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Weekly birding round-up: 10 - 16 Jan 2023

Barely a week seems to pass these days without some sort of moment in the British and Irish birding scene but, just occasionally, we draw if not a blank then certainly a quieter, more reflective picture.

So, in the absence of any really startling new finds this week, we’ve a trio of quality duck species gracing the headlines, birds that serve as a timely reminder that this time of year is prime time for their kind in our midst.

 

Found on the final day of the preceding week, what looks set to be the first acceptable Baikal Teal for Wales started the current week in Powys still present at Llangorse Lake on 10th.

With two blank days following that, had the bird moved on? (Never a bad thing, this, for the feelgood factor of any rare quacker. Nobody likes a duck that overstays its welcome…) Nope, for on 13th-16th it was still present and reported daily.

We shouldn’t forget last year’s two birds both put in decent stints extending into many weeks before finally moving on as spring got under way, so really there’s nothing untoward in a prolonged stay as long as it doesn’t extend into actual residency – and with any luck this bird will continue to delight for some time to come this winter.

 

There’s far less stigma attached to seaducks than there is to the sort of colourful freshwater ducks that attract the eye of the ornamental duck fancier – more of which anon – and that brings us on to the unimpeachable White-winged Scoters currently wintering just offshore Scotland and Ireland respectively.

The returning drake in Lothian was showing consistently again this week around the Fisherrow area on 10th-15th while, in Co.Mayo, the recently discovered first-winter female was still showing off Achill Island on 11th-16th. It’ll be interesting to see if she too becomes site faithful in winters to come.

 

Finally, we can’t leave Co.Mayo without acknowledging the drake Hooded Merganser still present at Rosduane on 13th-16th.

While I’m as fond as the next cynic of giving Hooded Mergansers a good metaphorical kicking on account of their strong presence in the affections of duck-fanciers in Britain and continental Europe, and their proven track record of either escaping from captivity or, in some cases, being deliberately set loose by well-intentioned local authority staff (Ipswich, I’m looking at you), this particular individual has a feel-good factor about him, having arrived on the coattails of a decent run of westerlies and associated Nearctic birds.

Just as long as he doesn’t do a Radipole Lake RSPB (Dorset) on us, and become a permanent fixture there. One can have too much of a good thing, after all.

 

But for the Double-crested Cormorant, still present on Doon Lough (Co.Leitrim) on 12th-15th, the week just gone was a pretty quiet one on the seabird front.

A little over half a dozen Little Auks were logged, in varying states of health – one found in Dorset at Chesil Beach on 14th was in a terminally moribund state, but the balance seemed livelier. Single birds were reported on 10th from Lamb Holm (Orkney); on 11th and 13th from Islay (Argyll & Bute); on 12th from Sumburgh (Shetland); on 14th from Hill Head (Hampshire); on 15th, two were seen from Nybster (Highland & Caithness), and a singleton at St Combs (Aberdeenshire); and on 16th a single bird was on the rocks on Coll (Argyll & Bute).

A probable Leach’s Petrel was seen from St Anthony Head (Cornwall) on 10th, and confirmed birds at Severn Beach (Gloucestershire) on 13th, and St Ives Head (Cornwall) on 15th.

Two possible Balearic Shearwaters were seen on 15th passing Selsey Bill (West Sussex).

St Anthony Head (Cornwall) also supplied a Pomarine Skua on 10th; potentially the same bird as that seen from adjacent Pennance Point on 13th again. Additional sightings this week came from Preston (Devon) on 12th, Minsmere RSPB (Suffolk) on 13th, and St Ives Head (Cornwall) on 15th.

 

Numbers of Glossy Ibises held firm at their, lower, level for Britain and Ireland, with some 15 birds again logged across the region. Former heartland for their kind, Cambridgeshire, mustered sightings of a single bird at Earith on 10th and Middle Fen on 11th, and two birds at Ouse Fen RSPB on 11th and Berry Fen on 15th. Duos were again seen at Dungeness (Kent) on 11th-15th, and Fremington Pill (Devon) on 10th, with three birds present at Dungeness on 16th. Titchfield Haven NNR (Hampshire) again had the best of it, with the settled quartet still present there on 10th-16th. In Ireland, three birds remained at Tacumshin (Co.Wexford) on 13th.

