Birds

Bird musings

Razorbill

Saltlane

The Razorbill is another bird that breeds on our sea cliffs and spends the rest of the year out at sea. Over 20% of Razorbills breed in Britain. The Razorbill's closest relative was the Great Auk, which was driven to extinction by the dastardly Victorians, hunting it for meat, feathers and collecting its eggs. Fortunately, the Razorbill became protected before it suffered the same fate.

The Razorbill is slightly smaller than a Guillemot and looks very similar until you see the strong white line on its thick black bill. Their head and upper parts are black and the underparts are white. They have thick necks and pointed tails. A sea Goth. Mum and dad look identical, but youngsters are smaller and browner. Razorbills, like Puffins, fly fast on narrow whirring wings. They make a growling call when breeding but are otherwise silent.

The Razorbill is in its element underwater and has been recorded at depths of 140m while chasing fish, which they can carry 2-3 at a time. While diving, they rarely stay in groups but rather spread out to feed. They eat mainly small fish like sand eels, herrings and sprats, and a lot of their time is spent hunting for food.

They start breeding in April on hidden and sheltered cliff ledges not too far above the sea, with the largest colonies being in northern Scotland. Razorbills are monogamous, with the female choosing one partner for life after encouraging a bit of competition between rival males for her affection. Courtship displays include touching bills and chasing in elaborate flight patterns. The single oval egg is laid in a rock crevice (so it can't roll off) and hatches after 36 days. The youngster is fed by mum and dad for 18 days then jumps down into the sea when only half grown, where dad continues to care for it until it can fly. The youngster won't breed for 2-3 years. Mum and dad are flightless for a few weeks in September when they do their moult out at sea.

About 160,000 pairs of Razorbills nest in Britain. They are Amber Listed as their survival depends heavily on the sea, making them vulnerable to fishing nets, oil pollution, and falling fish stocks. The oldest Razorbill lived to 41, though the average life span is 13 years.

Their Latin name is 'alca torda' where 'alca' is from the Norwegian 'alke', and 'torda' is from the Swedish 'törd', both words referring to the Razorbill. A local Scottish name is a 'Marrot' and the English name comes from the shape of its bill.

Guillemot

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A big fan of Tolkien's Mordor, the Guillemot is our most numerous sea bird and the largest member of the Auk family. A Penguin-like seabird that breeds on sea cliffs between May and July, then spends the rest of the year in loose flocks at sea, similar to Razorbills and Puffins.

Bobbing on the sea, the Guillemot sits long and low looking like a duck. It is larger than a Jackdaw and has a dark brown or black back, white underparts, a long tapering black dagger bill, long looking neck and a short tail. Sometimes there is a spectacle mark around the eye and in winter the neck and lower face turn white. It flies on whirring wings and its legs stick out the back. Their call is a hard growling "aaarr".

Guillemots have a fast direct flight but are not very agile. They become much more manoeuvrable once underwater and feed by chasing fish, often travelling many kilometres to find them. They can dive to depths of 180m, though usually hunt at about 50m. Their favourite fish include cod, herring, sprats, sand eels, as well as shellfish like crabs and molluscs.

Between May and July, they nest in noisy cliff face seabird 'city' colonies, where the cliffs are steepest and most perilous. The courtship display includes lots of bowing, billing, mutual preening, and showing off by standing upright and not falling off. The male points his head vertically and makes croaking and growling noises to attract the females. Pairs, once formed, are largely monogamous. Mum and dad come together each year at the nest site. A single pear-shaped egg is laid on a narrow cliff ledge or flat rock and incubated between mum and dad's feet. The nesting spot may be as near as a bill's length from their neighbours! The egg pattern is unique and helps the parents recognise them. Their odd shape is thought to make the egg less likely to fall off if accidentally knocked. The egg hatches after 20 days and the youngster is fed by both parents for 3 weeks, at which point the 'jumpling' jumps into the sea, as it can't fly properly. Its dense, downy feathers and underdeveloped wings allow it to avoid any serious harm. Dad continues to feed the youngster until it can fly properly 7 weeks later.

