Rare Bird Alert - 2010 - Review of the year

2010 Rarity Review of the Year - Part 1 - January to June

January

As always, the year began with leftovers from Christmas: the highlight amongst these being the Brown Shrike in Surrey at Staines Moor on 1st-2nd, Baird's Sandpiper in Lothian until 11th, Snowy Owl on the Western Isles, Black Duck on the Isles of Scilly, Penduline Tit in Kent, Lesser Scaup in Glamorgan, King Eider in Moray, three Cackling Geese in Argyll, Spotted Sandpipers in both Devon and Essex, Glossy Ibises in Somerset (3) and Worcestershire and Long-billed Dowitchers in Argyll, Cumbria and Flintshire.

The first new rarities of the year were discovered on 10th: a popular Black-throated Thrush at Newholm, North Yorkshire and confirmation of an elusive Pallid Harrier present around Men-an-Tol, Cornwall since 2009. A Gyr was located on Islay, Argyll from 15th (until found dead on 14th February), a Lesser Scaup in Cornwall from 17th, a Red-breasted Goose in Essex on Wallasea Island from 23rd, a second Penduline Tit in Kent from 25th and single Bonaparte's Gulls at both Traeth Lligwy, Anglesey at South Gare, Cleveland.

Disappointingly, a Dark-eyed Junco in Gloucestershire at Cheltenham from 8th was suppressed; despite lingering there until 5th April.

First Winter Brown Shrike, Staines Moor, Surrey (© Dave Hutton)

Black-throated Thrush, Newholm, Yorkshire (© David Mansell)

February

A Short-toed Treecreeper at Dover, Kent on 1st-2nd was suppressed, but more widely appreciated rarities included Long-billed Dowitchers at Maer Lake, Cornwall on 12th-19th and Inner Marsh Farm, Cheshire on 14th-18th, a new Lesser Scaup at Eglwys Nunydd Reservoir, Glamorgan from 13th and at Hogganfield Loch, Clyde from 22nd, a Penduline Tit in London at Rainham Marshes on 15th, a Black Duck in Cornwall at Colliford Lake from 16th, and a new King Eider at Burghead, Moray from 18th.

Snowy Owl, Lewis, Western Isles (© Snowy Owl)

Penduline Tit, Grove Ferry, Kent (© Marc Heath)

March

The first Bufflehead since 2007 arrived in Dorset on 6th; initially on the sea at West Bexington it soon relocated to The Fleet and remained until 28th. On 7th a Lesser Scaup arrived at Chew Valley Lake, Somerset whilst the Bonaparte's Gull returned to Cardiff, Glamorgan, as did a Long-billed Dowitcher to Banks Marsh, Lancashire. Another Bonaparte's Gull appeared at Thurso, Highland on 9th-11th.

On 20th a Pallid Swift was discovered in Glamorgan at Pembrey with others in Suffolk at Kessingland from 26th until 6th April and in Kent at Dungeness on 29th-30th.

Other early spring arrivals included a brief Great Spotted Cuckoo at Kenfig Pool, Glamorgan on 25th and, on the 27th, a Two-barred Crossbill in Bedfordshire at The Lodge from until 11th April, a Gyr at Rhossili, Glamorgan, a King Eider in Dunnet Bay, Highland on 27th-28th and a Bonaparte's Gull in East Sussex at Rye Harbour.

The month ended with a bang on 28th when a brief Fan-tailed Warbler at St Margaret's Bay, Kent was over-shadowed by a fine male Lesser Kestrel at Minsmere, Suffolk that proved popular until 31st.

Two-barred Crossbill, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire (© Mike Lawrence)

Alpine Swift, Cromer, Norfolk (© Glyn Herrieven)

April

April began with another Fan-tailed Warbler in Kent - at Pegwell Bay on 1st - before a Black-throated Thrush arrived in Cleveland at Hartlepool Headland and an Iberian Chiffchaff at Stiffkey, Norfolk on 3rd. A Black-winged Stilt on the Isle of Wight on 6th had relocated to Rainham Marshes, London on 8th, with it or another in North Yorkshire at Nosterfield on 25th-26th.

