Weekly round-up: 15 - 21 October 2014
This was a week that started with plenty of excitement as the northeast winds continued to pulse down the majority of the east coast and ended with a frisson of anticipation as the tail end of ex-Hurricane Gonzalo hurtled its way from west to east during the course of the final day of the week.
In between times, the weather took on a particular mild bent for the time of year, temperatures heading in to the very low 20 degrees in some areas of the south of England as ever-increasingly brisk southerly and southwesterly winds took hold. Shetland appeared to be heading for bigger and better birds as the weekend began, rain and strong southeast winds forecast, but the birds never lived up to the forecast.
There was, yet again, a wide array of species on offer ~ a right old hodgepodge of great birds in fact ~ but despite the week being topped and tailed by two very good birds indeed (one of them still an undisputed mega), there was almost an element and air of slight disappointment at what was on offer.
Here’s what there was ~ you can decide whether it was dull week or not…
…and so it was, with an air of resigned inevitability that the “Mega Alert” that blared out as dusk fell on 15th would herald another great bird for somewhere north of the British mainland ~ an off-island remains the favoured choice of so many of the annual rare-fest and there was to be no difference where this week’s superstar was concerned…
Step forward then the Shetland Mainland which, if that outrageous Rubythroat wasn’t enough now landed another pulse-racer from the far-off Eastern forests ~ a Siberian Thrush.
The first-winter female was found at Scousburgh ~ and before any more of the story was known, there were a few sage guesses that threw out the idea as to whether the Shetland bird could possibly be the first-winter female that was trapped and ringed at Husøy in Norway on September 24th. It seemed to be a fair old gap between the dates but, well you never know…
Half an hour later came extra info from the Great North ~ blow me down, it actually was the Norwegian female! More than 600 miles between the two sites, with a lot of it being the Norwegian and North Sea ~ what had it been doing and where had it been in the intervening 20 days is something we can only wonder at.
Complete guess work suggests that perhaps the bird continued a “coasting” journey, SSW, along the whole of the Norwegian coast before making a further leap of faith in to the unknown, a journey which took it directly in to Shetland. That’s the logic, but when did logic and rare bird movements always see eye to eye?
The Scousburgh Siberian Thrush was released late in the day on 15th but there was no further sign the following day. Could it possibly relocate once again or is, as seems more likely, a fatal flop in to the Atlantic the more likely watery denouement to this vagrant’s tale…
This becomes the 11th record of this scrumptious Zoothera, the first in six years but the fourth in the past decade and is the third-in-a-row for Shetland ~ separate first-winter males arriving on Foula on September 28th 2007 and almost exactly a year later on Fair Isle, on September 25th 2008. The other record of the last decade was an adult male found on Loop Head (Co. Clare) on October 31st 2004.
Aside from these four, further records (working backwards) have been further first-winter males seen on Gugh (Scilly) for four days in early October 1999 and the afternoon bird in Burnham Overy Dunes (Norfolk) on September 18th 1994. A first-winter female was trapped and ringed (and roosted overnight) on North Ronaldsay in October 1992 (a comparative long-stayer that one, a week in all), with Ireland’s first being a young male on Cape Clear Island (Co. Cork) on October 18th 1985, with Orkney’s first coming the year before, with a male on South Ronaldsay on November 11th 1984.
Further back in time come Britain’s first two ~ a male seen on Christmas Day 1977 in Great Yarmouth (Norfolk) and a four-day male on the Isle of May at the start of October 1954.
Siberian Thrush, like Siberian Rubythroat, does appear to be ever-so-slightly more frequent ~ records for the two species over the last 10 years back this up and the upturn in records of “ultra-Sibes” from way, way off to the East has been clear to see since the turn of the millennium ~ three Siberian Blue Robins, three Rufous-tailed Robins, two Chestnut-eared Buntings, two Eastern Crowned Warblers and even a single Pale-legged or Sakhalin Leaf Warbler all indicate something almost unimaginable 15 years ago is happening with the bar raised hugely…
Somewhere in the three days between bringing havoc throughout Bermuda (on October 18th) to arriving at the tip of west Cornwall on (October 21st), Hurricane Gonzalo managed to pick up a whole host of pelagic waifs and strays, the very best of which, by some distance, was the Bridled Tern seen from Pendeen Watch during the final morning of the review period.
This highly migratory, dispersive lover of tropical oceans is perhaps not the sought-after species it was a couple of years ago, but that shouldn’t detract, in any way, from a scintillatingly good seawatch record.
Once accepted, this will become only the second record for Cornwall, the first of which was another north coast seawatch record ~ noted from St. Ives Island on October 14th 1982. That bird is one of (now) four October records of Bridled Tern to date ~ along with the two Cornish records come a freshly dead bird in Somerset in 1958 and one off Scarborough in 1990. There are 30 records to date, with many people finally managing to admire the summering bird on Farnes over the past two years…
East coast birders made the most of the optimum conditions that emerged a couple of days before this week’s review period started ~ and the flow of impressive birds showed no signs of letting up over the 15th-16th and perhaps the most eye-catching set of arrivals were a super trio of Isabelline Shrikes.
The first two individuals were found within just an hour of each other during the afternoon of 15th ~ one popping up at Long Bank, near Kilnsea (East Yorkshire) to be quickly followed by a second on the hedgerows of Warham Greens (Norfolk) ~ though the Norfolk bird was apparently photographed the previous day. The third of the week appeared on 16th when an adult female was found at Worth Marshes, Sandwich Bay (Kent). The latter individual was a one-day bird, while the Norfolk and East Yorkshire birds made it to 17th.