There are about 1 million pairs nesting in Britain. Most don't travel far and winter in the North Sea before returning to the same cliff face to breed. With swimming and diving in the sea, they can easily become victims of oil pollution, their main threat.

Their Latin name is 'uria aaige' from the Greek 'ouriaa', a waterbird mentioned by Athenaeus, and the Danish 'aalge' , the Old Norse for 'Auk'. The English name derives from the French 'Guillaume', a form of 'William', not a very frightening name for a Mordor Auk. Another name for a Guillemot is a 'Murre', from the sound of their call, which is much tougher sounding.

Puffin

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Like the Kingfisher, the Puffin is much smaller than you expect, smaller than a Woodpigeon. It always gets the full page treatment with its crowd pleasing, clown-like expression. The Puffin is a summer visitor to our sea cliffs. For the rest of the year, they live like duck pirates on the open sea.

The Puffin has a black crown and back, white underparts, an elaborately coloured bill and - bright red feet! When searching for Puffins amongst other seabirds, look for those red feet. The male is marginally bigger than the female, and youngsters are duller, without the colourful bill. Puffins fly with madly whirring broad dark wings, showing an obvious black breast band. Their call is a growling pirate's, "Arr, arr, arr" (without the "Jim lad").

Puffins feed on fish and crabs caught by diving and swimming underwater, using their wings for propulsion and legs to steer. They can catch fish at considerable depths and stay submerged for up to a minute. Favourites are any small fish like sand eels, herring and sprats.

Puffins return to their nesting areas in March, mainly on remote islands, though there are a few British clifftop colonies. They become sociable while nesting, but otherwise are loners, seen only in ones and twos. Their courtship display involves a lot of head bobbing, bill knocking, and standing upright. Unlike many other birds, they nest in burrows on cliffs, often amongst colonies of Razorbills, Gannets and Guillemots. Although they can dig their own, they usually take over rabbit burrows. The cosy nest chamber is one metre from the entrance and lined with grass. Previous pairs will reunite and use the same burrow, giving it a good clear out and redecoration. A single white egg is laid which hatches after 39 days and the chick (puffling) is fed by mum and dad for 40 days. The parents can carry ten or more fish in their bills, which are specially adapted with a series of hooks to hold the fish securely. The main danger to the chick in the nest is rats. The young Puffin leaves the nest at night, to avoid being eaten by other predators like Gulls or Skuas, and heads off for the open sea on its own. It will be 4-5 years before it returns and breeds itself. Mum and dad leave the nesting area in August and they too head out to sea to do their winter moult, during which they are flightless for several weeks.

There are 600,000 pairs nesting in Britain, mainly in the north and west. Sadly, their numbers are falling and they are Red Listed. Threats to Puffins include rats getting onto their rat free islands and overfishing, reducing food availability. Conservation efforts include the removal of the rats from their islands. The oldest ringed Puffin lived to 29 and had a hook.

Their Latin name is 'fratercula arctica' where 'fratercula' is the Latin for 'friar' from the word 'fraterculus' meaning 'little brother', because the Puffin's black and white plumage resembles the robes worn by monks. The 'arctica' refers to their northerly distribution. The English name 'Puffin' -- puffed in the sense of swollen -- comes from the fatty, salted meat of the Manx Shearwater. Puffin is an Anglo-Norman word for the cured carcasses and has no connection with cute Puffins at all. Their brightly coloured bills have given rise to various nicknames, such as the 'clown of the sea' and the 'sea parrot'. Puffins are the official bird of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Our Puffin is the Atlantic Puffin. Two other Puffins, the Horned Puffin and the Tufted Puffin, live in the North Pacific Ocean.

Short-eared Owl

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Short-eared Owls mainly hunt during the daytime, flying barely above the ground over moorland, grassland and salt marshes searching for voles, which are their favourite food. Their 'ears' are two feather tufts that you can only see when they are feeling grumpy or alarmed. You are more likely to see a Short-eared Owl in the winter as northern European Owls join ours on coastal marshes and numbers swell.

