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Weekly birding round-up: 20 Dec 2022 - 2 Jan 2023

Had you been good this past year? Did he come, and bring you the shiny new optics you’d asked for? Or the local patch tick you’d wished for? The county first? Even, the national first?

Turns out almost everything was up for grabs this past fortnight, if you were one of the lucky ones. The old year handed over to the new year in some style in Britain and Ireland alike, and 2023 has got off to a flying start.

 

Just when it looked like British birders were the ones to celebrate finishing the year with a national first on their hands, Ireland came roaring back with one of their own in the closing days of 2022. Stejneger’s Scoter? Already been there, done that… Irish birders, however, had some unfinished business with White-winged Scoter, so the discovery of a juvenile female bird off Achill Island (Co.Mayo) on 29th-2nd would have been extremely welcome in those quarters.

 

If that was a pleasing end to 2022, 2023 didn’t start too badly either for Irish birders… a report of a Penduline Tit at The Gearagh (Co.Cork) on 1st came late in the day and, as the evening wore on, firmed up into news of two birds present there earlier.

Nervous times, then, until daylight broke on 2nd and the chance to finally add this keenly anticipated passerine species to the Irish list… As it happened, Irish birders needn’t have worried, for not only were the birds still present that morning, but there were, in fact, three of them, and they were showing well to all comers. What a start to 2023…

 

Some birds however just don’t appear destined to be, and for Glamorgan’s birders, one such seems to be Black Duck… Absent from the county list, despite Wales as a whole boasting four past accepted birds, belated news of a drake on Llanrhidian Marsh on 20th-21st wasn’t of much practical use, as the bird had apparently been seen in an area without general public access.

Still, given the species’ well-known propensity for hanging around, perhaps there’s some slim cause for local hope in the weeks to come…

 

If you were to predict a rare wheatear at this time of year, the smart money would undoubtedly be placed on a Desert Wheatear, the traditional and hardy late traveller to our shores. At a push, maybe a Pied, but an Isabelline Wheatear? Nope, almost certainly not – they’ve become an autumn staple in recent years, with a strong bias towards October.

But 2022, with little more than a week of itself left to play with, had other plans for us when, on 20th, Britain’s first December record of Isabelline Wheatear was found on Colyford Common LNR (Devon). Needless to say, that was an early Christmas present for Devon’s resident birders, not least because this confiding bird was effectively a county first for almost all of them.

Devon’s had one prior bird, a one-day bird that dropped into Lundy on 18th October 2019 – to all intents and purposes, an unobtainable bird for most. So while the rest of the country was gearing up for a Christmas turkey, in Devon they had a cracker on their plate, an Isabelline Wheatear that was to prove amenable, staying put at Colyford Common until 26th.

And then, after an absence from the news of almost a week in duration, there it was again on 2nd, getting Devon’s 2023 account firmly up and running.

 

Given that Shetland and the Western Isles had already done 2022 proud with drake Harlequin Ducks, we could perhaps be forgiven for relegating news of another bird to the main body of the weekly Round Up, but then again, a Harlequin is still a Harlequin, a duck of considerable rarity heft, and that has to mean that news, even belated news, of one deserves its place in the headlines.

Not making it into the public domain until 27th (and yes, that’s our second belated duck of the festive period) a female / first-winter drake bird was found on Coll in Feall Bay (Argyll & Bute) on 22nd.

Argyll & Bute’s only prior accepted bird was a female that spent 12 days on Islay on 20th-31st October 1987 – so for local birders, another chance to see a bird close(ish) to home may have been welcome. For one determined twitcher, Cliff Smith, it’s perhaps for the best that news of 2022’s third bite at the Harlequin Duck cherry was belated – as Oscar Wilde almost said, to dip one bird may be regarded as misfortune, to miss two looks like carelessness, and to miss a third might be the stuff of phasing altogether.

