hybrid character (but could be the result of inbreeding from a captive population?)"

Further comments from ex-BBRC chairman Colin Bradshaw provided a plausible suggestion that may explain the absence of the black line commenting thus

"It not only lacks the dark bridle but also the black triangular patch below the eye that this extends from. What I am not clear is whether the bridle feathers are grown in black tipped white and then the white tip abrades off [quite likely I would think]. In that case this white bridle would be a short-lived but common transient feature of all males. However if they grow in black straight away then it wouldn’t."

After further searching an image taken in Japan in December (see here) and another image of a captive bird here may provide further evidence in support of Colin's comments as both individuals have a faint dark line appearing, perhaps as the paler feather tips abrade.

This all points away from my original thoughts that the facial pattern was as a result of hybrid origin and it will be interesting to see, if this individual lingers, whether the face pattern changes in the coming weeks or the line remains absent. Proving its origin however is a whole different ball game!

A short video from Crossens Marsh was made available (via Youtube) by Pete Hines this evening.

Hand-reared Spoon-billed Sandpipers seen in Thailand and China

2013-11-22T16:43:00.001+00:00

One of this year's hand-reared Spoon-billed Sandpiper has been seen for the first time in the wild, more than 8,000km from where it was released. Twenty-five of the critically endangered birds have been raised over two years by an Anglo-Russia conservation team on the Russian tundra, before being released to join their wild-born counterparts in migrating to South-East Asia. Until now, it was unknown whether any would be seen until they returned to Russia to breed aged two years, but this month one has been observed on the coast near Bangkok (Thailand), and another in southern China.

Hand-reared juvenile Spoon-billed Sandpiper (photo © Roland Digby/WWT)

WWT Head of Species Conservation Department, Baz Hughes said: "This is really exciting news! We now know that Spoon-billed Sandpipers, raised by our avicultural staff on the Russian tundra, can migrate with their wild counterparts to wintering areas a quarter of the way around the globe."

Conservationists take eggs from wild Spoon-billed Sandpiper nests, prompting the parent birds to lay a further clutch. The hand-reared chicks are safe from predators and, with the wild-raised chicks from the second clutch, it increases the total number of birds fledging by up to ten times.

Mr Suchart Daengphayon from the Bird Conservation Society of Thailand saw the sandpiper at Samut Maneerat on 7th November. The hand-reared birds are all marked with small white plastic leg flags - marking birds allows them to be identified later and helps reveal information about their movements and behaviour.

Christoph Zöckler, Coordinator of the East Asian- Australasian Flyway Partnership's Spoon-billed Sandpiper Task Force said: "We've learnt an enormous amount about the sandpipers' movements over the last few years but there are big gaps. While we still don't know all the places they stop over on migration, we can't protect them or address any threats they face there."

Wader expert Nigel Clark from the British Trust for Ornithology added: "Marking Spoonies tells us many things. Studies in the early 2000s gave us some understanding of what was going wrong - not enough young were returning to breed. By marking birds now, we will be able to tell if what we are doing to conserve them is working."

Surviving predators on the breeding grounds is the first in a series of perils that have claimed most of the species. Coastal wetlands along their migration route have been reclaimed, leaving the birds without sanctuary or food, and illegal trapping in nets is widespread. Incredibly, within a week, a second hand-reared Spoon-billed Sandpiper was spotted by Jonathan Martinez of the Hong Kong Birdwatching Society at Fucheng, in southern China. He also reported a vast number of illegal nets on the 500km coast north of Fucheng, which the bird had evidently avoided on its southward migration.

Dr Rob Sheldon, RSPB's Head of International Species Recovery, said "Just when we thought we'd solved the problem of illegal hunting in Bangladesh and Myanmar, it now appears that trapping of waders is a widespread problem in China too. BirdLife International and its new partner, the Chinese Ornithological Society, will be working hard to address this serious issue in future."