The Short-eared Owl is larger than a Barn Owl with a round face and fierce, staring yellow eyes surrounded by black rings to make them look even fiercer. They have a mottled brown body, a streaked breast, and a pale belly and flanks. Their wings are long and narrow with black tips and a dark mark at the 'elbow'. Their short tail has four strong bars. They hover and glide with a few floppy wing beats, feet above the ground. The Short-eared Owl gives a short bark when alarmed but is otherwise silent except when singing its low hooting "boo boo boo" song. Like many raptors, the female is slightly larger than the male and a lot bossier.

Their main food is small mammals such as rats, mice, squirrels, and small rabbits. Short-eared Owls will also eat birds up to Thrush sized and insects and frogs if pushed, but their favourite snack is voles which make up to 65% of their diet. They catch their prey by swooping down feet-first on top of them. Like all Owls, because of the low acidity of their stomachs, they can't easily digest bones and have to eject them as pellets.

Short-eared Owls are able to breed after one year. In spring, the male attracts a mate by doing an aerial display above his moorland territory, clapping his wings below his body and showing off. The nest is a scraped-out hollow on the ground lined with grass and downy feathers, concealed by low vegetation. Mum lays her 4-8 white eggs in March. They are spaced out over several days so that the youngsters hatch at different times. If food is short, only the oldest and strongest survive. The young owlets are fed by both mum and dad. After 15 days they leave the nest to hide nearby until they can fly 35 days later. Breeding success depends crucially on how many voles there are. On a year with plenty of voles, they may even have two broods.

There are about 2,000 pairs of Short-eared Owls in Britain and the population is stable. Numbers increase in the winter, especially on the coast, as Owls come over from northern Europe to join ours. Some of our Owls may move south to southern Europe. Winter numbers can fluctuate depending on food availability. Because Short-eared Owls are of European conservation concern, they are Amber Listed. The oldest ringed Short-eared Owl lived for 12 years.

Their Latin name is 'asio flammeus' where 'flammeus' means 'flame coloured' and 'asio' is the Latin name for a horned owl. We call them ears rather than horns but the flame colour is spot on. There are eleven subspecies of Short-eared Owls worldwide.

Stonechat

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The Stonechat loves having his picture taken. He will happily pose upright on a post while you get a photo of his good side, flicking his wings impatiently. Stonechats need grassy areas for feeding, dense cover for nesting and the all-important posing post for singing. They can be found on heaths in the summer and along the coast in winter.

Stonechats are small and dumpy, a little smaller than a Robin, with a big head and short tail. The male has a black head, white on his neck, an orange breast and a dark brown back. The female has a brown head and a less obvious white neck. She is altogether browner. The youngsters look like mum. They have a white shoulder patch that is visible when flying on their whirring wings, looking a bit like giant bumble bees. Their call is a harsh "tac tac" like two stones being tapped together and hence their Stonechat name. 

Stonechats drop to the ground to feed. They are mainly insectivorous, feeding on caterpillars, moths, ants, spiders and flies, though they will also take worms and snails, and feed on seeds and berries in the autumn and winter. 

They breed on lowland heaths and sites with plenty of gorse bushes, like railway embankments. Stonechats first breed when they are one year old. They are monogamous during the breeding season but do not pair for life. Mum builds an untidy cup of leaves close to the ground under a bush which she lines with hair, wool, and feathers. She incubates the 4-6 greenish-blue speckled eggs with little help from dad, who is too busy posing. The eggs hatch after 13 days. Both parents feed the young, who can fly 13 days later. The quick turnaround gives time for 2-3 broods and often while dad feeds the first brood, mum gets on with a second. They do their moult once all the kids have left home and then move down to the coast for winter.

Stonechats are partial migrants. While many stay here, some migrate to southern Europe. There are 60,000 breeding pairs in Britain though numbers have fallen because of heaths being turned into farmland and pesticides killing the insects they need to feed. Stonechats can also suffer in severe winters.

Their Latin name is 'saxicola rubicola' where 'saxicola' means 'rock dweller' from the Latin 'saxum' for 'rock' and 'incola' for 'dwelling in'. The 'rubicola' is a combination of 'rubus' for 'bramble' and 'incola' again, giving a 'rock and bramble dweller' which is pretty close. Another local name is the 'gorse chat'.

