Bird Photographer of the Year, Collection 10

Another year goes by. It seems just yesterday that I reviewed Bird Photographer of the Year, Collection 9. And now, if a little late following the first package going missing in the post, Collection 10 arrives via a knock at the door from Parcel Force. 

Princeton’s Bird Photographer of the Year, Collection 10 celebrates bird photography from around the world, and as the sub-title explains this is the tenth iteration via a large format “coffee table” book of 11×9 inches. This is a perfect size with which to grab a cup of coffee, fully open said book onto a knee-height table and to then absorb the 250 or so fabulous photos. 

Bird Photographer of the Year Collection 10 

Opening the early pages reveals the categories of winning entries together with the “special awards”, a list that follows a helpful, logical order enabling a reader to quickly locate their own specialism. In the case of myself, all of the categories apply except perhaps the concept of Creative Perspective, but one ideal for photographers of an artistic intent. 

Categories - Bird Photographer of the Year Collection 10

 

Working slowly through the pages a reader will find close to each entry the photographer’s words around the how, the where and the when of the shutter clicks that captured their winning shot. These notes and explanations of the occasion of the photo detail a wealth of technological data for camera enthusiasts, amateur and professionals alike. Here is information about the camera make, the lens, shutter speeds, the aperture and the relative ISO for readers seeking to emulate or better the winning shot. It's a learning curve for sure in allowing us all to perhaps experiment a little more with our accustomed dial settings.

Free Whale Shower - Bird Photographer of the Year Collection 10

Free Whale Shower - Bird Photographer of the Year Collection 10

Almost without exception the pictures come from the leading makes of Canon, Sony, Nikon in either DSLR or mirrorless form with just the occasional Olympus. If only it was so simple because despite the technical data, these stunning pictures in isolation cannot explain a winning photographer’s vital skills in field craft, experience, empathy and the lying in wait in often inclement weather. And of course a photographer's knowledge of how birds behave under many different circumstances of the season, time of day, weather and external influences. 

An encounter with a bird or birds is impermanent, a one off, never to be repeated again, hence why, and to the annoyance of some, a photographer’s need to keep the button pressed until the buffer is full to bursting. Everyone is after that world beating picture as displayed in Collection 10. However those setting out in pursuit of birds with slightly less costly equipment should not be discouraged but instead take heart and advice from the stories here that luck, perseverance, timing and field craft are vital elements in taking that special picture.  

Northern Harrier and Grey-headed Fish Eagle - Princeton

As I penned these words while recalling my favourite pictures from Collection 10, I ran out of superlatives. In no particular order - breathtaking, captivating, exceptional, extraordinary, fantastic, phenomenal, stunning, striking, unique, evocative, impressive, mesmerising, timeless. 

Anhinga in Florida - Princeton

There is an overall victor of BPOTY with both winners and runner ups in all of the categories listed in the opening pages. Meanwhile the link to Princeton's page about the book  - Princeton does not feature many of the winning pictures, and where in my opinion, those featured are not the best of the fabulous 250 pictures described here. 

Princeton are right to expect that people buy and enjoy the whole book of 250 images with their corresponding and instructive information rather than a cursory scan of half a dozen images on a PC or mobile phone. However, for those yet to decide whether to spend £35 on this book it’s possible to view a better selection of the category winners at https://www.birdpoty.com/2025-winners.   

I interspersed the review with a few of my own favourites, however a reproduced image via a computer screen is not the ideal way to judge this book. Despite the drains and demands on all of our finances in these difficult times £35 is a relatively small sum of money to own a copy for future reference and/or to revisit on many a dark winter’s day. 

Flamingo - Bird Photographer of the Year Collection 10

And as we approach the Chrismas festival of late December, other than the latest bells and whistles camera and lens that could cost £10,000 - £15, 000, what better gift could there be for the birdwatcher in your life than this splendid book?

Price: $39.95/£35.00 

ISBN: 9780691278674  

Published: Sep 30, 2025 

Pages: 256 

Size: 11.25 x 9 in. 

245 colour photos.

PS. To all my friends who enquired after my well being. Thank you so much. Yes, I am well but taking a lengthy break from blogging. Maybe I will return soon with more news and pictures.

Head In The Clouds

Caitlyn emailed me from Princeton ‘I am delighted to let you know about this one-of-a-kind illustrated guide to clouds, cloud formations, and the artists who painted them, publishing in April this year. I really feel that this book would be an excellent one for review and perfect for readers of Another Bird Blog’. Caitlyn is beginning to understand birders. I replied by return, “I agree Caitlyn”. 

