Brünnich's Guillemot, Anstruther 27th September 2016

A Brünnich's Guillemot was found in Anstruther harbour by visiting birders Alan Lauder & Ken Shaw on their way to the Isle of May last Sunday 25th September 2006.

I made the long drive north yesterday morning after hearing the bird was still present, arriving on site late afternoon. Having parked at the eastern end of the harbour I checked the outer harbour with no joy & couldn't even see any other birders. As I made my way around to the inner harbour my attention was drawn towards a bird on the water close to some moored boats & upon lifting my bins proved to be the Brünnich's Guillemot. I continued around the harbour & onto the pier & obtained excellent views as the bird seemed to be gaining shelter from the wind between the moored boats whilst it preened.

Although I hadn't seen any other birders, very quickly the ranks swelled to about half a dozen. The Brünnich's Guillemot drifted out of view, but was relocated after a long wait very close into the pier a bit further along.

A very big thank you to the guy who saved my 'scope when it blew over in a gust of wind just as the bird surfaced underneath one of the double-hulled boats. Brilliant catch sir!

Lesser Grey Shrike, Plymouth 21st September 2016

An adult Lesser Grey Shrike was found at Plymouth by local birder Duncan Leitch on Monday 19th September. I set off for Plymouth early on Wednesday morning, arriving on site early afternoon.

Vagrant Shrikes often stick around for a while & this bird was no exception. Located along the coastal path between Mount Batten & Jennycliff, only half a dozen birders were on site when I arrived. The Lesser Grey Shrike was on view immediately & for the whole time I was there. It perched repeatedly on the same bush, sallying forth to hunt insects every so often, but always returning to the same spot.

Views were excellent, only spoiled by the slightly poor light conditions with the sun not right behind the bird, but just off to the left. A minor quibble. A lot of the habitat is not viewable from the path, so it was fortunate to be able to obtain such good, close views from along a small path/tunnel through the brambles. Unfortunately, only a few birders could fit in at one time, maybe four, but viewing from the main path through the brambles & birders was possible. The bird was viewable from further down the path looking back, but into the sun & further away.

Being a popular footpath, many people passed by & were interested to find out what all the fuss was about. After managing to see the bird they were intrigued with photos & a little background information.

Western Swamphen, Alkborough 4th September 2016

Last Tuesday, 30th August 2016, a Western Purple Swamphen appeared at Alkborough Flats NR in Lincolnshire. It turns out this is the same bird which graced Minsmere RSPB in Suffolk for a few days a couple of weeks back. I was unable to get time off work to go for that bird & then it did a Friday bunk anyway, so fortunate to have a second chance & a lot nearer home. If accepted as a wild bird, the Minsmere record would be a first for the UK.

Having decided against going yesterday because of what looked like a shedload of rain expected, I set off early this morning & arrived at the Whitton Road car park about 9.30am. As I walked along the path towards the reserve there were a few birders not far ahead of me who had all stopped to look over the reserve & could see the Western Swamphen as it moved to and fro along the edge of the very distant reedbed to the right of the main lagoon in front of a smaller square lagoon behind.

On the left you can see the hide & a small crowd of birders behind on the track. I made my over to their location & joined about 20/30 birders (numbers fluctuated constantly). The Western Swamphen appeared sporadically as it wandered about on the far edge of the lagoon, giving very good, repeated views if rather distant.

Just as I was leaving the site a small film crew arrived & asked everyone if they minded being filmed, which they didn't, but quite a few hastily departed. I spoke with one of the crew & he told me they were from "The One Show" with Mike Dilger & that the film would be broadcast sometime in the next two weeks.

Video by Pete Hines of the bird at Minsmere

Nature Series 9 - 3. The Rainforest Canopy

NATURE SERIES 9 - 3. THE RAINFOREST CANOPY (320kbs-m4a/64mb/28mins)

BBC Radio 4 broadcast: 6th July 2016

With a two metre wingspan, strong hooked beak and four inch talons, harpy eagles are one of the most powerful birds of prey in the world and have been known to attack people who get too close to their nests, so when wildlife cameraman John Aitchison agreed to spend a month on a tiny platform high up in rainforest canopy in Venezuela to try and film a young eagle chick hunting for the first time, it was with some trepidation at what might lie ahead.