Given there are 26 accepted British records of Little Swift to the end of 2020, and that much of the English south coast is painted red with them when you take a look at the statistics, one could be forgiven for assuming that Sussex would have enjoyed a bird by now.

But no. Not a sausage. Nor, for that matter, has Kent had a bird to date, and for Kentish birders the wait will go on a while yet.

As of 2nd, the wait for a bird to call their own ended for East Sussex’s locals with a cracking Little Swift found in Eastbourne over Sovereign Harbour in the late morning. A call to arms for local birders, who will have doubtless scrambled for this long-anticipated county first and a flying start to their new year – but they needed to be quick off the mark for, barely an hour after it was first reported, it was gone.

 

Starting the seabirds very much as we began the headlines, in Ireland, the seemingly now resident Double-crested Cormorant remained on Doon Lough (Co.Leitrim) on 22nd-2nd.

A couple of White-billed Divers were noted in the course of the fortnight – one in the anticipated surroundings of Shetland’s Bluemull Sound on 28th, and another from Holy Island (Northumberland) on 29th.

Little Auks continued to be seen around the coasts of Scotland and northeast England, though not in any really appreciable numbers – some 15 birds in all being noted, of which duos off Filey Brigg (North Yorkshire) on 28th, Flamborough (East Yorkshire) on 29th, and in Scapa Flow (Orkney) on 30th were the highest single site counts.

Cornish shearwaters added a little spice to proceedings, with single Great Shearwaters seen from St Gothian Sands on 27th and Pendeen on 1st, and a Balearic Shearwater off Pendeen on 26th.

Neighbouring Devon had a Leach’s Petrel seen from Hope’s Nose on 30th, with additional birds seen on 1st from Portland Bill (Dorset) and Ventnor (Isle of Wight), and another from Portland on 2nd.

Both Devon and Cornwall alike enjoyed a handful of Pomarine Skuas - birds being seen in Devon at Hope’s Nose on 28th and Broadsands on 29th, and off Maenporth (Cornwall) on 30th and 1st – with the balance of our Poms seen off Troon (Ayrshire) on 21st, and in the South Mainland of Shetland on 22nd-24th between Sumburgh, Virkie, Boddam and Loch of Hillwell.

 

Numbers of Glossy Ibises remained suppressed by the cold snap that heralded the festive fortnight, with a mere 15 or so birds recorded over the period. Cambridgeshire remains a shadow of the stronghold it once was, with a mere two birds noted at Ouse Fen RSPB on 24th and Berry Fen again on 27th and 1st – so, in the absence of high counts from there, quartets in Hampshire again intermittently at Titchfield Haven NNR on 20th-2nd, and in Co.Wexford at Lady’s Island Lake on 20th-21st and at Tacumshin on 29th were the highest aggregations noted.

 

And so to what passes for the sharp end of proceedings at this time of year, the honkers and the quackers…

As usual in these quarters, we’ll kick off with The Goose Formerly Known As Canada. Cackling Geese were seen again on Islay (Argyll & Bute) on 21st and on North Uist (Western Isles) on 2nd, and at Derrybrick Lough (Co.Cavan) on 22nd. A hutchinsii Richardson’s Cackling Goose was kicking around Northumberland on Christmas Day, being seen in the morning near Fenham-le-Moor and in the afternoon near Elwick; another was found on Islay (Argyll & Bute) on 2nd.

As for interior Todd’s Canada Geese, one was in Lancashire & North Merseyside at Banks Marsh NNR on Boxing Day and again on 1st-2nd, while Cumbrian sightings came from Rockcliffe Marsh again on 22nd, and Anthorn on 29th. One of each, hutchinsii and interior, were still present at Campbeltown (Argyll & Bute) on 1st.

Anthorn (Cumbria) was enjoying a rich spell of form, with a Red-breasted Goose found there on 27th, and set to remain present until 31st. Islay (Argyll & Bute) got the new year off to a strong start with a bird present on there on 1st.