 

Clouds - Princeton

 

The author of Clouds: How to Identify Nature’s Most Fleeting Forms is Edward Graham an award-winning lecturer and atmospheric scientist, latterly Editor-in-Chief of Weather, the flagship journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, from 2019 to 2024. His research interests include clouds, historical meteorology, and the influence of weather on astronomy. He is presently based at the University of the Highlands and Islands in Scotland. 

Although not an obvious bird book I saw a tenuous link to birding that other bibliophiles might not. I could also envisage that many birder readers would enjoy learning about clouds or why in Britain we have more than our fair share of clouds. And rain. 

Most birders spend waking hours with their head in the clouds, looking upwards and listening, to where clouds often hide the real objects of their affections, their feathered friends. Birds fly above clouds, below clouds and through clouds, winged creatures hidden by those mysterious clouds, the visible masses of tiny liquid droplets, frozen crystals, or other particles suspended in the atmosphere, floating in the sky at differing heights. 

“Clouds that wander through the sky, Sometimes low and sometimes high; In the darkness of the night. In the sunshine warm and bright”. 

Sometimes, birds are seen dropping through cloud and to then land virtually at your feet. Which birder has not read about the Great Fall of September 1965 when tens of thousands of migrating songbirds were swept across the North Sea, deposited from thick clouds to land all along the Suffolk coast?  This phenomenon of clouds releasing thousands of birds happens mostly on the east coast of Britain but can occasionally be observed around our Lancashire coast in late autumn when migratory thrushes are on the move. 

Knowledge and observation of clouds, their formations, height and direction of travel, all combined with a feel for reading the weather are useful tools in a birder’s armoury, skills that make for often memorable days when deciding that a cloudy rain-spattered day is not so bad and that heading out birding may turn up unexpected goodies. 

I was correct. When I checked the Clouds Contents and Index for a mention or two of birds I found none. Not to worry there’s a number of other books about birds and the weather, perhaps the best known being Weather and Bird Behaviour by Norman Elkins, or Birds and Weather by Stephen Moss. 

Clouds - Princeton

Clouds - Princeton

And then in the absence of birds I adopted a different approach and decided to just learn about clouds for a while, especially since the book combines in a unique way, clouds, science and another interest of mine, art. The book combines art and science while showing how to use meteorological techniques to identify the mysterious ever changing sizes, shapes, layers, movement, arrangement and texture of the many colours and varieties of cloud. 

John Ruskin Clouds - Princeton

Taking a lead from typical field guides the  chapters of Clouds are divided into a sort of taxonomic list - The Science of Clouds pages 42 to 135, Mid-Level Cloud Species 136 to 189 and for the cloud listers and twitchers - yes they do exist, at pages 190 to 215, Rare and Unique Clouds. 

And I discovered there is a Cloud Appreciation Society. Check it out at https://cloudappreciationsociety.org/. 

These are lengthy chapters indeed but pages where the text is interspersed with shorter more detailed information, a healthy 140 illustrations, diagrams, plus many reproductions of historic art to elaborate particular points for the reader. I found myself enjoying the art examples and skipping through the sometimes slow moving text in favour of the colour and drama of cloudy skies as portrayed by many famous artists. 

The artists are many, including John Constable’s famous sky studies, the painter of light J.M.W. Turner, the darkening precipitation of Gustav Courbet, Monet’s broken colour, the vivid skies of Vincent Van Gogh. Not forgetting Thomas Cole, he who wisely remarked that clouds “are the soul of all scenery”. 

Starry, starry night 

Flaming flowers that brightly blaze 

Swirling clouds in violet haze 

Reflect in Vincent’s eyes of China blue 

Colors changing hue 

Morning fields of amber grain 

Weathered faces lined in pain 

Are soothed beneath the artist’s loving hand 

Van Gogh's swirling clouds

It was while enjoying the art pages that I finally found a reference to birds and birders. I empathised with the image of Nacreous clouds as portrayed by Edvard Munch in the famous emotional work The Scream and understood why he was screaming. The BBC got it wrong again, the clouds roll in, rain begins and bang goes another birding day, all a birder can do is to scream. 

Edvard Munch - Nacreous cloud

Eddy Graham’s style is an engaging narrative for even the most unscientific reader, mixing his story with essays on the physicists and artists who have explored clouds or pictured them for posterity in art galleries the world over. 

The chosen artists who use cloud to dramatic and often spectacular effect are many and varied with splendid often famous examples found inside the 140 colour pages. This twist to mix the subjects of science clouds with actual and historic art proves to be a triumph of imagination.