Evgeny Syroechkovskiy, Chair of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper Task Force said: "The plight of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper has rallied extraordinary levels of support from all around the world. But conservation is costly and the Spoony needs this support to continue if it is to survive. We, as conservationists, are looking at every opportunity to focus our limited funds where they will make a difference."

Guidance on reporting Spoon-billed Sandpiper sightings is available from the East-Asian Australasian Flyway Partnership Spoon-billed Sandpiper Task Force. To follow the progress of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper conservation breeding programme visit http://www.saving-spoon-billed-sandpiper.com/.

Subalpine Orientation

2013-11-07T13:14:00.002+00:00

One of the interesting identification discussions of the Autumn was in relation to the male Eastern Subalpine Warbler at Mid-Yell, Shetland between 1st and 8th October. With apparently differing views emerging at the time as to whether this individual was 'Eastern' or 'Western', we plumped for simply reporting it as 'Subalpine Warbler' to reflect that.

As time has passed and with the publication of a new paper by Svensson in this month's BB, there should be no doubt that this was an Eastern Subalpine Warbler. You can see Martin Garner's post here for further details and images.

At the same time as the Yell individual, another male was found by Martin Kitching of Northern Experience Wildlife Tours while on a busman's holiday birding in Druridge Bay on 4th October. It remained until the following day. Being just down the road, I caught up with this male on its first afternoon and enjoyed some brief views as it moved around the blackthorn and roses. Aware of the potential three-way split in the, perhaps not too distant, future I was keen to see if we could 'do' this one to sub-specific identification. There was much discussion of identification features while on site with Martin and one or two other birders in attendance.

Both Martin and I gained an impression of a bird with quite whitish underparts with a pinkish tinge around the upper breast and flanks. We also thought the white sub-moustachial stripe looked quite broad. It didn't call during the hour or so I was there. Confusingly, some of the images that began to emerge later that evening seemed to show a richly-coloured individual contrary to our observations in the field. It's fair to say this prompted a fair bit of head-scratching and re-reading of existing literature. Snippets of the yet unpublished Svenson paper suggested tail pattern could be all-important in determining the sub-species (and the possible future armchair county tick!).

Martin was able to get back the following day and with a great deal of diligence captured a flight shot that highlighted the all-important tail-pattern feature described by Svensson as part of his proposed split of cantillans into iberiae (a subspecies of Western Subalpine Warbler S. inornata) and cantillans sensu stricto (now the nominate subspecies of Eastern Subalpine Warbler) thus "In central and south Italy, adults and many first-years have a narrow white wedge on the inner web of the penultimate retrix, whereas the Franco-Iberian population has a small square white tip to this feather, not a narrow wedge" (Svensson 2013. A taxonomic revision of the Subalpine Warbler Sylvia cantillans. Bull BOC 133(3): 240–248).

Eastern Subalpine Warbler, Druridge Bay, © Martin Kitching

As can be seen from Martin's image above the 'penultimate retrix' (or tail feather) on the Northumberland individual clearly shows a narrow white wedge extending up the lower half of the inner web. Combined with our observations in the field on the extent of underpart colour and the thickness of the sub-moustachial stripe, this would suggest that if/when the proposed split is adopted this individual would fit neatly into the 'Eastern' side.

Currently Northumberland has only one record of Eastern Subalpine Warbler (S. c. albistriata): an individual trapped in November 1963 at Hauxley. This could, of course, be subject to change post any split/review.

Autumn in the Dordogne

2013-11-03T13:47:00.000+00:00

BirdGuides webmaster Dave Dunford has just returned from a surprisingly productive week in the Dordogne region of France: birding highlights included Southern Grey Shrike and Black-winged Kite on the Faux Plateau - both rare this far north - and superb sightings of newly arrived wintering Wallcreepers at Le Grotte du Grand Roc and Les Eyzies in the Vézère valley. It's hard to believe that the latter can be seen more conveniently anywhere in Europe. Details of these and many other sites are available in Birding Dordogne by David Simpson, published by BirdGuides; a new and expanded edition is in preparation and is expected to be published in the New Year. Quite a few butterflies were still on the wing, including lots of Clouded Yellows, rather fewer Berger's Clouded Yellows, Grayling, and (pictured) a very late Oberthür's Grizzled Skipper.