All three counties have fared well for this beautiful species over the years (as with the Orkney bird of September this year we’ll stick to Isabelline Shrike rather than gallivanting off in to the world of Daurian and Turkestan and splits that may not hold up in court).
Kent has now hosted eight birds, the first spending two days at Sandwich Bay on October 15th-16th 1988 with the county’s second following three weeks later at Stodmarsh. Two were found in the 90’s ~ at North Foreland in late October 1991 and Worth in October 1993 while the 2000’s can now boast four individuals ~ two at Dungeness (in the autumn’s of 2001 and 2006) with the most recent (until this week) coming three years to the day, on October 16th 2011 when an adult male was at Cliffe.
Norfolk to now rests on eight Isabelline Shrikes ~ the first coming back in the classic (for the time) Siberian autumn of 1975, when one spent a couple of days at Holkham in the middle of October with two birds in the late 80’s, two in the 90’s (a suppressed singing male in west Norfolk in 1995 and a relocating bird seen at Horsey then Holme in October 1996. The 2000’s have yielded three birds now ~ a stunning karelini-type was along the seawall at Burnham Norton at the end of October 2003 and Horsey’s second was seen for several days in late October 2011.
To round off the much-beloved (round these parts) symmetry ~ East Yorkshire can now also declare an eighth record of the species with a similar spread to that of Kent. The first for the county was found at Spurn on October 14th 1988 (mirroring events this week identically, East Yorkshire landing one a day before Kent) with three birds being found during the 90’s (at Easington in October 1991, Spurn in September 1997 and Flamborough Head in October 1999).
Flamborough secured a second in November 2000 and Buckton’s presumed Turkestan was collected by many a Brown Flycatcher twitcher in October 2007. Flamborough’s third was found a year ago, on October 15th 2013 ~ the immaculate timing of this week’s bird (also rocking up on 15th of course) appreciated by me at least.
Back in Norfolk now, where the first-winter Steppe Grey Shrike was present at Burnham Norton until 16th ~ a stay perhaps augmented and prolonged by photographer-supplied mealworms. Interestingly, as soon as the supply line ceased, the bird departed. Coincidence? Perhaps. But everyone should have had their fill and the bird ought to get half a chance to continue migrating, lost or otherwise…
This super county first certainly did the business over the past 12 days or so, as many of the lovely images captured of it will testify ~ and there’ll be more (albeit indirectly…) on this fine beast later.
A rather bland Monday was enlivened around lunchtime by news of a drake Black Scoter appearing, apparently at distance, off the coast of Angus, in Lunan Bay.
This notoriously tough (on occasion) to nail one-time form has become a tad easier to see over the past decade or so thanks to different lingering summering birds of the Scoter Hotspot of Blackdog and Murcar in both 2011 and 2012, the readily “available” bird in Northumberland in April, October and November 2011 and, of course, that sometimes-fiendish drake off the coast of north Wales that spent up to seven winters in the waters of Gwynedd.
If accepted, this week’s Angus first will join Dumfries & Galloway, Lothian, Aberdeenshire, Moray and Highland as the sixth Scottish county to record this oft-returning vagrant ~ Britain’s first five all coming to Scotland, starting with a drake in Gosford Bay (Lothian) on New Year’s Eve 1987.
The northern action was broken in the winter of 1991/’92 when a drake Black Scoter was found off the coast of Pembrokeshire while England’s first record was of the exhausted drake found on the train line near Leighton Moss RSPB in Lancashire on May 16th 2007, being released later the same day at Jenny Brown’s Point.
No one, not even a decade ago, would have ever regarded Northern Harrier (a.k.a the much more entertaining American Marsh Hawk as ever being something akin to an annual vagrant but that’s what appears to be the ongoing situation in 2014 as what appeared to be another juvenile candidate of this former mega was seen and photographed at Martin Mere WWT (Lancashire) on 15th.
The images obtained weren’t the greatest but in one of them at least there was enough to suggest that there was something interesting going on in terms of the suite of characters required. This is a potential county first of course and what may have been the same bird was reported (as a possible) on 16th at Marshside RSPB (Merseyside) and observers in the northwest will be hoping that the bird appears again and a final resolution can be reached.
The rise of this soon-to-be-split form has been well documented here over the past three years or so (more thoroughly than anywhere else it must be said), therefore we won’t revisit too much of what’s gone in the past.
Suffice to say that Tacumshin has had a remarkable run of juveniles (and older birds too) in the past four years (since the crinkling juvenile female was found there at the end of October 2010) while 100’s of observers travelled to the north Norfolk coast through the autumn and winter of 2010 in to 2011 to study the young male present there.
Further individuals have been identified from Orkney to Cornwall and this year has already seen the remarkable fly-though snap shots of a stunning male “Grey Ghost” over the fields at Portland Bill on April 21st. Yes, these are firmly on the rarity radar now…
Coming along on the last day of the review period (21st) were the remnants of Hurricane Gonzalo which as well as pulling a super-rare tern in to the Cornish coast also yielded a fair degree of late-ish October seabird action.
Rather than add them in to the remainder of the week (therefore lashing all the previous efforts you’ll eventually come to below…) ~ we’ll have a quick romp through the pick of a busy and very blustery day.
There were some particularly impressive seawatch hauls listed ~ let’s start with two from west Cornwall.
Along with their Bridled Tern, birders at Pendeen also logged three Leach’s Storm-petrels, six Grey Phalaropes, three Sabine’s Gulls, three Long-tailed Skuas, a monster 420 Balearic Shearwaters, 13 Pomarine Skuas, and 222 Bonxies.