Clouds - Princeton

Clouds: How to Identify Nature’s Most Fleeting Forms and the information within provides a learning curve for birders who perhaps enjoy clouds but not necessarily the spits and spots of rain. Clouds are an ephemeral but necessary element of their pastime without thinking too deeply about interactions between the inseparable weather and cloud. 

And lets face it, all birders complain when a bright blue sky allows birds to travel at great height and to so evade both optics and their ever alert hearing. 

Clouds is a little out of the ordinary as a bird watcher’s book especially so when birders increasingly use the Internet and birdy news and even bird identification apps rather than the written word. However the modest sum of £25 for this bird related book will surely expand upon their knowledge and understanding of the birds, the weather, clouds and how they interact to make all of our lives richer. 

Price: $29.95/£25.00 

ISBN: 9780691262482 

Published: Apr 22, 2025 

Pages: 224 

Size:8.5 x 10.5 in. 

140 colour illustrations. 

 

Birds At Rest: The Behaviour and Ecology of Avian Sleep - A Review

Caitlyn of Princeton messaged to ask if I fancied reviewing a newly published book entitled Birds At Rest: The Behaviour and Ecology of Avian Sleep by American ornithologist Roger F Pasquier. I quickly replied “yes please”. 

Pasquier is well qualified to write the book: a career with BirdLife International, the World Wildlife Fund, the Environmental Defence Fund, and the National Audubon Society. He is currently an associate in the Department of Ornithology at the American Museum of Natural History. His books include Birds in Winter: Surviving the Most Challenging Season. 

Although written from the perspective of an American birder and ornithologist, the theme of birds at rest is global in scientific significance and understanding. Birds and how they spend half their lives is a subject for continuing study by birders of all persuasions, irrespective of their geographical location. 

Birds at Rest - Princeton

New World and Old World birds are all descendants of dinosaurs, creatures that roamed Earth some 130 million years ago, one of which, Mei long, was asleep when volcanic ash covered it in the same sleeping position that many birds use now. Mei long (sleeping dragon) was one of many species of small birdlike theropod dinosaurs living in the area of Liaoning, China all those years ago. 

The meaty chapters of Birds At Rest together with a comprehensive index contains many references to European birds and North American birds alike when readers with a particular interest(s) can quickly find the link they need. For example, Eurasian Wren lists alongside House Wren and others of the clan. Likewise there is information about European Pied Flycatcher, Oklahoma’s State bird the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, and a description of how the female Yellow-billed Flycatcher of Central and South America builds a suspended pouch in which to sleep during the breeding season. 

Bird roosts, birds at rest and birds asleep has been a special interest of mine for many years, a fascination that stemmed from the early days of a ringing permit with a desire to learn more about the bird species found at roosts of my local Lancashire area of the UK.  Here was a subject that had been sorely neglected in the past, and where apart from the nationally known Starling roost of Blackpool Centre, there were few published records of roosting singles or roost assemblies. 

An early inspiration to better local knowledge was Peter Barnes who many years ago recorded large Corn Bunting roosts at Marton Mere, Blackpool. Sadly, Peter is no longer with us, the Corn Bunting is near extinct as a local breeding species and the existence of a winter roost of Corn Buntings is but a birder’s dream. 

There followed years of finding, tracking, confirming and ringing local birds at rest - Swallows, Chaffinches, Linnets, House Sparrows, Greenfinches, Redwings & Fieldfares, Blackbirds, waders, Long-eared Owls.  Much was learned from the many data sets sent to the BTO in those years when, unlike now, birds were plentiful. 

This preamble describes my justification, my reason and my desire to read Birds At Rest. To learn from history, and to discover how birds at rest are studied and recorded in the Digital Age of 2025 and beyond when GPS, electronic devices, radio telemetry and light-level geolocators are increasingly used. 

The Contents page shown below is an indication of how readers can enjoy and learn from this book, a volume for ornithologists, experienced birders, and for those on the learning curve of the world of birds. 

Birds at Rest - Princeton

The author has an easy style, a way with words coupled with a comprehensive understanding of birds, cognition gained from a lifelong experience amongst birds and fellow ornithologists. 

Birds at Rest - Princeton

Birds at Rest - Princeton

Birds at Rest - Princeton

 

The chapters contain many fascinating, insightful, often esoteric facts and figures about how birds spend half their lives, much, if not the majority of it previously unknown to me (and I suspect, to a good number of birders). 

