Nightingales in November

by Mike Dilger

  NIGHTINGALES IN NOVEMBER

  To Zachary – for bringing immense joy into our lives

  NIGHTINGALES IN NOVEMBER

  A Year in the Lives of Twelve British Birds

  Mike Dilger

  Contents

  Introduction

  The Species

  January

  February

  March

  April

  May

  June

  July

  August

  September

  October

  November

  December

  Further Reading

  Acknowledgements

  Index

  Introduction

  Operating as a small set of islands, located at a temperate latitude and positioned just off the edge of a huge continental land mass, the British Isles are blessed with both clearly marked seasons and a wonderfully varied climate. Despite temperatures varying by 25°C between January and August, and daylight hours more than doubling between the winter and summer solstices, our predictably unpredictable climate never quite approaches the searing heat, mind-numbing cold or seasonal deluges regularly experienced in other corners of the world. The weather, however, must never be taken for granted, and the constantly changing seasons have a profound effect on all who live here. Of course we humans can insulate ourselves from the worst excesses of the weather – by opening our windows in the summer and turning on the lights during the dark days of winter – but our wildlife doesn’t have that luxury.

  With spring and summer a time for pairing, mating and rearing in Britain, autumn representing the season of preparation, winter then becomes the time for our wildlife to either hibernate, in an effort to bypass the season completely, or hunker down in full survival mode. Unable to hibernate like our amphibians, reptiles and many mammals, the power of flight has given birds another option – that of simply migrating abroad until conditions improve. Leaving behind those resident birds willing to take their chances here all year round, the ‘fair weather’ summer migrants will simply be replaced as they leave by hardier winter visitors arriving from much colder continental climates. The warming influence of the Gulf Stream and the North Atlantic Drift will ensure those birds spending the winter in Britain are able to positively thrive in the relatively benign conditions offered here, while the long and warm summer months will ensure plenty of time in which to raise broods. When we also factor in the immense array of habitats here – from forests to farmland and estuaries to islands – it is perhaps no surprise that Britain punches well above its weight in terms of biological diversity.

  How and when nature responds to the changing of the seasons is in fact a fully-fledged science. Phenology, in plain English, is the study of recurring biological events, such as flowering and leaf fall in plants, and the hibernation and migration of animals. Certainly in Britain, this kind of data has historically been gathered on little more than an ad hoc basis. However, recently it has begun to be collated in a far more systematic manner, now that its roll in understanding how climate change affects the natural world is better understood. Of course wandering around the Staffordshire countryside as a child in the 1970s and 1980s I was certainly unaware of the term ‘phenology’. But as someone who has always been happiest outdoors, I intuitively understood that Robins were one of the very few birds to sing on Christmas Day, the appearance of a Cuckoo was always the sign that spring had arrived and hooting Tawny Owls meant the descent into winter had begun.

  It’s also a measure of the unique popularity of birds in Britain that I am by no means alone in taking great pleasure from noting down my first Swallow in April, or the precise week in May that Blue Tits start bringing caterpillars back to their brood. I’d like to think a substantial number of us effectively adopt ‘nature’s calendar’ to signpost our year rather than perhaps using the human-orientated dates typical throughout a more traditional calendar. The very fact that the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has over 1.1 million members and the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) rings around a million birds each year certainly shows that both birdwatching and the amateur study of birds have grown into hugely popular pastimes. Right now is also an exciting time to be a bird enthusiast, as cutting-edge technology and advances in filming and photography are revealing more about our feathered friends than we ever thought possible. So it is with these facts in mind that I have attempted to generate this alternative almanac. Compiled from monographs, academic papers, my own knowledge and the most recent scientific developments, I have hopefully produced, in an easily digestible form, a slightly different way of marking the year – through the joy of birds.

  I believe the twelve birds chosen represent the best of British. I’ve picked iconic birds that the vast majority of readers will be instantly familiar with and are most likely to see or hear somewhere, at some point during the year. For several of the twelve, the furthest you will have to search is your own back garden or local park, while others may require a bit more effort to catch up with, due to geographical and habitat preferences, or a certain level of rarity. I’ve selected species with varying and contrasting life histories, so in addition to year-round residents, both summer and winter visitors have been included. Whereas the allegiance of Robins, Tawny Owls and Blue Tits to the Union Jack flag is assured, the nationality of some birds, such as Cuckoos, Puffins and Nightingales, should perhaps now be questioned. Does, for example, being here for little more than six weeks of the year entitle Cuckoos to British citizenship?! Certainly those birds just spending part of their year in Britain won’t see international borders or frontiers in quite the same way we do. Instead they might recognise the Sahara Desert, or a cold and wet British spring, as the key obstacles that need to be overcome if they are to survive long enough to pass on their genes.