A little further to the west, the famous St. Ives Island saw a marked difference in numbers of one or two species (as can be the way despite the relatively close proximity of the two sites). At least 36 Grey Phalaropes were counted, along with five Long-tailed Skuas, three Sabine’s Gull along with seven Leach’s Storm-petrel, 50 Pomarine Skuas and another significant haul of 400+ Balearic Shearwaters.
In west Wales, off Strumble Head inPembrokeshire, seven juvenile Long-tailed Skuas were at the top of the list, along with four Leach’s Storm-petrels, two Sabine’s Gulls, 36 Pomarine Skuas and five Grey Phalaropes.
Then came after dark evening news of even more impressive tallies from Mayo’s Kilcummin Head ~ 62 Grey Phalaropes lead the way, along with 13 Leach’s Storm-petrels, 92 Pomarine Skuas, four Long-tailed Skuas, a single (the week’s only) Cory’s Shearwater and 120 Sooty Shearwaters.
Around the rest of the country, a further 19 Leach’s Storm-petrels were seen, including a brief visitor to Cambridgeshire’s Grafham Water (a visit curtailed by a Herring Gull...) while there were another eight Long-tailed Skuas (including four off Bardsey), 235+ Pomarine Skuas (including 53 off Black head in Clare, 33 from Melmore Head in Donegal and 32 off Ramore Head in Antrim), 25 Grey Phalaropes (including an inland bird at Pitsford reservoir in Northamptonshire) and a further 10 Sabine’s Gulls.
It really isn’t often that the top billing in Seabird City goes to Grey Phalarope but this week (even ahead of Gonzalo’s impact) some groovy numbers of this pelagic pleaser were pushed our way and putting it right to the head of the table.
The largest total of the week prior to the 21st was a group of around 30 seen from Shipman Head, Bryher (Scilly) on the evening of 19th ~ with a couple of remarkable east coast figures coming from Gibraltar Point NNR in Lincolnshire across the course of the same weekend ~ with 15 birds there on 18th (three on the sea along with a dozen heading south) with a further 12 flying by on 19th.
A further 38 individuals were logged up until 20th ~ with nine noted off the coast of East Yorkshire (including four at Flamborough head on 16th), four were noted in Norfolk (including a very showy bird on Cley’s Eye Pool), two remained at Pulborough Brooks RSPB (West Sussex) to 18th at least while new inland birds were also found at Grafham Water (Cambridgeshire) and Pitsford Reservoir (Northamptonshire) on 15th and Nottinghamshire’s Idle Valley on 18th.
The sometimes stormy conditions that popped up off-and-on through the week yielded a handful of Sabine’s Gulls ~ a juvenile was off Saltburn (Cleveland) and an adult was at Arbroath (Angus) on 15th, with further young birds appearing at Lossiemouth (Moray) on 18th, Skomer Island (Pembrokeshire) on 19th and Flamborough Head (East Yorkshire) on 20th.
Similarly, just a few Leach’s Storm-petrels were recorded, just four in all, singles noted from St. Mary’s (Scilly) on 17th, Bridges of Ross (Co. Clare) on 18th and Strumble Head (Pembrokeshire) and Annagh Head, the Mullet (Co. Mayo) both on 19th, with one more on 20th, seen again on the Mullet. It was sparse numbers for Little Auk too ~ three singles reported, one each for Flamborough on 15th and Wexford’s Hook Head and Northumberland’s St. Mary’s Island on 16th.
Up to half a dozen Great Shearwaters flew past the coast of County Cork through the early part of the latest review period ~ three were seen from Mizen Head and two were off Dursey Island on 16th while a lone bird was off Mizen on 18th.
The spread of the week’s 385+ Balearic Shearwaters was, predictably, in and around the Western Approaches ~ around 140 were seen from Cornwall, with high counts of 33 off Pendeen on 19th and 54 in an hour there on 20th, with 19 from Porthgwarra on 18th; 70 or more were logged around Scilly, with 22 off St. Mary’s on 17th while Devon managed 55 by the middle of the day on 20th, including 30 from Prawle Point that day. In Ireland, at least 95 birds counted off the coast of Cork, including 40 past Mizen Head on 16th;
Pomarine Skuas were out in force in the glorious confines of the vast Galway Bay this week ~ 100 birds noted there on 18th, following 23 off Silver Strand on 15th (with another 20 there on 19th). These west coast birds were part of a grand total of some 300 birds in all, spread across 27 British and Irish counties.
In Clare, 21 Poms were recorded off Hag’s Head on 19th and in Highland, 16 birds were counted off Embo on 16th. Up to 24 birds made it past the coast of Devon through the week and Moray scored a dozen. Otherwise it was single figures from Scilly to Shetland, almost all of which were noted on the east, rather than west coast.
Eleven Long-tailed Skuas appeared through the past week, with five of them reported heading past Flamborough (three on 15th, two on 18th). The inland bird at Grafham Water (Cambridgeshire) remained until early morning of 15th, a date which saw two pass Staithes on the North Yorkshire coast with another further north too, off Lossiemouth (Moray). Out at sea, some 40 miles to the south of Wexford’s Great Saltee, a lone Long-tailed was noted on 18th and the following day saw one head by County Clare’s Bridges of Ross.
Last but absolutely not least comes the White-billed Diver seen offshore from Brough Lodge on Fetlar (Shetland) on 16th ~ the first record of the species since a summer bird in Thurso Bay in mid-July.
