FIVE TO FIND IN OCTOBER

Every birdwatcher loves October. And with good reason. This is a month when anything can turn up, birds are changing all the time and birding is super-exciting. Here are five exciting birds to see during the month.

1 BLACK REDSTART

Black Redstarts famously ‘colonised’ urban areas (including bomb sites) after World War II, in tiny numbers. Since then, the breeding population has remained very low (currently probably fewer than 100 pairs), despite it being a very common breeding bird across much of continental Europe. They are more numerous during passage periods, especially in October. Like most chats, though, the birds we see at this time of year are usually in relatively dull plumage, rather than the breeding black. So, look for a dusky, Robin-sized bird with a small splash of white in the wing and a quivering orange tail.

2 GREY PHALAROPE

Unlike its relative the Red-necked Phalarope, the Grey Phalarope does not breed in the UK. They spend most of the year (when not breeding) out at sea. But, we can see them in small numbers (a few hundred) in winter, and particularly during autumn migration, when storms blow them inshore and even to inland water bodies. Like all phalaropes, they are surprisingly small birds, particularly for birds which habitually swim. This can even confuse local birds (especially gulls), which mistake the little spinning waders for birds ‘ in trouble’ on the water and come to investigate. Probably easiest told from Red-necked Phalaropes by the slightly thicker bill (which is still quite fine and straight, so requires a decent look); but luckily, these birds can be amazingly tame, allowing all details to be seen.

3 GLOSSY IBIS

The Glossy Ibis is, like many long-legged wading birds, a species which has expanded its breeding distribution westwards and slightly northwards in recent years, breeding now in France. Not so very long ago, it seemed like Glossy Ibises were everywhere in the UK and were on the verge of widespread colonisation. But they have once more become scarce, bordering on rare. Either way, they are great birds to see. Not exactly beautiful (except perhaps in their truly glossy breeding plumage), but quirky and strange, which makes them interesting. Look for something like a large, all dark, thicker-billed Curlew in wetland habitats, or damp fields; wherever they can probe or pick for food.

4 CRANE

Once a very rare visitor and extremely rare breeder, Cranes have become almost expected at some sites, and these massive birds are not quite the head-turners they once were. They are still scarce and localised birds, though, and are always shockingly massive (towering above Grey Herons, for instance). Cranes spend much of their time in damp fields or marshland, usually a good distance from Man, as these are shy birds. They are at their magnificent best in flight, when the long straight wings look more like those of a swan than a heron; the neck is extended (unlike a heron) and the feet project well beyond the short tail on long dark legs.

5 AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER

One of two species which used to be called ‘ Lesser Golden Plover’ (the other being the Pacific Golden Plover), the AGP comes from North America, of course, and is the more numerous of the two. They are smaller and darker than Golden Plovers, with a much more striking supercilium (pale ‘eyebrow’), in all plumages; and grey, not white, underwings. Juveniles are notably grey birds, so be careful to eliminate the much larger Grey Plover, when claiming one as a find.