Bittern

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Another very secretive reedbed bird. The booming call of a Bittern is unmistakable, like someone blowing across the top of a very large milk bottle. Despite its size, it is tricky to spot being a master of camouflage, you can look right at one and not know it's there until it blinks. Bitterns are loners and spend a lot of time standing still. When you do see one, it is magic.

The Bittern is brown, streaked with black and buff to match the reeds. It has a black crown, long dagger bill, and huge light green feet. It flies owl-like on broad rounded wings with its neck hunched up like a Heron's. When alarmed it points its bill skywards and sways to mimic reeds in the wind. The deep booming call is heard mainly between March and July, typically at dusk, and the low note can carry for up to 5km!

Bitterns eat mainly fish, especially eels. A bit of a cockney geezer. It will also snack on small birds and amphibians. It searches for food with the tip of its bill, which makes it vulnerable if the water freezes over and it can't get its bill through the ice. Many will die in a harsh winter.

Bitterns return to their breeding grounds in spring. The male Bittern defends a large territory and uses his booming call to attract one or more females. Once he has done his business, like a good East End lad, he leaves the missus to do everything. She makes a nest from a heap of dead reeds and lays 4-6 eggs which hatch after 25 days. The youngsters leave the nest after 15 days and are cared for by mum until they can fly 50 days later. The youngsters disperse from the breeding ground in late summer and may visit smaller reedbeds and riverside marshes as they move about to find their own patch. Young Bitterns can breed after 1 year and their average lifespan is 10 years.

Many Bitterns stay within their territories, though some northern Bitterns will move south in autumn and be joined by others from northern Europe. There are 160 breeding pairs in Britain with numbers swelling to 600 in winter. There are about 29,000 Bitterns across all of Europe. The drainage of wetlands and the removal of eggs by egg collectors nearly wiped Bitterns out in Britain. In 1997 there were just 11 males left. Thankfully, their numbers are now steadily rising. The small numbers and their nature reserve dependency make them Amber Listed.

Their Latin name is 'botaurus stellaris' where 'botaurus' is derived from the Latin 'bos' for 'ox' and  'taurus' for bull because of the bellowing call. The 'stellaris' is Latin for 'starred' and refers to the Bittern's speckled plumage. The English name is a corruption of the Latin. Other names include; 'bog thumper', 'bull of the bog', 'bog hen', 'boom bird' and 'bottle bump'. Imagination runs wild when things are hard to see.

Bearded Tit

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The Bearded Tit lives exclusively in dense reedbeds. It is hard to see but easy to hear with its distinctive metallic "ting ting" call. A very sociable chap, sharing his patch with lots of mates. It is another badly named bird as it isn't a Tit and doesn't have a beard.

Bearded Tits are a similar colour to dead reeds with an orange-brown body, a blue-grey head, and a droopy black patch under their eyes (like their mascara has run). They are long-tailed with a delicate wing pattern and a small orange bill. The female has a plainer head and the kids look like mum. They are usually seen flying rapidly in a looping flight across the top of a reedbed showing their white outer tail feathers.

Their main foods are insects and spiders in the summer, then switching to moss and seeds in winter when insects are scarce. Bearded Tits don't have teeth, and their bills aren't powerful enough to crack open the tough seed shells, so they have to eat grit which helps them grind the hard seeds into a digestible pulp. 

Bearded Tit breeding starts in April. Both mum and dad build the nest which is a deep cup of reed leaves and vegetation built amongst the reed stems and lined with fluffy seed heads. These guys are all about reeds. The 4-8 eggs hatch after 11 days and the youngsters can feed themselves after a week. They can fly 12 days later which gives mum and dad time to squeeze in 2-3 broods. They do their moult between June and October once all the kids have left home.