We get somewhat “same old, same old” for a while now, so get the kettle on if you can’t be doing with reading about birds you’ve read about for the last couple of months…
Cattle Egrets come first ~ the start of the week seeing a local mega arrive on Orkney ~ a bird at Noup Head on 15th being the first for the islands but, unfortunately, it was swiftly taken in to care. Otherwise it was “as you were” ~ singles lingering at Braunton Marsh (Devon) to 17th, Dungeness (Kent) to 19th and Burton Mere Wetlands RSPB (Cheshire) to 20th.
Around 40 Great White Egrets popped their carroty beaks in to the news through the week, beginning with 14 birds in 11 counties on the first day of the review period. Around eight birds were recorded in Somerset, including a week-high of four at Shapwick Heath NNR on 17th, with a couple of twos elsewhere. Three birds were at Pitsford Reservoir (Northamptonshire) on 15th, five were logged in Cambridgeshire, with four in Norfolk, while Kent hosted two twos and two singles and two sites in Cheshire hosted long-necked duos. Two more were seen in Poole Harbour’s Brownsea Island area (makes a change from Spooners doesn’t it?) and the Welsh hosted four singles (in Carmarthenshire, Gwent, Pembrokeshire and Powys).
Back down to Dorset where the one-short-of-the-half-century flock of Spoonbills remained at Brownsea Island lagoon to 19th at least (numbers fluctuating through the week, but there were two counts of 49 this week), while a further 11 were noted elsewhere ~ three remained on Yelland Marsh in north Devon at the start of the week, while three singles were seen in Norfolk. Further lone birds were seen in Lincs., and Lancs., along with Cleveland, West Sussex and Cornwall, while Irish birds included the ancient returning adult at Cromane (Co. Kerry) and one over the Hermitage (Co. Louth) on 19th, appearing the next day at Seabank ~ a massive county rare and the first for at least 15 years.
Slightly commoner on Ireland’s east coast county is Glossy Ibis and one was seen over Ardee on 18th, one of three seen in Ireland this week. Another new arrival was seen at Tacumshin (Co. Wexford) on 16th while the lingerer at Tramore Backstrand (Co. Waterford) was present to the same date.
Away from the Republic, a presumed new bird was present on the Ouse Washes RSPB (Cambridgeshire) on 16th (and was then noted at Earith on 21st), while “old-timers” remained at Dungeness (Kent) to 17th, Frampton Marsh RSPB (Lincolnshire) to 19th and Newington (Nottinghamshire) through to 20th.
A big bundle of 15 Common Cranes were seen near Guyhirn (Cambridgeshire) on 17th while the flock of six adult birds at Swinefleet, on the border of East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire were perhaps the same six that drifted over the north Norfolk coast at Kelling, and then Happisburgh on the afternoon of 19th.
Elsewhere in Norfolk, the four Cranes seen at Hempton may have been from rather closer to home (Pensthorpe lies just a couple of miles away…) while two were seen over Yeovil (Somerset) on 19th and one remained at Blithfield Reservoir (Staffordshire) to 15th.
A Corncrake reported from Scilly, in flight at Lower Moors on St. Mary’s was the only record this week.
There was a decided upturn in the action for the honkers and the quackers this week as the onset of the second half of the autumn brought a few interesting bits our way.
On the far flung Outer Hebrides, birders on Barra weren’t content with nailing a Scarlet Tanager and a Cetti’s Warbler ~ no, they duly popped in a dinky Richardson Canada Goose at Eoligarry on 15th, seen with some migrant Barnies, heading off southeast ~ next stop Islay presumably.
…and, funnily enough, after the first draft of this week’s epic had been filed, there came news of a Richardson Canada Goose on, yep, Islay, seen at Loch Gruinart. News like that was too good to miss out...
The week’s second vagrant “white-cheeked goose” was a Todd’s Canada Goose found on daaah, daaaaah Islay ~ seen at Loch Gorm on 19th and then Loch Gruinart the following day.
Keeping it real with a few more Brantas its on to the nigricans/orientalis mob next ~ four Black Brants recorded through the week, with last week’s new arrival at The Naze (Essex) remaining to 19th at least, a date which saw one drop in to Kilnsea (East Yorkshire). Two new birds were noted on 20th ~ one was back at Ferrybridge (Dorset) and another was noted at Swalecliffe (Kent).
In Aberdeenshire, two blue Snow Geese were at Loch of Strathbeg RSPB again on 16th while the 19th saw two intermediate birds being logged at Loch of Skene...meanwhile in Perth & Kinross, a blue bird was seen at Stormont Loch on 18th.
Hot news for all fans of Welsh birding, and for those in Powys in particualr where a drake Lesser Scaup was discovered at Llangorse Lake on 18th (although it transpired that it may have been on site for just under a fortnight, presumably labelled as a slightly bigger species of Scaup).
What makes this particular bird particularly interesting is it was in possession of one of those bloody awful-looking nasal saddles ~ metal rings we barely see, colour rings are always interesting to note and record, wing tags too, even some of those Pink-feet bearing those cumbersome looking neck-collars don’t always look too bad ~ but nasal-saddled ducks just look plain damn, uncomfortable...and the ornaments themselves look somewhat unsightly too.
Anyway.
Before we get in to a mud-slinging scenario so beloved of forums about birds, this branded beast was controlled, ringed and “saddled” at the São Jacinto reserve in Portugal between December 19th-21st last year and will be an exciting return for the ringers involved. And it will also have been exciting news to for Powys birders too ~ a first for the county no less, inking in another hole on the map as a place where this particular species of Aythya has occurred.
