Weekly birding round-up: 12 - 18 Jan 2021
Another cold, wintry week elapsed and while Britain and Ireland may not have been setting the pace for new rarities, several recent quality birds remained steadfast. In Europe, there were some glimmers of hope for what might be coming our way should the fates smile upon us…
The first big passerine rarity of 2021 remained in Kent this week, at least on 13th, when the county’s first White-throated Sparrow remained in a secluded garden at the edge of Orlestone Forest NR. There is no access to the garden in question, but it’s good to keep tabs on the bird and know it’s still settled and in good health. We can all use a little hope right now.
Speaking of which, Irish birders will be pleased to hear that the juvenile Double-crested Cormorant was again seen on 17th in Co.Kerry at Carrig Island near Saleen Pier in the evening. The bird’s settled into the general area and is showing no signs of moving on just yet.
Come to think of it, British birders can draw some succour from this bird too – surely there’s a sporting chance one lurks, unseen for now, somewhere along the western seaboard?
Our sole confirmed White-billed Diver this week was one noted motoring north past Boulmer (Northumberland) on 13th; a further possible bird was seen passing through Cley NWT (Norfolk) on 17th.
Little Auks remained in short supply too, with two single birds recorded in recent days, both in Scotland – one was seen from Fairlie (Ayrshire) on 12th and, on 13th, another was further north still, seen from Lamb Holm (Orkney).
It fell to southern England, on the other hand, to give us a couple of Pomarine Skuas - one noted off Canvey Island (Essex) on 14th, and the other seen from Broadsands (Devon) on 16th.
Cambridgeshire remained the heartland for wintering Glossy Ibises for yet another week, with the settled trio still at Earith Bridge on 12th-15th, and two again at Fen Drayton Lakes RSPB on 15th-18th. The recent Dorset bird was still lingering at Stanpit Marsh on 12th-18th and, in Devon, the four regular birds were once more logged at Fremington Pill on 13th-17th.
At some point these smart birds are finally going to get over the finishing line and start breeding in some of the burgeoning wetland habitat that’s being created. The trend for wintering birds is on the up, which bodes well for some successful spring and summer action one of these days. Authors of a recent paper looking at the British status of the species conclude that it’s likely to happen “when poor conditions for breeding in [the Spanish heartland of] Doñana result in birds dispersing north in autumn, and these are followed by mild conditions in Britain that enable birds to remain there through the winter.”
It’s gonna happen eventually… Speaking of which, we’ve had some fleeting successes with breeding Purple Herons in recent years, and news from Holland this week provides encouragement that more will, in due course, be on their way to try their chances here – the Dutch enjoyed a bumper, record breeding season for the species last year, with almost 1,100 nests recorded.
As with Great White Egrets before them, it now feels like only a matter of time before breeding Purple Herons are a matter of course here…
As is our wont in these quarters, we kick of the weekly honkers and quackers in Scotland with The Goose Formerly Known As Canada - an interior Todd’s Canada Goose was again noted on Tiree (Argyll & Bute) on 12th-14th, while the two recent hutchinsii Richardson’s Cackling Geese were still to be seen on North Uist (Western Isles) on 12th.
North Uist also continued to hold the wintering Snow Goose, again seen on there on 12th-14th.
The possible Grey-bellied Brant remained in Highland this week, being seen once more near Culloden on 13th; in Ireland, a possible first-winter bird was logged in Co.Wicklow at Kilcoole Marsh on 14th followed, on 16th-17th, by three possible birds at Cabinteely (Co.Dublin) comprising two first-winters and an adult.
A number of Black Brants remained reliable for another week – in Co.Dublin, sightings came from Blackrock on 12th, Cabinteely again on 14th, and Clontarf on 17th; moving to Devon, a bird was lingering on Exminster Marshes RSPB on 14th-17th; in Dorset, sightings on The Fleet comprised one bird at Ferrybridge on 13th, two from Rodden Hive on 15th, and two from Wyke Regis on 17th; Hampshire, meanwhile, scored a bird in Portsmouth on 13th and Warblington on 14th; and, up in East Yorkshire, the recent individual was again seen intermittently at Sammy’s Point on 13th, 15th, and again on 18th.
Moving onto the quackers, in Northumberland, the drake American Wigeon remained present at Big Waters NR on 12th-18th; and further drakes were seen on North Uist (Western Isles) on 14th and Cahore Marsh (Co.Wexford) on 16th.
