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The Guardian
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
How to become a birder: 10 easy ways to start this life-changing hobby
I'm assured this is a big deal: on the far side of a field in Thetford, separated from me by a gate, there is a stone-curlew. Jon Carter, from the British Trust for Ornithology, patiently directs my binoculars up, down and past patches of grass until my gaze lands on an austere-looking, long-legged brown bird. 'Quite a rare bird,' Carter says, pleased. 'Very much a bird of the Breckland.' As a very beginner birder, I'll have to take his word for that. My interest was sparked early this summer when a friend introduced me to Merlin Bird ID. Developed at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York, the app records birdsong and uses artificial intelligence to identify particular species – like Shazam for birds. Merlin has added a new dimension to my walks, sharpening my awareness of wildlife I'd ordinarily have tuned out. I can now identify one bird by song alone (the chiffchaff – it helpfully says its name). Having surged through the pandemic, birding may be taking off once more. Merlin has recently been shouted out on the ultra-cool NTS radio station and on Instagram by Sarah Jessica Parker, while The Residence, the recent Netflix whodunnit from Shonda Rhimes' production company, features a birdwatching detective. Birding not only gets you outdoors and moving, but engages you in nature; both benefit mental and physical health. A 2022 study found that everyday encounters with birdlife were associated with lasting improvements in mental wellbeing. Even simply hearing birdsong can be restorative. But how do you go from noticing birds to becoming a full-blown birder? Carter and other experts took me under their wings. Carter is leading me through the BTO's Nunnery Lakes reserve, just south of Thetford in Norfolk. Sixty species of birds breed here between March and August, and more stop over. In just 20 minutes, we spot a dozen or so, including a charming family of great crested grebes. Many birders practise 'patch birding', focusing their entire practice on just the one area, Carter tells me: 'It's quite addictive.' He discovered birding aged 11, when his family moved close to the RSPB's Leighton Moss nature reserve in coastal Lancashire. 'Suddenly, birds became the absolute focus.' But even urban areas teem with birdlife. Nadeem Perera, an RSPB ambassador and co-founder of the birding community Flock Together, got hooked after spotting a green woodpecker in a suburban London cemetery. 'I couldn't get over how strikingly beautiful this bird was, and moreover, that it was on my doorstep,' he says. At the time, Perera was 15 and had just dropped out of school. He was feeling hopeless and disengaged. The woodpecker represented hope and possibility. 'All I knew was that being exposed to birds in their natural environments made me feel good – so I kept on going.' Fifteen years later, Perera can confidently identify most birdsong in London. With more than 600 bird species recorded in the UK, Carter suggests starting with those you're most likely to encounter locally. A field guide such as Collins Bird Guide is the best way to familiarise yourself with different types of birds and helpful vocabulary. By learning a little about the taxonomies – and what distinguishes, say, a passerine (perching bird) from a petrel (seabird) – 'you very quickly learn how to describe the birds you see,' Carter says. But don't feel pressure to become an expert, he adds. 'People can just enjoy being in nature because it's valid and valuable.' Amy Tan, the bestselling author of The Joy Luck Club, became a 'back yard birder' in 2016, following Donald Trump's election. 'It was so depressing – I needed to find beauty again in the world,' she says. At the time, Tan was 64. Birding brought her calm and a refreshed perspective, 'getting distracting and distressing elements out of my head so I could continue with my day'. Soon she became 'obsessed' with birds; at one point, she even stored live mealworms in her fridge. In her book The Backyard Bird Chronicles (a US bestseller, to be published in the UK in August), Tan captures her visitors with whimsical descriptions and drawings. She can now identify more than 70 species – but that knowledge came gradually, she says. 'If you take on too much at once, it's overwhelming, and then you just don't want to do it any more.' Naming birds 'does not have to be a criteria' to enjoy them, she adds. 'It's a very democratic hobby, or passion – or obsession.' Technology can be a gateway to green spaces, as demonstrated by my experience with Merlin Bird ID. It's useful for engaging young people in particular in the natural world, Carter agrees – and perhaps more realistic than urging them to leave their phones at home. The Collins Bird Guide is also available as an app for on-the-go referral (though most birders seem to use the app alongside the hard copy, since the book is easier to browse). Carter also recommends the BTO's free app BirdTrack, which allows users to record their sightings, review those of others, and contribute to research. Some people prefer eBird, which, like Merlin, comes from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Though apps can augment birders' experience in the field, they can also distract from it. Carter says Merlin is best used in addition to your own instincts and identifications, rather than as a replacement – not least because 'it's not 100% accurate'. And by immediately reaching for the app to ID a bird sighting or song, you also risk skipping over steps that would make that knowledge stick or feel earned. I have now started using Merlin only after making my best guess as to what species I'm hearing. I am usually wrong (unless it's a chiffchaff) – but I feel as if I'm training my ear. Birding requires patience, which is at odds with our on-demand culture, Perera points out. That's 'one of the great things' about it – but it can be a tough adjustment. 