Last night I was listening to a song contest – in a Northamptonshire wood. There weren’t millions of us – but a few folk turned up, as they do every evening at this time of every year, to listen to the Nightingales of Glapthorn Wood. The rest of ‘Europe’ was listening to the Eurovision Song…
Category: VERY BIRDY: birdwatching and birding nattering
Cuckoos?
I’ve heard a Cuckoo in Northants this year – but only one. And that was not at my local patch of Stanwick Lakes, despite many visits. I’ve checked my records, and this is exceptionally late for me NOT to have heard a Cuckoo at Stanwick Lakes. The Birdtrack records look as though arrivals have been…
The Messenger – good film
On Saturday afternoon – one of the first warm days of the spring – I headed into London to watch a film in the Barbican. The Messenger is about the threats faced by songbirds – not just in the US and Canada but also in Europe and elsewhere. It’s a good…
Birdtrack – still great
I haven’t mentioned Birdtrack for a while – but if you read these blogs carefully then you’ll realise that I am still using it religiously otherwise I’d never have the stats for my birding at my local patch so much to hand. I have downloaded the new, and greatly improved, iPhone Birdtrack app (it’s free)…
Spring
Since coming back from Israel I’ve been getting in some local birding: at Stanwick Lakes, at Rainham Marshes, at Titchwell, at Weeting Heath and at Lakenheath Fen. Migration is not advanced at these places as it is (was) at Eilat but I have notched up a few UK spring migrants, namely Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler,…
Birdwatch March issue
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This March Birdwatch has a theme – kids’ engagement with birds and nature. Don’t worry! There are still lots of photos of unidentifiable gulls, and some cracking Siberian Rubythroats too. Are we, all of us, doing our bit, and doing the right things, to bring on the next generation of birders and naturalists? Read Rebecca…
2015 in the Birdwatch readers’ Blog of the year 2015 – July-Dec
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This is the review of the second half of 2015 through the writings of this blog (for Jan-June) – click here for first half of year. July: The Committee on Climate Change criticise the intensive management of grouse moors because of carbon emissions (see here and here). NGOs across the EU rally together to defend…
2015 in the Birdwatch readers’ Blog of the Year – Jan-June
January: I saw a Great Grey Shrike locally (I’d forgotten until I looked back), Defra were hopeless (hardly news, I know), David Harsent won the TS Eliot prize for poetry for a book which included a poem about a killed Hen Harrier, a Scottish gamekeeper was jailed for killing raptors, SNH was put under pressure…
You are reading Birdwatch readers’ Blog of the Year
The readers and non-readers of Birdwatch magazine have voted this blog their Blog of the Year. What a lovely Christmas present! Later today, two summaries of the year through what was covered in this blog (Jan-Jun at 1230; Jul-Dec at 1800). You will have to rush down to your local newsagent, or await the arrival…
Wicken Fen harriers
I’ve just spent some of the evening at the NT’s Wicken Fen and seen some harriers coming in to roost – and a marvellous Barn Owl going out to feed too. Bearded Tits ‘ping!’-ed in the reeds and Starlings did a small amount of murmurating in the distance. We saw several Marsh Harriers and a…