Green-winged Teals almost made it into double figures this past week, with nine birds in all logged nationwide. Starting in the north, on Orkney the regular returning bird was once more on Gretchen Loch on North Ronaldsay on 12th, with the Tain Links (Highland) and North Uist (Western Isles) individuals also logged on 12th; another Western Isles sighting came from Benbecula on 14th and again on 18th. In England, one remained in North Yorkshire at North Duffield Carrs on 12th, while in Devon sightings came from Matford Marsh RSPB on 13th-14th and Powderham Marshes on 16th. Ireland wraps things up with the Blennerville (Co.Kerry) individual still present on 13th-18th, and another bird seen on 13th-17th at Dungarvan (Co.Waterford).
Numbers of Ring-necked Ducks dropped, but only a little, with some 25 birds still noted over the course of the past week and, amongst them, some multiple birds at various sites – the honours for top count went to Lough Gara (Co.Sligo), where four birds were seen on 12th; while Moylan Lough (Co.Monaghan) held two on 16th. In Britain, three remained present on Tiree (Argyll & Bute) on 14th, and the two recent females at Siblyback Lake (Cornwall) on 17th still.
In Hampshire, the regular drake Ferruginous Duck remained tucked into Blashford Lakes on 13th still; another bird was found on 17th-18th at Ouse Washes RSPB (Cambridgeshire).
Back to Ireland, we find the recent first-winter drake King Eider still present at Castlegregory (Co.Kerry) on 16th.
Scotland pipped Ireland at the post this week where Surf Scoters were concerned, the latter’s five birds being (just) beaten by half a dozen in the former. Starting in Scotland, two were still to be seen off Musselburgh (Lothian) on 12th while, in Highland on 15th, three were logged from Dornoch Point and a female in Dunnet Bay, the latter still present on 17th. Ireland, meanwhile, racked up a female at Ballycastle (Co.Mayo) on 13th, and four birds (two drakes, a female, and a first-winter drake) at Laytown (Co.Meath) on 16th.
Finally, the female Hooded Merganser in Suffolk popped up again, seen once more this week at Staverton Pools on 17th.
We’ll kick off the denuded shorebirds proceedings this week in Moray where, at Findhorn Bay, the settled Pacific Golden Plover was still hanging in there on 12th.
On South Uist (Western Isles) the American Golden Plover remained until 18th.
Two of our recent Lesser Yellowlegs were once more logged in recent days – the Devonian bird at Aveton Gifford being a daily fixture on 12th-15th, and the Irish individual still present at Killongford Pools (Co.Waterford) on 14th.
A Grey Phalarope was once more seen from Filey Brigg (North Yorkshire) on 17th-18th.
Seven Ring-billed Gulls make up the cream of the week’s gull crop – which, come to think of it literally, is a horrible mental image so, moving swiftly onwards – these were the adult bird still present at Strathclyde CP (Clyde) on 12th-18th; the adult at Hayle Estuary RSPB (Cornwall) still on 12th-16th; the adult again at Belfast Waterworks (Co.Antrim) on 13th-15th; two adults still at Tralee Bay Wetlands Centre (Co.Kerry) on 13th-18th; an adult bird in Scotland at Eastfield and Joppa (Lothian) on 17th-18th; and in Bray harbour (Co.Wicklow) still on 18th. A final possible bird was found on 18th in Suffolk at Nayland.
Numbers of white-wingers remained solid this week. Glaucous Gulls climbed to some 60 birds logged, a total significantly augmented by the tally of 18 individuals seen on Papa Westray (Orkney) on 12th – comfortably the week’s highest single site tally, beating by a significant margin the next-highest count, also made in Orkney, where five birds were seen on North Ronaldsay on 16th. At least 15 remained on Papa Westray on 17th.
Iceland Gulls were only slightly more numerous at a national level, with around 80 birds logged over the week – again, representing a small increase on the preceding week. Most of these were single birds, leavened with a scatter of sites notching up duos – peak single site counts this week came from Duncannon (Co.Wexford) on 14th and Scrabster harbour (Highland) on 16th, both of which tallied five birds apiece.
Two recent Kumlien’s Gulls checked in again lately – the second-winter bird reappeared at Dernford Farm reservoir on 15th and near Crishall Grange on 18th (Cambridgeshire), while the adult was again seen on Omey Island (Co.Galway) on 15th also. Rounding off proceedings for 15th, the probable juvenile was also seen that day once more in Glamorgan on Ogmore estuary. A further adult was found on 16th at Collieston (Aberdeenshire).
A possible Rough-legged Buzzard was seen this week in East Sussex on 15th at Alciston, with another reported near Weston (Hertfordshire) on 17th, and a confirmed bird on the latter date north of Bridge of Craigisla (Angus).
They may have been thin on the ground this week, but the chilly weather was owned by another winter wanderer entirely – a Snowy Owl seen on Fetlar (Shetland) on 17th.