 

With the week’s main interest amongst the honkers and quackers firmly amongst the latter’s number, we’ll get the former out of the way first, starting as usual with The Goose Formerly Known As Canada, and a slightly livelier showing than of late. An hutchinsii Richardson’s Cackling Goose was again seen near Campbeltown (Argyll & Bute) on 10th-11th, sharing the site with an interior Todd’s Canada Goose on the same dates. Another Todd’s Canada Goose was again seen in Lancashire & North Merseyside at Banks Marsh NNR on 14th-16th, with another sighting from Cumbria at Rockcliffe Marsh again on 15th; and two Cackling Geese on North Uist (Western Isles) on 13th.

Two Snow Geese were seen at Machrihanish (Argyll & Bute) on 12th, and a white morph at Caerlaverock WWT (Dumfries & Galloway) on 13th; while in Ireland the blue morph was again reported from Ashton’s Callows NR (Co.Tipperary) on 11th.

An adult Grey-bellied Brant was once more seen at Lurgan Green (Co.Louth) on 13th.

Essex continued to supply sightings of Black Brants this week, at Fleet Head on 11th, again at Hamford Water on 13th, and at East Mersea again on 15th. Another was seen back on the north Kent coast at Reculver on 13th, with one again in the north at Kilnsea Wetlands (East Yorkshire) on 14th and Beacon Ponds NR on 16th; while the recent bird remained settled in Hampshire at Farlington Marshes HWT on 11th-14th.

And now to the quackers… our headliners notwithstanding, there was quality in both variety and numbers in recent days, with new birds unearthed to liven up several local patches.

The first of which is the discovery of a drake American Wigeon in Oxfordshire at Port Meadow on 12th, a quality county record; another was found on 15th-16th at Blagdon Hall (Northumberland). Additional birds this week remained at Shapwick Heath NNR (Somerset) on 14th-16th, in Lincolnshire at Fiskerton Fen still on 15th, and in Orkney at Loch of Ayre on 10th-13th.

Some dozen Green-winged Teals were seen in recent days, with Co.Wexford in particular doing well, with sightings coming from North Slob WWR on 11th, Cahore Marsh on 12th, and Tacumshin again on 13th; other Irish records came from Ballygilgan NR (Co.Sligo) on 11th-12th still, Timoleague (Co.Cork) still on 10th, in Co.Kerry at Blennerville still on 15th and Black Rock on 16th, and in Co.Mayo on Achill Island on 16th. Scotland did well for itself too – sightings came in Orkney on Mainland at Inganess Bay still on 10th-12th and Sanday on 11th; one remained at Tain (Highland & Caithness) on 11th; and in the Western Isles sightings came from Barra on 10th-15th still, Lewis on 13th, and North Uist on 14th. The sole English birds were the individual still present on Grindon Lough (Northumberland) on 12th-15th, and one present on Rockcliffe Marsh (Cumbria) on 15th.

Another new Ferruginous Duck was found this week – a drake in Co.Tyrone at Ballysaggart Lough on 13th-15th, a returning bird that began a ten day-long sojourn there on 17th February last year. A female was once more seen in Norfolk on Rollesby Broad on 11th and 16th, on Ormesby Broad on 12th, and on Filby Broad on 15th; with two birds, a female and a drake, again on Filby Broad on 16th.

Ring-necked Ducks remained omnipresent in Britain and Ireland, with around 25 birds logged lately. Two were found in Ireland on 12th at Ballynacarriga Lough (Co.Cork) and, on 15th, four at Lough Fern (Co.Donegal); and duos remained in England at Siblyback Lake (Cornwall) on 10th-16th, and in Wales at Lisvane reservoir (Glamorgan) again on 14th.

While the female Lesser Scaup remained out on South Uist (Western Isles) on 13th-15th, a new female was found this week on the Somerset Levels at Shapwick Heath NNR and Ham Wall RSPB on 14th-16th. On 16th news broke of an additional bird, a first-winter drake, present in Surrey on Staines reservoir since before Christmas, and still there as we went to print.

In Cleveland the second-winter drake King Eider remained present around Redcar on 10th-14th.

Scotland and Ireland retained one Surf Scoter apiece this week – one still to be seen in Lothian off Gullane Point on 13th, and another in Co.Cork in Cork harbour on 12th-13th still – while at least one bird was still present in Wales off Llanddulas (Conwy) on 16th.

 

The rarest of the week’s waders was, once again, the wintering Greater Yellowlegs still present near Lismore (Co.Waterford) on 13th-16th.