Rare ducks included a Black Duck at Conwy Estuary, Conwy on 8th-9th, a Blue-winged Teal at Saltholme, Cleveland on 8th, a King Eider in Aberdeenshire from 11th and a Lesser Scaup at Shapwick Heath, Somerset on 14th.

A Savi's Warbler sang at Marazion Marsh, Cornwall from 17th (with another at Minsmere, Suffolk on 30th), a Bonaparte's Gull graced Arlington Reservoir, East Sussex from 18th-22nd as did a Whiskered Tern over the Camel Estuary, Cornwall on 20th-23rd and a Black Stork around Tavy, Cornwall/Devon from 26th.

On 25th a Calandra Lark flew over Skegness, Lincolnshire, whilst a Gull-billed Tern arrived on Tiree, Argyll the following day. A Lesser Yellowlegs at Wissington, Norfolk was not widely appreciated unlike both the Iberian Chiffchaffs discovered on 29th: at Titchwell, Norfolk until 30th and one lingering at Walderslade, Kent until 14th July. On 30th a Blue-winged Teal was found on Mull, Argyll.

Black-winged Stilt, Rainham Marshes, London (© Simon West)

White-spotted Bluethroat, Welney WWT, Norfolk (© Kit Day)

Iberian Chiffchaff, Chatham, Kent (© David Mattocks)

May

White-throated Sparrows were a highlight of May with singles at Boscastle, Cornwall on 1st-2nd, Southampton, Hampshire on 6th, Fair Isle on 19th-20th, Spiggie, Shetland on 21st and St Agnes, Scilly on 26th. The relevance of this influx to the arrival of a House Finch at Land's End, Cornwall on 6th was much-debated; the House Finch remained there until 12th before relocating to The Lizard on 16th May and then East Prawle, Devon from 27th June until 22nd October. A Dark-eyed Junco at Folkestone, Kent and a Brown-headed Cowbird in Seaham, County Durham on 10th added to this discussion, but not to life-lists; the latter was only identified from photographs after it had departed.

White-throated Sparrow, Boscastle, Cornwall (© David Mattocks)

House Finch, Land's End, Cornwall (© Adrian Webb)

On 1st a Snowy Owl arrived on Unst, Shetland, a formerly regular haunt of this species. The following a day a Blue-winged Teal was discovered in North Yorkshire at Pepper Arden Bottoms and a Pacific Golden Plover in London flew over Beddington before reaching the London Wetland Centre. On 5th a Lesser Yellowlegs visited Frampton Marsh, Lincolnshire and on 8th a Whiskered Tern reached Dungeness, Kent and a King Eider arrived at Sandwick, Shetland Isles (with another on Westray, Orkney on 21st).

A highlight of the month was a showy Oriental Pratincole in Lincolnshire at Frampton Marsh on 9th-19th (with presumably the same bird relocating to Denmark on 26th May) with two Black-winged Stilts arriving here on 29th.

Oriental Pratincole, Frampton Marsh RSPB, Lincolnshire (© Mike Malpass)

Oriental Pratincole, Frampton Marsh RSPB, Lincolnshire (© Chris Upson)

From 10th a Lesser Yellowlegs lingered on the Camel Estuary, Cornwall until 14th and a territorial Iberian Chiffchaff was located, at Wentwood Forest, Gwent until 18th June, with others at Potteric Carr, South Yorkshire from 11th until 23rd June, and at Inchnadamph, Highland on 19th May.

On 12th a popular Great Reed Warbler was found in Derbyshire at Straw's Bridge (until 25th June) and a Broad-billed Sandpiper began a five-day stay on Skye, Highland. Another Broad-billed Sandpiper was discovered in Scotland on 13th, in Lothian at Tyninghame Bay, with single Spotted Sandpipers nearby at North Berwick the same day, and at Stocks Reservoir, Lancashire on 17th-18th.

