This index contains articles where the subject matter is anything related to a species of bird or birds in general.
I am often asked what my favourite time of year is for birds. It is a difficult question and one that I am at odds with. Is it springtime when our summer birds return promising longer and warmer days or is it the autumn when … Continue readingAndalucía Birding in May
The Common Nightingale – Luscinia megarhynchos What is your favourite bird that you most look forward to seeing return to us this spring and stay for our summer? If you are like me, then it is a hard choice with so many I love seeing … Continue readingBird of the Month – March 2022
The Iberian Magpie aka Azure-winged Magpie. Look through your guidebooks as long as you like, but you’ll never find an entry for Widdrington’s Magpie. This isn’t surprising, as it doesn’t exist! But for a quirk of timing and history, though, that’s what we might now … Continue readingBird of the Month – November 2021
Just 14 kms of open water separates us from our north African neighbours Morocco. And yet, the difference in not only culture and peoples, but is surpassed by the magnificent diversity in bird life. Amazing that just a stone’s throw away the birds are so … Continue readingPopping over to the neighbours – Morocco
Purple Heron Ardea purpurea is a widely distributed member of the heron family Ardeidae. It breeds in Africa, central and southern Europe, and southern and eastern Asia. Our Western Palearctic populations migrate between breeding and wintering habitats, whereas the African and tropical-Asian populations are primarily sedentary, except for occasional dispersive movements. Note: Above … Continue readingBird of the Month – July 2021
During a three day whirlwind tour in September I saw a change of scenery for me with a visit to Malaga covering La Serranía de Ronda and inland Malaga area. I was guided by Peter Jones, the ABS President (who has guided me here before). … Continue readingExploring the secrets of inland Andalucia
Wintering birds in the Serranía de Ronda increased as temperatures in northern Spain plummeted. An annual event here, with many birds finding refuge in the temperate areas surrounding the southern most outpost of the Baetic System of mountain ranges. Involved as I am in a … Continue readingThe ubiquitous White Wagtail
‘You want to watch birds in a city? Why? You’ll see only pigeons!’ I have been hearing these kinds of comments all my life and nowadays I allow myself a wry smile. Don’t just think that city dwellers without an ounce of interest in wildlife … Continue readingHow to be an Urban Birder
Back when I wrote this article during autumn, Turtle Doves were passing through nearby at La Janda, near Facinas. I saw scores of them drifting over sunflower fields only to hear the distant sound of gunshot and come to the sickening realisation that this species … Continue readingChallenging times for Turtle Doves
Every few years a bird book comes along that threatens to exhaust superlatives. Despite the manifold worries that 2020 has brought, it will go down in the history of ornithological publishing as being one of the few years that gave us two such works; “All … Continue readingBook Review – European Breeding Bird Atlas 2
