Hidden birds

Five bird species you shouldn’t overlook for your #My200birdyear

There’s a school of thought that ticking off the birds that you see has nothing to do with proper birdwatching, but, as we hope you are already coming to appreciate through #My200birdyear, and as Mark Golley says on page 30 of this issue, adding new birds to your list, first of all involves getting to know familiar birds well. Really well, we mean – appearance, flight style, songs and calls, behaviour, even their nest type. Once you do, you start to realise there are certain species that you have overlooked. For example, if you’re lucky enough to live near an estuary, you may have spent the winter watching flocks of Dunlin. If you’ve watched them really closely, though, you’ll find that at some stage, you’re able to pick out the similar Curlew Sandpiper and Little Stint. Two extra ticks, yes, but also two subtly beautiful waders you can then appreciate in their own right.

So, here are five species that slip beneath the radar of many a birder. Ian Parsons explains why the Gadwall is worth getting to know over the page, but first try these…