While the Long-billed Dowitcher remained settled in Norfolk at Cley NWT on 10th-16th, another bird was seen in Cheshire & Wirral on 11th at Burton Mere Wetlands RSPB – was this the same individual last seen there last year on 29th October and, if so, where’s it been in the meanwhile?

In Somerset, the faithful female Kentish Plover was again seen at Burnham-on-Sea on 12th-16th.

On the subject of settled birds, recent Grey Phalaropes remained at Chesil Cove (Dorset) on 10th, Stithians reservoir (Cornwall) on 10th-13th, and St Gothian Sands LNR (Cornwall) on 10th-16th. Additional sightings this week came from St Agnes and St Mary’s (Scilly) on 12th, Wyke Regis (Dorset) on 13th-14th, Fife Ness (Fife) on 14th, and on 16th back in Dorset, at Ferrybridge.

 

For sheer drop-dead gorgeous good looks, there’s little in the larid line to touch an adult Sabine’s Gull and, as such, the individual lingering throughout this week in Hampshire around Budds Farm sewage works on 10th-16th was deservedly very popular with birders both local and from further afield. A couple of first-winter birds were also seen in recent days – one noted at Severn Beach (Gloucestershire) on 14th-15th, and another seen from Bridges of Ross (Co.Clare) on 14th.

Playing second fiddle to that adult Sab’s, the second-winter Laughing Gull was still present in Devon around Slapton Sands on 10th-15th.

Further west still, in Cornwall the first-winter American Herring Gull was again seen at Newlyn on 10th, but vanished into the ether again thereafter. You’d not bet against it reappearing in days to come though…

More steadfast in Cornwall, the adult Ring-billed Gull remained at Lelant Saltings on 11th-16th; the adult was still in Clyde at Strathclyde Loch on 15th-16th; while in Ireland birds were seen at Ring (Co.Cork) again on 12th, at Blackrock (Co.Louth) still on 12th-15th, and in Limerick (Co.Limerick) on 16th.

The planets aligned, briefly, in the very north of Shetland as the week began, with a remarkable influx of white-winged gulls into Unst on 11th – Loch of Cliff there notching up five Iceland Gulls and mighty 73 Glaucous Gulls. Despite some more excitable claims to the contrary, this didn’t translate into a huge arrival of either species across the rest of the archipelago, let alone further afield, with additional birds seen only sparingly over the course of the week. In total, 110 Glaucous and 30 Iceland Gulls were logged nationwide this week, with those Unst totals the highest for any site alone.

In Cambridgeshire, the adult Kumlien’s Gull became a reliable fixture at Dernford Farm reservoir again on 12th-15th, to the delight of local birders. The adult was once more seen in Co.Kerry at Tralee Bay Wetlands on 13th; and a juvenile on Tralee (Argyll & Bute) on 13th.

Finally, the adult Forster’s Tern was once more seen at Kinvarra (Co.Galway) on 12th.

 

Best of the week’s raptors was, once again, the delightful juvenile female Pallid Harrier still haunting the Warham Greens area of Norfolk on 10th-16th.

In Shetland, a Rough-legged Buzzard was seen at Westing on Unst on 11th; another was reported on 15th from East Sussex at Robertsbridge.

A final touch of variety comes in the form of a Black Kite reported in Kent at Walderslade on 13th.

 

The passerines section is headed this week by two birds with something in common – this being their presence on land to which the owners in question had elected not to allow general access.

First and foremost was belated news that a male Sardinian Warbler had settled into a garden in Lancing (West Sussex) in late November, and had remained there until 1st January for good measure. With just five previous Sussex records, and none since 2000, this would presumably have been well-received locally had it been available. The outlandish timing of the record isn’t completely without precedent – a female, found at Skegness (Lincolnshire) on 10th November 2003, remained there until at least 4th January 2004.

Then, in the week just gone, we’ve news of a male Black-throated Thrush in an area with no general access in Newark-on-Trent (Nottinghamshire) on 9th-11th. This may well have stung local birders even more, for there’s no prior county record for the species.

Of course, we’ve none of us a god-given right to see any bird, and if a homeowner decides they don’t fancy hosting a twitch on their doorstep, that’s their call and has to be respected as such. It does feel, however, that the straws in the wind may be blowing more in that particular direction – also in the news this week is the White-throated Sparrow, still present in an inaccessible Kingsmead (Cheshire & Wirral) garden on 10th.

