For Christmas
From new books to old favourites, here are some of the things that every birder should want to find in their stocking this Christmas.
Books
Collins Bird Guide by Lars Svensson et al – the new third edition is due out at the end of the year and promises to be bigger and better than ever. With all of the latest additions plus some new plates it should be on every birder’s bookshelf. You can order your copy from the Bookshop ( www.birdguides. com/bookshop), where a wide range of other titles can be bought.
Birds of the World online
Subscribe to this most amazing online resource. Get access to 10,824 species accounts and 249 family accounts from the Handbook of the Birds of the World. This online version is constantly updated and includes links to photos, videos and recordings. From Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology at birdsoftheworld.org.
Moth trap
More and more birders are finding interest in moths and a moth trap will take it to the next level. Try the NHBS
Moth Trap, recommended by Butterfly Conservation – available from www.nhbs.com. You can also order traps online from onestopnature.co.uk.
Membership of a new conservation group
So you already belong to RSPB, OSME and BTO. Why not branch out and support something new which helps another part of the natural world. Plantlife, Butterfly Conservation, Buglife and Woodland Trust are just a few of the many other organisations worth supporting. Choose an area which interests you and support it! By doing so you will also be helping birds too.
Wi-Fi nestbox cam
Nestboxes are always a favourite but why not make one extra special with an added nestcam. RSPB now offers a nestbox combined with a Wi-Fi nestcam to allow you to watch inside from the comfort of your armchair, streaming live HD video and sound to your phone or other device. Go to shopping.rspb.org.uk.
Trailcam
Keep a watch on what goes on in your garden, by day or by night, with a trailcam. Most offer highdefinition still or video images, are waterproof for outdoor use, and can be easily fixed to a tree or post. Available from RSPB, NHBS and others. Chris Harbard
a broad white band at the back of each wing: easy. A male Ruff might have red legs, too, if a little less striking, but it should look paler, probably greyer, often whiter around the head and neck. The bill is shorter, maybe very slightly downcurved to a tapered tip. If it flies, then look for the rump, which has a dark centre and white sides, the white making two oval patches or, sometimes, a horseshoe shape.
The wing has a fine white central line and, whereas Common Redshank has tapered, pointed wings, Ruff has ‘large’ wings and a more relaxed flight style.
Spotted Redshank will usually look much paler and greyer, far less brown; the bill is long, fine and ever-so-slightly tapered downwards at the tip, with a red base; the legs will be mid-red. In flight, the rump looks grey but there is a white oval on the back; the wings are pale, speckled, but without white; its legs usually protrude much more (but can be tucked forward). A Greenshank, meanwhile, will not look so clear white anywhere on the head but often has streaks of white making a pale line down the nape; the rest is more dark greyish than brown, whiter beneath, much less brown than a redshank. It has a longish bill with a pale base
(no red, ever) and legs that look greenish or yellow-green closeup, or just nondescript ‘nothing’ at a distance. In flight, the back and rump have a long triangle of white and the wings are plain dark, without any white line or band at all. Remember their voices. Common Redshank: bright, fast, bouncy, slightly falling tyew-yewyew; Ruff usually silent; Spotted Redshank a clearly-enunciated sharp chew-it; Greenshank a loud tew-tew-tew. Rob Hume