The latter a faintly annoying bird for your own correspondent, as I’d been daydreaming that very day of finding one out on the hill behind my Whalsay home, whilst looking out across the water towards Ronas Hill on Mainland Shetland, home to a recent bird, and Fetlar itself, where I saw my last of these ermine-clad beauties some years ago. An hour later, news broke of the latest Fetlar bird. I live in eternal hope…
Our passerines this week were a fairly muted affair. Starting with warblers, five Yellow-browed Warblers were reported – at Molesey Heath (Surrey) still on 12th-17th; in Portsmouth (Hampshire) still on 13th; at Watermead Lake (Buckinghamshire) still on 14th-18th; in Essex in a Burnham-on-Crouch garden on 16th; and at Johnny Brown’s Common (West Yorkshire) on 17th.
Three recent Dusky Warblers also checked in, these being the individuals at Ainsdale NNR (Merseyside) on 12th still, Astbury Mere (Cheshire) again on 13th, and at Minster Marshes (Kent) again on 17th.
In Northumberland the first-winter Eastern Yellow Wagtail remained a subtle highlight at Prestwick Carr on 12th, while the other recent bird remained in Suffolk at Carlton Marshes SWT on 17th.
Norfolk’s eastern offering, the first-winter male Eastern Black Redstart, was still dug into Snettisham RSPB on 12th-13th.
Our only Richard’s Pipit this week was one heard in flight over Oare Marshes KWT (Kent) on 15th.
Just a handful of Great Grey Shrikes were logged in recent days – these being individuals at Thursley Common NNR (Surrey) still on 13th-17th; and in Hampshire once again at Milkham Inclosure on 15th, at Wherwell on 17th, and Bransbury Common again on 18th.
Waxwings did okay for themselves once more – not setting the world or the cotoneaster bushes of many supermarket carparks on fire just yet, but neither were they scraping the barrel. In total, some 30 birds were seen nationwide and, of those, a couple of flocks made it into double figures – 10 birds were seen again in Elgin (Moray) on 13th, while a dozen were noted in Ruthven (Aberdeenshire) on 14th.
Both of our settled Rose-coloured Starlings remained present at Amlwch (Anglesey) until 18th and on Portland (Dorset) until 17th. A further possible bird was reported from Newport (Gwent) on 12th.
In Shetland, one of the recent Black-bellied Dippers was still to be found in Voe on Mainland on 18th.
Once again, we conclude the passerines in Surrey, where the Rustic Bunting and the pair of Little Buntings remained around Thursley Common NNR on 12th-17th, with the former and one of the latter still present on 18th. Another Little Bunting was found on 18th in Devon near Kingsbridge. Given news elsewhere in western Europe this week, we could not unreasonably hope for a bunting rarer still than either of those species in the days to come…
There was plenty going on overseas this week, for all Britain and Ireland was, perhaps understandably, a little quieter. We start again in Poland where Polish birders will have been delighted not only that their first Baikal Teal remained at Jamnik Ponds on 12th-16th, but also that this fine drake now had a supporting cast in the form of some further drakes of his kind elsewhere in Europe…
These being birds found on 16th in Belgium at Sint-Agatha-Rode, and in Sweden at Uppsala. It’s looking like a small westerly movement of them is occurring, which is surely food for thought for British birders…
Finishing Poland’s duck news, a drake Black Scoter was off Lukecin on 17th while, on 18th, news broke of a Siberian Accentor at an undisclosed site in somebody’s garden in the Mazowia region.
Further Swedish news this week came in the form of an adult male Black-throated Thrush on 12th at Norrbottens Ian; the Eastern Yellow Wagtail still present on 14th-18th at Trelleborg; a Stejneger’s Scoter still off Bastad on 12th; a meena Western Rufous Turtle Dove at Tavleliden on 13th-18th; and a Black-throated Thrush at Visby on 16th. Not a bad week for mid-January!
Denmark, meanwhile, had to content itself with the Sandhill Crane again on Zealand on 14th-16th, and a Black Scoter at Tisvilde Hegn on 16th.
Norway, apart from an American Herring Gull at Honningsvagen on 17th was, however, all about the Pine Buntings - three birds remained at Ganddal on 13th-15th, with one more seen on 13th at Vodlaveien, and another sighting at Kongsberg on 15th.
Nor were these the only Pine Buntings on offer this week – Spain scored birds at Ledana on 12th, and on Mallorca on 16th-17th; while the recent individual remained in Austria at Teichgraben on 12th also.
Germany held onto its settled Pygmy Cormorant at Dubbelausee on 14th-16th, with the first-winter female White-headed Duck still present at Ausgleichsweiher on 13th. More unseasonable was the male Sardinian Warbler found at Freiburger Rieselfeld on 16th.
Holland’s Brunnich’s Guillemot remained on Zealand at Vrouwenpolder on 12th-18th.
