Weekly birding round-up: 21 - 27 Jun 2022
A somewhat frustrating midsummer week, the one just gone, with the main rarities being either out of easy reach up on Shetland, or gone AWOL before admirers had time to muster and gather.
On a more positive note, sea-watching began to pay some dividends in recent days. Time, in the weeks to come, to dust off the scope and head for a handy headland or, better yet, get yourself out on a pitching, yawing boat. You can keep your strawberries and cream. Nothing says summer quite like the miasma of marine diesel fumes and a barrel of slippery fish guts slapping around in a lumpy sea.
And the chance of petrels. Really rare ones...
Throw Dan ‘Golden’ Brown and the brilliant Shetland Seabird Tours together and some sort of magic was always likely to ensue, not least in the wake of Shetland’s first Pacific Swift vacating the environs of Sumburgh Head overnight on 19th.
Throughout the day on 20th, no sign of this mega swift. Perhaps unsurprisingly for such a consummate flier – of course it would have done a bunk. Then along came Dan and Phil Harris, skipper of Ayda Ruby II on 21st, and what should they find screaming back and forth high overhead at the Noss NNR gannetry but said missing swift? Of course they did.
After predicting the Pacific Swift at Noss we weren’t expecting to actual refind it y’day, but that’s exactly what happened with @ShetlandTours as this beauty cruised around 181m above us with Puffins, Fulmars and Gannets! Views for those on the summit were by all accounts mega! pic.twitter.com/sUEc1rNjiL
— Dan Brown (@DanBrownNature) June 22, 2022
While the views from sea level wouldn’t have been a patch on those obtained by viewers from the Noss clifftop as the day progressed, the sheer wave of euphoria down on Ayda Ruby II must have been immense. Needless to say, the bird was gone by 22nd – eyes peeled further up the east coast of Shetland, on Whalsay and Unst, were to go unrewarded. For now, at least, the Shetland Pacific Swift show seems to be over. As does new public access on foot to Noss NNR, the latest development of the slowly unfolding avian flu disaster in the North Sea this summer.
Speaking of rarity-finders in Shetland with some pedigree, it sometimes seems as if Brydon Thomason can barely set foot outside the front door without finding something. At least this week, for a change, it wasn’t on his home island of Unst…
Friday 24th saw him on neighbouring Yell where, within a stone’s throw of the ferry terminal at Gutcher, he stumbled across a singing male Moltoni’s Warbler. While not even a first for Shetland this spring, in the wake of that found by Dante Shepherd up on Unst on 5th June, this was certainly a first for Yell, and still a significantly rare beast in a Shetland context, let alone a British perspective. With just 11 accepted birds on the books to the end of 2020, they remain rare fare indeed.
Given that prior Unst bird, earlier in the month, was far from a million miles away from Gutcher, it might have been assumed that they would prove to be one and the same individual. Closer examination of images of this week’s bird blew that hypothesis out of the water – for once, a positive two bird theory. Different birds, on neighbouring islands, just three weeks apart. For other islands in the archipelago, the wait goes on…
However, for those birders present in Shetland with a hankering to at least see a Moltoni’s Warbler, and familiarise themselves with its song, the Yell bird stuck around to 27th – sometimes showing well, though often elusive, it rewarded early starts and plenty of patience.
Patience was certainly needed by the searchers for the Turkestan Shrike found by Trevor Charlton on the clifftops on Bempton Cliffs RSPB (East Yorkshire) in the afternoon of 27th in the wake of a heavy rain shower. It showed well for him as it headed inland, but was shortly lost to view and, thereafter, wasn’t seen again by nightfall.
Turkestan Shrike remains, in the wake of the disintegration of the shrike formerly known as Isabelline, distinctly hard to come by. That’s not to say we’re not getting autumnal birds, but proving a first-winter is a different kettle of slippery fish to grappling with a summer adult individual.
To the end of 2020, we’ve seven accepted birds on the books, spanning a range from 2nd May to 23rd August, and all but one of those were adult birds (the exception being a first-summer male at Porthgwarra (Cornwall) on 26th June 2002). On a more unsettling note, most of those records concern one-day birds, so as we head into a new week, we should perhaps be a little guarded about our prospects of what looks very like Yorkshire’s first acceptable Turkestan Shrike actually being seen again.
On the other hand, this is Bempton, the site that loves to keep on giving…
It’s been a good spring for White-throated Sparrows in western Europe. At the time of writing, a singing bird remains firmly dug into Les Bouchoux in France, present there for weeks now; and this in the wake of another singing bird present in Galicia in early June also.
