Weekly birding round-up: 28 Apr - 4 May 2020
The calendar flipped over into May this week and, with the new month, spring migration is starting to feel rather more urgent and loaded with promise…
Eastenders might be operating on a reduced schedule in these pandemic days, but birders wanting a soap opera fix could do worse than to revisit the rollercoaster fortunes of Hudsonian Whimbrel - once upon a day ‘just’ a dark-rumped Whimbrel… then elevated to a full species in its own right… then lumped again… and, earlier in 2020, thanks to a recently published paper, split once more.
Making a right old mess of anyone’s old-school paper British list.
It was all a great deal simpler for anyone keeping a Highland list, for there’s never been, hitherto, a Hudsonian Whimbrel found there. That all seemed to change this week with a bird, first seen around a week previously, confirmed on 2nd at Dunnet Bay (Highland) – a Highland first.
Or is it? A thoroughly educational conversation ensued on Twitter, spurred by Dan Brown raising the possibility of an eastern, variegatus Whimbrel, on the basis of the Dunnet Bay bird having a rump and uppertail coverts that appear, perhaps, rather pale for a classic Hudonsian. By all accounts, the amount of paleness a variegatus shows, er, varies… begging the question of where an American Hudsonian Whimbrel ends and an eastern Russian variegatus Whimbrel begins. Someone needs to get busy with the DNA all over again…
They’re not the rarest of birds by any means, but there’s always a feel of genuine star quality surrounding a Squacco Heron - a compact, elegant package of loveliness that brightens any birder’s day – whether it’s in southeast Europe or, better still, as a chance find in Britain.
One was doing the rounds this week in Co.Durham on 1st, being seen over Rainton Meadows DWT and, presumably, also accounting for the probable sighting at Fishburn – either way, a first for the county.
That the bird didn’t settle may account for the next sighting – one, perhaps one and the same, seen at High Eske NR (East Yorkshire) on the morning of 3rd, before it flew off. Picky things, these Squaccos…
They’re not quite such a big deal for East Yorkshire, with two birds since the turn of the century. On 4th, it was seen again – briefly, of course – at Swine Moor. Who knows where this one will pop up next – but it’s one to keep half an eye open for if you’re based in the north-east.
There’s going to come a point, eventually, when Iberian Chiffchaff won’t be a county first for many counties, least of all coastal ones, as they continue to crop up year on year with increasing frequency.
That said, there’s many a slip twixt cup and tick… We’ve had a couple of putative birds reported this spring that, with more forensic analysis of recordings, have turned out to be mere Chiffchaffs after all – the latest bird, the one heard in Dorset last week on Portland, transpiring to be either a Chiffchaff or a Chiffchaff x Iberian Chiffchaff hybrid.
It is then with understandable caution that we report the latest bird to hit the news – one at Croft (Lincolnshire) on 3rd. If all goes well for it, that would be a second accepted bird for the county, following the first last year at Gibraltar Point…
And finally, a recent era appears to have come to an end. Scilly’s male Lesser Kestrel stuck around this week on St Mary’s until 1st, just about making it into another month of its tenure, but hasn’t been reported there since then.
That’s not to say it may not have relocated to some less well-watched corner of the archipelago – it was reported from St Martin’s on 2nd - but, for now, we draw a tentative and appreciative line beneath a stay that lasted around 50 days. Still comfortably one of the best birds of the spring so far…
Sure enough this week, skuas were beginning to move north with increasing urgency. The south coast watchpoints began to log Pomarine Skuas moving up the English Channel while, in the far north, Great and Arctic Skuas were becoming more or less daily fixtures. Surely not long now before our first Long-tailed Skuas check in?
But back to the week just gone, and those spoony-tailed Poms, my favourite of all their kind. 29th was a busy day with sightings spread along the south from Porthgwarra (Cornwall) in the west to Dunwich (Suffolk) in the east – in all, 25 birds were logged, most of which were singletons but, amongst them, a couple of slightly higher counts – half dozens being noted from Portland (Dorset) and Ovingdean (East Sussex).
On 30th a handful of birds had pressed further north, with singletons seen at Carluke (Clyde) and Rossall Point (Lancashire); on 2nd, Lancashire was a little busier still, with four seen from Fleetwood and six from Heysham. 10 more streamed past on 3rd, with two northerly birds noted off Portmahomack (Highland) that day, and the trickle continued on 4th. Next week should see the pace picking up.
A Balearic Shearwater was seen from Porthgwarra (Cornwall) on 29th; and another in Mount’s Bay (Cornwall) on 3rd.