A Black Stork on North Uist on 18th May proved to have been ringed in Hungary in 2007. It remained on the Western Isles until 25th May before relocating to Unst, Shetland on 2nd-6th June, with it or another at Barnard Castle, Durham on 27th-28th May.

The 20th saw the second Brown Shrike of the year, at Sennen, Cornwall, with later a Squacco Heron in the east of that county, at Par on 22nd-24th.

Great Reed Warbler, Ilkeston, Derbyshire (© Jon Lowes)

A dapper Wilson's Phalarope in Merseyside at Seaforth on 22nd-25th proved to be a precursor to an over-flying Pallid Harrier at the same site on 25th and then a magnificent White-tailed Plover on 27th-28th. The White-tailed Plover went on visit the Netherlands the following day before returning to England in July.

Wilson's Phalarope, Seaforth, Lancashire (© Steve Young)

The 23rd brought a Great Snipe to South Uist, Western Isles, single Broad-billed Sandpipers to both Old Moor, South Yorkshire and the Ythan Estuary, Aberdeenshire and Savi's Warblers in Norfolk and South Yorkshire (again at Old Moor and present until 30th).

Big news on 26th concerned a Black-browed Albatross passing Flamborough Head, East Yorkshire, whilst a Blue-winged Teal in Leicestershire at Groby quickly relocated to Little Paxton, Cambridgeshire until 28th, with a Whiskered Tern nearby at Ely on the latter date.

The month ended with a Trumpeter Finch in Norfolk on 31st, initially discovered at Blakeney Point it soon moved to Cley where it remained until 2nd June.

June

On 1st a Collared Flycatcher on Lewis, Western Isles opened the month with an elusive Thrush Nightingale at Walsey Hills, Norfolk the same day. The fifth Broad-billed Sandpiper of the spring dropped into Rutland Water, Leicestershire on 2nd, with another at Saltholme, Cleveland on 6th-15th.

On 3rd a hugely popular Marmora's Warbler took up territory on The Blorenge, Gwent (remaining until 15th) with another Iberian Chiffchaff discovered the same day on Unst, Shetland (then a Great Reed Warbler there on 6th). On 5th a party of five Black-winged Stilts arrived at Titchwell where a Gull-billed Tern over-flew.

Astonishing news from 6th was that a male Little Shearwater had taken up territory in the Manx Shearwater colony on Lundy, Devon. Although present until 7th July, it's nocturnal habits meant it proved nearly impossible to see. Another near-miss for would-be watchers was a Pallas's Reed Bunting present on a vessel in the North Sea on 9th-10th, before it died.

Yet more White-throated Sparrows were located: at Woodbridge, Suffolk on 6th, on Bardsey, Gwynedd on 12th and at Fulbeck, Lincolnshire on 18th-19th. A Blue-winged Teal was at Cley, Norfolk on 7th with it or another at Berry Fen and Fen Drayton, Cambridgeshire from 15th until 14th August, whilst a King Eider was also seen on 7th, in Highland at Chanonry Point.

On 10th a Blyth's Reed Warbler reached Fair Isle, Scotland, and an elusive Great Reed Warbler lingered on Anglesey at Mallraeth from 15th-24th. A Caspian Tern at Endrick Mouth, Clyde on 19th relocated to Loch of Strathbeg, Aberdeenshire on 21st, when a Paddyfield Warbler was a Grutness, Shetland.

A Bridled Tern photographed at East Chevington, Northumberland on 21st had slipped away before birders had a chance to connect with it: the last twitchable example of this species being nearly twenty years ago.

Two moulting Lesser Scaups were identified at Loch Leven, Perth and Kinross on 23rd, an elusive Bonaparte's Gull was at Chowder Ness, Lincolnshire from 28th until 1st July, a Brunnich's Guillemot was identified off Hoy, Orkney on 29th, whilst of two Gull-billed Terns in Devon at Bowling Green Marsh on 28th, one lingered until 11th July and another visited Abbotsbury, Dorset until July.

Part two of the review will follow early in the new year

Rare Bird Alert
Dec 2010

Rare Bird Alert, Reliable Bird News Services Since 1991