Closer to home, Great Saltee Island (Co.Wexford) was graced by a one-day bird on 20th May. Britain, however, was still waiting for a 2022 sighting. That changed this week with the news, emerging on 26th, that a bird had been seen in a Porthcawl (Glamorgan) garden in the evening of 25th. This would, if accepted, be a first for Glamorgan. Unfortunately for Welsh birders, there was no further sign of the bird when looked for on 27th.
If that news was slightly belated, it was at least a little more concrete than the report of a White-crowned Sparrow photographed ‘recently’ in an Ivybridge (Devon) garden… nothing further followed that initial news report, so Devonian birders could rest (un)easy for now.
Topping the seabirds, of course, is the adult Black-browed Albatross at Bempton Cliffs RSPB (East Yorkshire), still present this week off and on during 21st-27th.
Green shoots of summer sea-watching were evident too in recent days, kicked off not only by another Wilson’s Petrel off Scilly on 21st, and two more on 27th – there will be many more to follow, naturally, in the weeks ahead – but also the appearance of the first small flush of Cory’s Shearwaters…
Following one of the latter seen from the Scillonian on 24th, the pace quickened a little on 25th in Cornwall, with four seen from Porthgwarra and two from Downderry; while eight birds were logged the same day off Ballycotton (Co.Cork). 26th saw better numbers yet logged in Cornwall, with 46 seen from Porthgwarra, three from The Lizard, two from Pendeen, and eight from Lamorna; while in Ireland singletons were seen from Brittas Bay (Co.Wicklow), and Ballycotton and Cape Clear (Co.Cork). 27th kept up the steady momentum, with 87 birds noted passing Porthgwarra in the afternoon and evening, eight from a Scilly pelagic, one in Thurlestone Bay (Devon); and in Ireland five past Helvick Head (Co.Waterford).
Numbers of Balearic Shearwaters picked up a little too, though remained modest – one off Portland (Dorset) on 23rd was the precursor to two off Pendeen (Cornwall) on 24th, two more off Ballycotton (Co.Cork) on 25th, and one back at Portland on 27th.
Our only notable skuas this week were a Pomarine Skua seen from Porthgwarra (Cornwall) on 25th, followed by two more off there on 26th, and singles seen on 27th at Troon (Ayrshire) and Helvick Head (Co.Waterford).
Porthgwarra gave the week a final flourish with a report of a probable Fea’s / Desertas Petrel seen passing there in the morning of 26th.
We’re still waiting, on tenterhooks, to hear if any of the many Glossy Ibises present in Britain and Ireland this summer have been up to shenanigans… though surely we’ll hear about that shortly… but, for the meantime, the past week’s news featured some 20 individuals, of which four in Kent at Dungeness RSPB on 25th were the largest gathering.
Other than them, our only long-legged beasty of note was the probable Night Heron over Studley Park (North Yorkshire) on 21st.
A Spotted Crake was seen fleetingly in flight at Wheldrake Ings YWT (North Yorkshire) on 27th.
Our sail around the rarity duckpond begins, for another week, with the two Red-breasted Geese in Cleveland, still present at Saltholme RSPB on 21st-27th.
On 22nd, Lough Beg (Co.Derry) continued to hold three American Wigeons; while the drake was still to be seen at Skinflats Lagoons RSPB (Forth) on 21st-26th.
In Shetland the evasive Green-winged Teal was again seen at Tingwall on 21st; and another bird put in an appearance at Loch Shin (Highland & Caithness) on 22nd.
Co.Mayo’s resident Black Duck was again seen on Cross Lough on 24th.
In Staffordshire, the female Ferruginous Duck remained present on Belvide reservoir on 22nd-25th.
The young drake King Eider continued his summer residency off Musselburgh (Lothian) on 22nd-23rd.
Last, but never least, our honorary wildfowl, the male Pied-billed Grebe, remained on Loch Feorlin (Argyll & Bute) on 23rd.
Good news continued to emanate daily from Potteric Carr YWT (South Yorkshire) this week where the pair of breeding Black-winged Stilts and, critically, all four of their young, continued to be seen daily until 27th. Another bird was found in recent days, in Co.Galway at Muckrush on 22nd-26th.