Rather more expected was the news of the still-present drake Lesser Scaup at the Cardiff Bay Wetlands (Glamorgan) on 18th while the juvenile lingered on Loch a’Phuill, Tiree (Argyll & Bute) to 20th.
Just two Ring-necked Ducks were on offer across the past seven days ~ the drake present on Rutland Water (Leicestershire) to 19th and the juvenile still on Drift Reservoir (Cornwall) to 21st.
The debated female Blue-winged Teal (or hybrid) was still hanging out on the River Wansbeck, at Castle Island to 18th, while the four Green-winged Teals included the returned drake still at Caerlaverock (Dumfries & Galloway) to 17th and new birds on the floods at Stiffkey (Norfolk) on 16th, Tresco’s Great Pool on 20th and also Loch Leven (Perth & Kinross) on 18th ~ the same site also hosting one of the week’s three American Wigeons on the same day.
Further Yankee Doodle Dandees were found on North Ronaldsay (Orkney) ~ a first-winter drake there on Gretchen Loch on 15th-19th; at the Drowes River, Tullaghan (Co Leitrim/Co. Donegal border) ~ he’s a returning bird; as is the drake on the Udale River (Highland), he was present on 21st.
The new review began with single drake Surf Scoters still in situ at Musselburgh (Lothian) and Inganess Bay (Orkney) with another drake again at The Hermitage (Co. Louth) on 16th. The same day saw three drakes (minimum) located off Colwyn Bay (Conwy) with three (two of them drakes) then noted off Pensarn on 18th. A female Surfie was seen in Lunan Bay (Angus) on 20th, presumably a rather nice combo with the drake Black.
2014 has been a poor one for many Nearctic shorebirds ~ and, after a three-day tickle down south with a potential Semipalmated Sandpiper (that was eventually confidently idenitfied as a moulting, slightly curious looking Little Stint) ~ it was nice to see the arrival of a juvenile Spotted Sandpiper at Inverallochy (Aberdeenshire).
Identified on 19th and still present on 20th, it appears that the bird had been in place for a week or so beforehand. Either way, it was a first for the county ~ while the species as a whole remains very rare on the Scottish mainland ~ Lothian boasts three records, Clyde two with one each for Forth, Moray and now Aberdeenshire.
Shetland leads the way with nine records (to the end of 2012), the Outer Hebrides five, with two for Orkney and the islands of Argyll & Bute, while the Isle of Skye hosted the famous pair in the summer of 1975 ~ nest built and four eggs laid, they couldn’t quite achieve the unique expereince of succesful hatching and fledging...
A further new arrival this week was presumably not from the Nearctic ~ the juvenile Kentish Plover (it appears not to be overly Snowy-like with its seemingly narrow, dark loral line) was a super find at Crymlyn Burrows (Glamorgan) on 18th, where it remained to 20th at least (becoming the first in the county for at least four years).
In Dublin, the Lesser Yellowlegs remained on the Rogerstown Estuary throughout the week and a new bird was found on 21st on the Hayle Estuary (Cornwall). The juvenile White-rumped Sandpiper lingered at Baile Gharbhdaih, South Uist (Outer Hebrides) to 17th with it or another appearing the next day at South Ford (a site that has also hosted an even-more unseasonal Kentish Plover (or Snowy) than this week’s Welsh one (wintering from November 2007 to April 2008).
A newly arrived juvenile American Golden Plover dropped on to the airfield at Davidstow (Cornwall) on 15th, where it remained to 19th, reappearing on 21st. The second juvenile of the week was seen at Myroe Levels, Lough Foyle (Co. Derry) whilst another bird of the year spent 15 minutes at Maidens (Ayrshire) on 17th when another Scottish west coast individual was seen on Tiree, at Balevullin. The final arrival of the week was noted at Aillebrack (Co. Galway) on 21st.
Some 12 Pectoral Sandpipers this week included two sets of two in Cambridgeshire ~ recorded at Burwell Fen on 16th-19th and Wicken Fen on 16th. Leftover from last week were the single birds at Carrahane Strand (Co. Kerry) to 15th and Idle Valley NR (Nottinghamshire) to 17th, with new individuals logged at Newport Wetlands (Gwent) on 15th, Ballycotton (Co. Cork) on 16th, Slimbridge WWT (Gloucestershire) and Lady’s Island Lake (Co. Wexford) on 17th, briefly at Great Livermere (Suffolk) on 19th and at Loch Gruinart, Islay (Argyll & Bute) on 21st.
The poor run of autumn Dotterels continued too this week ~ only two noted ~ one at Broome (Bedfordshire) on 16th may have been in the county for a while while the juvenile at Tacumshin (Co. Wexford) was certainly new to the site from 19th-21st.
Making a return visit to the Rogerstown Estuary this week was the adult Forster’s Tern ~ presumably having flown up from nearby County Louth, it appeared in Dublin on 15th, remaining to 20th and matches exactly dates that it was seen at the same site this time around in 2013 (that was, and this is, the seventh record for the capital county).
Prior to being removed from the Rarities List in 2005, there were 54 accepted October records of White-winged Black Tern ~ which sounds a lot actually (it surprised me...) but that’s from atotal of 923 records in all. Anyway, this week saw a moulting adult arrive at Rye Harbour NR (East Sussex) ~ seen and photographed on 17th, the bird remained to 21st and was the first county record since one at the same site in July 2008.
Hampshire listers would have been crying in to their beer this week after the brief appearance of an adult Franklin’s Gull hawking high up over the trees at Blashford Lakes HWT at lunchtime on 19th ~ if accepted it will be only the second record for the county, the first was, of course, the first for Britain too, spending many weeks around Langstone Harbour and Farlington Marshes between February and May 1970.