Our sole White-billed Diver this week was one logged off North Ronaldsay (Orkney) on 29th and once more on 4th.
As we’ve seen, in the headlines, some long-legged exotica was in the offing this week in the north of England and, Squacco Herons aside, there was more variety to be had elsewhere. A real sense of just how itchy the feet at the end of those long legs were came from Shetland, where both Little and Great White Egrets were seen this week – both being scarce birds that far north.
On the British mainland, Purple Herons were seen at Marton Mere LNR (Lancashire) again on 1st; and over Arlington reservoir (East Sussex) on 29th and at King’s Newton (Derbyshire) on 1st. A possible bird was seen on 3rd at high over Derby (Derbyshire) in the afternoon; and on 4th, one was seen in Haverfordwest (Pembrokeshire).
In Suffolk, a Glossy Ibis was seen over Ipswich on 30th and, on 3rd, one was seen over Lavenham in the evening.
Common Cranes had, by their recent standards, settled down somewhat this week with far fewer wandering birds noted overhead in recent days. Sightings came, however, from Houton (Orkney) on 28th; Strathrusdale (Highland) on 30th, where two birds were seen passing overhead; on the Shetland mainland where, on 2nd, one or two birds accounted for the single bird sightings over Lerwick and the East Burrafirth area; and, on 2nd, two were seen in Lincolnshire over North Hykeham, and single birds over South Anston (South Yorkshire) and Druridge (Northumberland). On 3rd one was seen in East Yorkshire at Flamborough, while North Yorkshire sightings came from Scarborough and Speeton; one was at Stewarton (Argyll & Bute); and two were seen in Aberdeenshire over Inchgarth. Finally, on 4th one was seen over Ipswich (Suffolk); further sightings came from East Yorkshire at Buckton and Kilnsea; and three passed over Peterborough (Cambridgeshire).
A singing Corncrake was a welcome sound on St Agnes (Scilly) on 30th; a further probable bird was heard at Ainsdale (Merseyside) on 28th.
While, in the usual scheme of things, we’d be expecting slimmer pickings around about now in the wonderful world of wildfowl, there was something of an exception to be had in the past week – and that was the regal presence of no fewer than three King Eiders - or, strictly speaking, one king and two queens… A drake was seen at the historically reliable site of the Ythan estuary (Aberdeenshire) on 29th-30th, while females were found off South Uist (Western Isles) on 30th and Coul Links (Highland) on 30th-1st.
Presumably the same drake Ring-necked Duck that had spent weeks at Priory CP (Bedfordshire) was seen nearby in the county on 30th at Russell Park in Bedford, having been there since around 28th; and was back again at Priory CP on 3rd-4th. On 1st another was seen at Heckington Fen (Lincolnshire), whilst one was found that day in Co.Cork at The Gearagh.
A female Surf Scoter was seen from St Andrews (Fife) on 28th-2nd; the drake remained off Musselburgh (Lothian) on 30th; and arguably the week’s most remarkable quacker was the drake found inland at Chasewater (Staffordshire) on 29th in the company of a trio of Common Scoter - a county first.
Finally, in East Yorkshire, the Black Brant remained settled in the Kilnsea area until 2nd.
Our first notable shorebird news this week is the BBRC’s announcement that, henceforth, Kentish Plover is now a BB rarity. Finding one, at any point, is always a pleasure but, going forwards, they’re going to have a little extra added lustre.
Highland stole the headlines with its Hudsonian Whimbrel on 2nd, but added another Nearctic wader to the rostrum on 29th with a Pectoral Sandpiper at St John’s Loch.
An adult American Golden Plover put in a fleeting appearance on the Gann estuary (Pembrokeshire) in the morning of 4th.
Dotterels continued to move through the country this week, reaching as far north as Shetland where, on Unst, one passed over Brydon Thomason’s house on 1st. This bird preceded by one over Worth Matravers (Dorset) in the evening of 28th; a small trip of three birds present at Wharncliffe Chase (South Yorkshire) on 28th-30th; two birds at Saltburn (Cleveland) on 29th-30th; and two present on Great Ormes Head (Conwy) on 29th. On 2nd two flew over Whitworth (Lancashire). On 3rd three flew over Romsey (Hampshire) and a singleton was heard in the same county at North Baddesley in the late evening; and a more substantial trip more deserving of the epithet was found in Norfolk on 3rd – eight birds present at Sedge Fen. A single bird was found in Norfolk on 4th at Welney WWT.
Appreciably quieter times this week where gulls were concerned, but the biggest news was coming from the tern front – a superb Caspian Tern found in the late morning of 28th at Tingley (West Yorkshire).
