Weekly round-up: 18 - 24 March 2015
Here we are again then - all seems to be still “as you were” (oooooooo, the stock phrase of the late winter reviewer…) as it was when I went off doing the day job at assorted footy venues through the past fortnight - there really didn’t appear to have been a great deal going on - Black Country Alpine Swift and delightfully chocolatey Smickers in Cork aside.
The clag -a.k.a eeeeeeeek “toxic smog” (if you could be bothered to peek at the papers) - let its grey, murky, slightly chilly shroud dominate for the first few days of the new review period, with many coping a bit of a cool Northerly based airstream in to the bargain.
Truly, in weather like this, March is merely the carob-coated impressionist that so wants to be April’s Double Decker - but falls way, way short…it can’t even raise itself to the trashy beauty of Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups…
Still such is the birder’s lot and with the Easter Bunny thumping a fluffy behind ever-more-merrily t’ward us, there’s much to be thankful for as March recedes quicker than the hairline of a balding man.
Indeed, bar one or two notable exceptions, it really was ““as you were” for this week as well.
Actually, much of the attention for many birders through to the start of the weekend was cast to the skies for a startling trio of celestial happenings…
Aurora? Yep and then some by the look of it (tho’ not at Cley, where that clag and fog scuppered the late night sky-dancing meanderings).
Supermoon?
Yep to that one too. Our lunar buddy made a “close” sweep past us and it was giant cheese all round (tho’ not at Cley, where that clag and fog scuppered the late night full-beam meanderings).Solar eclipse?
Yep to the third of the big skybound trio to come along this week - all eyes poised behind “Rust-O-Vision” glasses at just past 0920 onwards on 20th to see the moon drift across the sun - though it may not have been quite a total eclipse (assorted very high %’s reached at various northerly points of Britain) - for those with clear skies, the event was something to behold. (Even in north Norfolk, the clag sort of cleared a bit and the spectacle was on view…).
Lob in the spring equinox, also falling on 20th and some significant tides to boot - well, it was quite a week for astronomers and interested parties alike.
Birders? Well, they fared less well as that March malaise managed a few more stale days, but there were a bunch of rares to keep us on our toes and there was a nice, unpredicted lead bird too.
Oh gawd…
There’s perhaps nothing worse to read on the pager as MEGA Booted Eagle Norfolk.
It is truly the stuff of roundup nightmares - especially given the sometimes flaky recent history of the species within the county boundaries - and the resigned sigh of inevitability as the process to construct some words on the topic (which won’t be seen as too detrimental toward the record and observers) begins.
With fingers being flexed over the keyboard, you know only too well that the birding forum dwellers and others will also be swiftly cracking the synovial fluid and limbering up for their PC’s, MacBooks and laptops, ready to vent their very own ad-hoc kangaroo court adjudications.
This time around, the reaction to the non-photographed Booted Eagle seen briefly adjacent to Cockley Cley, near Swaffham on the afternoon of 22nd was positive from the get-go. It was a seasoned observer - one the forum dweller’s own - respected and trusted. No chance to argue the toss, diss the record or character assisinate here.
Anyway…
Folk gathered, folk saw nothing, folk chuntered on about a pale local Common Buzzard, folk still saw nothing and then it got dark. Folk didn’t really get excited and, to date, there’s been no more sign etc., etc., etc.
Who knows what’s gone on - the L3 member seemed happy and I guess that’s all that matters. He’s played down the chances of acceptance (with good reason) and has even speculated about origins, by ways of further putting a dampner on his own record.
Reality strikes presumably, given the lack of Booted Eagles on the British (or Irish) List, lack of birds elsewhere in “our” part of Europe and the lack of further sightings in the badlands of the Brecks.
It could all change of course, it could all change…
The battle for Booted Eagle and a place on Category A has been dealt with here on a couple of other occasions when the species has been reported/claimed/seen - so there’s little point in re-treading too much ground there.
Most birders will have caught up with the roaming bird that originally appeared in Dublin early in March 1999 and then toured the Irish coast, heading as far south as Waterford and Wexford before departing, in August of the same year, via Antrim’s Rathlin Island. It reappeared in late September in Kent was well twitched when located in west Cornwall through late October and November before resurfacing in Somerset in February 2000. After heading across the Thames in April what presumably the same bird was finally noted heading out from North Ronaldsay on June 22nd. Not bad for a species that doesn’t make sea crossings…
Category D seems like the place where Booted Eagle will stay and a briefly reported bird in Norfolk in the third week of March is not going to change that (if submitted and if accepted).