'This isn't Netflix. There's every chance that you will see nothing. Then you realise: 'Oh, wow, the world actually doesn't happen on my terms,'' he says. 'It humbles your ego a little bit. But it makes you very appreciative of those magical moments when you do see the bird that you're after.' Birding is a widely accessible, even generally free pastime – 'but if you want to do it to a certain standard, you need to buy a pair of binoculars,' Carter says. As a one-off expense, it's worth putting in the time to find a pair that suits your purposes (and ideally try before you buy). Magnification is not the only consideration, Carter says; some have a brighter picture, but might be less sharp. Weight and size are also important. 'It's about finding ones that feel right in your hand.' Premium-brand 'bins', such as Leica and Zeiss, go for more than £1,000. (An AI-assisted pair made by Swarovski – yes, like the crystal – will set you back £3,695.) Budget models have come a long way, but Carter warns against scrimping: 'You're not going to get anything under £150 or £200 that's even really useful. But once you've got it, you're done.' Think of it as an investment, echoes Sam Walker of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) charity. 'You don't have to spend thousands, but it's really key. Even if it's just a small pair of field binoculars, they're going to set you up for decades into the future.' He suggests buying top brands secondhand, available at a fifth or even a tenth of the price of new. Walker's own binoculars and telescope are probably more than 10 years old, 'but it's still great-quality glass'. Birding is often a solitary pursuit, but it doesn't have to be. 'It's a more social hobby than you'd think,' says Walker. He got into birding six years ago when he started working at the WWT, and says the best way to learn is by going out with people with more experience. 'It's much easier to identify birds and retain information, because you've got others there to bounce ideas off. I'm always really keen to not be sat in a bird hide, on my own, in the dark.' Nature reserves and organisations such as the BTO and the RSPB put on birding walks, talks, training courses and events. Joining a local bird club is also a great way to meet like-minded people. Birding may still be dominated by older, white men – but that is changing. The BTO and RSPB both have youth wings, while groups such as Birds & the Belles and Birding for All are working to make the pastime more inclusive. Perera and Ollie Olanipekun co-founded Flock Together in 2020, as a 'birdwatching club for Black and brown people'. Five years on, it holds monthly birdwatching walks and has chapters in Tokyo, Toronto and New York. 'Don't let anybody intimidate you, or make you feel as though you don't belong,' says Perera, who is of Sri Lankan and Jamaican heritage. 'They're just scared that you're going to be better at it than them.' Birders love to log their sightings: the most common records are 'year lists', covering the calendar year, and 'life lists' that include everything. Walker's 2025 list is currently at 130 species, sighted around his Gloucestershire home – but he knows birders with life lists tallying 600-plus. 'You can imagine the amount of time and money that they've spent travelling around.' Many birdwatchers will go to great lengths to secure rare spots. 'It just adds a little bit of magic sparkle to your birding year, and builds up that life list as well.' But even patch-birders, focused on their local area, can get a bit obsessive about trying to catch 'em all, Walker admits. 'People get worried about going away on holiday.' While some structure or system can support your developing hobby, Carter discourages being too focused on outcomes. 'I've seen quite a few young people get into the rarity, list-building thing.' Earlier this month, a Pallas's reed bunting was spotted on Fair Isle in the Shetlands – only the fifth sighting recorded since 1976. Though the bird itself is small and unshowy, excitement levels were high: 'A mostly monochrome masterpiece, this was the stuff of birding legend,' wrote the Rare Bird Alert newsletter. Carter recalls: 'straight away, people were trying to figure out if they could get charter flights, whether there were any boats running …' He advises slowing down. 'Take your time; learn to really love birds.' Tan decries some birdwatchers' elitism, and dismissal of common species. 'They'll call a starling or sparrow a 'junk bird'; I think that's horrible.' She approaches birding as a practice of observation, and even mindfulness. 