Back with the gulls, our white-wingers were a game of two halves. Iceland Gulls held their own, with some 15 birds in all logged over the course of the week, widely scattered from Cornwall in the south to Shetland in the north. Duos were noted in Shetland at Pool of Virkie on 30th and, in Orkney, at Loch of Stenness on 1st.
Glaucous Gulls, however, fell off a cliff this week, with just four birds noted nationwide – single birds present on Yell (Shetland) still on 28th-4th; at Pyewipe (Lincolnshire) still on 28th-4th; on Tiree (Argyll & Bute) on 28th also; and in Newlyn (Cornwall) still on 29th-4th.
If finding rarities was like winning the lottery, Shetland’s Brydon Thomason would be a very rich man indeed – even when he leaves his normal Unst stamping ground it seems there’s no stopping him. And just sometimes, the rarities seem to find him…This week, heading back to Unst across the adjacent island of Yell, a female Pallid Harrier flew over the road in front of him – the second in as many weeks in Britain.
It was, generally, a very good week for raptors of note. Kent scored a cracking male Red-footed Falcon hawking over Stodmarsh NNR on 1st-3rd…
…while, in one of the more intriguing sightings lately, a Saker was seen at Wilden Marsh (Worcestershire) on 2nd.
Black Kites put in a strong account this week, particularly on 30th. What seemed to have been two roosting birds were seen, on the move at various sites in the Sizewell and Minsmere RSPB vicinity of Suffolk in the early morning; another southern bird was seen at Woolmer Pond (Hampshire); one was present at Llandudno (Conwy); and a final probable bird was seen at Erewash Meadows DWT (Derbyshire). On 1st, the Rarity Round Up’s former steward Mark Golley hit local patch gold at Cley with another bird. On 3rd, another was found passing over Stoneleigh Broadway (London) and, on 4th, one was seen in Dorset over Gillingham.
Returning to the harriers, Norfolk had a female Montagu’s Harrier at Felmingham on 30th; and a probable was seen in Dorset at Keysworth on 3rd.
A White-tailed Eagle was seen over West Bromwich (West Midlands) on 1st; and on 3rd on was seen in East Yorkshire at Burton Fleming, with a probable in North Yorkshire at Scarborough later in the afternoon. A ringed and wing-tagged bird was seen in Norfolk at Ditchingham on 4th.
The week closed with news of a Snowy Owl recently in the St Just area of Cornwall.
Still providing a welcome slab of colour for another week and, with it, a decent chance of turning up in somebody’s garden rather than a random bit of coastal scrub or turf, Hoopoes remained a double figure Thing in recent days. The most startling example of the 15 or so birds reported this week has to be that reported from an Epsom Downs (Surrey) windowsill on 28th… Other birds, meanwhile, were seen at Scarborough (North Yorkshire) still on 28th-29th and, reportedly, still present there on 2nd; at Bix Manor (Oxfordshire) on 28th; in Shropshire at Wem still on 28th and Shrewsbury on 28th, and Coton Hill on 1st; at Whitley (North Yorkshire) on 28th; on 29th in an Okehampton (Devon) garden; on 30th at Druridge Bay CP (Northumberland) and Swanage (Dorset); on 1st in a Broughton (Northamptonshire) garden; and on 2nd at Puddle Heath (Dorset). On 3rd further sightings came from Bratton Fleming (Devon) and Capel (Surrey). Finally, on 4th Wales provided two more birds, near Hirwaun (Glamorgan) and in a Tavernspite (Pembrokeshire) garden; a further bird was seen that day in West Sussex in flight over Kingston Gorse.
A Bee-eater added further flyover glamour at Woodhorn Flashes (Northumberland) on 30th, while one lingered for half an hour at Dungeness (Kent) on 4th.
Two Golden Orioles were present on St Mary’s (Scilly) on 28th, a male and a female or first-summer male; another of the latter was found in Kent at Foreness Point on 1st; and, back on St Mary’s, a male bird was present on 4th.
On the subject of unexpectedly colourful birds found in unexpected places, this week we’ve got to look to the west coast of Scotland where wandering Magpies were popping up in recent days. One found on South Uist (Western Isles) on 28th had relocated by 30th, assuming this was one and the same bird, to Barra; while the Highland islands of Rhum and neighbouring Eigg scored one or two birds on 1st and 2nd respectively.