Reptiles still around included European Wall Lizard (below) and Western Whip Snake.

David's wildlife tours and superbly sited and appointed gite are warmly recommended: see http://dordognebutterflybirdwatching.co.uk/ for more information.

Good news for Amur Falcons so far

2013-10-28T13:06:00.003+00:00

After the atrocities involving the trapping of an estimated 100,000 Amur Falcons in Nagaland, north-east India last autumn (see video here) were revealed, quick conservation measures were put in place to avoid a repeat in 2013.

So far in 2013, more than 300,000 Amur Falcons have arrived in Nagaland on migration. However, thanks to a campaign organised by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), squads of ex-hunters and youths from three villages in the area have been patrolling the falcon roosting areas day and night to ensure they are safe. The squads report that not a single falcon has been killed, thus honouring the pledges made by local Naga villages to help save the species.

Large flocks of Amur Falcons, such as this photographed in South Africa in February 2012, will hopefully be a commoner sight in years to come thanks to efforts in Nagaland.

Image © Gary Waddington

WTI and Natural Nagas started the project to prevent the slaughter of Amur Falcons earlier this year, with support from CAF-India in collaboration with Nagaland Forest Department. The Village Council Members of three villages pledged that their respective villages would not hunt or kill falcons and made it a punishable offence. This was preceded and followed by a number of awareness campaigns and meetings with the villagers.

The original article, on the WTI website, can be found here.

Sardinian Survivor?

2013-10-19T20:27:00.000+01:00

Tuesday I needed a change of scenery after two weeks of Yellow-browed Warblers and little else on my usual patch. I took the opportunity to head up to one of my favourite birding sites - Mire Loch at St.Abbs Head NNR (Borders) - to catch up with the male Sardinian Warbler that reappeared on 25th September after first being present in June.

Sardinian Warbler, Mire Loch 27.09.2013 Bruce Kerr

Active and showing well as it fed in the low canopy just above the main path, I watched it for a while before moving off through the scrub to search for migrants. A couple of Yellow-browed Warblers, a Mealy Redpoll and rear end views of an elusive Red-breasted Flycatcher later it was time to go.

On the drive back south I began to wonder about its prospects if it stayed and what was the latest date for previous Sardinian Warblers, so resolved to dig out some details when the opportunity arose.

The BirdGuides ORB Archive was a good place to start. Delving into the records revealed that by the end of the 20th century none had made it past 11th November; an adult male in Shetland in 1992 holding the prize for staying power.

Perhaps the best indication of whether a Sardinian Warbler could make it through a British winter came in 2002/03 when a male first found in Norfolk at Old Hunstanton between 27th September and 15th October 2002 was thought to be the same individual that reappeared over 16th-24th Marsh 2003.

Again in 2003, a male and female in Skegness, Lincolnshire made it through to 4th January and 11th January respectively. Was it a coincidence that all three of the longest-staying individuals recorded in Britain happened in the same year? What seems apparent is that winter 2002/03 was fairly tame, perhaps on the dry side with little by way of prolonged snowfall or rain after the Autumn, at least on the east coast (see here for one summary). The second half of winter, the first three months of 2003 provided the sunniest start to a year since 1893 (source).

Hardly a revelation that mild winters help might increase the chances of one of these Mediterranean warblers getting through a whole winter. So the prospects for the St. Abbs Sardinian, in its location sheltered from the worst of the gales to the east, are probably not brilliant, but given a mild winter it might at least make it into 2014.

Topical Record Shot

2013-10-11T14:40:00.000+01:00

In the thick of Autumn we've been a little busy to get any further record shots, or even any blog posts, up since mid-September. However the Sora currently lingering on Tresco jogged the memory of our webmaster Dave Dunford to search through his prized collection of record shots for this stunning example of the genre taken in 2005 on Lower Moors of the last Scilly Sora.