We have all seen the massed huddles of penguins maintaining warmth on the Antarctica ice, but how many have witnessed 20 or more different species pressed against each other under rock ledges at 4000 metres in the High Andes? And did you know that Rock Ptarmigans on Svalbard in the Greenland Sea at 74-81° N live through ten weeks lacking almost any light and spend most of all day burrowed in the snow? 

I especially recommend to readers Chapter 10, Human Impacts. As might be expected the overall impact of the human race onto birds that need to rest and/or sleep is negative. Positives such as the warmth of industry, city centres, tree plantations and sugarcane fields are negated by increased light and noise and where living in close proximity to humans has exposed birds to invasive species and predators, impacts that has changed sleeping habits gained from millions of years of bird evolution. 

Birds at Rest - Princeton

I have given a taste only of Birds At Rest. I cannot recommend this book highly enough as a good read. It is original, illuminating, entertaining, educational and fascinating in so many aspects. From whatever direction of approach it is an exhilarating read for the layman or scholar alike and at £30 a throw better value than a subscription to RBA and the dead end of pin-drop birding. 

With a full 360 pages of text, minimal illustrations and no actual bird photographs this book provides a welcome change to the recent glut of field guides from publishers. This is a book to read and one to inwardly digest rather than a Sunday afternoon browser. 

This fine book was released in North America in February 2025 and only now is it published in Europe. Grab yourself a copy. You will not be disappointed. 

Price: $35.00/£30.00 

ISBN:9780691259963  

Published (US): Feb 18, 2025 Published (UK): Apr 8, 2025 

Pages: 360 

Size: 6.13 x 9.25 in. 

26 b/w illus.

 

Goldfinch in Belgium and Seagull Contraceptives

Goldfinches give us a decent number of recoveries, a fact confirmed recently by ACV6977 one of last year’s young that set off last autumn in search of eternal summer and finished up in Belgium. 

ACV697 was caught and ringed at our Oakenclough site on 12 October 2023, a time of year when common or garden Goldfinches occasionally go on to prove to us they can fly further than a neighbour’s garden. 

The morning was a busy one of 61 captures, 30 of which were Goldfinches plus 15 Chaffinches and clearly a typical October morning of finch migration. The Goldfinch was recaptured by other ringers on 12 February 2024 in Roeselare, a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders.  By mid February the Goldfinch could be sexed as a male and then released. 

And by now in mid October of 2024 it may be back in the fields of Flanders Belgium rather than spend the coming winter in wet and windy Lancashire. 

Goldfinch ACV6977

Goldfinch

Goldfinch

Update - ACV6977 was captured again by the same Belgian ringers on 20 March 2024. We don't know for sure but it may be that the location was a feeding station to which the Goldfinch returned on a regular basis.

______________________________________________________________

And now I feel a rant coming on about yet more lunacy of the world in 2024. The gulls get it again, the much maligned creatures make an easy target for the thickos who increasingly seem to run Great Britain. And no, it is not The First of April, just yet another tale of how our elected representatives waste taxpayer’s money. 

Common Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull

A desperate council aims to cut numbers of marauding seagulls – by putting the birds on The Pill. Officials in Worcester are considering doping food with birth-control drugs as part of a “safe sex” drive for randy gulls. Council chiefs have tried for years to reduce the gull population in the city, including hiring hawks to scare them away and taking eggs from nests. 

If the birth-control plan is approved, the council hopes it will lead to fewer attacks on people, particularly in the Blackpole area of the city. 

Councillor Jill Desayrah, a Labour city councillor described the contraceptive option as “safe sex for seagulls”. She said: “I am concerned that the increasing numbers of seagulls are getting out of hand. Many people contact me about the issues caused by having such a high concentration of seagulls around Blackpole.” 

Councillor Desayrah said she wanted to “humanely reduce the number of gulls” by exploring methods used in other countries. "The Pill is already used to control pigeons in Barcelona and Venice." 

She added: “I passed the idea onto Worcestershire Regulatory Services and they are following up on it, seeking permission from the relevant authority. I hope that one or a combination of these solutions will reduce the problem because I do feel it’s necessary to do something as soon as possible.” 

Herring Gull

Black-headed Gull

The city’s annual Gull Population Survey revealed that 376 pairs live in the Blackpole retail parks and industrial estates. This accounts for more than 50 percent of the city’s entire gull population and an increase of three percent in the past year. The majority are Lesser Black-Backed Gulls, which, along with all the other types, is a protected species. 