TA DAHH. Found it. BARRA GOLD In Castlebay at the children’s centre pic.twitter.com/GxHZh2jJxQ
— Ian Ricketts ???? (@TheBarraDude) April 30, 2020
Worth also noting, at this juncture, that Nuthatches have been making sea crossings too in recent weeks. Eigg got its first ever record on 25th…
last week a Nuthatch at Roag a 3rd Skye record - yesterday a bird on Eigg it’s 1st record and only the 2nd for the Small Isles following the bird found by @seanofrum in 2019 - sea crossings are not a deterrent to wandering spring birds-images Donald Maclean-western isles next? pic.twitter.com/QXa1E5OMmq
— Bob McMillan (@SkyeBirdsBob) April 26, 2020
More conventional wanderers continued to be found further south this week – Kent getting a brace of Red-rumped Swallows, with sightings at Chartham on 28th and Foreness Point on 2nd.
An Alpine Swift was cutting shapes over Sandown (Isle of Wight) on 29th.
A Wryneck was found on Unst (Shetland) on 2nd; on 3rd, another Shetland bird was present at the edge of Pool of Virkie.
A Bluethroat was found on St Mary’s (Scilly) on 4th.
Market Rasen (Lincolnshire) meanwhile generated a report of a Red-breasted Flycatcher on 2nd.
A dozen Waxwings were seen in Inverness (Highland) on 1st; a single bird made a pitstop in a North Uist (Western Isles ) garden on 4th.
A Melodious Warbler was trapped and ringed at Landguard NR (Suffolk) on 30th.
A Savi’s Warbler in song would have been a welcome sound at Oare Marshes KWT (Kent) on 28th.
An Eastern Subalpine Warbler male was found on St Mary’s (Scilly) on 28th. Further female Subalpine Warbler sp were seen this week on Fetlar (Shetland) on 3rd and St Mary’s, also on 3rd; and a further singing male Subalpine Warbler sp went unseen on Bardsey (Gwynedd) on 4th – hopefully that one will reveal itself in the days to come.
A handful of Blue-headed Wagtails were found this week – birds present on Portland (Dorset) on 28th; Bury St Edmunds (Suffolk) on 29th; on 1st at Spurn (East Yorkshire); on 2nd at St Columb Major (Cornwall) and Sumburgh (Shetland); and on 3rd nearby on Shetland at Pool of Virkie. The settled bird remained in Lincolnshire at Toft Newton reservoir on 4th.
A male Grey-headed Wagtail was found in Highland at Portmahomack on 3rd-4th.
A trio of east coast Richard’s Pipits were logged – birds at Kilnsea (East Yorkshire) on 28th-30th; Scarborough (North Yorkshire) on 30th; and over Beeston Bump (Norfolk) on 2nd.
The recent Red-throated Pipit remained on St Mary’s (Scilly) on 28th-29th with it, or another, heard on St Mary’s on 3rd.
St Mary’s also provided us with the week’s only definite Serin, a bird seen on there on 30th; an unconfirmed report of another came from Crowborough (East Sussex) on 4th.
For a third consecutive week, Bonelli’s Eagle(s) were making the European headlines – sightings coming from Denmark at Vejle on 28th and Frostrup on 29th.
In Norway, meanwhile, on 29th a personata Masked Wagtail was found on Utsira; next stop the British east coast?
Two Stejneger’s Scoters were seen in Sweden at Svenska Hogarna on 3rd.
Further afield, Israel’s good spring continued with a Greater Painted Snipe at Yakum Wetland on 4th, the first since 2014.
Boom! Greater Painted-Snipe found just now by Yotam Lenard at Yakum Wetland. First since 2014 pic.twitter.com/3ZmwBx1nJ2
— Yoav Perlman (@yoavperlman) May 4, 2020
Finally, a blast from the early spring past re-emerged into the news once more this week – the Abyssinian Roller still present in the Canary Islands on Gran Canaria on 2nd.
Coming up, our first full week of May and, with migration now opening up the throttle the prospects for something interesting get more interesting by the day.
It’s really kid-in-a-sweet-shop time where the possibilities are concerned. More Red-rumped Swallows and Black Kites are surely a formality – and eyes cast towards the skies could reasonably hope for an Alpine Swift, as the coming week is traditionally a strong one for those monochrome marvels.
Overshooting rare terns also feature in years gone by – take your pick from dozens of Caspian, Gull-billed, Whiskered or White-winged Black Terns for inspiration.
But if I was a-wandering at a coastal wetland, near any decent reedbeds right now, I’d start listening out for the dulcet tones of a Great Reed Warbler - one of those rarities that does the decent thing by really announcing its presence in no uncertain terms at this time of year…
Jon Dunn
5 May 2020
Many thanks to all this week's contributors for your photos and videos
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