Record Shots

2013-09-17T11:36:00.001+01:00

Recent days have seen a celebration via Twitter of a certain genre of photography often forgotten - the record shot. Keen to highlight the talents of those birders capturing real record shots, the kind you need to squint at and study for several minutes to decide if there's even a bird in the frame, there has been a good-natured and humorous stream of great examples tweeted and critiqued using the #recordshot hashtag.

Here at BirdGuides we're out in the field regularly (some of us in more far-flung fields than others but let's put that to one side): we know that when you're trying hard, when you're really flogging the local patch and the best you can manage is a barely discernible shadow amongst the shrubbery or a dot in an otherwise empty vista, Photos of the Week can be hard to swallow.

We thought it might be a good idea to find a place, here on the BirdGuides blog, to champion the very best record shots from those with not much gear but plenty of idea. So we've set up an email address recordshot@birdguides.com that you can send your very ~~worst~~ best record shots to and we'll aim to select one each week to publish as our 'Record Shot of the Week'. Alternatively, tweet us direct at @BirdGuides with the hashtag #recordshot.

Just to get you started, here's one of ours, a decent swell, a bird diving frequently for long periods and a handheld iPhone produced this rather smart record shot of a Long-tailed Duck.

BTO Cuckoos: Fourteen now south of Sahara

2013-09-12T15:53:00.001+01:00

The latest positions of the BTO's Cuckoos, as of 11th September 2013

Patch became the latest Cuckoo to reach Africa, following closely behind Whortle, and both have now successfully crossed the desert. This means that, of 18 birds this year, only 4 perished on the journey and, amazingly, 14 of our tagged Cuckoos are south of the Sahara, having covered the trickiest part of their migration. This is much better than last year, showing how unpredictable life is for migrant Cuckoos.

Whortle left Spain and by 1st September he was in southern Algeria. He continued onwards and stopped close to the Niger river in central Mali, an area that will be nice and green at this time of year. He crossed the desert, cutting across in quite an easterly direction and consequently wasn't far behind the other Cuckoos who had travelled south and then east. He continued to make good progress and by early morning on 4th September he was close to the border with both Burkina Faso and Niger. His location was between the Partielle De Faune D'ansongo-Menaka, an area which was apparently first created to conserve giraffes which are sadly no longer there, and the Sahel Reserve. He was roughly 730km (500 miles) to the north-west of Ken and Skinner at the time - not too bad given his comparatively late departure! Since then he has ventured into Niger.

Signals on 2nd September revealed Patch was heading south from Italy; by 3rd September he was flying over north Libya and 29 hours and 1,900km (1,160 miles) later he had crossed the Tenere desert and was in Niger. Signals through the evening of 4th September and into 5th September continued as he travelled south. The next signal, and the first of good quality, was received on the afternoon of 6 September and showed him in the Yobe region of Nigeria, having completed the last part of his desert crossing.

From Yobe, Patch travelled north-east throughout the early hours of 7th September, in an apparent beeline for Lake Chad, and by mid-afternoon was north of the lake. Last year Chance also stopped here, along with Chris and Mungo, and all stayed in the area for a while. It was actually the last location we received for Mungo and presumably the end of his journey. Chance has arrived in the area of Lake Chad in the last few days, after a slow trip from Niger. Livingstone also spent a matter of days here before heading further south.

From the Central African Republic, David has now travelled further east to south Sudan and is in a similar location to that of last year. He is close to one of the birds tagged in Belarus. Interestingly, three of the other birds from Belarus have already travelled much further south, with one bird in south Congo and two in Angola.

Derek, Ken and Skinner remain in Nigeria, along with Tor.

You can keep up to date with all the Cuckoos on the BTO website. Catch up with out partner projects tracking Cuckoos tagged in Germany and Belarus here.

The best photographs of juvenile Caspian Gull ever taken in the UK..?