They are attracted to the area by the many flat-roofed buildings and the waste from food outlets. (My bold PS)

Worcestershire Regulatory Services (WRS) receives complaints from residents about noise, faeces and aggressive behaviour during the nesting season. Earlier this year an order banning people from feeding seagulls in the city centre was scrapped. 

Councillor Alan Amos blasted the decision to axe the feeding ban, saying it would lead to an explosion in the numbers of the “vicious flying rats”. He said: “As a councillor and former mayor of Worcester – where the vicious and brassy flying rats have waged war on residents in recent years, I have witnessed first-hand the problems the UK-wide epidemic is causing. One shop owner told me he’d seen a gull ferociously attack a young child in a pushchair, while a constituent emailed to say her dog had been attacked.” 

A Worcester City Council spokesperson said: “An Annual Gull Report will be presented to the City Council’s Environment Committee on November 5. This will provide councillors with an opportunity to consider a gull management program for 2025.” 

Reading this pile of poo while picturing the posturing and cognitive dissonance displayed by elected representatives at all levels I immediately relapsed into full birder/taxpayer mode.

For instance, gulls must be called gulls, not seagulls, there is no such thing as a "seagull".  And preferably any discussions, proposals and policies should be based upon sound scientific research by understanding and using the correct species name together with the scientific equivalent. Joe Public is entitled to know that elected representatives are fully up to speed with subjects under discussion while being reassured that due diligence has been carried out before ever larger amounts of public money is spent on nonsense vanity projects.

Fish and Chips - Enjoy

Those squawking gulls dive bombing for chips at the beach may seem like nothing more than feathered delinquents but research has revealed that gulls are remarkably intelligent. There's much more to these birds than meets the eye. It turns out that those "criminal acts" and the ability to find new sources of food are in fact signs of incredible intelligence and adaptability, just as Charles Darwin indicated. 

Well I don't know about you Dear Reader but I would suggest that it is the said councillors who need contraceptives so as to reduce their capacity to breed more of the same. 

 

Καλές μέρες. Part One.

May 4th 2026 at 0200 hours. Tiny taxi skidded across the IPhone screen, over the bridge, through the village, heading our way. Five minutes later headlight beams turned the corner to illuminate our cases waiting patiently on the darkened driveway. Howard loaded our gear, spun the car around and headed off the way he came and then towards the M55. Destination Manchester Airport and flight Jet2 LS1729 to Greece. 

Taxi drivers meet so many varied people that they generally like to chat and share news and views on most aspects of life. When I offered my dislike of most sport especially football but my love of cricket Howard changed tack and offered his views on the state of Britain, a subject close to my heart and seemingly that of 99% of his passengers of recent weeks and months. By Manchester we had agreed the right way forward, “right” with varying degrees of rigour and vigour being the operative word. 

Howard disembarked us at the Jet2 end of Terminal 2 where a phalanx of friendly red-tailored youngsters greeted and sorted us in double quick time. It’s no wonder we dumped TUI years ago to now find that Jet2 overall service is superior in most respects; Germanic efficiency is not as it was whereby whole Facebook Groups are devoted to the subject of customer complaints and TUI’s misfortunes. 

Jet2

Reading flight boards is an exercise and education in the geography of deciphering three letter codes of sometimes distant, often nearby destinations. We noted that EGPD is not an airport in Egypt but Aberdeen Airport Scotland and that KACT, Waco in Texas USA was not for us. Board Lower down the unending display we found it – the mystery that JSI = Skiathos with the message “Wait in Lounge”. So we did just that while taking our respective morning pills with a cup of very expensive lukewarm coffee. 

Manchester Airport

As we flew east to the warmth and sun of Greece The Alps below were blanketed in snow, a seemingly icy wilderness where people spend holidays falling over and breaking limbs. It’s all good harmless fun but not for me. The plane manoeuvred lower as it passed over Northern Thessaloniki towards the tiny island of Skiathos marooned in the Aegean Sea some 250 north of Athens. Arriving from an easterly direction with the sound of landing gear slowly unwinding we passed close to the island of Skopelos on our right and Skiathos Town almost directly below. 

Skiathos, Greece

Lumps in the throat formed as we thumped onto unyielding tarmac and the air brakes kicked in with a vengeance. We were back to beloved Skiathos for 19 days and 19 nights. Airport from above 

Without the nonsense of EES we passed quickly through airport necessities. A smile, a “kalispera”,a stamp in a passport, grab the waiting cases and off we trotted into the waiting sunshine. In their infinite wisdom Skiathos had weeks ago decided that during busy arrivals and departure times they would dispense with rules from the Brussels commissariat and instead use a common sense approach in allowing innocent travellers and waiting businesses to enjoy their times and Euros together. 

