The English love their birds

Written by Jack Sanders
Thursday, 21 June 2012 10:08

A Jackdaw, common in England, is a small crow with a gray patch at the back of its head. Says one British guide: “A firm favourite for its cheeky appearance and sociable behaviour. Like the other members of its family, it is highly intelligent and adaptable, and has learned quickly to take advantage of human beings.” This one was photographed in Port Isaac, Cornwall (for fans of “Doc Martin,” Port Isaac is the Portwenn of the British TV series).Years ago our family had a cuckoo clock. Powered by chain and weight, the wooden clock hung on the wall and hourly, as a nondescript bird popped out of a window, it “cuckooed.”

I had never thought much about the sound, other than to guess it represented some exotic bird that lent its name to the clock. 

Two weeks ago, while walking across a heath toward Hengistbury Head below Christchurch, Dorset, in the UK, I heard a real cuckoo. It was as if my old clock were sitting in the hedge about 50 feet to the south of our path.

In fact, I was as surprised at its likeness to the clock as I was by the fact I was hearing an uncommon British bird.

The cuckoo is like our North American cowbird: it lays an egg in the nest of another species, one each in up to as many as 25 nests a season. The hatchlings then proceed to kick out the parents’ offspring, and parents wind up feeding the cuckoo kid, often a bird much bigger than they are.

We were spending two weeks in England, not just to see the sights and not really to do any birding — it was a time of family gatherings (both of our sons married women born in Britain and whom they met in the states, and we were visiting our daughters-in-law’s families).

We did enjoy the many birds we happened upon, and were fortunate enough to have as our birding adviser, Paul Brennan, father-in-law of son Mike. Paul is well versed in local wildlife and he is a serious birder. He would point out the various species we were seeing and offer interesting observations about them — birds like the nervous little Pied Wagtail, the many noisy Jackdaws and Magpies, tits, robins, Woodpigeons, and Green Woodpeckers. He even saw the cuckoo on the heath — I just heard it.

Birding in Britain seems more sophisticated than in the states, and two of the books Paul showed me demonstrated how dedicated British birders are to their hobby. One was a popular field guide, The RSPB Handbook of British Birds, by far the best “bird book” I’ve ever seen. It contains not only extensive identification information, but also a “biography” of each of species, featuring behavior, breeding biology, habitat, range maps, voice, food and feeding, seasonal movements, and conservation. It even tells how long each species may live, and how many breeding pairs are believed to be found in the country.

The RSPB is the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, England’s equivalent of the National Audubon Society. 

Even more amazing was a book Paul gave me, called Dorset Bird Report 2007. Despites its lackluster title, this 192-page paperback, printed on glossy stock, offered extensive information on all the species sighted during that year, where they were, and how often they were seen. And it’s loaded with locally taken photos.

Annually since at least 1977, the Dorset Bird Club has published editions of this book, covering a British county that has only about 400,000 people (Fairfield County has more than 900,000). Yet this is a professional, readable, and fascinating guide to the Dorset bird world. The 2011 edition is about to be published.

The book provides charts, tables and notes, as well as interesting overviews. Take, for example, these comments on the Marsh Harrier (a kind of hawk): “Uncommon migrant and winter visitor; bred in Poole Harbour until 1962. Now moved from Red to Amber list due to population recovery. A fairly typical showing, with more sightings in autumn than in spring. This is another species whose status in Dorset reflects the increase in the United Kingdom population. 15 years ago, there were just 6 records of spring migrants and only 12 autumn birds, compared with minima of 14 and 24 in 2007. However, Poole Harbour used to support 2-3 overwintering and now has very few winter records; the Weymouth area seems now to be more favoured. Observers at Lytchett Bay commented on 2007 as ‘another dreadful year’ while the wardens at Radipole Lake reported a good year for the species....” 

There is also information about what was seen by month (including a report what the weather was like that month), all based on data from some 300 reporting club members and others.

The book, which costs only about $13, is unlike anything I’ve seen in America.

Another sign of England’s interest in birds is a very popular BBC TV series, called Springwatch (and its equivalent Autumnwatch). This live nightly hour-long show, broadcast in prime time, covers what’s going on with British wildlife in the spring and the fall, but most of each show it is devoted to birds. 

Clearly, the British take their birds a bit more seriously than do we Americans.

Coming up

including a pontoon boat tour, Tuesday, July 24, 9:45 a.m. to 3 p.m.; $15 cash for the boat tour, Bedford Audubon, depart Bylane Farm, 35 Todd Rd., Katonah at 8:30; register at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 914-519-7801, bedfordaudubon.org.

Copyright 2012 by Jack Sanders. Send sightings or comments to: jackfsanders [at sign] gmail.com, or to Bird Notes, Box 1019, Ridgefield, CT 06877. If you need help identifying a bird, try your local nature center. If you find an injured bird, call wildlife rehabilitator Darlene Wimbrow of Redding, 203-438-0618, Wildlife in Crisis of Weston, 203-544-9913, or Wild Wings of Greenwich, 203-637-9822. The columnist’s website is www. sandersbooks. com.