Ireland was enjoying a good slice of the wader action this week, with the adult male American Golden Plover still hanging around Tacumshin (Co.Wexford) on 21st-26th, and a Buff-breasted Sandpiper at Lough Beg (Co.Derry) on 24th.
So far, so autumnal, and that vibe was echoed in England, where a Baird’s Sandpiper was found at Alkborough Flats NR (Lincolnshire) on 21st, with a Pectoral Sandpiper that day also at Belvide reservoir (Staffordshire).
For those Shetland birders who missed the Broad-billed Sandpiper that spent 10 minutes singing and occasionally displaying to a Ringed Plover at Grutness on 8th, there was the unexpected chance this week for a second bite at the cherry – the bird was relocated a few miles to the north near Levenwick on 23rd. A less accessible site at which to view the bird, sure, but at least it hung around there throughout the afternoon.
#Shetland displaying Broad-Billed Sandpiper found amongst Dunlin @ Sensitive location ?@HughHarrop? pic.twitter.com/eN3zYAcLdW
— Jonathan Taylor (@jonny_spotter) June 23, 2022
A Temminck’s Stint was reported from Washington WWT (Co.Durham) on 22nd.
A couple of Red-necked Phalaropes were noted in recent days – one lingering on North Ronaldsay (Orkney) on 21st-22nd, and the other at Muckrush (Co.Galway) on 23rd-25th.
Last reported from Loch Turret (Perth & Kinross) on 4th, the adult Ring-billed Gull was once more seen there this week on 21st-25th, and was comfortably the rarest of the week’s gull offerings.
An adult Sabine’s Gull was seen during Sunday’s excellent seawatch off Porthgwarra (Cornwall) on 26th.
Dwindling ever further in the heat of midsummer, white-winged gulls were almost, but not quite, absent altogether. Glaucous Gulls were seen on 21st at St Abb’s Head (Borders) and Lurgangreen (Co.Louth), and on 21st-22nd on North Uist (Western Isles); and Iceland Gulls on 21st at St Abb’s Head, and on 21st-23rd at Houton and Stromness (Orkney).
The Least Tern was again seen in Co.Dublin near Portrane on 25th-27th.
In Northumberland, the adult surinamensis American Black Tern began some wandering ways, paying visits to Coquet Island RSPB on 21st and Inner Farne on 22nd, and back at Long Nanny on 22nd and 25th-26th. One hopes this bird won’t be another high profile victim of the avian flu that’s rampaging through seabird colonies around the North Sea this summer…
It’s real and it’s happening. Bird flu is killing lots of seabirds; this is Staple Island jetty on Farne Islands, lots of young and adult Guillemot’s dead. It’s been confirmed as bird flu :( pic.twitter.com/E6AD9z7Ofe
— David Steel (@SteelySeabirder) June 25, 2022
Always a popular species whenever one’s found, 25th was marked by a small arrival of Caspian Terns in England – one was seen in the morning at Dungeness RSPB (Kent); another in the afternoon at Minsmere RSPB (Suffolk); and another in the afternoon at Misson (Nottinghamshire) was joined there by a second individual in the early evening. The Misson birds remained into 26th, as did the Minsmere RSPB individual; one was later seen at Newington Flash (South Yorkshire / Nottinghamshire). One bird remained faithful to Misson on 27th.
A handful of Black Kites were again noted over the course of the week, including one seen coming in off the sea at Castletown (Isle of Man) on 22nd, testament to their propensity to wander far and wide. Other birds were seen on 22nd at Ludgvan (Cornwall); on 24th at Weybourne (Norfolk); and on 25th at Loversall (South Yorkshire); and possible birds were reported from Windermere (Cumbria) on 21st, and Cambridge (Cambridgeshire) on 24th.
Another report of a possible Rough-legged Buzzard on Mull (Argyll & Bute) came this week on 24th.
Once again seen away from the regular St Kilda (Western Isles) site, a Snowy Owl was logged on South Uist on 23rd at Ardvule Point.
Echoing the week’s headlines, and here in the main body of text only for the lack of definitive confirmation, a probable Little Swift was seen over Wangford (Suffolk) on 21st.
Up the road in Norfolk was more certainty, where the half dozen Bee-eaters remained largely in residence in the sand quarry outside Trimingham throughout the week. Their numbers ebbed and flowed, and may well have accounted for other Norfolk sightings. As many as eight birds were present there on 22nd, though. Elsewhere in England, half a dozen widely scattered further birds were seen and/or heard – on 21st at Mutford (Suffolk), Clifford Hill GPs (Northamptonshire), and Walton (Lancashire & North Merseyside); on 22nd again in Lancashire & North Merseyside at Maghull; on 23rd at Kingsdown (Kent); and on 24th at Scarborough (North Yorkshire).
