BirdTrack News Archive

2010

 Archive By Year

Below you can read all the old BirdTrack news items. For earlier years, select from the menu on the left.

Little Owl

16 July 2010

Little Owl appears to have undergone a range contraction in Wales and northern / western England since the 1988-91 Bird Atlas, the reasons for which are unknown. The 'gaps' show up clearly in the map of BirdTrack Little Owl records in 2010*. Your records will be very valuable (particularly where breeding can be proved, like in this week's excellent image) in ensuring that the Bird Atlas 2007-11 shows the complete picture.

*A few users have reported problems viewing Maps & Reports since we made some improvements last week; if you experience any difficulties please try clearing your cache.

Tufted Duck

9 July 2010

Looking at the Animated Maps for Tufted Duck over the last month or two reveals surprisingly few records for large areas of Scotland, Ireland, Wales and south west England. Tufted Duck is one of the later-breeding duck species so the next few weeks are a really good time for proving them breeding, particularly on water bodies in under-watched regions. Please do look out for (and record!) them if you are visiting any of these areas in July.

BirdTrack at the BioBlitz and Common Tern

2 July 2010

2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity and with it comes a host of exciting BioBlitz events showcasing the nature on your doorstep. BirdTrack will be taking part in the Cambridge BioBlitz at Coe Fen, 8am-1pm on Saturday 3 July so come along and join in if you're in the area!

We may need to be fortunate to record a Common Tern at the BioBlitz but it is interesting that this species' reporting rate increases steadily throughout July and August, unlike that of many of our summer visitors. Perhaps this is a result of birdwatchers visiting colonies at this time of year or maybe it is because adult terns have to range further afield to catch fish for their offspring? Either way, this is a great time of year to confirm breeding of this species for the Bird Atlas 2007-11 as chicks should be visible on tern rafts or islands where Common Terns have bred.

Yellow Wagtail

25 June 2010

If you are lucky enough to have Yellow Wagtails breeding near you this is a good time of year to get to grips with this declining species as adult birds actively feed their young. This excellent image from the BirdTrack flickr pool also provides a great opportunity to compare and contrast female Yellow Wagtail with Grey Wagtail, a species with which they can sometimes be confused.

Reed Warbler

18 June 2010

Earlier this week a colleague asked if BirdTrack had any evidence for a 'second wave' of Reed Warbler arrivals. At first glance the Reed Warbler reporting rate didn't grab me but when compared to the reporting rate for Sedge and Willow Warblers, it was immediately apparent that the Reed Warbler reporting rate remains fairly constant through into July, whilst tailing off much earlier for the other two species. We know Reed Warblers have multiple broods but perhaps their continued 'detectability' is caused by a second wave of arrivals moving in to previously unoccupied territories? Please email us if you've noticed anything that might support or refute this idea.

Godwits

11 June 2010

A month ago I witnessed this godwit bonanza at Snettisham RSPB reserve in Norfolk as birds congregated before heading north to their breeding grounds. Or so I thought, until I saw a similar spectacle at Titchwell last weekend, presumably non-breeding birds summering in The Wash but pushed out by a particularly high tide or the weather conditions. Interestingly both the May and June flocks contained some Icelandic Black-tailed Godwits.

Barn Owls and Today's Date shortcut

4 June 2010

Adult Barn Owls will be hunting later in the morning and earlier in the evening as their broods begin to hatch. The BirdTrack reporting rate for Barn Owl reflects this increase in detectability by rising during June, after being at its lowest in April and May.

Two useful features have just been added to BirdTrack: You can now record the visit time for species lists to an accuracy of 5 minutes instead of 10, and a new short cut allows you to select today's date for your list or casual observation by simply typing the letter t in the date box.

Buzzards, Common or otherwise

28 May 2010

Late May / early June is a classic period to look for Honey-buzzards as they display at a few localities or drift over from the Continent; several reports have already come in to BirdTrack in recent weeks. Raptor identification is not without its pitfalls; (Common) Buzzards have already begun to moult wing and tail feathers, which can alter the appearance of the wings in relation to the tail, potentially resulting in the tail appearing longer (a feature often used to identify Honey-buzzards). It is therefore important to look at the full range of both structural and plumage features, with particular focus on the detail of the tail and underwing pattern.

Seabird colonies and RSPB reserves feed

21 May 2010

The coming weeks will be a great time to visit a seabird colony; good weather (hopefully) and lots of activity as adult birds feed their young. If you visit Bempton Cliffs RSPB reserve, check the recent sightings page, which now features a live link to the latest BirdTrack records. Many of the RSPB's larger reserves' pages now have this link, so submit your own records after a visit and see them appear on the sightings page!

Wherever you go birding this week, have a look at which species need proof of breeding in the new My Local Gaps feature on the Bird Atlas website.

