AA Birdpix, Birds, Travel and More

British Pterodromae A lucky few (probably more than a few by now) will have a Pterodroma  petrel on their UK list. Whilst looking for photos for my webpage  https://www.aabirdpix.com/BRITISH LIST/british-list.htm,  I made an interesting discovery regarding the official British List. Fea's Petrel isn't on it, but Zino's and Soft-plumaged Petrel are. So if you go by the official list you probably haven't seen a British  Pterodroma , unless you were on the Scilly pelagic in 2020, or the northeast coast seawatching in 2021 (the 2025 Cornish bird hasn't yet been accepted).  Let me explain. If you've seen a "Fea's-type" it was almost certainly a Desertas Petrel, but could have been a Zino's. Had you seen it before 2010 (when it was on CategoryA) it would have been a Fea's Petrel, assuming you could have eliminated Zino's. Had you seen such a bird in the last century it would have been a Soft-plumaged Petrel, which it almost certainly wasn...

  Garden Birdwatch I've never taken part in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, a personal view because I don't think the results are scientifically valid, but it does encourage an interest in wildlife, which is far more important. If only government ministers were forced to take part. However, I do keep a garden list for interest. We moved in to a new property in 2007, and overlook farmland, which at that time was used for daffodils. The first week we had a Little Owl on the fence, and Curlews always used to winter in the fields. Obviously such sights are long gone, as are Grey Partridges which have wandered off the fields and down the tarmac in front of the bungalow!   Nothing much has changed in terms of our small cul-de-sac or the surrounding fields, but wildlife has been much affected by other developments in the area which have resulted in much more disturbance, traffic and light pollution, like almost everywhere else in the country. We have always put out feeders, and h...