Birders always love a little unpredicted and unseasonal surprise, even if the location and species involved doesn’t mean they’ll race headlong for the motor in a style reminiscent of the Wacky Races.
Few would have bedecked themselves in their favourite Ant Hill Mob, Slag Brothers or Penelope Pitstop garb and headed pronto for the far southwest to admire this week’s freshest and most entertaining new arrival, but that’s not to say that the singing male Desert Wheatear found on St. Agnes on the afternoon of 21st wasn’t given a suitable doff of the cap by those yearning for a change…
Late March can sometimes be extremely productive in and around Scilly and the far west of Cornwall (a read through to the roundup wrap later on will confirm what it can do…) and the arrival at Porth Askin, on the far tip of Wingletang Down, reinforces Scilly’s early spring pulling power - the snansy songster seemingly quite taken by the beautiful surroundings too - he stayed to 24th.
Through until the end of 2013, there have been 145 accepted records of Desert Wheatear with a further eight following along from last autumn, but the St. Agnes bird becomes only the seventh record for March. The first record for the month was, fittingly, also on St. Agnes, between 23rd-30th in 1976 - others followed in Wexford in 1990 (a bird which was Ireland’s first), Dorset in 1997 (our earliest arrival to date, on the 5th) , two within 24 hours in Kent (it could of course have been the same individual..) and at the unlikely location of Irlam Moss in Greater Manchester on March 8th-9th 2007.
For Scilly listers, the best stat of all is of just how rare this particular Wheatear is around the islands - that March bird of ’76 (found the day Neil Young & Crazy Horse were in the midst of their legendary European tour, it was Paris on 23/03/76) was the first for the islands.
Prior to the Agy bird this week, just two more had followed - both coming within a week in autumn 2006; a first-winter female at Porth Killier, on St. Agnes on October 27th and a first-winter male popping up at Old Town Bay, on St. Mary’s from November 1st-6th.
Let’s crack on with the other bits and bobs that have become such staples of the roundup in recent weeks - and we’ll launch straight in to the still-present double bill of Harlequins in one (sizeable) chunk of north-eastern Scotland.
The dandy drake, becoming ever-more snazzy as each day passes by, continued to spend time on the River Don on the edge of Aberdeen through until 24th - well over two months spent on site now, with no signs just yet of any sort of departure (my guesstimate from a month ago looking ever more shaky right now)…
Further north (some 160 miles by road, less by sea of course), but still on the northeast side of the country, the female Harlequin continued to show itself on the outskirts of Brora - seen in the splendidly named Sputie Burn on 19th-20th - meaning that she’s already clocked up over a month on site.
Short and sweet once again where Ireland’s first Black Scoter is concerned - the drake was still in semi-residence off the Kerry coast at Rossbeigh until at least 20th….
…while the same date saw notice made of the continuing presence of the wintering American Coot on the Outer Hebrides, still bobbing around on Loch nam Feithean on North Uist.
We’re getting used to the late winter/early spring coming together of assorted White-billed Divers in northeast Scotland now - but that doesn’t mean to say that the now annual gatherings of said banana-beaks off the coast of Aberdenshire is any-the-less exciting.
This week saw numbers rise from three birds on 18th-19th to at least six birds on 21st, including four together just to the west of the harbour. It really is looking good for double figures any day now…
Two singles were noted around Shetland this week - again at Kirkabister on 18th and in Bluemull Sound while the final bird for the last seven days was noted again on Orkney, on South Ronaldsay occasionally through to 24th.
Otherwise, all that was on offer was a sole Pomarine Skua, noted heading north past Saltburn (Cleveland) on 22nd and a distant Little Auk, some 155 miles west of Mizen Head (Co. Cork), teetering on the edge of the Porcupine Bank, on 24th.
And that was that…no more “at sea” activity to mention.
Birders in and around east Norfolk have grown used to the tiresome spectre of free-flying White Storks which gravitate out from Thrigby Hall out in to the wild, blue yonder but quite where the roamer that rocked up in Southwold (Suffolk) on 20th (and then Covehithe on 22nd) came from is a little trickier to guess at.