  In writing a book like this, I’m aware that dates may not only vary with location, but also change between years. But as many birds are creatures of habit, with a remarkable sense of timing, most of the key events in the lives of each of the twelve birds can be reasonably closely synchronised across most of Britain, in most years. Also, while trying to piece together the jigsaw pieces as to exactly where and what each of our twelve species are up to each month, the realisation dawned on me that even for our most familiar birds, we still know a lot less about their lives than we think we do. The Blue Tit, for example, tops the ‘most intensively ringed bird species’ poll every year, but the specifics as to exactly who they associate with, and how far they range during winter, is still far from clear.

  My great hope is that this book will encourage and inspire all of us to take another look at what the birds in our back garden and beyond are actually doing. Because it’s only when enough people take the time to observe, study and enjoy the behaviour of these fascinating birds that we will finally begin to understand why so many continue their alarming decline… and if anybody sees a Nightingale in November, then please let me know exactly what it was doing!

  Mike Dilger

  December 2015

  The Species

  Bewick’s Swan

  The first arrival of Bewick’s Swans back from their summer break in the Arctic Russian Federation, is always a red-letter day in the life of the few select sites lucky enough to host this spectacular bird in winter. Bewick’s Swans are long-lived birds that tend to practise the art of monogamy, with many parents often staying as a pair, quite literally, until ‘death do they part’. Taking a long, circuitous migratory route from their breeding grounds as a family, these family units will also play an important part in the swans’ winter life too. Those parents returning from a successful breeding season with up to two or three youngsters, who are willing to back
them up in any disagreement with other swans, will quickly become a powerful and domineering unit. Certainly at those locations where many swans are vying for the best feeding and roosting spots, pairs without cygnets and single birds will be pushed down the pecking order as family groups bulldoze all before them out of the way. Feeding on anything from aquatic plants to the remains of cereal and root crops in fields, it is vital that as many calories are consumed as possible before the Bewick’s Swans attempt the tough return leg back north of the Arctic Circle in the following spring.

  Peregrine

  The self-styled fastest bird on Earth, the Peregrine has bounced back from an almost terminal decline in its fortunes, caused primarily by the chemical DDT which was responsible for eggshell thinning certainly into the 1960s. As well as occupying their traditional home of mountain crags and sea cliffs, Peregrines have recently begun to enter our urban landscapes, attracted by the high-rise buildings and never-ending supply of pigeons and other city-dwelling birds. Any established pairs will be keen to stay close to their breeding territory for most of the year, which will usually begin with spectacular display flights, before the first eggs are laid in early spring. Any young successfully fledging will be at the bottom of a very steep learning curve as they take tuition from their parents in the art of hunting. Harnessing their speed and killing techniques will be vital for the young birds as they begin to venture out on their own as summer finally turns to autumn.

  Lapwing

  Also called ‘Pee-wit’ or ‘Green Plover’, there can be few British birds with as many alternative names as the Lapwing. With its big butterfly-like wings, there are very few as characteristic in flight either. A classic bird of farmland and marshland, the Lapwing has a breeding distribution across most of Britain and, despite recent declines, around 150,000 pairs still attempt to breed here each spring. Because of Britain’s relatively mild winter climate, the resident population can be boosted to as high as a million birds by autumn, as immigrants flood over from the colder climate generally experienced in northern Europe. As the Lapwing is a bird that struggles to feed on frozen ground, on the few occasions when Britain in its entirety is hit by sub-zero temperatures, many of these birds will have little choice other than to simply pack their bags and take themselves off for a spot of French or Spanish winter sun – only to quickly return to more familiar surroundings once the thaw sets in.

  Puffin

  The Puffin’s smart summer plumage, ornate and multi-coloured bill and engaging character put it at the top of the ‘must see’ list of most novice birders. But away from its remote breeding sites in northern and western Britain, very little is known about the movements of this truly pelagic and mercurial bird. Returning to their colonies in late March or early April, the Puffins will spend the first few days ‘rafting’ at sea, before finally plucking up the courage to return to terra firma. Pairs often mate for life, and there will be a good deal of spring cleaning of the burrow and cementing of bonds before the single egg is finally laid in late spring. Initially incubated underground by both parents, the chick will then continue its subterranean existence for another six weeks before the strategic withdrawal of food finally sees the youngster forced into action. Emerging at night to scramble down to the sea, the young Puffin will immediately have to fend entirely for itself. By late summer, traditional breeding colonies will once again be Puffin-free zones, as the birds choose to spend the rest of the year out at sea, in a wide arc anywhere from northern Norway and the Faroe Islands, across to Newfoundland and down to the Canaries.

  Cuckoo

  The Cuckoo’s call must rank as one of the most distinctive and iconic calls of any British spring. By manipulating host species like Meadow Pipits and Reed Warblers to carry out the exhausting work of raising their young, once mating and egg laying is completed, there will be little incentive for the adult Cuckoos to spend any more time in Britain before returning abroad. The exact location in which Cuckoos overwinter has been little more than guesswork until recent advances in satellite telemetry revealed that the majority will head for the impenetrable swamp forests of the African Congo. It has also been discovered that on their journey south the Cuckoos will have to choose between entering Africa via Italy or Spain – a case of two routes but one destination! Brought up by foster parents, upon fledging the youngsters must have the African tropics hardwired in as their destination, once they too leave Britain later in the autumn.