'You can start noticing what a bird is doing – these ordinary behaviours that we don't always pay attention to.' Tan also studies the pecking order playing out at her feeders. 'Trying to decipher the relationships – that's part of the fun,' she says. Drawing each bird pushes her to focus on easily missed details such as bill shape or foot colour, and 'the way that each individual bird is actually constructed'. Keeping a journal or a diary (as The Backyard Bird Chronicles began) helps 'anchor' her practice, Tan says. 'It's a good brain exercise, if you're a writer, but also just for remembering the things that made your life so meaningful and joyful.' Once you're familiar with your patch and its regulars, you can start attuning yourself to seasonal variations. Many migratory birds arrive in the UK during the spring, staying for the summer and leaving just as winter visitors are descending. The time of day and the weather affect sightings, too. Birdlife is typically most active at dawn and dusk. While rain can worsen visibility and make some species less active, it enlivens others and causes them to fly closer to the ground, making them easier to spot. Strong onshore winds can blow seabirds towards the coast from open water, and cause migratory species from North America, Europe or Asia to make a pit stop on British shores. Just a short drive or train ride can transport you to a different habitat hosting unfamiliar species, Walker says. 'Even in London, you can get out to heathland or down to the coast.' The eBird and BirdTrack apps, alerting on recent sightings and particular hotspots, can give you a sense of what to look for – but in general, Walker says, 'being out and always birding is the best place to be'. As well as offering an escape from screens, work and day-to-day stresses, birding can deepen your investment in nature. You might notice the changing climate in your area, or get involved in local efforts to protect green spaces. 'It connects you to it, so you care about it, and you're concerned when someone wants to fill in your local pond or build a road through woodland,' says Carter. You can contribute to science and conservation efforts by logging sightings on BirdTrack, adding to a national database of 'what's where and when'. The BTO also conducts regular projects and surveys – of wetland birds, breeding birds or garden birds – involving thousands of volunteers each year. Even beginners can play a part, says Carter. 'Every record is of some value: if you identify only half the birds you saw, that half is still really useful. You don't have to be an expert in telling one weird wader apart from another weird wader – there are always people who are good at that.' The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan is published in the UK by Corsair (£20) on 7 August
The Guardian
16-06-2025
- The Guardian
‘I feel as if we could be in Scandinavia': exploring the Norfolk that time forgot
The small white signs with red lettering are dotted through the landscape: 'Military training area – keep out'. It adds to the eerie feel of unusually quiet roads and twisted Scots pines, which gather the long summer dusk around them. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. But when we arrive at our accommodation on an old farm bordering a forbidden area where the British army conduct secretive manoeuvres, the whole place sings with peace. A red kite cavorts in the breeze over handsome parkland, a cuckoo calls and, down by the Wissey, a gin-clear chalk stream, reed warblers chunter from deep within the rushes. If ever a region deserved to be its own county, it's Breckland. This is a unique swath of south Norfolk and north Suffolk dominated by sandy heathland. It has an unusually dry climate more typical of central Europe and is notable for its rare plants and birds. Once an area dominated by inland sand dunes and commercial rabbit warrens, since the 20th century it's been planted with the pines and conifers of Thetford forest. These woods offer a wealth of walks but there is also the vast Stanta army training area, 30,000 acres in size, where people cannot go – and other species thrive. Breckland is a stronghold for charismatic endangered birds such as the goggle-eyed stone-curlew, dashing forest-dwelling goshawks and enigmatic, nocturnal nightjars. It's home to ultra-rare and fantastically named plants and invertebrates, from the prostrate perennial knawel to the wormwood moonshiner beetle. It has every conservation designation going and would undoubtedly be a national park if so much of it hadn't been commandeered by the military. This land is usually overlooked by visitors whizzing through en route to the Norfolk coast or Norwich. It's perhaps not helped by an absence of pretty towns and fancy restaurants (although well-heeled Bury St Edmunds on its southern edge boasts the Michelin-starred Pea Porridge). I live 30 miles away and I've never brought my family for a holiday here, until now. My children immediately take to Bodney Hall Farm, where we are staying in a beautifully renovated cottage, the smaller of two high-end self-catering options. Guests are given the run of the 40-acre grounds and gardens which roll down to the River Wissey and feature a magical mix of interesting trees, formal planting, wildflowers and wildlife. We stroll the banks of this private stretch of the Wissey. Since