No one really knows just how far the Thrigby birds can go, but records across the border are pretty thin on the ground - one or two a year for the last couple of years - so despite there being just 30 miles or so between the lock up and the harbour at Southwold, it is tempting to muse on positive origins.
Still looking odds-on for a cheeky bit of how’s-your-father at Denge Marsh and Dungeness were the two Cattle Egrets - still in place top the evening of 24th. A third bird was noted in Kent too - again at Hamstreet, also on 24th.
Not far away were up to seven Great White Egrets in the evening roost on the RSPB reserve on 21st with further single southeast birds noted at Aveley (Essex) on 19th and 23rd, Rushy Common (Oxfordshire) and Bransbury Common (Hampshire) on 20th and at Rye Harbour NR (East Sussex) through to 22nd.
That total of 11 was added to by (from top to bottom) a lone bird in Lancashire, at Marshside RSPB on 18th; one at Castle Island (Northumberland) on 23rd; two singles in Lincolnshire - at Fleet Hargate on 18th and again at Frampton Marsh RSPB on 20th; up to four singles in north and west Norfolk - at Morston, Stiffkey, Wells, Burnham Norton and Titchwell between 20th-24th, the Nar Valley off-and-on through the week and at Welney WWT to 24th, with further East Anglia individuals included three on the Suffolk border at Lakenheath Fen RSPB on 23rd and singles in Cambridgeshire, on the Ouse Washes RSPB to 22nd at least and at Chain Corner the following day.
There were single Great Whites on offer in both Northamptonshire and Leicestershire (at the same locations as throughout the winter) and another was seen in Wiltshire (at Cotswold Water Park) on 22nd. Dropping in to the southwest, in Dorset, one also flew over Portland Castle on 19th and one was again noted around Studland on 22nd. Just one bird noted on the Somerset Levels this week, at Catcott Lows NR and another was seen in north Devon, at Wrafton on 22nd. Moving across to Wales, where a lone bird was at Newport Wetlands RSPB (Gwent) on 20th and two were noted again between Wernffrwd and Gowerton (Glamorgan) on 22nd.
Wrapping it all up, two Irish singles - still around Lough Corrib (Co. Galway) on 19th and in Cork, a Great White Egret was at Clonakilty on 21st.
There was a trio of Glossy Ibis noted through the last seven days - the lingering bird in the east Midlands remained at Gonalston (Nottinghamshire) to 20th with the same date seeing another noted again in County Waterford, at Clohernagh, Tramore Backstrand (a bird which remained to 2nd). The final one of the week was noted at the Ouse Washes, at Witcham , also on 20th.
A high count of 10Spoonbills was taken at Shipstal Point (Dorset) on 24th - and an impressive group of seven headed across the main road near Chewton Mendip (Somerset) on the same date - aside from that it was lower single figures all round, with three at Minsmere RSPB (Suffolk) for much of the week (with the same set of three over Aldeburgh on 20th) and three at Bracklesham Bay amd Medmerry RSPB (West Sussex) to 23rd the “top” counts elsewhere.
Also of note where the ole Spoonbeaks were concerned were inland birds in Nottinghamshire, at Attenborough NR on 19th and Cambridgeshire, on the Ouse Washes, on 20th, with a third innarestin’ single seen over Hanworth (London) on 21st. After that it was business as usual, a couple of birds for Hampshire and Norfolk with a singleton still on Scilly, on Samson, on 21st, with two together there on 23rd.
A flock of five Common Cranes headed over Olveston (Gloucestershire) on 18th - no clues as to whether they are connected to the release programme that’s been ongoing in the south Midlands - and they were followed by four in south Devon, over Tamerton Foliot on 19th. Along the Ouse Washes, at Witcham, there was a lone Common Crane to go with the lone Glossy Ibis and Spoonbill on 19th, with a total of six noted in the area later the same day.
”Pairs” of Cranes were noted at Strumpshaw Fen RSPB (Norfolk) and Minsmere RSPB through the week from 18th onwards, with Norfolk scoring a further three at Burgh Castle on 21st and a dozen around Horsey on 23rd. last but not least, a single bird headed over Lackford Lakes SWT (Suffolk) on 22nd.