Proving breeding

14 May 2010

Although the latest migrants are only just arriving, many resident or short-distant migrant species are beginning to appear with fledged young at the moment. This provides an excellent opportunity record confirmed breeding evidence for the Bird Atlas 2007 - 11 so please do add the breeding code 'FL' to your BirdTrack records whenever you see a sight like this one! It is easiest to record a breeding code if you click MyDetails & Settings and set your BirdTrack list page layout to '1 column'.

Montagu's Harrier

7 May 2010

Some of our rarest breeding migrants returned to a few scattered localities in the last fortnight, including Golden Oriole and Montagu's Harrier. One particular Montagu's Harrier that has been gracing areas of north east Norfolk and east Suffolk is of great interest, being only the third ever foreign-ringed 'Monties' to be resighted in Britain.

Eyes to the skies

30 April 2010

Two masters of the air returned to our skies in numbers this week, both firm favourites with birdwatchers. Hobby and Swift reports increased sharply during the week and can be expected to continue rising over the Bank Holiday weekend. These arrivals are very much in line with the pattern of the last few springs; by submitting your complete lists to BirdTrack you can help to monitor any changes that occur in the future.

Whitethroat

23 April 2010

Finally the northerly winds abated this week and plenty more migrants arrived in the warmer weather, including Whitethroats and Nightingales. Whilst Whitethroat populations have increased slightly over the past 20 years, Nightingale suffered a 45% population decline between 1984 and 2007, which is why it is one of several species whose conservation is being targeted through the Out of Africa appeal. To find out more about the declines in our summer migrants, visit the A2B calendar.

Redstart

16 April 2010

Although the week's predominantly northerly airflow resulted in fairly poor conditions for large arrivals of migrants at coastal sites, there was still a significant increase in the reports of some species, such as Redstart. The excellent image above, captured in North Staffordshire on Tuesday, encapsulates the balancing act undertaken by males of migratory species every year: timing arrival to be early enough to set up and defend a territory but not so early that food is too scarce.

Grasshopper Warbler

9 April 2010

More signs of spring this week as species such as House Martin and Sedge Warbler began to arrive in numbers, particularly in southern areas. The reporting rate graphs for both these species should shoot up over the weekend and in to next week. There were three early records of Grasshopper Warbler too. The first of these, from the Severn Beach area of Gloucestershire, is captured in this week's stunning image - particularly impressive given how difficult it can sometimes be to even see a 'gropper'!

More migrants and breeding Long-tailed Tits

2 April 2010

Migrants continued to flood into the country this week; to see the BirdTrack animated map for Willow Warbler and details about how to follow the arrivals of other species visit the BTO home page. Snow hit areas of northern Britain again this week so spare a thought for those species already well underway with breeding, such as this Long-tailed Tit in its exquisite nest, beautifully captured in this BirdTrack flickr pool image.

STOP PRESS: Great new features available!

26 March 2010

This week we launched BirdTrack Optional Details, allowing you to easily record much more about what you see (if you want to!). Read the Optional Details instructions for more information. If you experience any difficulties please try clearing your cache; if the problem persists or you have any other feedback please email us. A big thank you to Bryony for all her developmental work and to SNH, SOC and the Scottish Bird Recording network for contributing ideas and testing the new features.

Wheatear and Chiffchaff

19 March 2010

Have you seen or heard one yet? The reporting rate of Wheatear and Chiffchaff indicate an arrival of both species this week, in line with the first main arrival in the last two years. Fortunately spring-like weather has also been a feature of the week and there were certainly plenty of insects on the wing in the south to provide food for these early arriving species.

After last week's look at Mediterranean Gulls, what better way to prepare for spring than upload the new BirdTrack wallpaper, featuring a stunning adult Med Gull in breeding plumage?

Mediterranean Gulls

12 March 2010

This is an excellent time of year for watching Mediterranean Gulls - not only are most adults in their breeding finery by the end of the month but also the largest concentrations reported to BirdTrack are in early spring. True to form the highest count since November 2009 was submitted this week, involving 180 birds in Folkestone. More than 80% of BirdTrack counts of this number or larger have been in March/April, perhaps involving birds congregating before moving back to the continent to breed. Last year saw a bumper flock of 554 birds recorded in Southampton in April. These large early spring gatherings are not reflected in the reporting rate though; this peaks in late summer.

Early breeding evidence

5 March 2010

BirdTrack records contribute to the Bird Atlas 2007-11 and I will be saying more about that as we approach the 2010 Atlas breeding season (April to July). However, many of our common resident species have already started courtship behaviour and even nesting so this is a crucial time to be out recording. Breeding evidence can be added to BirdTrack (even outside the Atlas breeding season) but if you know of active nests near you, why not get involved in the Nest Record Scheme and help gather the information which will tell us exactly how winter 2009/10 has impacted on our bird populations.

Red Grouse

26 February 2010

One of the most interesting records to be submitted this week was an incredible count of about 400 Red Grouse in Strathdearn, Highland on Sunday. Whilst some parts of Britain and Ireland have enjoyed slightly more spring-like conditions of late, that certainly isn't true of parts of Scotland, where there has been another serious snowfall. This unusually large gathering of grouse perhaps helps to improve their foraging success in these difficult conditions.

