Bird Watching Dec 20 mini-mag

ON TEST DID ZEISS’S BEST JUST GET BETTER?
BRITAIN’S BEST-SELLING BIRD MAGAZINE
Magical
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BIRD BRAIN?
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to find out
MURMURATIONS!
Now’s the time to see these Starling spectaculars
SEARCHING
FOR WAXWINGS
See the exotic invaders
on your patch this year
DECEMBER 2020 £4.70
HAPPY HUNTING
Find more winter raptors with
our step-by-step ID guide
BUTCHER BIRDS
Dominic Couzens discovers the small but fierce Great Grey Shrike

BIRDING QUESTION
We ask this month’s
contributors: What’s your favourite
winter bird experience?
Sign up for next year's
#My200BirdYear challenge
birdwatching.co.uk/my200
You can't beat a winter
flock of Waxwings!
ARTERRA PICTURE LIBRARY/ALAMY*
Amanda Tuke: Watching Brent
Geese and waders on the Skern
saltmarsh in the Taw-Torridge
estuary, North Devon
DUNCAN USHER/ALAMY
BILL COSTER/ALAMY*
SIMON STIRRUP/ALAMY*
FLPA/ALAMY*
Dominic Couzens: Winter
waders on an estuary. Whether
feeding in their different ways, or
flying around the roost, the sight
and sound is sheer magic
Ruth Miller: Skeins of
Pink-footed Geese flying against
a purple sky at dawn on the
Norfolk coast
David Lindo: Finding Britain’s
second ever wintering Redstart
at my old patch of Wormwood
Scrubs, west London
GET IN TOUCH:
Bird Watching, Media House,
Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6EA
Welcome
As I write this, lockdown
is just starting again,
and by the time you read
it, there'll still be at least
a couple more weeks to
go. If the first lockdown, back in the
spring, taught me anything, it was
that birdwatching has a big part to
play in making it bearable! It's a
reason to get out and get that daily
exercise on foot. It keeps the mind active, too. And it
provides a sense of achievement, as well. Never mind
learning a new language or skill, while you're confined
to home – chalking up a birdwatching first or two is
every bit as rewarding, whether it's finding something
scarce like Waxwings on your patch for the first time,
or simply noting new behaviour from a familiar species.
So, please, stay safe, stay active, keep birdwatching,
have a great Christmas, and tell us what you see.
Meantime, our Lockdown 2 lists
start here...
Matt Merritt, editor
@
birdwatching@bauermedia.co.uk
facebook.com/BirdWatchingMag
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...and the Bird Watching
team’s answers
Matt Merritt: Watching wild
geese return to the roost is
always very memorable.
Mike Weedon: I looked out of
my window on Christmas Day
and a Waxwing flew past.
Mike Roberts: The
murmuration of Starlings in
Brighton is quite the spectacle!
TIM GRAHAM/ALAMY*
NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY/ALAMY* FRANCESCA MOORE/ALAMY*
MURMURATION: ARTERRA PICTURE LIBRARY/ALAMY; GREAT GREY SHRIKE: AGAMI PHOTO AGENCY/ALAMY*
birdwatching.co.uk 3

NEWSWIRE
ALL THE BIGGEST BIRD NEWS & EVENTS
BIRD COUNT
Record beaters
Global event records
more than 7,000
birds in one day
Two world records
were smashed
during the
inaugural Global
Bird Weekend
(17-18 October), when more
than 38,000 people took part in
what was billed as the “biggest
birdwatching event in history”.
Across the globe on
17 October, 7,097 species of
birds – more than 75% of the
world’s bird species – were
recorded, beating the previous
world record of 7,060 species.
The weekend united
birdwatchers from 169 countries
and from all seven continents.
Participants were encouraged to
minimise their carbon footprint
and with current pandemic
restrictions, stayed close to
home. By midnight of the 18th,
the second world record was
created, when a further 180
species recorded brought the
total weekend count to 7,276.
The first checklist was
submitted by Dominik
Maximilian Ramik at 00.04 in
Vanuatu, with a Pacific Golden
BLICKWINKEL/ALAMY
Plover and a Barn Owl. From
then on, species came thick and
fast as people woke up across
the time zones. The day ended
with nocturnally calling White
Terns and Tristam’s Storm-
Petrels from Midway Atoll.