There was something akin to a dearth of “white-cheeked” vagrant honkers this week - the only definite assignment to form was the parvipes Lesser Canada Goose that was still on the North Slob in Wexford to 20th and the (presumed duff) Ridgway’s Cackling Goose that was at Cults Loch, near Stranraer (Dumfries & Galloway) on 24th. Elsewhere, the only record to report was the possible interior Todd’s Canada Goose that was still at East Chevington NWT (Northumberland) to 21st.
After an adult Black Brant was seen at Loompit Lake (Suffolk) on 20th-21st, two birds were seen at Levington Lagoon on 22nd. Those two or three were almost half of the haul for this week - singles remaining along the Humber at Spurn (East Yorkshire) to 18th and along the Exe Estuary, at Exminster Marshes (Devon) to 22nd. News then came forth from Ireland of singles at Ventry (Co. Kerry) and Aughinish Island (Co. Clare) on 22nd and 23rd respectively.
I’ve no idea what to make of the Snow Goose seen in Northumberland, at Holywell Pond, on 18th - seen in the company of Greylags, it wouldn’t be questioned if it was noted with the same carrier species a couple of hundred miles to the north, but south of Hadrian’s Wall is a different matter.
If there’s a certain reluctance to champion that particular white’n’black goose, there’s unbridled luuuuurve pouring on to the keyboard for the vagrant Ross’s Goose that remained at Tullibody (Forth) - still in the company of 2,000 Pink-feet - to 24th.
Dear oh dear, you can’t help but poke fun at a committee that still refuses - point blank - to “green light” the vagrancy credentials of this super little goose whilst giving assorted drossy Ho*d*d Me*ga*se*s the big A.O.K....
It seems as though the Cornish King Eider may have done a bunk - no sign of him all week - so the lone regal representative of the KE Clan is the Queen who remained at Ruddon’s Point, Largo Bay (Fife) to 22nd at least.
Three Surf Scoters, including two adult drakes, remained off the coast of north Wales, at Old Conwy to 22nd, with further full-on drakes noted at Musselburgh (Lothian) (also to 22nd), at Easting, on Unst (Shetland) from 20th and in Ireland at Lahinch (Co. Clare) - still there on 19th - with the same county seeing (another?) one at Ballyvaughan on 21st. A further Irish drake remained off Ben Head (Co. Meath) to 21st.
England’s only record was of the wintering first-winter drake that was still on the Stour Estuary (Essex/Suffolk) to 21st - noted off Stutton Mill.
Our three Lesser Scaups this week were split 1:1:1 between the Celtic Nations - Wales continued to host an adult drake in Glamorgan, at Cosmeston Lakes to 20th; Scotland’s first-winter drake in Ayrshire was at Martnaham Loch to 24th while the adult drake in Ireland was on Sligo’s Lough Gara to 21st.
There was a slight rise in numbers of Ring-necked Ducks recorded this week, up from eight to eleven on the numbers from the previous seven days. Two females lingered on Carlingwark Loch (Dumfries & Galloway) to 18th when the female was last reported on Northamptonshire’s Billing GPs. The last duck was seen at Lough Skean (Co. Sligo) on 21st.
Three of the drake Ring-necked Ducks logged this week were noted in Ireland - still on Knockaderry Lake (Co. Waterford) to 21st and in Mayo, at Lough Cullin on 19th and Cross Lough, Mullet on 22nd. In Aberdeenshire, one was at Lough of Skene on 20th, then Policy Loch on 22nd-24th, while new were singles at Priorslee Lake (Shropshire), on the Ouse Washes RSPB (Cambridgeshire) from 18th-22nd - there’s been a steady run of the species in the county within the last year; a drake was seen Paxton Pits for a few days at the start of December 2014, while almost 12 months ago (give or take) a drake R-ND was noted at March Farmers (near the Nene Washes). That was a bird that had followed a female at the same site as this week’s - and, last but certainly not least, a new drake appeared at Hardley Staithe (Norfolk) on 24th, the first in the county since December 2012.
Next door in Suffolk, an adult female Ferruginous Duck must have been a pleasant surprise at Lakenheath Fen RSPB on 21st - she was reported as “still present” the following day too.