Hopes of a white Christmas were realised, in some part, by a decent run of Snow Geese lately. Starting in Scotland, three birds were seen on Mull (Argyll & Bute) on 22nd, with a single bird that day also between Gelston and Kelton (Dumfries & Galloway), and another on 22nd-2nd near Drymen (Forth); another was seen again on South Ronaldsay (Orkney) on 28th and 2nd. Irish sightings, meanwhile, came from near Shannonbridge (Co.Offaly) on 21st-24th, at South Slob (Co.Wexford) on 29th, and at Tacumshin (Co.Wexford) on 1st where two birds, blue and white morphs respectively, were seen.

Ireland proved to be a hotbed for sightings of possible Grey-bellied Brants, with Co.Dublin accounting for three birds on 24th at Baldoyle and a singleton at Sandymount on 28th; and two birds at Rosslare Backstrand (Co.Wexford) on 29th.

Rosslare Backstrand also provided a possible Black Brant on 29th. Confirmed birds remained at Farlington Marshes HWT (Hampshire) on 21st and again on 1st-2nd, and at Felixstowe Ferry (Suffolk) on 27th-31st. Further sightings came from Wells (Norfolk) on 24th; Fareham (Hampshire) and Waldringham (Suffolk) on 25th; in Poole Harbour (Dorset) on 29th; and at Kilnsea Ponds NR (East Yorkshire) on 2nd.

Where the quackers are concerned we have, of course, to start with the drake Stejneger’s Scoter in Lothian – the final flourish of the British birding year remained present in Aberlady Bay on 20th, but wasn’t seen in the area thereafter.

Which isn’t to say the waters off Lothian didn’t harbour some goodies – for, on 1st, the drake White-winged Scoter was once more seen from Musselburgh Lagoons, with it reportedly also showing well on 2nd in Gosford Bay.

A probable Black Scoter drake was seen down the coast at Ross Back Sands (Northumberland) on 29th.

Rounding off an excellent fortnight for scoters, three Surf Scoters were also noted lately – a drake again in Lothian off Gullane Point on 31st; a female / first-winter drake off Islay (Argyll & Bute) on 31st-2nd, and a female off Ben Head (Co.Meath) on 26th-28th.

A solid showing for American Wigeon saw six birds logged – drakes at White Sands Quarry (Lothian) on 20th still; Pennington Marshes (Hampshire) still on 20th-24th; at Big Waters NR (Northumberland) on 20th-31st still; at Crook of Baldoon RSPB (Dumfries & Galloway) on 21st-1st again; at Shapwick Heath NNR (Somerset) again on 29th-2nd; and a final bird on 1st on Islay (Argyll & Bute).

The fortnight proved to be prime time to see a Green-winged Teal, with a decent scatter of birds around the region. Starting in England, the Dungeness (Kent) bird remained present on 20th-21st; one was seen in Suffolk on 20th at Boyton Marshes RSPB; East Sussex landed a bird at Iford Brooks on 27th; and a possible was found in Somerset at Greylake RSPB on 2nd.

A Welsh bird was found on Anglesey on Inland Sea on 20th. Scottish sightings came from Tain Links (Highland & Caithness) still on 20th-2nd, Sanday (Orkney) still on 21st, on the Lossie estuary (Lothian) still on 26th-27th, on Lewis (Western Isles) on 29th-2nd, on Barra (Western Isles) still on 1st-2nd, and at Alturlie Point (Highland & Caithness) and on North Uist (Western Isles) on 2nd. Ireland, meanwhile, had plenty going on – birds being seen on Lough Beg (Co.Derry) on 21st; in Co.Sligo at Ballygilgan NR on 22nd still, and Ballintemple on 26th; at Ballintubber (Co.Cork) on 29th; and at Blennerville (Co.Kerry) still on 31st.