There are 700 pairs of Bearded Tits in Britain. Numbers fell because of the drainage of wetlands. Their numbers are now slowly increasing thanks to reedbed conservation. Most birds are sedentary but when numbers get large in an area, this can cause a mass 'irruption' to other areas in autumn. Bearded Tits from Holland have been known to come here to overwinter. They are very sensitive to severe winter weather and the cold winter of 1947 nearly wiped them out. The oldest recorded Bearded Tit lived for 6 years.

Their Latin name is 'panurus biarmicus' where 'panurus' is from Ancient Greek 'panu' for 'exceedingly' and 'ουρa' for 'tail', a reference to their long tail. The 'biarmicus' is from 'Bjarmaland' part of Russia where, presumably, they were first spotted. Another English name is the 'bearded reedling', which is better as they are not related to Tits but still wrong on the beard front. 

Reed Bunting

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The Reed Bunting is one of the few wetland birds that didn't decline when reedbeds were drained. It simply moved to drier areas and nobody knows why. The male Reed Bunting is a dapper fellow with a jet-black head and white moustache, often singing his "zinc zinc zinc zonk" song from a prominent perch, like someone learning to count from one to four.

The Reed Bunting is sparrow-sized, but slimmer, with a long, deeply notched tail. The male has a black head, a white collar and his all-important drooping white moustache. Females, winter males and youngsters have streaked heads. In flight, the tail looks black with broad, white edges. They have stubby seed eater bills and dull wing bars.

Although Reed Buntings will eat insects, their chief food is seeds and they are often seen feasting on seed heads. Reed Buntings will also visit garden bird tables for seeds, especially in cold winters.

Nesting starts in April and finishes in late August. The nest is built amongst the ground vegetation by mum, usually near water, but it can also be on an arable field, especially oilseed rape. It is made from grass and moss and then lined with finer material. The 4-5 olive-grey eggs hatch after 13 days and both proud parents feed the young. If a predator comes near the nest, mum and dad will feign injury in an attempt to draw the predator away from where the nest is hidden. The youngsters can fly after a further 10 days which gives time to have 2 or 3 broods. Mum and dad do their moult between July and November once they have finished raising the kids. They do a second moult between March and May when dad gets his dapper black head.

Reed Buntings mostly stay put, but some move southwards or to lowland areas in autumn. A few from northern Europe arrive to overwinter here too. They form winter flocks with other finches and buntings. There are about 250,000 pairs in Britain and the population is stable.

Their Latin name is 'emberiza schoeniclus' where 'emberiza' is from the Old German 'embritz' for a bunting. The 'schoeniclus' is derived from the Ancient Greek 'skhoiniklos' for an unknown waterside bird. The 'emberizidae' bird family contains around 300 seed-eating species, the majority of which are found in the Americas. Our Reed Bunting is most closely related to the Japanese Reed Bunting and the Pallas's Reed Bunting. The English name is from where it is mainly found. Another name is the 'reed sparrow'.

Reed Warbler

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The Reed Warbler is a shy 'steady Eddie' of the reedbeds who remains hidden. He sings at a constant beat, repeating one phrase several times before smoothly spinning into the next. You could dance away to it. Like the Sedge Warbler, the Reed Warbler is a summer visitor from central Africa, arriving in April and leaving in September. Unlike the Sedge Warbler it, more sensibly, makes the journey in short stages.

The Reed Warbler is smaller than a Great Tit. It has plain unstreaked brown upperparts, a white throat, paler underparts and a rich brown rump. The bill is dark and looks long for its size. It has a very faint eye stripe unlike the bold one of a Sedge Warbler. It is a bit of a brown job. Like most warblers, mum and dad are identical and the kids are a richer buff colour. They sing from within the reeds and are rarely seen on a perch.

Reed Warblers eat insects, spiders and small snails which they find amongst the dense, waterside vegetation. 

Normally a bit of a loner, the Reed Warbler breeds in reedbed colonies as this gives them better protection from ground predators. The males return two or three weeks before the females and, once hooked up, are usually monogamous. The nest is built entirely by mum. It takes her four days to build the initial cup of grass, reed stems and leaves, and another three days to finish lining it with finer materials to her satisfaction. In May, she lays 3-5 pale green speckled eggs at daily intervals. Both mum and dad incubate the eggs and have to keep a careful watch as they are favourite victims of the dastardly Cuckoo which will lay its own eggs in their nest. The eggs hatch at different times after 9-12 days. Only the eldest chick survives in wet summers with few insects. The chicks are fed by their parents and can fly after 10 days, but stay with mum and dad for 2 weeks. There are often two broods. Like the Sedge Warbler, mum and dad do a partial moult after breeding before finishing it off once back in Africa.