Ten drake Green-winged Teals included two new English birds - on Tresco’s Great Pool from 21st-24th and in Cumbria, at North Plain on 23rd. Otherwise, there was no change - two singles remained on Orkney, on North Ronaldsay to 23rd and still at Loch of Tankerness, Mainland to 24th; one was still sitting on North Uist, at Loch Sandary (Outer Hebrides) to 21st and the inevitable drake was at Caerlaverock ((Dumfries & Galloway) to 22nd at least. In County Antrim, a single Green-winged Teal was on Larne Lough to 20th while new was a drake on The Gearagh, near Macroom (Co. Cork) on 24th. England’s two remaining individuals remained at Ashleworth Ham (Gloucestershire) to 20th and Dorman’s Pool (Cleveland) to 22nd.
A pair of American Wigeons were found on Papil Water, West Burra (Shetland) on 21st an made up two of the six birds recorded this week - lone drakes remaining at the Drowes River, Tullaghan (Co. Leitrim) to 18th, Holme Pierrepont (Nottinghamshire) to 23rd, at Normanton (West Yorkshire) to 24th with the same date seeing a drake appear again on the Taw Estuary in north Devon (one was seen, for one day only in January).
Back finally to Scilly where the drake Black Duck remained on Tresco - seen on the Abbey Pool to 21st (and likely to be in the area for some while to come, should he settle down with a local Mallard.
The only shorebird to report this week was the Irish first-winter Lesser Yellowlegs on the Rogerstown Estuary to 22nd.
Short and sweet - just how I like it - but those KP’s aren’t far away...
There hasn’t been too much of a fanfare where the lovely first-winter Bonaparte’s Gull in Dorset has been concerned - but for such a prestigious county, this particularly showy youngster has become something of an event...
First noted on March 7th, around Chesil beach, Ferrybridge and Portland Harbour, what was assumed to have been the same bird reappeared 10 days later at Radipole Lake RSPB where it remained through to the following day (18th) - the first day of the new review period.
To date, there have been just five records of this “birder’s bird” within the Dorset county boundaries - the first was an adult off Durlston Head on March 14th 1970. The second county bird followed in April 1975, spending four days in the Christchurch Harbour area.
Six years later, in April 1981, a popular first-winter (noted originally in Cornwall), appeared around Weymouth (taking in both Radipole and Lodmoor) from 2nd-7th and then 15th-16th of the month before reappearing in late May (after a day-trip to Hengistbury).
From 1981 to the beginning of 2015, Dorset had managed just two further Bonaparte’s - both one-day individuals - a Portland first-winter on March 2nd 1990 and a Weymouth Bay adult on April 21st 2006. With so few prolonged stays and given the three and a bit decades that have passed since the last major lingerer in the county, there’s little surprise that this newbie has been welcomed as warmly as it has been.
Also new last week was another first-winter Bonaparte’s Gull, found on the boating lake at Tramore in County Waterford on 15th which was still in place to 23rd. For the Irish county, this too is a major find - there have been only two birds up until this one, an adult spending two days on Ardmore Beach on October 28th-29th 2007, with a one-dayer there in mid-September 2008.
New this week was yet another first-winter - this one found at Sorobaidh, Tiree (Argyll & Bute) becoming the fourth (minimum) within the extensive county in the last couple of years- good going for a county that has had just five accepted birds up until 2013.
In Glamorgan, in Cardiff Bay on 24th, there was also a “new” adult Bonaparte’s Gull on offer, two birds there that day in an excellent (though not unprecedented) double-act (the second bird couldn’t be the same adult that wintered on the Ogmore Estuary in 2013 could it?) while making the tally round off at a very respectable six for the week (that could be a record for one seven day period) was the old-stager noted again of Dawlish Warren NNR (Devon) on 22nd.
Familiar territory too where our double bill of Laughing Gulls was concerned - that super first-winter on the Wirral remained around New Brighton through to 23rd at least while the more infrequently noted second-winter at Ballycotton in Cork was seen again on 19th.
With the encroaching spring edging closer and closer, numbers of Ring-billed Gulls fell away a bit this week, down from 27 to 19. Of those, 12 were noted in Ireland, so where better to start the proceedings...