All in all, perhaps a timely reminder that, while it’s just a minority of bad apples who misbehave on twitches, that stuff does get reported both in the mainstream and social media, and non-birders do take note of it. Maybe it’s just a coincidence that we’ve a few birds lately being kept under wraps… or maybe we’re collectively reaping the consequences of what a few have sown, whether it’s thoughtless parking, damage to property, poor fieldcraft or, as witnessed by one understandably unhappy homeowner in Shetland this last autumn, and widely reported on local social media, someone thinking it’s okay to take a break from a Myrtle Warbler to urinate in their garden…

Idle speculation aside, no viewing restrictions were marring the availability of Ireland’s first ever Penduline Tits, the trio still present this week at The Gearagh (Co.Cork) until 16th, albeit not always all on view at any given moment.

In Devon, the wintering Isabelline Wheatear remained at Colyford Common LNR on 10th-14th.

Both of our wintering Hume’s Warblers remained present this week, the Brancaster (Norfolk) bird seen daily on 11th-16th, and the Dover (Kent) bird again on 13th and 16th.

Also still present in Kent, the Pallas’s Warbler was still to be found at Swalecliffe on 11th-15th.

The wintering Yellow-browed Warbler remained at Donnington Bridge (Oxfordshire) on 10th-15th, with additional new birds found this week at Little Marlow GPs (Buckinghamshire) on 10th-12th, at the Lily Lane allotments in Chickerell (Dorset) on 14th, and at sewage works near Compton Dando (Somerset) on 16th; and one seen in Helston (Cornwall) on 15th also.

Waxwings continued to tick over for another week, with some 200 birds logged nationwide, of which the flock of around 90 birds at Loch Tummel (Perth & Kinross) on 12th was comfortably the largest aggregation seen.

Just one Great Grey Shrike was reported this week – a bird seen near Reay (Highland & Caithness) on 10th.

The juvenile Rose-coloured Starling was still present in Somerset at Wiveliscombe on 14th-16th.

A Black-bellied Dipper was found on the Carrig in Wexford (Co.Wexford) on 14th-15th.

In Co.Antrim the Arctic Redpoll remained at Dunsilly on 10th-11th, with another found in Co.Mayo at Tarmon on 11th; while the exilipes bird remained on Unst (Shetland) on 10th.

A Common Rosefinch was a surprise find in Weymouth (Dorset) on 16th.

In Cornwall, meanwhile, the female Serin remained at Sennen on 15th.

Also in Cornwall, the two Little Buntings were again seen between Cot Valley and Boscregan on 13th.

And finally, perhaps a story to watch, was the unconfirmed report that came late in the day on 16th of a Rufous Turtle Dove in Bedfordshire at Eaton Bray on 9th. As ever with an unconfirmed report, it may come to naught… but then again, it just might be the real deal. Watch this space…

 

We’ll begin our overseas news again in Israel, where the country’s tenth Pied Bushchat remained near Ma’or on 10th-14th.

Jordan, meanwhile, landed itself a Three-banded Plover on 14th at the Kafrein Dam.

Closer to home, the first Upland Sandpiper for the Canary Islands was found on Lanzarote on 11th. On 10th, a Brown Booby was seen in Spain at Guadalhorce, and a Sociable Lapwing at Laguna Hoya del Monte.

France held onto the recent Forster’s Tern at Port du Korejou on 11th, and the very settled Eastern Long-legged Buzzard at Thibie on 13th still.

A Pygmy Cormorant was to be found in Antwerp (Belgium) at Plas Leblanc on 15th.

Finally, in Sweden the Baltimore Oriole was still to be seen at Förslöv on 10th-16th.

 

The coming week looks, at the time of writing, to be very much a game of two halves – set to begin with some decent northerlies sweeping down from the Arctic before, at the cusp of the weekend, southerlies and, latterly, the prevailing westerlies slam the door closed on any northerly action.

One would have to feel we stand another chance of an Ivory Gull amongst all of this. Wednesday in particular looks like a conveyor belt of northerlies coming straight down to us from the very pole itself.

While Scotland would be the logical place in which we might hope one would be found, there’s some historical precedent for the coming week that suggests almost anything is possible – this being the first-winter found on Portland (Dorset) on 22nd January 1980, remaining there until mid-February. Another such obliging bird would be most welcome, and would surely eclipse both the recent Devon Laughing Gull and Hampshire Sabine’s Gull in our collective affections.

 

Jon Dunn
17 Jan 2023

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

 

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