The weekend was also about
encouraging newcomers to
birdwatching. Many clubs,
societies and organisations were
well represented, forming more
than 150 teams to take their
groups into the field.
Tim Appleton MBE, founder
BW’s own Mike Weedon
making bird notes
TOM BAILEY
of Global Birding, said: “I was
amazed at the response,
considering we only launched
Global Birding in August. Being
able to unite a worldwide
community for Global Bird
Weekend by asking them to
‘Go Birding Together for
Conservation’ went beyond my
wildest dreams and has already
produced significant scientific
data and inspired new networks
of communication”.
An incredible 50,383
photographs of birds and 1,101
audio recordings were
submitted to the Macaulay
Library in one day, making the
event one of the greatest citizen
science projects ever
undertaken.
In the UK, 236 species of bird
were recorded, including
rarities such as Rufous-tailed
Scrub Robin, Wilson’s
Phalarope and Masked Shrike.
Global Birding is working in
association with Swarovski
Optik and the eBird Team, and
Tim Appleton MBE
Pacific Golden Plover
supported BirdLife
International’s Stop Illegal
Bird Trade campaign and
encouraged donations
towards this critical project.
To date the total has exceeded
the £20,000 target. As part of
that, Naturetrek Wildlife
Holidays and their supporters
raised a £4,650.
Full results are at:
ebird.org/octoberbigday
but some highlights were:
Country Species recorded
Colombia 1,289
Peru 1,148
Ecuador 1,125
Brazil 1,107
Kenya 815
India 726
Australia 516
Spain 301
UK 236
Iran 203
Myanmar 163
Russia 103
Vanuatu 57
NEWS IN BRIEF
App success
The BTO’s Marsh Award for Local
Ornithology has been awarded
to the Scottish Ornithologists’
Club (SOC), for its Where to
Watch birds in Scotland app.
The app encourages users to
record their observations to
assist conservation and is free to
download and use. With content
provided entirely by an army of
150 volunteers, it launched in
April 2019 with details of 400 of
the best birdwatching sites and
has since increased by 40% to over
560 sites. For more information
about the app visit:
the-soc.org.uk/about-us/app
Reserve grant
A grant from the Sheringham
Shoal Community Fund has
enabled the Hawk and Owl Trust
at Sculthorpe Moor in North
Norfolk to implement three
new projects on its journey to
becoming a carbon neutral nature
reserve. One is the installation
of an off-grid solar photovoltaic
system to supply the new
Dragonfly Hide and Education
Centre, the second is the
installation of four electric vehicle
charging points in the nature
reserve’s car park, and the third
the air-source heating system
which serves this new eco-friendly
timber building in which staff and
volunteers have their offices.
Tern chick success
Chichester Harbour Conservancy
has recorded the fledging of 48
Common Tern chicks this season.
A project was launched to install
artificial tern rafts in Thorney
Deeps. The rafts, designed to
support the terns’ breeding
efforts, were created to help
reverse the issues the population
has suffered following tidal
flooding, human disturbance
and predators. Three species
of tern breed in Chichester and
Langstone Harbour: Common
Tern, Sandwich Tern and Little
Tern. All three species have fared
poorly in Chichester Harbour.
KUMAR SRISKANDAN/ALAMY*
Bo wants us all to refamiliarise ourselves
with the Country Code…
Given that the majority of people
think that access to the countryside
is a necessity, and that many more
people started needing nature in
their lives in the time of the
Coronavirus, I think that the ‘Country Code’ needs
reiterating. In pre-decimal times everything was by
the dozen and so it was with the code. Back then
you could get it in booklet form and it was
considered on a par with the Highway Code. As we
have urbanised, so have we lost contact with the
natural world and its rules of use.
l Enjoy the countryside and respect its life
and work
l Guard against all risk of fire
l Leave all gates as you found them
l Keep your pets under close control
l Keep to public paths across farmland
l Use gates and stiles to cross fences, hedges
and walls
l Leave livestock, crops and machinery alone
l Take your litter home
l Help to keep all water clean
l Protect wildlife, plants and trees
l Take special care on country roads
l Make no unnecessary noise
Seemingly, back then it was OK for your pooch
to poo, so long as it wasn’t in a pond. For some
reason, in 2004 the code was revised and, I think,
dumbed down and made more commercially
oriented. Nature is mentioned once, and the rest is
more about not rocking the boat of country life. No
mention is made of fire or water, strange
considering how global warming makes wildfires
more likely and water shortages more common.
l Be safe – plan ahead and follow any signs
l Leave gates and property as you find them
l Protect plants and animals, and take your
litter home
l Keep dogs under close control
l Consider other people
The pandemic (anagram of ‘dem panic’) seems
to have made Government think in threes,
Enjoying nature safely and responsibly
is second nature to many, but not all
NEWS & OPINION
GRUMPYOLDBIRDER
dumbing down the latest version even further.
