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Weekly birding round-up: 31 Jan - 6 Feb 2023

There’s no getting away from it, the past week was mostly pretty peaceful… Some lingering birds of local note, but on the whole nothing that would see anyone hitting the road in a particular hurry. Then again, it is early February, and we can’t expect every week to deliver fireworks in the birding firmament.

But there is that qualifier – ‘mostly’. Because Welsh birders were getting a second bite at a particular cherry this week…

 

Found in the afternoon of 5th, a drake Baikal Teal at Foryd Bay (Gwynedd) would have been the very best sort of Sunday afternoon birding surprise. The stuff of dreams, evidently.

But happily, all too real, and hanging out with Wigeon and Pintail, just as some birders will have seen them doing in, say, Japan.

This, however, wasn’t Japan – this was Gwynedd. And this was the first county record for the species. Still present at Foryd Bay on 6th, this was a second opportunity this year for Welsh birders to connect with the species following the bird present at Llangorse Lake (Powys) on 9th-18th January. Presumably there’s a fair chance the two individuals are one and the same bird.

 

Scottish birders weren’t doing too badly for themselves either lately, with the first Scottish mainland record of Pacific Diver still hanging out off Leven (Fife) on 4th-5th. While many will have already made the effort to connect with it, there were still some folk prepared to make the effort to put a firm inky tick in the empty box next to Pacific Diver on their Scottish list. After all, having waited this long for one, who knows when the next bird will be?

 

Finally, not quite finished flirting with the headlines just yet, the female / first-winter drake Harlequin Duck reappeared off Barra (Western Isles) on 1st, after an absence of four days since it was last seen there. With the general area not short of little nooks and bays in the coastline, there’s plenty of room for it to lose itself for days at a time around there and, while it’s not been seen again since, perhaps we shouldn’t after all rule out another sighting from Barra… or somewhere else entirely in the Western Isles.

 

Almost missing a week, news came at last on 5th that the Double-crested Cormorant was still present on Doon Lough (Co.Leitrim).

For a second consecutive week, a single extant Little Auk was seen in Scotland – on this occasion, one passing Lossiemouth (Moray) on 3rd – and this was it for the notable seabirds. Moving swiftly onwards…

 

Numbers of Glossy Ibises remained fairly static, which is to say we’d a few small parties of birds still clinging on in the south of England, but none of the pre-Christmas largesse we’d become accustomed to hearing about on a weekly basis. Starting in Kent, three birds remained this week at Dungeness on 2nd-3rd; Titchfield Haven NNR’s (Hampshire) quartet were still present on 31st-2nd at least, with only one bird seen on 3rd, and two there still on 4th-6th; the duo remained in Devon at Fremington Pill on 3rd; and, in Somerset, two birds were working their way around the Ham Wall RSPB / Shapwick Heath NNR area on 31st-5th, with two also seen on 4th at Greylake RSPB.

A possible Night Heron was reported from Lindley Wood reservoir (North Yorkshire) on 6th.

 

The week’s honkers and quackers begin, once more, in Norfolk where The Goose Formerly Known As Canada was making periodic appearances – the recently found hutchinsii Richardson’s Cackling Goose being seen again near Brancaster on 31st and again on 4th-5th. The Co.Mayo bird remained present on The Mullet at Termoncarragh Lough on 6th.

After weeks of both the blue and white morph Snow Geese being seen in Co.Mayo on The Mullet, just one of them was logged at Cross Lough on 4th, this being the white bird.

Staying in Ireland a moment, an adult possible Grey-bellied Brant was seen in Co.Dublin on 1st at Kilbogget Park.

Lingering Black Brants remained in East Yorkshire at Kilnsea Wetlands on 1st-3rd, and in Hampshire at Farlington Marshes HWT still on 2nd-6th. Essex sightings came from Hamford Water on 3rd and Mersea Island on 4th.

Back in Ireland, the drake Black Duck remained on Cross Lough (Co.Mayo) on 4th.

Lincolnshire’s run of duck form continued this week with the drake American Wigeon still present at Fiskerton Fen on 31st and 4th, and another sighting some way to the southeast on 4th-6th at Woodhall Spa LWT. The Somerset bird continued to hang out at Shapwick Heath NNR on 31st-6th; and another was present at Loch of Lowes SWT (Perth & Kinross) on 4th-6th.