2013-08-31T12:59:00.004+01:00

Bird photographer Mick Southcott is a firm favourite in the BirdGuides Iris galleries, being renowned for producing quality images of both common and rare birds over the years. On a trip to Dungeness in mid-August, where he had photographed juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls the week previous, Mick came across two smart juvenile gulls at the fishing boats - one clearly a Yellow-legged, but the other differing somewhat in terms of both structure and plumage. Mick has kindly allowed us to reproduce a few of his fantastic images of the second bird below:

There are number of features clearly visible in these fabulous shots that don't ring true with identification as Yellow-legged Gull - or indeed Herring or Lesser Black-backed Gulls. The latter two species can easily be ruled out by the overall paleness of plumage, clean tail and rump pattern, all dark tertials and relatively advanced state of moult and wear. Structurally, the bill is relatively long, thin and lacks a significant gonydeal angle while in the lower image, the bird appears quite long-necked. The middle two images betray the bird's long and lanky legs - all of these structural qualities are suggestive of Caspian Gull. Another clincher is the stunningly white underwing portrayed in the second shot - only cachinnans would show such unmarked axillaries and underwing coverts, particularly at this young age - the body and head are also already very pale. Further good indicators include the greater covert pattern and the also the markings on the moulted scapulars - both visible in the lower image.

Despite British birders scrutinizing gulls more closely than ever, juvenile Caspian Gulls remain a genuinely rare sight in Britain with no more than a handful of records annually. There is only a small window in which they may occur on our shores: from the very end of July through to early/mid September, when birds' moult generally becomes well advanced towards first-winter plumage. Given this rarity and gulls' tendence to favour locations where, more often than not, they give distant views, Mick has done exceptionally well to capture a magnificent and highly instructive series of shots that illustrate this much sought-after age class superbly. And what a beautiful, elegant gull to to boot! These surely must be some of the best ever shots taken of Caspian Gull in the UK?!

You can find plenty more of Mick's Caspian Gull shots on this post on his blog, 'Birding the Day Away'.

Golden Eagles breeding at three years old: a first for Scotland

2013-08-23T12:50:00.003+01:00

For the first time ever in Scotland, two young Golden Eagles have been found to lay eggs at just three years old. Normally, Golden Eagles breed for the first time from four to six years old. Only once before has a three-year-old eagle been confirmed to lay eggs, and that was in southeast Spain.

This new information about the breeding behaviour of the species was discovered through a satellite-tagging project run by the Highland Foundation for Wildlife, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), Natural Research and the RSPB. Two satellite transmitters were attached to young Golden Eagle in Galloway and Strathspey in July 2010. Two young females laid eggs this year, at just three years old, having mated with older males in the Scottish Borders and Aberdeenshire.

Roy Dennis, Director of the Foundation commented, "This is very exciting, as it is the first proof in Scotland that Golden Eagles can breed here at three years. It shows that when they live in areas with plenty of food and little competition, can breed at an early age. Unfortunately, the eggs did not hatch but that is not surprising for such young individuals."

Professor Des Thompson of SNH, who chairs the group running the work added, "Both areas where these young Scottish eagles have bred were previously identified as having several unoccupied territories. Previous research has pointed to a link between persecution and younger Golden Eagles managing to secure territories and attempting to breed. The shortage of older females may explain why such young birds have managed to breed. Provided the right conditions now prevail - persecution free, good availability of prey, good weather, and appropriate habitat - then we hope that these birds will attempt to nest again next year and young will fledge. This would signal the start of an upturn of the fortune of Golden Eagles in these areas."

White-tailed Eagle breeding success in Fife

2013-08-20T14:09:00.000+01:00

For the first time in almost two centuries, White-tailed Eagles have bred in the east of mainland Scotland. Conservationists confirmed today (20th August) that a pair released in 2009 as part of a successful reintroduction project, have raised one chick in a Forestry Commission Scotland wood in Fife.