Along with “hands, face & space” we have
“Respect, Protect & Enjoy”, or the longer version of
“Respect other people, Protect the natural
environment and Enjoy the outdoors”. The trouble
with dumbing down is that they then had to explain
it all, so the ‘shortened’ COVID-19 Version code
ends up even longer than in the 1960s and the
2004 version! But, then, anything pertaining to the
pandemic is full of contradiction and confusion!
l Respect other people
l Consider the local community and other
people enjoying the outdoors
l Park carefully so access to gateways and
driveways is clear
l Leave gates and property as you find them
l Follow paths but give way to others where it’s
narrow
l Protect the natural environment
l Leave no trace of your visit, take all your litter
home
l Don’t have BBQs or fires
l Keep dogs under effective control
l Dog poo – bag it and bin it
l Enjoy the outdoors
l Plan ahead, check what facilities are open,
be prepared
l Follow advice and local signs and obey social
distancing measures
The trouble is, regulations are announced as
diktat and ordinary people don’t get to discuss their
meanings, let alone whether they are safe, sensible
and satisfactory. Most of us want a greening of
policy, as we emerge from the virus, with
environmental factors outweighing economics.
That needs a national debate, not diktat, and, if
we want to use the countryside more without
ruining it, we need to mark, learn and inwardly
digest the country code.
Bo Beolens runs fatbirder.com and other
websites. He has written a number of books.
GET IN
TOUCH
Do you agree – or
disagree – with Bo’s
comments? Email us at
birdwatching@
bauermedia.co.uk
18 December 2020 birdwatching.co.uk 19

MURMURATIONS ADVICE
Magical
MURMURATIONS
There’s a real buzz about Starling murmurations at this time of the year
– here’s all the advice you need about getting the best vantage point!
WORDS ANNA FEANEY
GREATONMYWALL/ALAMY
Huge numbers of Starlings
join flocks before roosting
20 December 2020
birdwatching.co.uk 21

MURMURATIONS ADVICE
Starlings are one of the most common
birds in UK gardens – in fact, they were
second only to the House Sparrow in this
year’s RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch. This
is partly because they like to nest in
holes and cavities, so they can happily nest in
roofs as well as holes in trees.
The Starling population has fallen by more
than 80% in recent years, however, and they are
now one of the species most at risk in the UK. It’s
not known for certain why, but one possible reason
is that Starlings mostly eat soil invertebrates such
as earthworms and insect larvae. These
invertebrates have been struggling recently
because of dry summers, modern farming practices
and the way we use land all over the UK, making it
harder for Starlings to find food.
In the winter ‘our’ Starling numbers are
boosted by Starlings from continental Europe,
drawn to the UK’s relatively warmer climes. When
large numbers of these birds come together, they
create one of the UK’s most breath-taking
spectacles – a ‘murmuration’. Hundreds or even
thousands of them gather in huge flocks as the sun
starts to set, moving seemingly as one in a balletic
cloud of coordination.
Here we will dive into some of the wonderful
feats that make the Starlings so special, including
just how, and why, Starlings form such wild,
soaring murmurations.
Starlings are still very
common garden birds
Some of our seaside piers
are among the most
famous roosts
The Starling’s many talents
Starlings are particularly famous for their amazing
ability to mimic sounds, ranging from other birds,
to frogs, car alarms and mobile phones. Their ‘own’
song is about a minute long and has been described
as sounding a bit like an old radio being tuned in
– full of pips and squeaks.
If a singing flock is alarmed, all those radios are
suddenly flipped to ‘off’, a sudden silence that has
the ominous nomination of a ‘dread’.