Norfolk’s recent hot run of Ferruginous Ducks dwindled to nothing after a final sighting of two birds on Ormesby Broad again on 20th before, on 2nd, reigniting with birds seen again on Filby and Rollesby Broads. Staffordshire, meanwhile, was made of sterner stuff with the female still present on Aqualate Mere on 22nd-1st, and another sighting at Lodgerail Pool on 26th.

With some 35 Ring-necked Ducks logged across Britain and Ireland in the course of the festive period, there was no time like the present in which to find one of these smart diving ducks on your local patch. While a good many of the birds seen lately were singletons, a few sites notched up multiple birds – three were reported from Moor Green Lakes NR (Berkshire) on 26th; two were found on Upper Lough Erne (Co.Fermanagh) on 27th; and duos remained at Siblyback Lake (Cornwall) on 21st-2nd, Lisvane reservoir (Glamorgan) on 21st-30th, Llyn Pencarreg and Talley Lakes (Carmarthenshire) on 20th and 23rd-24th respectively, Standlake (Oxfordshire) on 21st and still on 1st-2nd, and on Filby Broad (Norfolk) again on 1st.

A trio of Lesser Scaups provided additional diving duck interest – a mobile first-winter drake in Fife spent much of its time at Kinghorn Loch still on 20th-28th, with forays to Kirkcaldy on 24th and 28th; and drakes were seen at Lough Arrow (Co.Sligo) on 22nd, and Oxford Island NR (Co.Armagh) on 28th-29th.

In Cleveland the second-winter drake King Eider remained faithful around Redcar on 21st-2nd, and the drake was again seen in Shetland’s Bluemull Sound on 28th.

Finally, in Co.Mayo the drake Hooded Merganser remained at Rosduane on 21st-1st.

 

These were decidedly quiet times where waders were concerned. Not a great surprise, of course, but still… were it not for the lingering Greater Yellowlegs near Lismore (Co.Waterford) still on 20th-29th we’d have been almost entirely devoid of birds with truly star quality.

Almost, but not quite – English birders still had the Long-billed Dowitcher in Norfolk at Titchwell RSPB on 20th-27th, and Cley NWT on 1st-2nd to show for themselves…

…while, if you found yourself on Scilly, there was the unseasonal delight of the lingering Stone Curlew still on St Mary’s on 20th-22nd.

And, in Somerset, the German-ringed female Kentish Plover was again seen at Burnham-on-Sea on 1st and Stert Island on 2nd.

Perhaps the best chances of finding a notable shorebird lay at the coast, in the form of a wayward Grey Phalarope - a few such were found in recent days. Single birds were seen from Howick (Northumberland) on 20th, Little Ormes Head (Conwy) on 21st, at Rosslare Europort (Co.Wexford) on 26th, Hope’s Nose (Devon) on 31st, and on 1st at Stag Rocks (Northumberland), Trearddur Bay (Anglesey) and Bantry Bay (Co.Cork); while two birds were seen on 29th in Co.Clare at Querrin Creek.

 

As we dared to hope in the closing Round Up of 2022, decent westerlies duly delivered a notable Nearctic gull – a first-winter American Herring Gull in Cornwall at Drift reservoir on 29th and again on 30th, albeit this wasn’t an obliging bird by any means, being seen only fleetingly on both occasions.

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Absent from the news for some weeks now, a Sabine’s Gull seen passing Praa Sands (Cornwall) on Boxing Day would also have been a welcome sight for sore eyes.

In Co.Antrim the recent adult Bonaparte’s Gull remained steadfast at Ballygalley on 20th-2nd. Additional birds were found on 2nd at Bantry (Co.Cork) and Doonfoot (Ayrshire).

Cornwall retained its recent Ring-billed Gull at Lelant Saltings again on 24th-2nd. Wales and Scotland also enjoyed a bird apiece, at Penmon Point (Anglesey) on 23rd, and Strathclyde Loch (Clyde) on 26th again respectively. Irish birds were seen at Dundalk (Co.Louth) again on 25th, Timoleague (Co.Cork) on 26th and 29th, Limerick (Co.Limerick) on 23rd, and Nimmo’s Pier (Co.Galway) on 29th-31st.