John abseiled down from his platform each night to grab a meal and a few hours of sleep, but before dawn he climbed back up onto his tiny platform, just big enough for him and his camera. High up in the rainforest canopy, his neighbours included bellowing howler monkeys, flocks of squawking parrots and colourful butterflies as well as highly venomous snakes and stinging ants. He also had to endure some torrential storms and powerful winds. But his perseverance was rewarded with stunning views across the forest, magical misty mornings, very close encounters with the harpy chick and a most unexpected meeting between the young eagle and a very brave sloth!

Producer Sarah Blunt.

Nature Series 9 - 2. James And The Peregrines

NATURE SERIES 9 - 2. JAMES AND THE PEREGRINES (320kbs-m4a/64mb/28mins)
BBC Radio 4 broadcast: 29th June 2016

James Aldred will be familiar to many Radio 4 listeners as 'the tree climber'. As a tree canopy access expert, James spends much of his life travelling across the world and climbing up into tree canopies to film the wildlife there. His accounts have been broadcast in several BBC Radio 4 programmes, most recently James and the Giant Atlas Cedars. But in his spare time when he's home, James loves to head through the woods behind his house and up to the disused quarry to watch the Peregrines that have bred here. In 2015 he decided to keep an audio diary and follow the lives of these birds in his spare time. Historically Peregrines were prized for falconry and it's from here that we get the names falcon for the female bird and tiercel for the male.

On a freezing cold day in early February, James set off for the quarry with his recorder and microphones for the first time, and watched the adult birds patrolling back and forth marking their territory, prior to courtship. Over the coming weeks, James returned to his ringside seat as often as he could to watch these magnificent birds and determine which ledge they would choose to nest on. He followed the birds from winter through spring and summer as they bred and raised their young, as you can hear in this intimate audio diary about one of the world's most iconic birds of prey.

Producer Sarah Blunt.

Nature Series 8 - 2. Arctic Terns at 66 Degrees North

NATURE SERIES 8 - 2. ARCTIC TERNS AT 66 DEGREES NORTH (128kbs-m4a/26mb/28mins)

BBC Radio 4 broadcast: 17th February 2014

In the second of three programmes recorded in Iceland, wildlife sound recordist Chris Watson goes in search of Arctic Terns, which travel here from Antarctica to breed; the longest regular migration of any animal. Some birds travel even further to the Arctic Circle, and so on the summer solstice, Chris takes a 3 hour ferry journey from the mainland to the island of Grimsey which lies on the Arctic Circle to record some of these remarkable migrants.

Scientists are becoming increasingly concerned about the number of breeding colonies which have failed in Iceland in the past decade and Chris hears about the reasons why and what steps need to be taken to help the situation. Often called Sea Swallows because of their overall shape long tail feathers, Arctic Terns are very protective of their eggs and young and aggressive as Chris discovers when he tries to record in their colony. He also comes across Arctic Terns inland at Lake Myvatn, the 'Lake of Flies' "and it’s very aptly named. I had to wear a head net in June as tens of thousands of flies swarmed around me the moment I set foot outdoors".

After recording the haunting songs of Red-throated Divers, Long-tailed Ducks and Black-tailed Godwits, Chris watches Arctic Terns swooping down to pick off flies along the road which the adults can feed on. The programme also reveals how with the latest technology scientists have gained a fascinating insight into the exact migration routes of these birds; "We discovered new stopover areas, we discovered a new southern route but overall the sheer scale of this migration was what was most impressive to us " says Iain Stenhouse, one the scientists working on this project. "These birds are not just Olympic athletes they are spatial geniuses as well".

Producer Sarah Blunt.

Nature Series 7 - 1. Bird Wars On Malta

NATURE SERIES 7 - 1. BIRD WARS ON MALTA (128kbs-m4a/26mb/28mins)

BBC Radio 4 broadcast: 31st July 2012

Twice each year the skies above the Mediterranean island of Malta are filled with the spectacle of thousands of migrating birds. Kestrels, Bee-eaters, Honey Buzzards, Turtle Dove and Quail, among other species fly first north, in the Spring, to the breeding grounds of Europe.

They return south in the Autumn to their wintering grounds in sub Saharan Africa. If their migration takes them over Malta, twice each year they must run the gauntlet of hunters' guns. Many of the migrant bird species are protected, only two species are legal quarry for Maltese hunters.

Investigative journalist Matthew Hill travels to Malta to talk to the hunters about the age-long culture of hunting birds on Malta and to investigate allegations of widespread illegal hunting.

Presented by Matthew Hill
Produced by Lizz Pearson.