The Starling also has some wonderfully colourful
plumage. This is not immediately obvious,
however, and from a distance they look almost
black. Closer inspection reveals bright white ‘stars’
that tip most every feather, giving rise to their
name. These white spots become even more
prominent in winter. Highlighting these spots are
iridescent greens, purples and blues, a shifting
kaleidoscope of colour that changes every time you
look. The males and females have very similar
colourings, though if you look closely you might be
able to spot that the lower mandible of the female is
a pale yellow, while the males have a blue tinge.
With such distinguished shifts of song and
colour, it is a bit of a shame that the Starlings’
scientific name is Sturnus vulgaris – ‘common
Starling’. Hardly promising! Similarly, the word
‘murmuration’ comes from the Latin ‘murmuratio’
that simply means ‘murmuring’ or ‘grumbling’.
This is probably because of the feeling that the
entire air is murmuring when hundreds of
Starlings take to the air at once, which is much
more exciting that its softly spoken description
would imply.
ANNA FEANEY ARTERRA PICTURE LIBRARY/ALAMY
A classic Starling
murmuration ‘shape’
Starling plumage is
spectacularly iridescent
when seen up close
ANNA FEANEY ANNA FEANEY
22 December 2020
birdwatching.co.uk 23

MURMURATIONS ADVICE
Starlings ‘murmurating’
See Starling
murmurations on
our Somerset
Reader Holiday.
Page 77
Where can I see murmurations?
These are some of the best places to see
murmurations for yourself, though it is worth
noting that murmurations are not always
guaranteed (as with any nature spectacle!).
For the best chance of seeing one, check out each
RSPB reserve’s ‘recent sightings’ page for
guidance, or head to starlingsintheuk.co.uk for
local information.
Starlings also tend to murmurate more on dry,
bright days. Arrive before 15:30 to make sure
you’re there in plenty of time – the Starlings tend
to return earlier when it is cloudy, but if it’s nice
weather they’ll stay out longer to take advantage
of the extra feeding time.
If you’re more of an early bird, you may also
want to check out the Starlings as they leave their
roosts in the morning, around 7:30. Hundreds of
Starlings erupting out of the reeds is a spectacle
all by itself!
GRETNA GREEN
In November last year, hundreds of
thousands of Starlings gathered
just south of Gretna Green.
TOM LANGLANDS/ALAMY*
STAY SAFE WHEN WATCHING STARLINGS
As you read this, we will be once again under
lockdown, a state of affairs that may well continue
into December and even beyond. If you are
planning on visiting any murmuration site, please
check first to see what access, if any, is allowed,
and what safety restrictions you will be required to
follow at the site (some have closed as a
precaution). But remember, too, that one of the
joys of murmurations is that they are not restricted
to reserves – why not look for one within easy
walking distance of your home?
What is a murmuration? And why do Starlings do it?
ANNA FEARNEY
SIMON EDGE/ALAMY
LEIGHTON MOSS,
LANCASHIRE
For the last few years the local
Starlings have started their
murmurations closer to Christmas,
so it can make for the perfect
festive experience.
DAVID TIPLING/ALAMY*
MINSMERE, SUFFOLK
The Starlings at Minsmere are
known to murmurate all the way
into April.
TITCHWELL MARSH, NORFOLK
Titchwell has fantastic evening
roosts of great Marsh Harriers as
well as murmurations, and nearby
Snettisham also has the fantastic
Wader Spectacular and sunrise
Pink-footed Goose spectacle.
SIMON DACK/ALAMY*
‘Murmurations’ are the astounding
aerial ballet that Starlings perform
outside of the breeding season, in the
autumn and winter.
Starling murmurations begin to form
in November, though this varies from site
to site, and some can begin as early as
September. More and more birds will
flock together as the weeks go on, and in
some places the number of Starlings in a
roost can swell to about 100,000 or more.
As the sun starts to fall the birds will
all gather around their roosting spot,
forming a huge close-knit flock that
moves in the air like a shoal of fish. From
the ground, it looks as if the flock is
shape-shifting – waving and twisting in
perfect unison. With the orange sky and
chill air, it truly is a special experience.
For a long time, it wasn’t known how
they move in such perfect synchrony
– some scientists back in the 1930s even
thought murmurations were evidence
that some birds have psychic powers.
Now we know that each individual
Starling is following three simple rules:
1. Don’t crash, 2. follow the direction of
your neighbours, and 3. stay close to
your neighbours. Each Starling applies
these rules to their seven closest
neighbours and, since they’re following
their seven closest neighbours in turn,
the whole flock moves seemingly as one.