France continued to tease us with settled Wallcreepers at Dinan and Saint-Anne-sur-Vilaine on 13th. Less attractive all round was the first-winter American Herring Gull found in Audierne on 13th.
Heading out into the Atlantic, on the Canary Islands the Belted Kingfisher remained on Lanzarote on 15th, while Tenerife boasted an Allen’s Gallinule on 12th; and, in the Azores, two Double-crested Cormorants were present on Sao Miguel on 14th.
I’m lucky that, during a time of national lockdown, I can at least readily go for a wander without bumping into anyone within walking distance of home. That said, the one thing I’m definitely not seeing many of are birds… so I’ve set my sights lower, and have started to try to get to grips with lichen.
Turns out, as a lockdown project for the bored birder in midwinter, they’re absolutely perfect – found pretty much everywhere throughout Britain and Ireland, with a pleasing, large Larid-like level of minute complexity and nuance, and best of all, the genuine possibility of finding something not recorded on your local patch before.
Since January 1st, I’ve found at least five species that appear to be new for Whalsay – definitely more a reflection of lack of previous attention and surveying than any particular competence on my part, though I’m learning the lichen-ropes as we speak. The British Lichen Society has tons of useful information on their website, and Twitter is home to several friendly and helpful lichen experts one can turn to for help. As one, Mark Powell, says: “Lichens. Anyone with a hand lens can make discoveries. Add a microscope and a couple of chemicals and you can help rewrite the books.”
Fun lockdown lichen diversions aside, you’ll recall last week we covered the unwelcome news that, thanks in no small part to the carefully orchestrated campaign of lobbying behind closed doors by the National Farmers Union (NFU), the British government had sanctioned the use of thiamethoxam, a neonicotinoid pesticide, by British sugar beet growers – a development that, lest we forget, unleashes an indiscriminate pesticide into the countryside that was, for a brief, happy hiatus, banned in Britain. And this to support the growth of a crop that yields a product with zero nutritive value in the human food chain – sugar.
Piling insult upon injury, the derogation to use thiamethoxam also recommends the use of weedkillers on those sugar beet crops – to ‘protect’ bees and other pollinators from thiamethoxam that wildflowers would have absorbed from the contaminated soil. This, in a nutshell, is the ugly face of British arable farming.
This week we can now report there’s a Wildlife Trusts petition to lend a couple of minutes adding your signature to if, unlike the NFU, you don’t think that neonicotinoids and herbicides are blameless good things…
Further worthwhile reading this week over a cuppa is to be found on Wild Justice’s website. While the forthcoming Westminster Hall debate about driven grouse shooting, scheduled for 25th January, has been postponed due to Covid, there’s a fillip of good news this week regarding Wild Justice’s judicial review of Natural Resources Wales’s general licences to authorise the killing of corvid species…
While both of the following species, with an eye to the coming week, fall firmly into the category of long-shots, there’s no ignoring the portents from Europe – nor, in the case of Pine Bunting, the British and Irish precedents from the not-so-distant past.
So, Pine Buntings - with seven birds spread through Norway, Austria and Spain this past week, there’s a shot across our bows that we might be in with a decent shout of one in the week to come – and, as anyone who saw the Dagenham Chase (London) bird back in the winter of 1992 could attest, they can turn up pretty much anywhere.
And, indeed, we’ve five historic records from the week to come to provide us with further inspiration – well-spread from Co.Wexford in the west, to Yorkshire in the north, and with additional eastern records from Norfolk and Kent. All five of those since 1995 too, so we’re talking decent, recent precedent – not least the three records that owe themselves to 2017, another year when they were seen elsewhere in Europe too.
There’s no ignoring the other trend in Europe in the past week or so, and that’s the arrival of three drake Baikal Teals, in Poland, Sweden and Belgium respectively. With seven accepted British and one Irish records to date, we’re talking a much longer shot than said bunting… but surely worth a punt amongst your local quackers. Keep your eyes peeled during your daily exercise…
…as, with the 2019 touring bird that bounced around Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Cheshire, Northumberland, Forth and Yorkshire but failed to make the official grade, and the words from the Falcated Duck entry of the 2019 Rarities Report in British Birds in mind, we know that where BBRC is concerned, a criteria-based approach is taken with rare ducks – those that are accepted as “potentially wild” are those that are “free-flying, unringed, arrived initially with the most likely ‘carrier species’, appeared at locations frequented by wild ducks, and occurred at an ‘appropriate’ time of year (i.e. winter to late spring but not summer).”
Time of year and recent precedent in Europe is on our side. We just need one to be found now…
Jon Dunn
19 January 2021
Many thanks to all this week's contributors for your photos and videos
Share this story
