I’m keeping a note of whether I see Red Kites on each day through the year – since I spent less than 24 hours in the UK in June the tally was a feeble 0 days out of 30. January: 22 days out of 31. February: 24 days out of 28. March: 26 days…
Category: VERY BIRDY: birdwatching and birding nattering
Red Kites in May
I’m keeping a note of whether I see Red Kites on each day through the year – in May the tally was a feeble 7 days out of 31. My absencves from the country this month, and from the world range of the Red Kite, explain the low strike rate. Let’s see what June has…
British Birds, May
In the May BB there are many other interesting articles as well as the important paper on Peak District raptors (or lack of them) mentioned earlier. What was the origin of the term ‘jizz’? Apparently the explanations that have often circulated are simply nonsense! What fun! This is an interesting article by the Greenwood brothers,…
Red Kites in April
I’m keeping a note of whether I see Red Kites on each day through the year – in April the tally was 20 days out of 30. The grotty weather and spending a few days in London are probably the reason for the lower strike rate in April than in other months. January: 22 days…
Raptor persecution in PDNP in British Birds
Today British Birds publishes a paper on raptor persecution in the Peak District National Park by Tim Melling, Mark Thomas, Mike Price and Staffan Roos. Here is the abstract: Abstract: The Peak District National Park is the southernmost area managed for driven Red Grouse Lagopus lagopus shooting in England. Grouse-moor management includes intensive moorland burning…
May Birdwatch (out in April, written in March (my column anyway))
Comments Off on May Birdwatch (out in April, written in March (my column anyway))
In the May Birdwatch there are lots of good things – available in your newsagents now! I’ve seen a Little Gull, rather like the one on the cover of the magazine, at Stanwick Lakes already this year so I am already springing. Steven Moss rattles off a few bird names and where they…
A quick Swift
I saw my first Swift of the year this morning at Stanwick Lakes. In fact it was my earliest record there since I started using Birdtrack in 2005. Spring really has arrived when the Swifts are back – although it was just the one for me this morning! And I still haven’t seen a House…
Some firsts
I heard my first Sedge Warbler of the year at Stanwick Lakes yesterday – and it wasn’t my only ‘first’. The weather forecast was a bit rubbish but it wasn’t raining when I made some tea at 0630 and so the aim was to get to Stanwick Lakes before the rain started. I almost didn’t…
Red Kites in March
I’m keeping a note of whether I see Red Kites on each day through the year – in March the tally has been 26 days out of 31. January: 22 days out of 31. February: 24 days out of 28. That makes 72 out of 90 overall. That’s an even higher strike rate than…
Yesterday
Thank you to everyone for your birthday wishes yesterday for me and my binoculars – we were together all day and had a good day’s birding at Titchwell RSPB reserve in Norfolk where the sun shone for all of our visit. In these days of social media I found I have birthday wishes arriving from…