The largest concentration of Reed Warblers is found in East Anglia and along the south coast. Very few breed in Scotland and Ireland. About 130,000 pairs come to Britain in the summer. The biggest threat to them is the loss of breeding sites because of drainage. The longest-living Reed Warbler was 12.

Their Latin name is 'acrocephalus scripaceus' where 'acrocephalus' is from the Ancient Greek 'akros' for 'highest' and 'kephale' for 'head' like the Sedge Warbler. The 'scirpaceus' is from the Latin for 'reed'. Another English name is the 'reed wren'. It would be much better if scientists listened to the locals as this is a perfect name. There are ten subspecies of Reed Warbler and our Common Reed Warbler looks very similar to the Great Reed Warbler, except it is, of course, bigger and has a stronger eye stripe.

Sedge Warbler

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The Sedge Warbler is a summer visitor that loves to hide in thick vegetation or reedbeds near rivers and lakes. They arrive in April and return to Africa in the autumn making an awesome 4,000km non-stop flight across Europe, the Mediterranean Ocean and the Sahara Desert.

It is smaller than a House Sparrow with streaked upperparts, pale underparts, a black crown, and a prominent white eyebrow stripe. Its yellowish-brown rump is visible in flight. Youngsters are like mum and dad but yellower. The Sedge Warbler's song is very similar to a Reed Warbler's but you can tell the two apart as the Sedge Warbler's song is more jazzy, fast-flowing and off-beat, often sung from the sky or a high perch. They sing a mix of harsh churring and sweeter notes with each verse in a different rhythm, often singing non-stop for a minute or two.

Sedge Warblers chiefly feed on insects like flies, beetles, and spiders. They will also eat snails, worms and the occasional berry in autumn. They find most of their food low down in the vegetation. Their feeding techniques include 'picking' insects from underneath leaves, while perched or hovering, and 'leap-catching', where they grab an insect as it flies past. They cleverly take advantage of the low temperatures around dusk and dawn when their prey is less mobile. They have a big feed up before their epic migration, doubling their body weight.

The best breeding territories are grabbed by the earliest arriving males, who then sing to attract a female, never singing the same song twice, adding new riffs to impress the jazz-cat girls. The Sedge Warbler finishes singing as soon as he has a mate. The music struck mum then builds a nest from a cup of grasses, moss and spiders' webs lined with soft hair and plant down. It is woven around plant stems off the ground. She lays 5-6 eggs in May and incubates them until they hatch 13 days later. Both parents feed the young. The youngsters can fly after 13 days. With that fast turnaround, there are often two broods. The family then moves to pre-migration areas to bulk up. Mum and dad do a partial moult, then set off ahead of the kids and finish moulting once back in Africa. 

Sedge Warblers suffered a large decline in the 1970s and 1980s because of droughts in Africa but their numbers are now recovering. It goes to show that everything, not just people, suffers in a drought. About 300,000 pairs breed in Britain and their breeding success depends on good wetlands and marshes. The oldest ringed Sedge Warbler was 8 years old.

Their Latin name is 'acrocephalus schoenobaenus' where 'acrocephalus' is from the Ancient Greek 'akros' for 'highest' and 'kephale' for 'head'. The people naming it actually meant 'sharp-pointed head' but got their Greek a bit mixed up. The 'schoenobaenus' is from Ancient Greek 'skhoinos' for 'reed' and 'baino' 'to tread'. Reed walker is a lot better. The Sedge Warbler is closely related to the similar-looking Aquatic Warbler found in Poland and Russia, which occasionally passes through on its own way to Africa. The English name comes from its singing in the sedge (grasses and rushes). Another local name is the 'sedge reedling'.