http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk Birding from around the world Wed, 03 Jun 2026 11:41:43 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/ring-necked-parakeets-sunflower-feast-british-birding/ http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/ring-necked-parakeets-sunflower-feast-british-birding/#comments Tue, 14 Dec 2021 09:31:24 +0000 Nick http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/?p=23250 One day in October 2021 I made a visit to a local woodland, Farningham Woods, but was distracted before I got there by large numbers of Ring-necked Parakeets feeding on sunflower heads along the entrance road to the woods. The sunflowers were grown as a wildlife boundary crop in a strip a few metres wide [...]]]> http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/ring-necked-parakeets-sunflower-feast-british-birding/feed/ 0 http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/brent-geese-arrive-british-birding/ http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/brent-geese-arrive-british-birding/#comments Sat, 16 Oct 2021 17:17:10 +0000 Nick http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/?p=23191 One of my personal key indicators of the onset of autumn is the mass arrival of Brent Geese to the North Kent coast. As early as September small numbers of these migratory geese arrive in dribs and drabs, seemingly disappearing as soon as they arrive and then suddenly large numbers of Brent Geese can be [...]]]> http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/brent-geese-arrive-british-birding/feed/ 0 http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/finding-common-grasshopper-warbler-british-birding/ http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/finding-common-grasshopper-warbler-british-birding/#comments Fri, 21 May 2021 13:52:24 +0000 Nick http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/?p=23052 Common Grasshopper Warbler, Locusteall naevia, is the bird that is usually simply known as “Grasshopper Warbler” throughout Europe. This bird is just one of a group of similar species in the family Locustellidae that are found in many parts of the world and generally these birds are skulking and hard to see. However, when they arrive [...]]]> http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/finding-common-grasshopper-warbler-british-birding/feed/ 0 http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/dunlin-rhynchokinesis-british-birding/ http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/dunlin-rhynchokinesis-british-birding/#comments Thu, 13 May 2021 17:28:57 +0000 Nick http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/?p=23014 Feeding niche and bill evolution specific to prey was shown by Charles Darwin to be an extemely important factor in speciation in birds and this is seldom so obvious than in shorebirds. The wide range of bill sizes and shapes in shorebirds is an obvious indicator to the different feeding techniques they employ and the [...]]]> http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/dunlin-rhynchokinesis-british-birding/feed/ 0 http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/blackcap-warblers-in-spring/ http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/blackcap-warblers-in-spring/#comments Wed, 07 Apr 2021 20:03:37 +0000 Nick http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/?p=22893 Most birders in southern England will have become used to the fact that this species has changed its status from being exclusively a summer visitor to a bird that winters in UK in small numbers. It has been discovered that these Blackcaps that winter in Britain migrate to UK from Central Europe and Scandinavia (check [...]]]> http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/blackcap-warblers-in-spring/feed/ 0 http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/eurasian-skylark-song-flights-in-early-spring-british-birding/ http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/eurasian-skylark-song-flights-in-early-spring-british-birding/#comments Sat, 27 Mar 2021 18:46:15 +0000 Nick http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/?p=22825 Early this morning I opened the window to the sound of Skylarks singing in the early morning sunshine. With grassy fields and arable land right in front of the hosue this is a very familiar sound to me but through the autumn and winter, although skylarks do sing, I rarely hear them sustaining long song [...]]]> http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/eurasian-skylark-song-flights-in-early-spring-british-birding/feed/ 0 http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/oystercatcher-spectacular-british-birding/ http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/oystercatcher-spectacular-british-birding/#comments Tue, 12 Jan 2021 21:10:35 +0000 Nick http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/?p=22735 Eurasian Oystercatcher is one of the most recognisable shorebirds in Europe, within the region its black and white plumage and bright orange bill make it unmistakeable. One Oystercatcher is a smart bird, something that stands out in the crowd, while a small flock is even more interesting to watch because of the noisy, bickering interactions [...]]]> http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/oystercatcher-spectacular-british-birding/feed/ 0 http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/ringed-gulls-at-beddington-farmlands-british-birding/ http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/ringed-gulls-at-beddington-farmlands-british-birding/#comments Mon, 21 Dec 2020 14:50:59 +0000 Nick http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/?p=22678 Although birding is a relaxing hobby that takes birders to lots of interesting and often beautiful places I also find it rewarding to be able to contribute towards a greater understanding of birds which can provide information useful in their conservation. One of the easiest ways I have found of doing this is by reporting [...]]]> http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/ringed-gulls-at-beddington-farmlands-british-birding/feed/ 0 http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/singing-song-thrush-on-a-misty-morning-british-birding/ http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/singing-song-thrush-on-a-misty-morning-british-birding/#comments Sun, 29 Nov 2020 19:54:33 +0000 Nick http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/?p=22655 When a bird is named for its song it is a good indication that its vocalization is something that is worth listening to and when it is heard on a morning with very limited visibility the lack of other visuals really amplifies the effect of this bird’s rich and energetic song. In fact the word [...]]]> http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/singing-song-thrush-on-a-misty-morning-british-birding/feed/ 1 http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/purple-sandpiper-close-encounter-british-birds/ http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/purple-sandpiper-close-encounter-british-birds/#comments Wed, 21 Oct 2020 11:41:11 +0000 Nick http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/?p=22486 The arrival of some birds really gives you a sense of the time of the year and for me when autumn comes around in UK I look forward to seeing Purple Sandpiper. This handsome little wader breeds within the arctic circle but at this time of the year they move further south and small numbers [...]]]> http://dartfordwaffler.co.uk/purple-sandpiper-close-encounter-british-birds/feed/ 0