relocating from London in 2016, owners Henry and Anna Sands have been restoring the river, encouraging natural wiggles and bringing back the natural clarity of the water as it races over shingle, providing homes for dashing inhabitants including wild trout and kingfishers. It's possible to swim in the river but there's also a jetty for easy access into a large Wissey-fed pond enveloped by rushes and willows. We savour a long evening swim to the soundtrack of cuckoos and reed warblers and – to my amazement – even a booming bittern. The water is sweet and fresh, and I feel as if we could be in Scandinavia, especially when we warm ourselves in our private woodfired hot tub as the first stars emerge. I'm hoping for a strange drone or red flare from the military training area, but all is quiet. I rise early for a 5.45am swim and just miss an otter – Henry Sands, who is up even earlier, spots it – and there's just enough time for a morning hot tub before we head to nearby Grime's Graves, the largest known and best excavated flint mine in the country. Here, 4,500 years ago, late Neolithic people dug up to 1,000 mines up to 13 metres below ground and used antler picks to extract flints embedded in the chalk. The flint was particularly high quality and exported across the country, making specialist tools and weapons. The site is a large grassy clearing filled with the strange lumps and pits that are old, long-filled-in mineshafts. The air is filled with the song of dozens of skylarks. The English Heritage visitor centre is pleasingly low-key – and quiet, naturally – with 'please touch' signs so we can feel the weight of flints and the sharp edges of knapped stone. My kids enjoy brandishing replica axes before we move to the real highlight: descending into a nine-metre mineshaft excavated by archeologists in 1914. They found the remains of antler picks, pottery, animal bones and neolithic bats – and Daubenton's bats still roost in the excavated shafts where it is a constant 8C. 'It smells nice down here,' says my son Ted as we descend the steel staircase. The scent is cool, damp stone. At the bottom, we can crawl on the chalk a short way into some of the horizontal excavations. It's a vivid experience, a portal into another time. Dark holes is a theme of our day because we next head to Oxburgh Hall, a stately home that has a priest's hole which I remember from childhood was a thrilling portal into Tudor terror. On our way, we drop in on Foulden Common, one of a plethora of tranquil but rare wildlife-packed nature reserves including Weeting Heath and Lakenheath Fen. Thetford forest boasts several good country parks and there's a multitude of cycle rides, swims (the Little Ouse is another gorgeous small river) and walks, including the long-distance Peddars Way on the old Roman road leading from Thetford to the north-west Norfolk coast. Oxburgh is a red-brick Tudor palace surrounded by a fine moat which must be one of the most picturesque National Trust properties. The hall was built by Sir Edmund Bedingfeld around 1476 and the 10th baronet still lives in a wing of the house. The rest of his ancestral home is open to the public, and the rooms are filled with vast oil portraits, ornate furniture, ancient books and even leather wallpaper, which was amusingly purchased secondhand from Spain by thrifty Victorian aristocrats. The priest's hole was built up a tiny staircase, below a brick-topped iron hatch, so the Bedingfield family's Catholic priest could be safely concealed during the persecution of the Catholics that saw the family fall from favour when they refused to renounce their faith. It is not known how much action the hole saw, but this tiny claustrophobic stone cell may have saved the life of a priest or three. Unfortunately, after a visitor became stuck in the hole (it's oddly much harder to get out than in) we're no longer allowed inside, and have to make do with peering down the hatch and watching a video of a stressed (actor) priest fretting inside. After a late lunch at the Bedingfeld Arms, with swifts screaming as they circle the 1783 pub, I take an evening excursion to another unique nature reserve: Thompson Common. The map reveals this to be another place of strange indentations in the land: a profusion of nearly 500 pingos, small ponds formed when subterranean mounds of ice thawed and the soil slumped down at the end of the last ice age. It's a bewitchingly unusual place, home to rare dragonflies and the very rare pool frog, which became extinct in the 1990s but has been successfully reintroduced from Sweden. The males can be heard 'singing' in late spring, via a pair of white inflatable sacs like airbags either side of their head. There's an eight-mile circular pingo walking trail for a full day out but I took a shorter potter through the reserve. The frogs are doing well thanks to restoration work by Norfolk Wildlife Trust which has seen the excavation and revival of a dozen 'ghost' pingoes, with many ponds filled in during a century of agricultural 'improvement' and intensification. I'd like to say we enjoyed a fine evening of the frog chorus but there's nothing melodic about the groaning croak which sounds like a duck with laryngitis. They don't call on my visit; instead I hear the bugling song of a crane from somewhere in the undergrowth. It's another notable experience in this fascinating land, which is much the finer for its all-enveloping strangeness. Accommodation was provided by Bodney Hall Farm,which has a cottage (sleeps 4) from £300 a night and lodge (sleeps 12). Grimes Graves (English Heritage) is open daily 10am-5pm (family up to five from £20.70). Oxburgh Hall (National Trust) open 10.30am–3pm; gardens 9.30am–5pm (family up to five from £32.50). Foulden Common and Thompson Common (Norfolk Wildlife Trust) are free to enter