Three birds were seen in Kerry, two adults at Blennerville and a first-winter on the Cashen Estuary (all seen on 20th); Galway’s Nimmo’s Pier held a first-winter and adult on 22nd with the singles of the same ages also noted around Cork City on the same day. Three singles adults remained at Wexford Harbour, Tramore in Waterford and in Dublin, at Blackrock to various points in the week, while further 2cy’s were on Mayo’s Mullet on 19th and 22nd and at Quilty (Co. Clare) on 21st. The last bird of the week there was a second-winter at Lurgangreen (Co. Louth), seen on 24th.
Three of England’s four birds were seen in Cornwall - young birds still on the Hayle Estuary to 22nd and Swanpool, near Falmouth to 24th, while a new adult was found near Porthleven on 21st. The adult at Gosport stuck it out to 21st and in Wales, a new first-winter was found on the Gann Estuary (Pembrokeshire) on 21st, wheer it was noted again the following day. Scottish singles were comprised of the adult still in the Highlands, at Dingwall, to 23rd and the youngster still on Mull’s Loch Beg to 21st.
Glaucous Gulls were, preety much, as they were last week - 41 on the sheet of paper in front of me, with Scotland taking half of them, 20 birds seen across seven counties, including five around the Outer Hebrides, four on Shetland and also for Argyll & Bute as well (all on Tiree).
Five of Ireland’s eight birds were seen on the Mullet on 19th, with two in Wexford and one in Antrim while England could manage only 13, with five in the northeast and three in the northwest being the only real highlights.
Around 140 Iceland Gulls were logged far and wide this week with, once again, Scotland and, inparticular, the Outer Hebrides scoring well. Of the 70+ birds noted around the country, at least 42 were seen around the Hebs, with a peak of 21 between Butt of Lewis and Port Nis on 22nd, with nine at Stornoway Harbour on 18th and six at Stoneybridge, South Uist on 23rd. Up to 13 were noted around Shetland with half a dozen more in Highland.
A dozen Icelands in the northeast of England included three at Seahouses (Northumberland) on 22nd with seven for the northwest, four for the southeast and southwest, while the Midlands and East Anglia managed two each. Four birds were seen in Wales while Ireland managed upwards of 35 in 11 counties, including as many as 11 in Antrim where a maximum of five were at Waterfoot on 21st. Seven individuals were logged in Cork as well and Kerry’s Cashen Estuary held three on 23rd.
As far as Kumlien’s Gulls were concerned, the week began with the juvenile still at Lurgan Park Lake (Co. Armagh) on 18th and which was still there on 23rd. The 19th saw the reappearance of last week’s third-winter at Cotswold Water Park (Gloucestershire) with the only other birds this week being two juveniles at Richmond Bank (Cheshire) on 21st and a further youngster at Loch Lochy (Highland) on 23rd, reappeaing the following day at Gairlochy.
A bird that began to engage people a little bit more and more through the week was the second-winter American Herring Gull in west Cornwall, seen off and on in fields near St. Just from 20th-24th. Photos are awaited with interest, anything outside the 1w/2cy box is seen as a tough call here…some gullers will tell you otherwise and the credentials of the finders of this one are good.
Back briefly to lovely County Galway, where the adult Forster’s Tern was noted off Mutton Island to 19th.
Up until the 23rd, the story of the roaming apparent second-winter White-tailed Eagle in East Anglia seemed fairly straight forward. First located in Essex on 13th-14th, it tracked a path across in to Suffolk, before appearing in the Brecks (right over the Booted Eagle site...) and then hitting the north Norfolk coast all within the following 24 hours.
Loosely noted heading east the next day, the bird made it to the Broads by close of play on 16th, before dropping back down to Suffolk on 17th. It was back in the Broads, at Ranworth as the new review period began on 18th, where it departed to the east at midday. Later the same day the Eagle mooched south over Minsmere, with a north-bound flight over the same location early the next morning (20th). Inevitably, it was quickly located back in far east Norfolk, over Breydon at lunchtime on 20th, before ending up in the Hickling area as late afternoon approached.
The blank day of 21st was a little puzzling, but the 22nd saw the bird over Hickling Broad on a couple of occasions before roosting at Potter Heigham. Then it got interesting...
Norfolk’s bird was noted in the early morning of 23rd at Horsey, then at nearby West Somerton just after 10am. Then came news of a White-tailed Eagle headimg high and south over Sizewell (Suffolk) at 1.40pm - the Norfolk bird being noted again at Horsey only 30 minutes later.