Numbers of white-wingers began to swell over the course of the fortnight, with around 45 Glaucous Gulls and 50 Iceland Gulls noted nationwide. North Uist (Western Isles) spoke volumes about their rise, with four of the former species, and eight of the latter noted on there alone on 29th. Hopefully the weeks to come will see growing numbers of both species filtering down further south for more to enjoy.

On Unst (Shetland), the recent Kumlien’s Gull was once more seen there on 27th-1st; another probable third-winter bird was seen at Longhoughton Steel (Northumberland) on 29th.

Finally, in Co.Galway the regular adult Forster’s Tern saw out the old year and heralded the coming of 2023 at Nimmo’s Pier on 31st-1st.

 

Many a yearlist will have been burnished by the settled juvenile female Pallid Harrier that’s hanging around the Warham Greens area of Norfolk, still present there on 20th-2nd – while another juvenile was a superb New Year’s Day find on Islay (Argyll & Bute).

Norfolk also accounted for a Rough-legged Buzzard, seen at Holkham Freshmarsh on 27th, and reported again from there on 31st. Another was reported from Compton Down (Isle of Wight) on 29th, while the recent Orcadian bird was once more seen at Click Mill on Orkney Mainland on 20th, and a further bird was seen on Unst (Shetland) on 2nd. A final possible bird was present in Norfolk at Seething on 1st-2nd.

Lastly, a Black Kite was found in Dorset at Almer on Boxing Day.

 

The best of a typically subdued passerines section was, this past couple of weeks, the re-emergence of the White-throated Sparrow again in Cheshire & Wirral, seen once more on 22nd and 28th in its Kingsmead garden. Not an easy bird to connect with, clearly, but in terms of rarity the best of the wintery offerings nationally.

More giving were two lingering Hume’s Warblers in Norfolk and Kent, both of which afforded their admirers pleasing views lately. The Brancaster (Norfolk) individual remained available on 20th-2nd, while the discovery of a bird in Dover (Kent) on 20th would have got the blood pumping for its finder. The latter bird also remained present until 2nd and, together with a Pallas’s Warbler also found in Kent at Swalecliffe on 2nd, serve as a timely reminder that, at this time of year, you just never know what warbler might be lurking somewhere near you.

(If not a Hume’s or a Pallas’s, then why not a Dusky Warbler? One was found lately in Cornwall at Tregilliowe Pools on 24th-29th, while the recent Bradford-on-Avon (Wiltshire) bird remained present on 20th-26th for good measure).

Fourteen Yellow-browed Warblers also gave hope in this regard – not least because some sites harboured more than one bird. Duos were seen at Earls Barton GPs (Northamptonshire) on 27th-2nd, and Helston (Cornwall) on 27th. A couple of garden birds – near Southbourne (Dorset) on 24th, and at Yate (Gloucestershire) on 29th – also served to remind us that these smart warblers can, potentially, be found wintering almost anywhere nowadays if one’s lucky.

Less luck’s been required lately where Waxwings were concerned, with fair numbers still being seen across the region – around 400 birds were logged in recent days, albeit with a noticeable drop in frequency as the fortnight wore on. For now, at least, the influx seems to be tapering off.

Wintering Great Grey Shrikes appear to be decidedly thin on the ground, though there’s time yet for local birders to uncover some. Birds were seen again in Hampshire at Pig Bush on 24th-2nd, near Methwold (Norfolk) on 22nd, and at Hothfield Common (Kent) again on 1st-2nd; another was seen in Hampshire on 2nd at Denny Wood; and a further bird was an unexpected find in Shetland on Mainland at Bigton on 21st. A final probable bird was seen in flight in Essex at Lee Valley Park on 2nd.

In Somerset, the juvenile Rose-coloured Starling remained at Wiveliscombe on 21st-2nd.