It turns out these simple rules apply to
a lot of other big swarms of living
things, whether fish or insect. They’ve
even been applied in animation and
film-making – animators created the
swarm of bats in Tim Burton’s
Batman Returns and the stampeding
wildebeest in the original The Lion King
using these principles.
As to why Starlings do this in the first
place, that is a bit less certain. It is
thought that they group together to seek
safety in numbers from predators such
as Peregrines – it’s hard to target just
one bird in a flock of hundreds, or even
thousands. Starlings also gather at night
to keep warm, so a murmuration is a
way for all Starlings to come together
before roosting. Once the birds are
satisfied that the coast is clear, birds
will peel off from the main group in
coordinated descents, settling into the
roost with a loud flurry of wings and
chattering – a spectacle in itself.
MARK SAUNDERS/ALAMY
NEWPORT WETLANDS,
SOUTH WALES
November is when these Starlings
most like to show off their
murmurations.
Would you like to help the RSPB track how Starlings are faring in
gardens across the UK? Keep an eye on the RSPB website for the
next Big Garden Birdwatch, held in January! rspb.org.uk
You can also help Starlings, and our other beloved wildlife, by
adding your voice to the RSPB’s campaign – tell our Governments
to turn words into decisive action and Revive Our World:
rspb.org.uk/reviveourworld
FRANCESCA MOORE/ALAMY*
BRIGHTON, SUSSEX
BW’s Mike Roberts caught them on
video near the pier.
Visit: https://bit.ly/2HnfqOB
BW
24 December 2020
birdwatching.co.uk 25

Hoopoes are always amazing
looking birds! You can see
just how far this one had
probed its bill
RUTH
MILLER
OBSERVATIONS
Hoopoe with snack
RUTH MILLER
Rare encounter
RUTH MILLER
Hoopoes are pretty
funny birds all round.
They’re funny-looking for
a start. Firstly, their
coloration: an orangey
body with dramatic
black-and-white striped
wings and a funky crest of orange
feathers, tipped in black and white.
Then there’s their shape: they’re not
dissimilar to a Mistle Thrush in general
size and shape, but with a long, slightly
decurved bill which seems balanced at the
back of the head by the crest when it’s lying
flat at rest, giving the bird a pick-axe shape
to its head, perfect for a bird that plunges its
bill deep into the ground for food such as
grubs, spiders and insects.
However, on landing or if excited,
the Hoopoe flares its crest to form a
dramatic orange, black-and-white crown.
It truly is a sight to behold. Then there’s its
funny name. The scientific name for the
Eurasian Hoopoe is Upupa epops. Upupa
is the Latin name for Hoopoe and epops
is the Greek name for Hoopoe, and all
three names are onomatopoeic for its
‘hoop, hoop, hoop’ call.
It can turn up in some pretty funny
You’re lucky if you catch sight of a Hoopoe in the UK,
but it’s not an impossibility as some make it
over here during migration
locations, too. It is widespread across
southern Europe and central Asia and
down to northern Africa.
Anywhere within this range that offers
a mix of areas with short grass or vegetation
for feeding and vertical locations with
cavities in which to nest are good places
to look for Hoopoes. So, if you’re in southern
Spain or Portugal, on a golfing holiday for
example, watch out for a Hoopoe probing
about on the second green.
Funny to the bizarre
Most Hoopoes overwinter in Africa and,
as with any migrant species, there’s
always the risk of a few individuals going
astray on their journey; which is how small
numbers of these charismatic birds turn up
in the UK in spring, or occasionally autumn.
Their choice of location here in Britain,
however, can range from the funny to
the downright bizarre.
According to birding folklore, a Hoopoe’s
preferred habitat in Britain is a vicar’s lawn.
Bill Oddie’s brilliant Little Black Bird
Book states: “...if a vicar tells you: ‘I’ve seen
this big pink bird with black and white bits
on it and a sort of a crest.’ That’s a Hoopoe
and no mistake. But it’s not a Hoopoe
because it’s pink with black and white bits
and a crest. It is a Hoopoe because it’s on a
vicar’s lawn. If anybody else reports ‘a big
bird that is pink with black and white bits
and a sort of crest’, it’s a Jay.”
