FIVE TO FIND IN NOVEMBER
After the frantic months of September and October, things start to calm down a little, bird-wise, in November. There are still birds on the move, and we are on the cusp of a truly wintery avifauna. Here are five birds to see this month, before the days get too cold and short.
1 STONECHAT
Unlike its close relative the Whinchat (here from spring to autumn), the perky little Stonechat is watchable in the UK throughout the year. They are one of those birds which tend to breed in the north, west and south-west of the country, and in coastal strips, but will move downhill and inland for the winter. Like most chats, they are insect feeders, but unlike most chats, they readily perch in the open on bushes, tall ‘weeds’, and along fence lines, surveying the ground for hairy caterpillars and the like, on which they will pounce. Stonechats are often found in pairs, even in the non-breeding season. Males tend to have dark throats, females’ are paler. Both sexes have orange underparts, dark brown upperparts, dark tails and white shoulder patches.
2 CRESTED TIT
The Crested Tit is about as Scottish as birds get. Indeed, the birds found almost exclusively in coniferous forests of Scotland are of a subspecies, scoticus, which is peculiar to Scotland. These delightful birds can be tough to see during the summer breeding season, but come the autumn, they are relatively easy to encounter, at the right place. They will come to bird feeders and provided seed, but spend most of their time searching among lichencovered pines for tiny invertebrates. Like all tits, they usually betray their presence by their calls, which once learned make locating Crested Tits much easier!
3 JAY
Jays are fun in spring, with their quirky courtship antics. Then they become sneaky and elusive in the summer, before emerging as mass gatherers of acorns and other nuts in the autumn. At this time, most Jays will be seen flying from oak trees, bills laden with acorns, on their way to burying them in the ground, using one of the great memories of the natural world! Jays are, of course, spectacularly beautiful crows, with their gorgeous blue wing feathers balanced with one of the ugliest voices of any British bird; or, if you prefer, the harsh call which gives this smallish corvid its name, is an acquired taste!
4 GREY PHALAROPE
Out of the breeding season, Grey Phalaropes, which are tiny waders, essentially become seabirds. They can be seen ‘at sea’ from the coast or on a pelagic trip. However, with high winds or ‘bad’ weather, phalaropes can be blown inshore or even inland. They are often fearless of humans and can be very approachable, as they spin around on even relatively small ponds. Grey Phalaropes at this time of year look very similar to Red-necked Phalaropes (which are best distinguished by their very thin bills), but the latter winter much further away from the UK and so are far less likely to turn up here.
5 WHOOPER SWAN
The Whooper Swan is one of two ‘wild swans’ which winter in the UK (there is also a tiny breeding population of fewer than 25 pairs, in Scotland). They are about the same size as Mute Swans, but have straighter necks and don’t hold their wings up like sails, when swimming. They are also much shyer than Mute Swans, generally pretty wary of humans, as well as being, unsurprisingly, more vocal (with a barking, honking call). There are about 11,000 Whoopers in the country each winter, often found in large herds, feeding in open fields, frequently quite far from substantial water bodies. Both species of ‘wild swan’ have yellow at the base of the bill and on the lores; in the case of the much larger Whoopers, this is extensive and triangular in shape. Juveniles are similar to adults, but grey and without yellow in the bill (though the pattern is the same).