Between 2007 and 2012, RSPB Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage and Forestry Commission Scotland, with additional financial support from Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and Fife and Rural Tayside LEADER Programme 2007-2013, reintroduced a total of 85 eagles to Scotland's east coast. Their progress and whereabouts continue to be regularly monitored by project staff and volunteers. Having found a safe and secure home, the adult pair successfully reared a healthy male chick which was fitted with a leg ring and white wing tags with black numbering, earlier this summer by trained and licensed ringing experts.

Minister for Environment and Climate Change Paul Wheelhouse said, "This is fantastic news — it is the first chick in almost two hundred years to be hatched on the mainland of the east coast, which was the ultimate aim of the reintroduction project. I hope it will be the first of many of this magnificent species which will eventually spread their territories right across Scotland. I'd like to thank all partners who have played their part in making this exciting and special event happen."

Stuart Housden, Director of RSPB Scotland added, "This chick marks a huge milestone in our partnership to restore White-tailed Eagles to their former range in the south and east of the Country. This success further strengthens the strong bond we have formed with the people of Norway, who kindly gifted birds for release in Scotland throughout the reintroduction process, which started over 30 years ago on the west coast. Young birds successfully released 5-6 years ago are now pairing up in the wild-and we are very excited a chick from a nest in Fife has safely fledged. We owe a great deal to the project staff, farmers, landowners, partners and of course the general public for their support and enthusiasm. Our focus now will be to continue monitoring this youngster and the other east coast birds with the expectation of more breeding attempts next year. These wonderful birds are back! As always project officer Rhian Evans is keen for any east Scotland eagle sightings to be reported to her via email."

Ron Macdonald, SNH's Head of Policy & Advice said, "After almost 200 years, it's wonderful to have a sea eagle chick fledge again in the east of Scotland. With the west coast eagles already established, this is a good step towards a healthy population of sea eagles across the country."

Colin McLean, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund, Scotland commented, "The arrival of this chick marks the beginning of a new era for the sea eagles in the east coast of Scotland. The Heritage Lottery Fund is delighted to be involved in reversing the fate of these rare, once native, birds. They are part of Scotland's natural heritage and it is the prospect of glimpsing rare species, such as the glorious sea eagle, that attracts visitors to our shores bringing much-needed tourist income to our communities."

Once a regular sight in Scotland's skies, the White-tailed Eagle was driven to extinction in the Victorian era. The last native eagle was killed on Shetland in 1918. The species only returned to the UK following a successful reintroduction to the West of Scotland, starting on the Isle of Rum in 1975. As well as helping return the UK's largest birds of prey, the project has also strengthened links between Scotland and Norway, where the sea eagle population is strong. Project staff worked closely with Norwegian colleagues visiting nesting sites and selecting suitable chicks to use for the East Scotland reintroduction. Although the majority of the Scottish population remains on the west of the country, the species is now regularly spotted in Eastern and Central Scotland too.

Bon Bon!

2013-08-15T22:34:00.001+01:00

When Tim Cleeves rang us during the afternoon of 14th to say that, along with Maurice Hepple, they had just been watching an adult Bonaparte's Gull at Cresswell Pond in Northumberland, our first thoughts were that it might be the adult that had been seen around Whitburn and Cleadon (Durham) on 10th and 13th for it hadn't yet been reported that day. However, Tim's comments on the Cresswell adult suggested otherwise, describing it as having a 'full black hood' that looked 'pristine'.

Sure enough once Maurice had returned home, sent some of his images through and allowed us the opportunity to compare them with the video footage of the Durham bird from a few days earlier, shared by Whitburn Observatory stalwart Paul Hindness, it was immediately apparent that the North East is indeed currently hosting two different adults - the Whitburn individual has clearly begun to lose its summer hood, showing extensive white flecking around the face.

Adult Bonaparte's Gull at Cresswell Pond (courtesy and copyright M Hepple)

Bonaparte's Gull, adult, Whitburn Steel (courtesy and copyright P Hindness)

Tim and Maurice watched the Cresswell adult fly off to the south and so far it has not been relocated. Incidentally, the Whitburn/Cleadon individual was last reported on Tuesday so while there are two birds, tracking down either is set to be a challenge.