However, on one memorable occasion a
few years ago, a Hoopoe turned up round
the back of a caravan park in Rhyl in
North Wales, not the most salubrious
location for such a distinguished visitor,
but presumably one which offered plenty
of insects, in a relatively undisturbed area
by the sewage works!
Another Hoopoe has been wowing people,
including me, this October on a cricket pitch
in Collingham, near Wetherby in Yorkshire.
This particularly confiding bird spent at
least a week here, striding purposefully
across the manicured grass of the cricket
pitch, constantly probing the soft soil with
that magnificent bill. I was amazed by its
impressive strike rate, retrieving an
inch-long grub from deep in the soil on
every fifth probe of its flexible bill.
Each time, the Hoopoe shook the grub
vigorously before tossing it right to the
back of its throat to down it in a single gulp.
All around it, suitably socially distanced,
were appreciative birdwatchers, bird
photographers and even members of
the local camera club, taking photo after
photo of this striking bird, which carried
on feeding relentlessly, oblivious of rain,
admirers or even the local football team
playing their Saturday morning match,
just feet away.
Birding wishlist
My most poignant Hoopoe sighting,
however, was much closer to home,
at Conwy RSPB in North Wales. We
were scheduled to guide a friend called
Becky on one of our Best of North Wales
birdwatching daytrips.
Becky had previously told us that her
most-wanted bird was a Hoopoe, and it had
become a bit of a joke between us, as it
was always on her wishlist for the day.
So, imagine our delight when a Hoopoe
miraculously turned up at our local
reserve in perfect time for Becky’s daytrip,
this time around. As soon as she arrived
that morning, we whisked her onto the
reserve almost quicker than her feet could
keep pace; and breathed a sigh of relief as
the Hoopoe strode into view.
It fulfilled Becky’s wildest dreams of
Hoopoeness, as it probed the ground for
food and flared its superb crest. We even
had a brief flashing display of its striped
wings, as it took flight into cover to evade
the unwanted interest of a Sparrowhawk.
However, it soon popped back into view
again and we continued to soak up the
views for ages, until even Becky agreed
that her Hoopoe meter was reading ‘full’.
If only we had left it at that.
However, as Becky had wanted to see
a Hoopoe for so very long, we made the
fateful decision to pop back to Conwy
RSPB for one last look at the end of the
day. We headed into the visitor centre just
in time to see another birdwatcher
showing the staff member an image on
the back of his camera.
It was a frame-filling photograph of
the Hoopoe, but this time in the talons of
a Peregrine which had spotted the
unfortunate bird and which was last seen
bearing its exotic meal down the
Conwy Valley and away into the distance.
A truly funny-sad moment and one that
poor Becky will never forget.
So, a few things to bear in mind
about Hoopoes: they apparently like
grass-based sport, such as golf or cricket;
they LOVE vicar’s gardens; but
unfortunately, they are susceptible to
raptor attack. After all, who doesn’t like
Mediterranean food for a change!
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
40 December 2020
birdwatching.co.uk 41

PART 4 NEW ZEALAND
BIRDS ON THE BRINK
Every issue over the next year, the team behind Bird Photographer of the Year
(BPOTY) looks at conservation issues surrounding different species from the UK
and beyond, using beautiful images to inspire. This month it focuses on New
Zealand’s birds and wildlife...
WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY PAUL STERRY
Visitors to New Zealand are
often struck by how similar
the landscape is to the UK
and parts of mainland
Europe, and in many
locations they’re not wrong.
Over the last two centuries or so,
European settlers have had a profound
and devastating impact on the natural
environment, especially in low-lying,
agriculturally-productive lowland areas.
Rolling farmland, scattered trees, and
herds of cows and sheep have replaced
native scrub and woodland in many
areas. And the similarities to ‘back home’
extend to the wildlife, too, of course, to
the extent that introduced plants often
outnumber native species.
Of course, it is not just farming that has
had an impact on New Zealand’s
environment: add to the mix other human
activities, from mining to logging, and the
result is a much-altered landscape in many
areas. Green and lush it may be, but native
it is not in many places.