Waxwings: better late than never!

19 February 2010

Back in December I speculated about whether or not this would be another Waxwing winter. So far there has yet to be a true invasion of these wonderful winter visitors but some modest-sized groups have reached us over the last week or two, illustrated by a slight rise in the BirdTrack reporting rate. A BTO staff member was lucky enough to have one in his garden; another bird was sadly brought in dead to the Nunnery, having hit a window elsewhere in Thetford. Hopefully there will be further arrivals this week, providing more of us the chance to reaquaint with these stunning birds.

Rare visitor captured in BirdTrack Flickr pool

12 February 2010

A very quick (half-)weekly update as I'm just back from the Building Bird Monitoring in Scotland conference in Stirling, followed by a week on Islay (with a spot of both twitching and Atlasing on the way home!). The main news from a BirdTrack point of view is that the Flickr pool passed 100 members in my absence. Thanks for all the great images, including this stunning capture... which, incidently, was the subject of my spot of twitching :-)

Signs of spring?

5 February 2010

Up and down the country (well, in Thetford and Stirling at least; I’ve been in both this week) the first indications of the breeding season are appearing. A wide range of passerines from Song Thrushes to Siskins have begun to sing in the wake of the severe weather, whilst Oystercatchers and Shelducks have begun returning to inland sites. Eager Nest Recorders will be starting to seek out nest-building Long-tailed Tits and other early nesting species over the next few weeks. Surveys like the Nest Records Scheme and BBS will be vital in allowing us to fully understanding the effects of this winter on resident bird populations so please get involved if you can.

The BirdTrack flickr pool is poised to pass a major milestone as there are now 99 contributors! Congratulations on all the fantastic images (another one is featured above) and please keep them coming.

Not so Grey Wagtails

29 January 2010

The Grey Wagtail reporting rate is slightly down on the previous two winters, a little unexpected given the numerous anecdotal reports we have received of this species over the last couple of weeks. Much more unexpected are a few Yellow Wagtail records that have come in recently. Whilst nothing is impossible it is extremely unlikely that this species, which winters in Africa, would have survived the recent severe weather, even if any had remained behind. If you'd like a free guide to wagtail ID, click here.

Collared Doves and Stock Doves have begun calling this week, presenting another potential pitfall as they can sometimes sound like a Cuckoo. A January Cuckoo would be incredible news so if you suspect you have heard one, try to record the sound.

Purple Sandpipers

22 January 2010

Whilst many upland areas are still snow bound, lower regions and coastal areas are finally free of snow and ice. Improved road conditions have seen more people getting out birding this week but perhaps surprisingly, there have still been relatively few BirdTrack records of Purple Sandpiper, with only 23 records 11-22 January. If you do go birding on the coast over the next few weeks (and whether or not you are fortunate enough to see any of these fantastic birds) please record your sightings in BirdTrack.

Gary Prescott's BIGBY (see 8 January) has gathered pace as the weather has improved; this week he reached southeast England. Follow Gary's progress here.

Further hard weather effects

15 January 2010

Unsurprisingly the effects of the weather on our birds have continued to dominate the reports you are sending in. A notable increase of thrushes visiting gardens has already been detected in Garden BirdWatch results. Redwings and Fieldfares (such as the individual captured in this unique image) have topped the GBW charts in terms of increase in garden occurrence, going up by 283% and 267% respectively, compared to the same time period over the previous 4 winters. One enterprising observer even carried out an apple preference experiment, concluding that Golden Delicious was the favoured variety for the Fieldfares in his garden! Elsewhere a Black-throated Thrush created a stir by visiting a garden in Newholm near Whitby.

Big Freeze and a Big Green Big Year

8 January 2010

Not only is the big freeze providing unusually close views of birds like this Reed Bunting but it is also causing some spectacular hard weather movements. An amazing 2,610 Skylarks were BirdTracked heading south over Sunderland on 1 January and thousands of larks, thrushes and other species were observed moving eastwards along the south coast at the end of the week.

As the Arctic conditions continue, spare a thought for Gary Prescott. His monster challenge for 2010 is a Big Green Big Year (BIGBY) that involves cycling, yes cycling to every RSPB and WWT reserve in the UK! His targets are to raise money for the RSPB, WWT and Asthma UK, to increase awareness of climate change and to break the Non-motorised Year List record (251 species seen by Chris Mills in 2005). Read Gary's blog to find out how he is getting on.

Freezing start to 2010

1 January 2010

Happy New Year to all BirdTrackers! Several excellent images were uploaded to the BirdTrack flickr pool over the holiday period, most reflecting the hard weather being experienced in many parts of Britain and Ireland. This atmospheric capture of a drake Goldeneye on a small patch of unfrozen water encapsulates the hardships faced by waterbirds in these conditions. The image was taken in Scotland where the RSPB issued this plea, relevant to birders and bird photographers across the country.