Simultaneous sightings followed at 3.50pm - the Norfolk bird was at Heigham Holmes, while the Suffolk drifter was seen for at least five minutes by the warden at Landguard before it headed off away high in to Essex (it was also seen at the same time from Felixstowe itself - it became a LBO 1st in to the bargain).
On 24th, there was a report of an “immature” White-tailed Eagle eating a duck at Horsey Island (Essex) before drifting off southwest - wholly plausible given the Suffolk news from the previous day - the site being within just a modest distance across the Blackwater Estuary where the very first sighting came from 11 days previously.
Two birds then - and the best guess is that the original Essex bird is the one that has remained in Norfolk, whilst the Suffolk bird of this week has sprung up from somewhere else. There are a couple of other conundrums to be had within the mix, but they make my head hurt.
Elsewhere, further reports of White-tailed Eagles came from Taffs Well (Glamorgan) on 19th and Eastgate (Co. Durham) on 24th (there have been a couple of other reports around the county this month).
The first Black Kite of the year (bar the ringed escape in Suffolk of course...) was reported from Eastry (Kent) on 22nd-23rd before presumably heading across Bough Beech reservoir later on the latter date. The first of many hopefully...
Norfolk held on to at least five Rough-legged Buzzards this week - singles still at Burnham Overy & Holkham to 22nd at least, Halvergate Marshes to the same date, Burgh Castle on 21st with two at nearby Breydon Water on 22nd. New was a bird reported in the Broads, at West Somerton on 23rd while there was a further report of a Rough-leg near Hellesdon on 22nd.
On the border between Northumberland and Cumbria, a Rough-legged Buzzard was seen at Haltonlea Fell on 19th (with one at Sweethorpe Lough on 24th) while elsewhere in the north, singles were noted at Thorpe Willoughby (North Yorkshire) on 21st and Buckton (East Yorkshire) on 22nd. The wintering juvenile was still on Wallasea Island (Essex) to 21st with further reports coming from Falmer (East Sussex) on 18th and Greatstone-on-Sea (Kent) on 23rd.
The fifth Little Bunting of recent weeks (a very tidy late winter total…) was seen briefly at Stanpit Marsh on 20th, a bird which took the weekly total for this past seven days up to three - recent birds remained at Forest Farm, near Cardiff (Glamorgan) to 22nd and in west Cornwall, to the east of Gulval, near Marazion throughout the week.
A little further to the north, but still within southwest England were the two Penduline Tits that remained at Darts Farm RSPB (Devon) all week - we’re not on for a bit of sneaky, hanging pear-shaped nest activity are we?
Also in Devon was one of the week’s two Yellow-browed Warblers - present at Branscombe sewage works to 22nd, the date on which we had our last report of the bird noted recently in Worcestershire, at Sedgeberrow sewage works.
Two was the magic number for Serins as well - both the males remaining at Gunners Park, Shoeburyness (Essex) to 21st.
…and while we’re on the whole “double” thing, Norfolk’s Breydon Water continue to entertain two Richard’s Pipits through to 23rd and they were part of a weekly haul of five birds in all - singles still at Parton (Cumbria) to 19th and at Shell Ness & Swale NNR (Kent) and also Newhaven (East Sussex) to 21st - the latter bird being taken by a local Sparrowhawk.
In East Yorkshire, the Black-bellied Dipper remained at Harpham to 23rd - there’s been no news on the Shetland bird this week…and we’ve news of the first overshooting Hoopoe too - reported from Allihies (Co. Cork) on 24th.
Plenty of news on Great Grey Shrikes though - 37 seen in all, with a little bit of doubling up here and there and birds shifting around and coasting too.
Three singles were seen on Shetland this week - at Skaw, Whalsay from 18th-21st and on Mainland, at Sandwick on 18th and Levenwick on 20th. Four birds were seen in northeastern England; still at Stanhope (Co. Durham) throughout the week; at Heslington (North Yorkshire) also throughout the past seven days and in South Yorkshire, at Midhope Reservoir all week, with a second noted again at Thorne Moors NNR on 23rd.
Great Grey Shrikes in northwestern England included two at Dalton Crags (Cumbria) right the way through to 24th with a third Cumbrian bird at Bassenthwaite from 21st-24th. A singing male remained at Grindleton Fell (Lancashire) as well. Two birds were at Beeley Moor (Derbyshire) on 18th-23rd at least and one was briefly at Long Eaton (also Derbyshire), on 21st. Elsewhere in the Midlands, a singleton remained at Crabtree Hill in the Forest of Dean (Gloucestershire) all week.