One of the most profound impacts on
wildlife is evident in New Zealand’s
Birds on the Brink is a conservation grant-awarding
charity (Charity No: 1188009) that owns the
competition Bird Photographer of the Year. Grants
are awarded to projects that support bird
conservation, typically offering between £200 and
£1,000 to small groups or individuals carrying out
grassroots conservation work that has measurable
impact. It was borne of a passion for wildlife and in
particular birds, and is a response to the seemingly
unstoppable process of human environmental
exploitation and biodiversity’s steady progression
towards extinction. At its heart there is a
recognition that all is not yet lost and Birds on the
Brink aims to inspire people to care using striking
imagery – to capture the imagination and thereby
nurture interest and compassion. Bird Watching
magazine is proud to support conservation and
money generated by these articles will contribute
to the funds of Birds on the Brink.
For more information, visit
birdsonthebrink.co.uk
avian fauna. Native species evolved for
millions of years in the absence of land
mammals (except bats) until the arrival of
Man, along with a menagerie of cats, dogs,
Stoats, rats, you name it.
As a result, 42% of endemic bird species
have become extinct since Man first set
foot on New Zealand soil. Of the survivors,
only a few could be said to be thriving,
and many are threatened to varying
degrees, with introduced alien birds often
outnumbering natives.
However, this man-made ecological
disaster has made Kiwi conservationists
even more resolute in their determination
to halt the tide of extinctions and where
possible reverse the trend. They are not
ones to take prisoners.
Shore Plover
Shore Plovers are obviously not averse to wandering
and occasionally individuals such as this one sometimes
turn up on the main islands of New Zealand, often
seeking the company of other waders, such as Wrybills,
when roosting.
Shore Plover
Thinornis novaeseelandiae
l World Population: 156-220
(source: Birdlife International)
l IUCN Red List Category:
Globally Threatened,
Endangered
CHRISTCHURCH
AUCKLAND
WELLINGTON
CHATHAM
ISLANDS
Wearing its badge of honour – a ring that defines its
heritage – this particular Shore Plover is resident on
the tiny island of Rangatira, where the species clung
to life until captive-breeding programmes helped it
back from the brink.
Once common around the coast of
New Zealand and its islands, by the
turn of the 20th Century, the Shore
Plover was reduced to a single
population on Rangatira in the
Chatham Islands; it was on the verge of
extinction. It is still one of the world’s
rarest waders, but captive breeding and
reintroductions mean it now clings on
to survival on a few predator-free
islands; and individuals occasionally
visit the main islands.
South Island Takahe
For a period of 50 years or so the South
Island Takahe (a bit like a giant, flightless
Moorhen) was considered extinct; until
the discovery in 1948 of a tiny population
in New Zealand’s Murchison Mountains.
Since then, ‘wild’ birds have been
protected from predators as far as possible,
and captive-bred birds have allowed the
species’ introduction to predator-free
islands and a few ‘maximum biological
security’ mainland sites. Locations include
spots on North Island where they replace
the now extinct North Island Takahe.
South Island Takahe
Porphyrio hochstetteri
l World Population: 280
(source: Birdlife International)
l IUCN Red List Category:
Globally Threatened,
Endangered
Chatham Albatross
With a 220cm wingspan, the
Chatham Albatross is a relatively
modest-sized albatross, and a
member of a group sometimes
referred to as ‘mollymawks’.
Nowadays, it breeds nowhere else
in the world, other than on an
isolated rock called The Pyramid,
part of the Chatham Island complex.
It hardly needs saying that this
concentration of life makes it
vulnerable; and fortunately an
outfit called the Taiko Trust (a
non-profit community conservation
trust) has stepped in to help. Over
the last five years, 281 chicks have
been moved to a ‘maximum
security’ predator-free cliff top
(adorned with mock nests and
dummy birds) called The Gap, on
main Chatham Island. The aim is
that the chicks bond with their new
home and establish a new colony.
No luck so far, but time will tell.
Chatham Albatross
Thalassarche eremita
l World Population:
11,000 individuals
(source: Birdlife International)
l IUCN Red List Category:
Globally Threatened,
Vulnerable
This South Island Takahe now calls Tāwharanui Open Sanctuary, on North Island, home and lives in predator-free
‘freedom’ behind the maximum-security fencing that protects the peninsula from unwanted incursions
Against a backdrop of its sole breeding
site – a lonely rock called The Pyramid –
a Chatham Albatross glides serenely past
The Pyramid, isolated from
the main Chatham Islands,
is the sole breeding site for
Chatham Albatrosses
Like others of their kind, Chatham
Albatrosses are entirely at home at
sea, gliding masters of the air that
seldom need to flap their wings
NEXT
MONTH:
Marsh
Tit
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