  Tawny Owl

  Heard far more frequently than seen, the classic hoot of this most suburban of all our owls, along with the bark of a Fox, must represent the classic soundtrack to a cold winter’s night. Feeding primarily on woodland mammals or birds, many established Tawny Owl pairs will spend their entire lives within carefully marked-out territories, which they will defend both vociferously and physically, particularly during the breeding season. As nesting begins comparatively early in the year, the young Tawny Owls will often fledge well before many summer visitors have even hatched their broods. However, once out of the nest their extended adolescence means they will both be reliant on their parents’ support and tolerated under the same roof until at least the autumn. Only once they have grasped the basic fundamentals of fine dining will they be unceremoniously ushered out by their parents, in order to try and find a territory to call their own nearby.

  Kingfisher

  Spending large amounts of time motionless at the water’s edge as it looks for fish, it is perhaps not surprising that few people not keen on birds have ever had good views of a Kingfisher. When not keeping a low profile, this electric blue and orange bullet can be a remarkably common fixture as it whizzes on whirring wings up and down many clean rivers, streams and waterways across much of lowland Britain. The Common Kingfisher is our only native species of kingfisher, and the majority of individuals will be reticent to move from their summer breeding territories as the days begin to shorten and the temperature drops. In fact most Kingfishers will dig in like a tick during the winter, only ever budging when forced out by competition from other birds, heavy floods or freezing conditions. Even for those birds able to find reliable food sources, severe winters can have a devastating impact on the population. However, with the hardy survivors capable of rearing two or three broods of up to six young in their fortified subterranean nests during subsequent breeding seasons, the Kingfisher is also a bird capable of great powers of recovery.

  Swallow

  Resplendent with its iridescent blue-black plumage, rusty-red face and long tail streamers, the Swallow is surely one of the best known and elegant of all avian visitors to grace our British summer. Clocking up an extraordinary mileage each year, Swallows make the arduous journey to Britain to capitalise on the seasonal yet bountiful supply of insects to rear at least a couple of broods during the long summer days. After moving down towards the south coast by autumn, crossing the English Channel on their southbound journey marks just the beginning of an epic migration, which will entail travelling through Europe and across the Mediterranean, before then flying over the Sahara on their way to southern Africa. Having arrived in their winter quarters, the Swallows will then divide their time between hawking for insects around the legs of elephants and gathering at huge night-time roosts. Only in late winter will they finally begin to leave southern Africa, as they undertake the 9,600km return journey, with the aim of arriving back in the rural British countryside by the following spring.

  Robin

  Most people consider their own familiar back garden Robin to be a year-long resident. But many human residents of Britain’s east coast might be surprised to find ‘their Robin’ could in fact be an immigrant from the continent, with the local breeding Robin having either opted for a break in another neighbourhood come the autumn, or strayed even further afield for a spot of winter Mediterranean sun. While some Robins exercise wanderlust, many individuals will opt to spend their entire lives within sight of their birthplace, by holding a territory right through the winter. Both a very visible and very
vocal presence on their home patch, Robins are able to brighten up the dullest December day with their jaunty song. Already on their breeding territory in early spring, a successful pair should certainly have sufficient time to raise two broods, before the days once again shorten and the available food becomes too scarce to support any more than just one beak.

  Nightingale

  When it comes to appearances, the Nightingale can hardly be called devastatingly handsome, but then who needs to look like George Clooney when you have a voice with more range than Pavarotti? The Nightingale’s rich, melodic and powerful song has been celebrated for generations, but scour the literature and surprisingly little is known about the bird’s life history. Famous for skulking, most birdwatchers can count on the fingers of one hand the number of decent views of a Nightingale they’ve ever had. Arriving in its British breeding grounds in spring, after the most incredible journey which began in West Africa and included both flights around the Sahara and over the Mediterranean, the male must first carve out a territory and find a mate. The main tool the male will use to achieve these twin aims is its beautiful and technical song, which upon arrival will initially be belted out day and night across all southern and eastern counties lucky enough to host this marvellous migrant for a few short spring and summer weeks.

  Waxwing

  Even in the darkest days of winter there is one bird that can be guaranteed to bring a bit of glitz and glamour to a cold day’s birdwatching. With its expressive crest, pinkish-buff plumage, waxy wingtips, and gregarious and confiding nature, there is little not to like about the Waxwing. What adds even more of a frisson to spotting them is that in some years no more than a few hardy souls reach our northern and eastern shores from their breeding grounds across the North Sea and beyond. However, in other years, when a good breeding season is combined with a scarcity of food on the continent, they’ll ‘irrupt’ and head for Britain in their thousands. In these years, it becomes the continent’s loss and our gain, as anywhere from Peterhead to Penzance receives a smattering of these gentle marauding flocks. Seemingly as happy to feed in town as in country, any city with street-lined ornamental Rowans, or garden with Pyracanthas and Cotoneasters, will be effectively laying out the welcome mat for this most benign of invaders.