The only Ring-billed Gull reported this week was the adult again at Portrush (Co. Antrim), seen throughout the week (I’ll wager that the Dingwall bird is still present, maybe just hiding after Celtic trounced Ross County...). Three Glaucous Gulls were seen on 19th ~ a juvenile on the Gann Estaury (Pembrokeshire), a second-winter at Union Hall (Co. Cork) with another at Kirkistown (Co. Down), with the fourth of the week arriving around the Butt of Lewis (Outer Hebrides) on 20th. Iceland Gull managed three individuals, a juvenile again on Donegal’s Tory Island on 16th with a second-winter on Cornwall’s Hayle Estuary on 17th and another young bird on Mainland Orkney, at Bay of Skaill, on 21st.
Two Snowy Owls begin our round-up of Raptors and their loose allies ~ the now-regular adult remained on top of Ben Macdui in the Cairngorms to 17th at least while a male was seen at a windfarm site, with no general access, at Camster, near Thurso (Highland) from 15th-17th.
…these two Arctic lovelies lead us now in to what has to be seen as the new “Yellow-browed Warbler” ~ i.e an absolute pain in the rear ~ yes, it appears to have been quite some week for Rough-legged Buzzard.
How many were real, how many were duff is something we’ll never know but there’s been a fair few reported, so here’s a brief précis of the past seven days lagopus action…
Perhaps as many as 60 Rough-legs may have managed a North Sea crossing this week ~ a rather startling figure given the perceived lack of “ideal” conditions but there’s plainly been some sort of window opened up in Scandinavia. East Anglia registered perhaps as many as 24 in all, split evenly down the middle between Norfolk and Suffolk ~ with twos reported from Dunwich Heath on 16th and Kelling Heath on 17th and Breydon Water on 18th. A further single was then noted in Cambridgeshire on 21st.
Northeastern England saw perhaps as many as 23 noted, with nine or so for East Yorkshire, including two at Spurn on 16th, six or seven for Lincolnshire, with two at Gibraltar Point on 19th, two for Durham and singles in the south, the west and north of Yorkshire, and also in Cleveland too.
Elsewhere, Essex saw two or three birds logged around the coastal parts of the county, including a lingering juvenile at Wallasea Island RSPB on 19th-20th, two were reported from Nottinghamshire on 19th (with one on 21st as well), a single was noted over Derbyshire on 16th and Scottish islands accounted for a further four birds, three for Shetland and one for Lewis in the Outer Hebrides.
That wasn’t so bad actually…
Two late Honey Buzzards were recorded through the week ~ one was seen near Bushmills (Co. Antrim) on 16th with the second heading over Winterton (Norfolk) the next day.
Once the entertaining conditions that gave birders along Britain’s east coast a fighting chance of pulling a rare out of the bag labelled “eastern goodies”, they gave way to a significant pulse of warm, largely southerly based air and, as the new weather system moved our way, immediately thoughts began to turn to one species ~ Pallid Swift.
Remarkably though, just two Pallids were reported, both in East Yorkshire. The first to arrive was seen briefly at Kilnsea on 16th, heading off east and the second to pop up was one that was seen to fly in off the sea at Flamborough Head on 19th ~ there were at least nine reports of presumed or probable Common Swifts through the week, dotted around Scilly to the Wirral on the west coast and up to East Yorkshire (funnily enough to Kilnsea) on the south and east side of the country.
Although not new, the potential male Moltoni’s Subalpine Warbler that has been touted in some quarters remained in place at Porthgwarra (Cornwall) until 17th. It seems highly unlikely that this attractive individual will fair too well in the definitive “which form/species” debate but it is all part of the learning curve. Spring males remain the ones to watch (and listen) out for though…
While the mood remains sunny and (loosely) southerly, let’s take a quick peek at a few things presumably from the bottom end of the compass…first up, Hoopoes. Last week’s bird remained at Kilnsea through to the afternoon of 16th with one also seen nearby at the Warren, Spurn during the course of the same afternoon. Another was reported in flight near Dumfries on 20th.
Rose-coloured Starlings seldom ever appear this far up the order but today’s their lucky day! The new review period began with two birds on 15th ~ the juvenile was still on the Isle of Portland and a second youngster was found in gardens at Voe, Mainland (Shetland). The 16th saw news of the still-present juvenile on Bryher (Scilly) and the second new bird of the week was seen at Kilnsea. Back on to Scilly and on 17th, the juvenile on St. Mary’s was noted again as was the lingering bird on the Cornish mainland at Penzance.
Taking things to the southerly limit (as in the following two species more than likely emanated from the south, but there’s no guarantees…) are Short-toed Lark and Penduline Tit. The former species saw birds logged at either end of the country on 15th ~ one remaining on St. Agnes (Scilly) with another present at Sumburgh, Mainland (Shetland). The 16th saw the third of the week appear at Flamborough Head and then a flock of three were reported from the airfield on St. Mary’s on 19th, with one in the general area through to the following day. As far as the Remiz was concerned, there was just one to report this week, seen at Titchwell RSPB (Norfolk) on 18th-19th ~ the fifth record for the site, following on from birds there in May 1991, April 1993, January 1998 and April 2000.
On Fair Isle, the first-winter male Red-flanked Bluetail remained on the island to 16th while Shetland also played host to the week’s four Bluethroats ~ new arrivals on Mainland on 15th were seen at Levenwick and Esha Ness, while the same day saw one listed as still present on Unst. The final bird was found on Fetlar on 16th where it remained to 18th.