Maria was waiting with the Jimny, a newish vehicle in a khaki colour that Magda had earmarked for us when she discovered my own purchase of a JB74 in late 2025. While no match for my metallic blue Jimny, the khaki shade seemed the in correct colour with which to blend into the rugged Skiathos landscape. 

Jimny

 

Loaded up we hit the road with a dash and then a splash of water, orange juice, fresh strawberries, butter, Greek yoghurt, a bottle of ouzo and other essentials from Slaventis supermarket along the Ring Road. Slaventis has real live people serving at real food counters. Fish, cheeses, fresh meat, fruit & veg that can be picked and chosen from display by a customer to their own requirements, handed to a staff member to weigh and ticket followed by a cheery “efcharistó” from both. Not your average Tesco experience. slav pics Just twenty minutes later and after negotiating Skiathos’ single roundabout we took in the coast road views to eventually drive into The Almira car park where Anna waited for us at the hotel entrance with hugs and kisses but asking why we were late. When she clocked the bulging supermarket bags she knew the score. View Aghjia We had the best room in the hotel. A private bungalow room aptly numbered 101 with grassy space for two sunbeds, table and chairs and probably anything we asked for. There was a view of the hotel grounds, bar and swimming pools, and over the back a rough looking field with Red-rumped Swallows, Swifts, a resident Little Egret, Night Heron, Grey Heron plus a gang of rather lazy sheep. burds Our long-standing friends Anna Mathinou and husband George (Giorgios) Diolettas run the most amazing hotel and attached Restaurant Oregano. The grounds and rooms are immaculately maintained by a lovely team of friendly people who appear to love Anna and George as much as we do. We remember when George and Anna adopted the Almira in 2017. The old place, then known as The Beltsios was run-down, neglected, the subject of serious family squabbles and not in demand by discerning tourists. It became something of a dump, in danger of falling apart at the seams. At the time Anna worked at Skiathos Town Hall, George was Bank Manager of the Alpha Bank in Skiathos Town when they quit their jobs at similar times to adopt what they saw as a business opportunity and chance to achieve something extraordinary. Entrepreneurship. It’s a quality that is no longer admired or encouraged in Britain an essential business trait now ignored in favour of punishing those who seek to better their own and the lives of their family, to provide work, employ others and to make a creative, happy society for the good of all. No, our useless UK government and politicians can only investigate and introduce ways that we pay more taxes and thus destroy success, divide us and our long standing British culture and traditions. George showed me his PC record, photos of the work that he and his brother did to bring the hotel back to life. They became plumbers, joiners, builders, electricians and anything they could turn a hand to learn. As the pages of the screen turned, so the transformation followed proof on record for all to see. The Hotel Almira with The Oregano is now a leading light of the Skiathos holiday and Tourist Trail, admired by locals and holiday makers alike as Anna and George go from strength to strength. Here’s a few pictures of the brilliant team at Hotel Almira and the lovely, welcoming hotel created by George and Anna. You can contact Anna and George direct or book a stay in Skiathos through Jet2. Happy Days. Part Two with more views and birds later later. pics

Bird Photographer of the Year

Hi Folks. Yes, Susie and I are back from Greece sporting sun tans but very few bird photos, a tale for another occasion. 

DPD knocked at the door. My friends at Princeton posted a book for review, The Bird Photographer of the Year, Collection 9. 

I discovered that the parcel had arrived a week after official launch date of 24 September and that news about the book plus the name of this year’s winner had featured in a number of daily newspapers and periodicals so as to give sales a kick start across the globe. Therefore apologies to my readers who may already know all about this book through reading Amateur Photographer, The Daily Mail or The Times! Maybe even via Positive News, a website devoted to helping more people to get a balanced and uplifting view of the world? 

The Bird Photographer of the Year, Collection 9 is a competition that celebrates bird photography from around the world and as the sub-title explains this is the ninth iteration. As might be expected this is a large format book of landscape size 11.25 x 9 inches, a perfect visual aspect that displays to best advantage the many wonderful digital images therein. 

 Bird Photographer of the Year - Princeton

As someone who claims to be a bird photographer but whose non-inclusion in the book came as no surprise, I took great interest in the images, keen to find out how the photographers acquired the many splendid, stunning images laid out before me. I wanted too the vital technical information of the lenses, cameras and the nitty-gritty of f numbers, ISOs and exposure compensations that camera geeks crave. 