Adding to events in Co.Cork on 1st-2nd, two Penduline Tits were found on 2nd in Somerset at Steart WWT.

In Lothian the Black-throated Thrush was again reported from Haddington on 20th.

The Christmas period began strongly with Eastern Yellow Wagtails found on 20th at both Carlton Marshes SWT (Suffolk) and Burgh St Peter (Norfolk); a further probable bird was found on Christmas Day itself in Devon at Colyford Common LNR, being seen again there on 2nd – one that all concerned would be only too pleased to nail down conclusively.

Devon’s recent crowd-pleaser, the Olive-backed Pipit in Exmouth’s Phear Park, was still present there on 20th but wasn’t seen thereafter.

St Mary’s (Scilly) again boasted a Richard’s Pipit on 21st, with another seen over the water in Cornwall at Gunwalloe on 24th.

Also present in Cornwall, the Little Bunting was again seen this between Cot Valley and Boscregan on 29th.

Our final, appropriately frosty flourish comes in the form of Arctic Redpoll(s) - a probable exilipes bird in Lincolnshire at North Hykeham Pits on 24th, and another in Co.Antrim at Dunsilly on 30th-2nd.

 

Our overseas news starts out in Israel, where the Western Palearctic’s fourth ever – and only the second for Israel – Diederik Cuckoo was trapped and ringed at Eilat on 31st. Eilat also played host to the Verreaux’s Eagle still on 30th; and the Three-banded Plover was still to be seen at Nov sewage works on 1st-2nd.

In Sweden, while the Baltimore Oriole remained constant at Förslöv on 20th-2nd, there was further excitement in the offing – the country’s third ever Western Sandpiper found at Sotenäs on 31st-1st.

In Iceland, aSlaty-backed Gull was found at Höfnon 21st.

In France, the Eastern Long-legged Buzzard remained at Thibie on 20th-2nd; a Forster’s Tern was found at Port du Korejou on Christmas Day; and a Black-browed Albatross was seen passing Quiberon on 28th. France’s excellent birding year was finishing as strongly as ever.

In Spain, a Sociable Lapwing was present on 27th-28th in the Ebro Delta NP. Rarer fare still was found, sadly dead on arrival, in northern Spain – the country’s third Striped Crake at Castropol on 25th and, on 26th, an Allen’s Gallinule at Vigo.

Vagrant Rallidae were having a bit of a moment, with African Crakes found in the Canary Islands on Lanzarote on 27th-30th, and in Cape Verde on Sao Nicolau on 27th also.

Finally, out on the Azores, Terceira boasted American Coot still on 22nd, and Great Blue Heron on 26th; Corvo Great Blue Heron on 26th; Faial Killdeer on 28th; and Pico a Double-crested Cormorant on 22nd.

 

Like a kid with a shiny new toy, we’ve got a new year on our hands, and given how recent years continue to deliver new birds for Britain and Ireland alike, who knows what 2023 has in store for us.

Chances are, though, that the big surprises – and of course there will be a really big surprise or two in due course – are some way down the line, short of a Golden-winged Warbler level of imminent January shocker.

So, the week to come? What seems a little more attainable, a little more probable to get our new year underway? Early January is a classic time for picking out a decent duck or a good gull, ranging from the relatively mundane likes of a Ferruginous Duck to the graceful joy of a Ross’s Gull, and all manner of points in between. The moral here being to check local freshwater and coastal gull hotspots in the week(s) to come.

That said, gardens can harbour secrets at this time of year. 1989, the year that dropped that shocking Golden-winged Warbler in Kent, also served up a Common Yellowthroat in the county, first seen on 6th January near Sittingbourne. Given the calibre of the past autumn for Nearctic vagrancy, who’s to say there isn’t a choice warbler of some description waiting to surprise us…

 

Jon Dunn
3 Jan 2023

Many thanks to all this week's contributors for your photos and videos

 

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