While we’re in “chat” mode ~ Siberian Stonechats need a little nod here with last week’s First for Lothian remaining at Torness to 17th before moving a wee way down the road to nearby Skateraw on the same day. A new individual was found in Hampshire on 18th ~ discovered at Titchfield Haven NNR, which has already enjoyed a rather fine eastern vagrant already this autumn…
Away from Shetland, Little Buntings this week were new to Flamborough Head and St. Agnes on 15th, with the only other brids, a minimum two, being seen on Fair Isle between 15th-20th.
On Mainland Shetland, a Red-throated Pipit was at Norby on 16th and, moving swiftly back to Fair Isle, at least two Red-throats were seen on 17th, with singles logged daily from 15th-20th. Still on the Magic Isle, three Olive-backed Pipits were seen there during the week while further down the country and in to northeast England, an OBP was found at Roker Park, Sunderland on 17th where it showed well through until 21st ~ and was the only bright spot for anyone there this week after the Mackems dismal drubbing down south…).
Elsewhere, another bird was found on the inaccessible Brownsman Island , Farnes (Northumberland) on 15th with one at Gibraltar Point NNR (Lincolnshire) the same day. Across in to Norfolk, and to Wells Woods where what was thought to be a new Olive-backed Pipit was found early in the new review week and which was still present on 16th.
Up to eight Richard’s Pipits were reported through the week with two at Cogden Beach (Dorset) on 17th. Presumed separate singles were seen in East Yorkshire at Easington on 16th and Kilnsea on 17th-18th, while other lone individuals were logged at Stiffkey (Norfolk) on 15th, at Hartland Point (Devon) and Tresco (Scilly) on 18th and in London, at Beckton, on 19th.
The first Hume’s Yellow-browed Warbler of the autumn gets us going in this little section ~ found in gardens at Voe, on the Shetland Mainland on 19th it remained to the following day and was the first on the islands for a couple of years.
In Seven-Striped-Spritesville, we have some 14 Pallas’s Warbler to report this week ~ with Norfolk faring particularly well with 10 birds noted around the whole of the county coastline. Two birds were at Holme on 15th and two more were on the East Hills, Wells the following day. Singles were noted at Wells Woods and Kelling on 15th, the latter presumably moving across a field or two to Muckleborough Hill the following day. The 16th also saw a Pallas’s appear in the roving tit flock in Holkham Pines and three more were found at Titchwell RSPB on 17th, Waxham on 18th and Walsey Hills on 19th.
Away from Norfolk, single birds were at Donna Nook (Lincolnshire) on 15th-16th, Whitburn (Co. Durham) from 16th, Flamborough Head (East Yorkshire) from 17th-19th and Rame Head (Cornwall) on 18th.
By the time I’d lost the will to live (around 1.30 on 21st), there were some 355 Yellow-browed Warblers to deal with, spread across 47 counties, in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
A whopping 75 or so were seen in Norfolk (there’s doubtless overlap or under-recording all the way through) including 36 on 15th alone, with fives at Winterton and Holkham on 15th and 17th respectively. East Anglia’s total overall was around 88 birds (including three inland ones in Cambridgeshire).
From north to south, Scotland registered 45 birds, including upwards of 20 on Shetland. The northeast of England recorded upwards of 95 birds through the week, including over 30 in East Yorkshire, 17 in Lincolnshire (including six at Gib. Point on 15th), 16 in Northumberland and 14 in North Yorkshire. Over the Pennines, the northwest saw 10 Yellow-browed Warblers arrive, including up to five in Lancashire, while Wales recorded eight in all.
The Midlands saw four singles appear in Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire and Gloucestershire, while 14 of the southeast’s 35 individuals were seen in Kent. The southwest of England logged just under 50 in total, with 11 on Scilly, 12 in Dorset and 16 in Cornwall while Irish birders managed a minimum 25 birds in four counties, including nine still around Mizen head (Co. Cork) on 15th.
Away from all that stripey action, there were some other decidedly notable warblers to be had this week and we’ll start off with Dusky Warbler ~ two of which were found at the start of the week ~ one on the East Hills, near Wells (Norfolk) and then at Reculver (Kent), both on 15th. The same date also saw the only Radde’s Warbler of the week noted, seen at Easington (East Yorkshire) ~ quite a decline from last week’s pleasing haul.
Lothian’s first Booted Warbler remained at Torness Point through to 21st ~ apparently heard singing on occasion too. The species remains crinklingly rare on the Scottish mainland ~ to date the only records have been two in Aberdeenshire (in the consecutive autumns of 1993 and 1994) and at Tarbat Ness (Highland) in August 2006 (a bird listed as either a Booted or Sykes’s Warbler). Meanwhile, Shetland boasts 40 records or more…
Lothian was also graced by one of a dozen Barred Warblers found this week, noted at Barns Ness on 17th. Up to four birds were in East Yorkshire, at Spurn and Flamborough on 15th, then Kilnsea on 16th and 18th, while Shetland and Scilly had two a piece. One lingered on Bardsey Island (Gwynedd) to 15th and another was reported briefly on the undercliff at Cormer (Norfolk) on 16th.
Two Scilly Wrynecks kicked things off on 15th, one for St. Mary’s and one for Tresco. The third of the day was trapped and ringed on Skokholm (Pembrokeshire), the fourth was seen at Hengistbury Head (Dorset) and the fifth was on the coastal path at Sennen (Cornwall). Not wanting to be outdone by their near-neighbours were Skomer Island, the scored a Wryneck on 16th and in Cornwall, one was discovered at Porthgwarra on 20th.