This book features only the best of tens of thousands of images, including the winning and short-listed pictures of those submitted. It presents a vast variety of photos by experienced professionals and enthusiastic amateurs alike, reflecting the huge diversity and numbers of bird and nature lovers across the world. Most if not all of the entrants prove that the best images are won by investing in very expensive equipment; however those setting out in pursuit of birds with slightly less costly equipment should not be discouraged but instead take heart and advice from the stories here that luck, perseverance, timing and field craft are vital elements in taking that extra special picture. 

The competition divides into categories, a good way of allowing differing specialisms to make their mark. Hence there is Bird Behaviour, Conservation, Birds in Flight, Urban Birds, Young Bird Photographer of the Year, and even a Comedy Bird, etc, etc. - 8 Categories and 3 Special Awards. 

Categories - Bird Photographer of the Year - Princeton

Comedy Award - Bird Photographer of the Year - Princeton

Many of the images can be viewed at Princeton via “look inside”. 

Bird Photographer of the Year - Princeton

Tough Fight - Bird Photographer of the Year - Princeton

Cock of the Rocks - Bird Photographer of the Year - Princeton

The images here are more than acceptable from the point of view of promoting the book but do not approach the hard copy here in front of me or the copy you will buy after reading this review. The examples on the web are chosen to give a flavour only of the book, the images in the book the cream of the crop. 

There are many images which are indescribably fantastic and stunning – Bird with Attitude Takes a Walk on the Beach (Peregrine), Oystercatcher Graces the Arctic Sky (a beautiful photo from a drone), Air Traffic Chaos at A Gannetry, or Slow Glider (Northern Harrier). But I challenge anyone to find one image alone above so many others that they could categorically state their choice the best. It is all down to personal choice and a buyer's own bird specialism. 

Bird Photographer of the Year - Princeton

Bird Photographer of the Year - Princeton

Bird Photographer of the Year - Princeton

It is instructive to read a particular photographer's notes on the day of each photo and also to scrutinise the technical data of the actual photos. The latter can only serve to help less experienced picture takers with their choice of camera, lenses and settings. Perhaps too, less experienced toggers will learn something useful from the notes about the use of field craft, bird empathy and bird behaviour before trotting off into the wild on their new found hobby. 

And the Winner Is - When Worlds Collide’ by Patricia Homonylo. A striking image showing over 4,000 birds that died colliding with windows in Toronto. “Each year, more than one billion birds die in North America alone due to collisions with windows,” says Homonylo. “I am a conservation photojournalist and have been with the Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP) working to save window-collision survivors. Sadly, most of the birds we find are already dead.”  

When Worlds Collide’ by Patricia Homonylo - Bird Photographer of the Year - Princeton

The organisation collected the birds and at the end of the year and created the startling display to increase public awareness. Reflected light poses a severe threat to birds. To a bird, a reflective surface like a window can appear to be a continuation of the landscape that is behind them. Consequently, birds may fly straight into windows at full speed. 

The winning photograph is not my particular favourite however I do agree it sends an important message about how the modern world sees birds as collateral damage of the New World Order. 

I was blown away by Bird Photographer of the Year. Collection 9. It is not simply “photography.” It is art via photography, art to make you stare in wonder, art to make you blink in awe at the scene and marvel at the skill employed in capturing the split second. 

A portion of  profits from this book goes to Birds on the Brink, a charity that supports bird conservation around the world. Please buy this book I guarantee you will be delighted and inspired alike.

At £30/$35 this is another Princeton Bargain Buy. 

Price: $35.00/£30.00 

ISBN:9780691263595  

Published:Sep 24, 2024 

Pages: 256 

Size: 11.25 x 9 in. 

`

Out For The Count

There's is a lot of rain due today following a rather "lively" week. Lively as in  mixed and unpredictable rather than intellectually stimulating, a week of windy days and restricted activities.

So for now I’m stuck in at the computer and able to answer a question posed by a blog reader recently - “How are you at counting pickles in a pickle jar and candy in a candy jar...guess that would make for good practice. How do you get your numbers anyway...had to ask?”. 

I’d never thought that counting pickles in a jar could be similar to counting birds but in actual fact the same principles apply. 

Here is a summary of bird counting techniques methods which I and many other birders use when out in the field. I dotted the text with photographs of groups or flocks of birds for readers’ on-going practice and consideration. 

Many birding projects ask participants to count birds, and most birders I know enjoy keeping a count of the birds they see whenever they are in the field. Counting each individual bird seen can be challenging, but it can also provide valuable information for scientific research. As populations of birds change, mostly downwards, fluctuations in counts at the same locality at the same time of year may indicate shifts in pollution levels, habitat loss, migration timing and more. 