A handful of Golden Orioles were seen this week – at The Naze (Essex) on 21st and 25th, with a new bird present on 26th also; at Spurn (east Yorkshire) on 23rd; and singing at Wykeham Forest (North Yorkshire) raptor viewpoint on 21st.
Rose-coloured Starlings were predominantly a Scottish island thing this week, with just a few exceptions – on Rathlin Island (Co.Antrim) on 21st still, and St Mary’s (Scilly) on 21st-22nd still; then at Fremington (Devon) on 26th, and on Scilly again on Tresco on 27th; and a further report from Lundy (Devon) on 21st. The Scottish contingent numbered birds logged on Shetland at Hoswick on 23rd and in Lerwick on 24th-25th; on Lewis (Western Isles) on 24th; on Mull (Argyll & Bute) on 24th-25th; on Eigg and Skye (Highland & Caithness) on 25th; and on Islay (Argyll & Bute) on 25th.
Orkney may not have landed one, but at least North Ronaldsay could continue to boast a Red-rumped Swallow on 21st-22nd.
A possible female Red-backed Shrike was seen inland at Holme Pierrepont (Nottinghamshire) on 22nd.
A Hoopoe lingered in Hinxworth (Hertfordshire) on 21st-26th; and another was seen on 25th at Church Norton (West Sussex).
Onto warblers next, and some firmly settled birds still on territory and in song – top of the class being the male Iberian Chiffchaff still present in London in Regents Park on 21st-26th.
Less tuneful, but just as persistent, both recent Great Reed Warblers remained at Snettisham CP (Norfolk) on 21st-27th, and at Langford Lowfields RSPB (Nottinghamshire) on 21st-27th.
A Marsh Warbler was present on Fair Isle (Shetland) on 23rd; Unst (Shetland) also accounted for a bird on 26th.
Cornwall’s redoubtable Nanjizal Valley scored a singing Icterine Warbler on 22nd.
A first-summer Subalpine Warbler sp, thought probably to be a Western Subalpine Warbler, was trapped and ringed on Calf of Man (Isle of Man) on 21st.
Bringing some midsummer colour to the west, a male Bluethroat was in song at Slimbridge WWT (Gloucestershire) on 21st-27th. Another bird was found at Howick (Northumberland) on 24th.
Finally, Kent again gave us our only Serin(s) of the week, a bird found at Dungeness on 23rd, and it or another again on 27th.
If these were fairly quiet times in Britain and Ireland, it’s not unexpected that they were the same further afield. A denuded overseas news section begins in Denmark, where a Paddyfield Warbler was trapped and ringed at Skagen on 25th.
In Spain the Western Reef Egret remained at Platja d’Aro on 22nd-26th.
Finally, in France the White-throated Sparrow remained at Les Bouchoux on 22nd-25th.
It’s probably – no, definitely – a little early yet to be rolling the dice and predicting the big seabirds. But, like a hungry Pterodroma catching a whiff of fish guts over the near horizon, I can’t resist the lure of a few decent seabirds in the week just gone. What, were the birding gods to smile on us, could the coming week deliver?
History gives us some enticing precedent. 15 years ago this coming week saw the discovery of Britain’s first Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross in Somerset on 29th June 2007. Kept in care overnight, and released the following morning, it was to go on to head inland to Lincolnshire – mostly unseen by anyone who really cared about seeing it. Another, needless to say, would be most welcome indeed.
A couple of Barolo Shearwaters also figure in the past – and, as we’ve seen lately, the old adage of what’s hit’s history is coming alive once more in the digital age, with images, albeit not necessarily pin sharp but good enough, taken of recent records and nailing them down. They’re out there, for sure, given a fair following wind and some good fortune.
Speaking of good fortune, let’s not forget early July’s past seabird superstars – foremost of which is the Southern / Northern Giant Petrel found off Whitburn (Co.Durham) as lately as 2nd July 2019, with the Great Skellig (Co.Kerry) Swinhoe’s Petrel trapped on 1st July 2000 another reminder of that particular recurrent enigma.
They’re all outrageous birds to find, of course. But it just takes one bird…
Jon Dunn
28 Jun 2022
Many thanks to all this week's contributors for your photos and videos
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