Around 19 errant Waxwings were reported this week, starting with a single at Walsey Hills, near Cley (Norfolk) on 15th, followed quickly by another three claimed in Cley village itself with two on the Shetland mainland, in Lerwick, the same day. In East Yorkshire, seven birds were at Stone Creek and one was at Paull Holme Strays on 17th, when another was at Voe, Mainland (Shetland). Other singles were at Stromness (Orkney) on 18th and (surprisingly) in Lundy’s Millcombe Valley on 20th while two birds were seen at Kincorth (Aberdeenshire) on 21st.
Somewhat lost in a category of their own ~ I’m feeling generous ~ Red-breasted Flycatchers managed 15 birds across 10 counties this week, including eight birds on 15th alone, three of them on Scilly (two on St. Mary’s and one on St. Agnes) with singles in Shetland, East Yorkshire, Northumberland, Cleveland and Cornwall.
Further birds were noted at Sea Palling (Norfolk), sometime around the start of the week, trapped and ringed at Portland Bill (Dorset) on 16th with one making it to the far west of Ireland the same day, seen near Kilbaha (Co. Clare) along with more singles for Scilly, Cleveland and Shetland. The last one of the week was at Mains of Usan (Angus) on 18th.
The only Common Rosefinch of the week was one found on Tresco (Scilly) on 21st.
Great Grey Shrikes poured themselves on to the east coast on 15th ~ at least 28 birds found from North Yorkshire to Norfolk, with 10 in East Yorkshire alone, including at least six around Kilnsea, and others nearby at Spurn and Easington. Lincolnshire recorded eight, with two each for Gibraltar Point and Donna Nook, while five found their way to the north Norfolk coast.
Quite how many of those birds in East Yorkshire, particularly around the Spurn Peninsula lingered and split is tough to call, but there were plenty of reports of ones and twos in the area through to 19th, when three were seen at Spurn itself.
At least four more were seen in Norfolk, including two at Warham Greens on 16th, while two were seen on Shetland at the start of the week and Essex also hosted two more.
Of the new arrivals, at least five of those 50+ Great Grey Shrikes seen this week were returning birds to favoured wintering grounds. The 16th saw birds appear again at Roydon Common (Norfolk) and Streatley (Bedfordshire) and the 17th heralded the arrival of birds at Beeley Moor (Derbyshire) and Cannock Chase (Staffordshire) while in the southeast, at Thursley Common, one was on station again from 20th.
In contrast to those delicious-looking monochrome killing machines, Red-backed Shrikes were in much shorter supply. A new bird was at Tresta, Fetlar on 18th and single East Anglian birds remained at Lowestoft’s Ness Point (Suffolk) (to 21st) and Norfolk’s West Runton to 17th.
…and it was this last bird that allowed what I suspect to be a unique single afternoon, single county haul of four shrike species to come to post…and what a bit of fun that little haul was…!
Starting off with an early afternoon performance of the Warham Isabelline, a little jaunt west was had to collect the (soon to depart Steppe Grey Shrike at Burnham Norton. Having missed a Great Grey at Warham earlier in the day, Lady Luck was smiling on two of us as a birder ‘scoping from the road by the A149 near Stiffkey brought species three home to roost. Then, approaching home in Cley, off went the pager, the Runton Red-backed was still present and 20 minutes later, species four was duly logged and a little bit of Norfolk history was made…
…all of which got me thinking of other cracking combos of rare birds of the same family groups nailed within a day…over the years, a few of us have landed some belters.
The quartet of Scoter species whilst twitching the White-winged Scoter at Murcar in June 2011 was hugely enjoyable given they were all in the same place at the same time…while there was a bit of late afternoon leg-work required to score three Wheatear species on St. Mary’s on October 12th 2010 ~ Northern was easy enough and the lovely male Pied made a visit back to Porthcressa and Peninnis for the young Black-eared a must for another killer combo.
The triple Swift action of August 16th 1985 remains an all-time favourite ~ relocating the Slapton Little Swift meant that a sortie for the roosting Berry Head Alpine just had to be done while hard-to-bet was the double ticking of the American cuckoos on St. Mary’s on the dizzyling exciting October 12th (there’s that date again…) 1985.
Yellow-billed Cuckoo was new during the morning down along the Silver Trail ~ making moving flats from Rocky Hill to Hugh Town all the more awkward (bags thrown in to hedge ‘natch). Reconvening in Hugh Town, the news of the Longstone Rose-breasted Grosbeak saw everyone and his dog converge on this second tick of the day, with the resplendent cherry on the cake being the afternoon discovery of the Sunken Garden Black-billed Cuckoo. Holy Moly. What a day!
Doubtless many readers will have their own amazeballs single day, killer combos too….
Those two Cuckoos would cause a hullabaloo in the next week, especially given the enormo-tick status acquired by the generally sickly Black-billed ~ just 14 records in all, the last being 24 years ago ~ but it doesn’t feel as though one of those is on the cards this week.
There could be some seabird or shorebird fall-out from the departed storm of Gonzalo and there may be a late Catharus thrush or perhaps a wood-warbler in the Blackpoll line could make it through as the autumn starts to drift ever closer to “last knockings”.
The weather does appear to be favouring Transatlantic birds, so keep those Nat. Geo guides close to hand, just in case…someone’s going to find that Willet one day and a mainland “US” passerine would doubtless prove popular…
Let’s see what happens…
Mark Golley
22 Oct 2014
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