BBC News
30-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
WWF charity objects to Stow Bedon pig farm's planning changes
An environmental charity has objected to a pig farm operator's retrospective planning application. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has criticised food producer Cranswick's revised application for the Cherry Tree Farm site in Stow Bedon, Norfolk."This site represents farming against nature," said Jake White, WWF's head of legal advocacy, claiming the building of sheds not in the original application had "harmful environmental effects".Cranswick spokesperson said the changes to the original planning application - which was approved - had been recommended by the Environment Agency. Mr White said: "The WWF has deep concerns about the way in which the developer has assessed the significance of the emissions and the way in which nature impacts are addressed in the environmental impact assessment."He claimed the emissions were "damaging local highly protected sites for nature". In a statement, the Cranswick spokesperson added: "We have worked tirelessly to address the concerns raised through the Environment Agency and this has led to changes in the structure to meet the parameters of the permit."The council have had this revised planning application for over three years and even now, have requested further information."The changes made to the original approved application were on the basis of recommendations from the Environment Agency and utilise industry leading techniques for a farm of this type."We are working with the Breckland Council to address these queries but are incredibly disappointed with the length of time it has taken the council to respond to the application." Breckland Council said the application had been due to go to its planning committee in May, but had been postponed so officers could look at the "large volume of representations received". In April, a Cranswick planning application that would have seen more than 714,000 chickens and 14,000 pigs housed at a so-called megafarm in Methwold, Norfolk, was refused. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Daily Mail
16-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Shocking moment car thieves use hi-tech gadget to steal £44,000 Mercedes from outside owner's home - as keyless raid is caught on doorbell camera
A £44,000 Mercedes was stolen off the driveway of the owner's home after two thieves used a hi-tech gadget to start the motor. The innovative duo used a signal relay device to steal the Mercedes S Class in the middle of the night. Doorbell footage shows one of the men making his way towards the house while the other stood by the car. Mindaugas Grizas, 36, and Lukas Zvirgzdys, 18, successfully stole the car for a mere 12 minutes. When breaking into the vehicle a large engine noise alerted the owner to the theft. The owner of the car called the police from their home located in Breckland, west of Norwich, Norfolk. The call was made at 2:30am on April 7, 2025. Officers for the Norfolk Constabulary stopped the car just 12 minutes later where they found the passenger still wearing a balaclava. Mindaugas Grizas, 36, was sentenced to one year and four months imprisonment and a two year disqualification from driving The device was found in the footwell alongside a GPS jammer that was still transmitting. The duo were arrested at the scene and charged later that day with multiple offences. Grizas from Thetford and Zvirgzdys of Hillburn Road, Wisbech were charged with stealing the car and using apparatus to interfere with wireless telegraphy. The 36-year-old was also charged with driving without insurance and driving while disqualified. The pair appeared at Norwich Magistrates Court the following day where they both pleaded guilty. On May 12, both men appeared in Norwich Crown Court for sentencing. Grizas was sentenced to one year and four months imprisonment and a two year disqualification from driving. Zvirgzdys was jailed for a year, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to carry out 200 hours of community service. Sergeant Gary Morris, of Norfolk Police's Breckland District Crime Unit said: 'This is a timely reminder to take simple steps to keep your vehicle safe.' Keyless technology, once the preserve of expensive high-end vehicles, has become commonplace among more affordable family cars. These gadgets let criminals pick up the signal from a car's keyless fob lying inside the owner's home, and extend this signal to unlock the car and start it. The vehicle's security system is tricked into thinking the key fob is present. He added: 'The easiest thing to do if you have "keyless" technology is to buy a faraday box or pouch which you can get cheaply and easily online. 'This blocks the signal from the keys meaning it can not be picked up by a relay device outside your home.'