One is simple even if it does fly off as soon as the shutter activates. After that things become more difficult.

Little Egret - One

Woodpigeons - How Many?

Annual projects such as the Breeding Bird Survey, Common Birds Census, Garden Bird Survey, BirdTrack, Wetland Bird Survey or the Ringing Scheme are different types of bird census projects which over several years accumulate a massive amount of data about numbers of birds in different locations. The data would be impossible to gather without the help of every participant. However the more accurate a count is, the more useful the data is for conservation projects and ornithological research. 

There are various ways to count birds depending on the birds present, the size of the flock and how the flock is behaving. Techniques include: 

Individual Counts: When just a few, recognisable birds are present, each individual bird can be easily counted without fear of major miscalculations. This basic one-two-three technique works best when the birds are clearly seen and slow moving so that individual birds will not be counted multiple times.

Grouping: Counting birds in numeric groups is an easy method for totalling small or medium-sized flocks. With practice birders can easily learn to count birds not one by one, but five by five, ten by ten, and with practice, fifty by fifty. This allows for a faster count while still keeping the increments small enough for precise numbers. 

Oystercatcher - 240/260?

Grids or Counting in Blocks: This counting system is most often used with larger, single species flocks where the birds are relatively stationary. The field of view is divided into a grid or block of even sections where the birds in one section are counted as close to individually as possible. Multiplying this count by the number of grids or block sections in the flock can give a reasonable estimate of the total number of birds. 

Whooper Swan - circa 65/70?

Selective Counting: When a large flock of birds has some obvious mixed species, it may be possible to selectively count all the birds easily. First, pinpoint the more unusual birds in the flock and count them individually, then use the grid/block technique on the bulk of the birds. This provides not only a good count of the flock size, but also represents the diversity of the birds present. 

Proportions: When a mixed flock has too many species for selective counting, a good estimate can be made by counting proportions of the species present. Similar to the grid/block technique, only one section of the flock is counted, but each different species is noted individually, and the proportions are used to calculate the total number of birds of each species in the entire flock. This technique is best when a flock is heavily mixed and each species is spread throughout the flock. 

Timing: When a flock is moving quickly, it can be impossible to create a grid/block or to count birds individually, since the movement will obscure other birds and make any estimate less accurate. A timing count can be used by focusing on a fixed point the flock is passing, and counting the number of birds passing that point in a certain period of time, such as a few minutes. Then the entire amount of time it takes for the whole flock to pass is noted, and the count is multiplied by the number of increments in that overall time to gauge its full size. This system can also be employed during times of visible migration or massed flight e.g. Swallows, Meadow Pipits or finches passing overhead or through a fixed point. 

Wigeon - circa 70?

Photographs: A digital photograph can be used for an accurate count if the entire flock can be photographed. The photo is then manipulated on a computer or printed out and individual birds are marked off as they are counted. This is a time-consuming method but can be very precise for a reliable count when high levels of accuracy are necessary. 

Sanderling - 65/70?

Practice is essential to develop and refine bird counting skills. The more frequently someone counts birds, the more comfortable they will be with each count made while knowing the data collected is accurate and therefore more valuable. Other ways to enhance the methods of counting birds include: 

Maintaining a notebook at hand to write down a record of birds counted, particularly when counting over a longer period of time. With notes there is less need to “guesstimate”. 

Allow for density when counting flocks, particularly when using grid or timing techniques. Birds are often less dense on the outer edges of the flock, and if grid sections are not balanced a count can be significantly off. 

Work to be as accurate as possible, but when necessary, choose to underestimate rather than overestimate the numbers of birds seen. This will help correct for any inadvertent errors, such as birds that were counted more than once. 

Counting birds can add a new dimension to birding, by not only keeping track of the numbers of birds seen but also making the birding so much more purposeful and useful for conservation science. 

Remember that counting birds may not be an exact science but it is a highly enjoyable one. 

Pink-footed Geese - +500? 

Meanwhile, and in view of the parlous state of  many bird species, I think that very soon there will be very few birds left for anyone to count.

For those of a certain age. Does the Joni Mitchell song from 1961 ring a warning bell?

Insert the word "birds" in place of "trees"

Don’t it always seem to go

That you don’t know what you’ve got ’till it’s gone?
They paved paradise, put up a parking lot.

They took all the trees
Put 'em in a tree museum
And they charged the people
A dollar and a half just to see 'em 

Please log in to Another Bird Blog soon - I'm counting on it.