Up to three individuals were logged around Hampshire’s New Forest this week, while further singles were seen in East and West Sussex (at Iping Common to 22nd and Seaford on 20th), in Kent (still at Chilham all week), on Thursley Common (Surrey) to 22nd, at Shefford (Berkshire) on 22nd and in the same county, at West Isley from 18th-24th.
Half a dozen GGS were noted around East Anglia - in Norfolk at Grime’s Graves to 22nd, on Roydon Common to 24th and, on migration, at Hickling on 22nd. On the border with Suffolk, a wintering bird was still at Santon Downham to 19th while the bird near Woodbridge remained to 23rd, with the Swaffham Prior Fen bird was last noted in Cambridgeshire on 22nd.
Just one bird was seen in the southwest, at the traditional site on Dartmoor around the Warren House Inn until 23rd while Welsh birders had half a dozen Great Grey Shrikes to go at. Two were at World’s End (Denbighshire) on 22nd and ones were recorded at Llandegley (Powys) from 21st-23rd, at Pontypool (Gwent) on 21st-22nd, Aberdare (Glamorgan) on 22nd, Llandeilo (Carmarthenshire) on 23rd and, back in Powys, at Llandefalle on 24th.
Only 14 Waxwings for you this week - four remained at Acomb (North Yorkshire) to 22nd, two were again at Cults (Aberdeenshire) and three made a brief visit to Whitley Bay (Northumberland) on 20th. Two birds were seen in Mildenhall (Suffolk) on 21st-22nd, with singletons at Elland (West Yorkshire) on 22nd and Howick (Northumberland) and Kendal (Cumbria) on 23rd.
Finally this week, we head back to the Forest of Dean, where the male Two-barred Crossbill made an reappearance at Speech House Woodland on 21st - he was first noted here on February 15th but there’s been no sightings in between times.
There we are then, another week done and dusted and we’ve edged every so slightly close to “spring proper”.
It goes without saying that what may drift our way across the next seven days is almost certainly going to be dictated by the weather we’re given…
If there’s a brisk’n’blowy chill from the west or northwest, well, it could be a Gyr - we’re getting close to prime time - or even another Thayer’s Gull (just stick a geo-locator on Tom Lowe’s motor to see where he’s looking being an option I suppose). With at least one thayerion Iceland at the mo., well, you never know, we could land ourselves another…
Anything with a bent towards the east or southeast could see a nice, earlyish White-spotted Bluethroat deposited somewhere between Yorkshire and Dorset before April Fool’s Day while moist southerlies could yield any of the species that both me and my Hummingbird loving chum from Shetland have been banging on about for the past two or three weeks - we may as well have another tickle on Great Spotted Cuckoo whilst we’re at it - Dawlish Warren is always a good bet, ditto somewhere like St. Alden’s Head in Dorset or the weird and wonderful bushes of Kent’s Dungeness…
Less predictable is Little Crake but March is a solid month for the species - 17 being recorded in all (from an overall total of 98 - excluding all that breeding mullarkey though), the most recent being that cracking adult male at Bough Beech Reservoir in Kent from March 23rd-30th 1997.
Unpredictability is part and parcel of this butt-end of the third month of the year - Norfolk’s one-and-only Rufous Turtle Dove was misidentified at Hickling…deep sigh….on March 19th 2012 and the male Little Bustard plopped on to St. Agnes on March 22nd 2002 (I point-blank refuse to say that the species has been “devalued”…such an ugly term for such an outstanding rarity) - both of those species are testament to that unpredictability.
That latter find on Scilly was part of a sensational run of records - mainly from the southwest - of early, early rares - as well as the Little Bustard, a male Western Black-eared Wheatear was seen at Nanquidno from 23rd, a Scops Owl appeared in the car park at Porthgwarra on 24th and a Pallid Swift arrived on Scilly on 25th. Pop in a dozen Alpine Swifts in less than week, including five over Cork City for two days (24th-25th) and it just goes to show what can be lurking around the corner…
..sadly the forecast may not be quite so kind…time will, as ever, tell.
Mark Golley
25 Mar 2015