Thanks to Tim Cleeves, Maurice Hepple and Paul Hindness.

Yellow-legged Gulls in late summer

2013-08-07T12:53:00.000+01:00

It's almost a cliché to state that gulls "are not to everyone's taste". Indeed, that may well be the case – habits, habitat and oft-bewildering identification challenges tend to put a lot of people off. That said, increased airtime – largely thanks to dedicated internet sites such as the wonderful gull-research.org – has contributed to an ever-growing band of birders dedicating their time to searching the various rubbish dumps, estuaries, ports, harbours and beaches at which gulls tend to gather.

At this time of year, Yellow-legged Gulls are at their most numerous across Britain & Ireland as post-breeding dispersal from breeding grounds further south and east brings birds to our isles. Good numbers can generally be found across much the South East and parts of the Midlands, with gulls lingering to moult before their numbers gradually drop off again throughout the autumn (though plenty do stay for the winter).

The River Thames estuary is really the hub of Yellow-legged Gull activity in Britain, and mid-July to mid-September generally witnesses the highest counts reported as birds congregate to moult in the area – for example, 145 were at Rainham on 9th September 2012 and, just yesterday (6th August 2013), 142 were counted on the Kent side of the Thames between Greenhithe and Dartford.

The Rainham area is a great place to get to grips with Yellow-legged Gulls, with the late summer period also offering a fine opportunity to compare juveniles with their Herring and Lesser Black-backed counterparts. Though birds are often feeding out of view on the dump itself (to which there is strictly no access), birds can be watched from the adjacent riverside footpath as they commute to the river to bathe and loaf. Though birds can often be swimming mid-channel at high tide (and thus may be distant), low tide sees them loafing on the exposed foreshore where they give excellent views from the footpath. Parking is available in the riverside car park off Coldharbour Lane (grid reference TQ516801). From here, walk southeast along the river for up to a mile to view any concentrations of gulls along the river.

In a three-hour visit to Rainham yesterday morning, I had at least 35 Yellow-legged Gulls of all ages, with juveniles and adults being the most common age class. Take a look at the juvenile below, and see if you can work out what makes it a Yellow-legged:

It is worth noting that this individual has an atypical bill colouration - Yellow-legged Gulls almost exclusively show dark bills well in to their first winter (and the following summer) - but, apart from that, exhibits classic plumage. Note the overall paleness to the underside and head, dark 'shadow' around the eye, covert pattern, largely brown tertials with limited notching at the tips (some have no notching) and, crucially, scapular pattern. The bird has already begun to replace a number of its juvenile scapulars with second-generation feathers (those with the anchor-shaped markings on) - this early moult is almost unheard of in Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls, given that they fledge up to several weeks later than Yellow-legged and generally look as though they are 'fresh from the nest' in early August. Note also the bird's slender, long-winged structure and long legs.

The same bird is portrayed above in flight, illustrating the characteristic tail pattern of the species - a largely white rump and upper tail (with limited brown flecking) and a crisply-defined and narrow black tail band that tapers towards the outer tail feathers.

Happy gulling!

BirdGuides Server: Planned Maintenance

2013-07-31T09:06:00.002+01:00

The BirdGuides server requires routine maintenance and will be unavailable from around 10:00 today, Wed 31st July. This will affect the BirdGuides website, iPhone/Android app and all our services, but not this blog. The maintenance is not expected to take more than two hours, but progress updates, if required, will be given here. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.

European Cuckoo study

2013-07-30T14:53:00.002+01:00

Following our webzine article yesterday, which detailed a new study on Cuckoos that has been launched in Germany and Belarus, Dawn Balmer very kindly pointed us in the direct of a fantastic new map that the BTO have together on their website. It details the positions of all the satellite-tagged Cuckoos across the two countries as well as those from the BTO's own study:

The latest position of all the satellite-tagged Common Cuckoos - click for a larger version

For more details and to keep track of all the Cuckoos, visit the European Cuckoo study page on the BTO website.