Scotland served us three of the week’s Green-winged Teals, found at Loch of Strathbeg RSPB (Aberdeenshire) on 3rd, Loch Spynie (Moray) on 3rd-5th also, and still present on Barra (Western Isles) on 5th; with another reported from Loch Eye (Highland & Caithness) again on 5th. Northumberland gave us sightings at Grindon Lough on 31st, and Colt Crag reservoir on 5th; and, in Ireland, birds settled near Union Hall (Co.Cork) on 1st-3rd, and on Lough Leane (Co.Kerry) on 1st-6th; while the Achill Island (Co.Mayo) bird remained there on 6th.

The returning drake Ferruginous Duck remained in Co.Tyrone on Ballysaggart Lough on 1st-4th; while numbers in Norfolk gradually rose again to a full complement of three birds again present on Filby Broad on 4th-5th.

Filby Broad was also one of a handful of sites that held multiple Ring-necked Ducks again this week, with two birds once more seen there on 3rd. Elsewhere, of the 25 or so birds logged nationwide, additional multiples were logged at Siblyback Lake (Cornwall), where three birds were seen on 3rd; Lisvane reservoir (Glamorgan), where two birds remained on 31st-4th; and Talley Lakes (Carmarthenshire), where two birds were present on 5th still.

Three of the recent Lesser Scaups were again showing in recent days – the female remained on South Uist (Western Isles) on 3rd-5th; the female was still on the Somerset Levels at Ham Wall RSPB on 1st-6th; and the drake still on Staines reservoir (Surrey) on 31st-6th.

In Cleveland the second-winter drake King Eider remained present off Redcar on 31st-6th; and the second-winter drake was again seen on 5th off Musselburgh (Lothian).

The first-winter female White-winged Scoter remained off Achill Island (Co.Mayo) on 1st-6th; the drake Black Scoter was again reported off Stag Rocks (Northumberland) on 4th, albeit distantly.

Just one Surf Scoter made the daily news, present off Benllech (Anglesey) on 31st-6th still, before 5th-6th when two birds were seen from Llanddulas (Conwy).

Finally, in Ireland the drake Hooded Merganser was still present at Rosduane (Co.Mayo) on 1st-6th.

 

Ireland again gave us the best of the waders, with the Greater Yellowlegs once more seen at Tallow Bridge (Co.Waterford) on 1st-2nd and again on 6th.

In Norfolk, meanwhile, it transpired the recent cold snap wasn’t deterring the Long-billed Dowitcher, still present at Cley on 31st-6th.

Finally, in Somerset the ringed female Kentish Plover was seen daily at Burnham-on-Sea on 31st-5th.

 

What a week it almost was for large gulls in Ireland… What’s more frustrating than a brief, flyaway first-winter American Herring Gull at Sherkin Island (Co.Cork) on 31st?

That would be a flyaway adult possible (or hybrid) Glaucous-winged Gull at Killybegs (Co.Donegal) on 4th. The former is almost expected these winters, the latter rather less so; and both would have been gratefully received had either done the decent thing and stuck around. In Co.Cork the first-winter American Herring Gull, at least, was reported again from Baltimore on 6th.

Speaking of which, the adult Sabine’s Gull looks set to never leave the vicinity of Budds Farm sewage works (Hampshire) – that’s a bird that knows it’s on to a good thing. Still present this week until 6th, why would it leave when the going’s so good there.

Ireland was doing well this week for Ring-billed Gulls, headed by Tralee Bay Wetlands (Co.Kerry) where two birds were present on 2nd; additional singletons were seen at Ring (Co.Cork) still on 31st and again on 5th; Cuskinny Marsh NR (Co.Cork) again on 5th; at Nimmo’s Pier (Co.Galway) still on 31st; at Blackrock (Co.Louth) still on 5th; and on Achill Island (Co.Mayo) on 5th. Britain’s sole bird was the lingering adult still in Cornwall at Lelant Saltings on 1st-5th.

Numbers of white-wingers remained steady, if not particularly numerous. Around 30 Glaucous Gulls were seen nationwide, with a handful of sites logging multiple birds – duos on Whalsay (Shetland) on 31st; at Llys-y-Fran reservoir (Pembrokeshire) on 1st; and at Draycote Water (Warwickshire) on 3rd.

Iceland Gulls rallied just a little, with some 50 birds seen across the week, of which 12 in Lerwick harbour (Shetland) on 6th were the peak single site count. Lewis (Western Isles) tallied four birds on 1st, whilst trios were seen on 4th on Yell (Shetland) and at Killybegs (Co.Donegal).

Just the one Kumlien’s Gull was logged lately, this being an adult at Blennerville (Co.Kerry) still on 31st-2nd.

We finish the section with a little variety courtesy of Co.Galway, where the adult Forster’s Tern was once again seen at Kinvarra on 4th.

 

It was pretty much as you were this week where raptors were concerned, with the mean talking point being the continuing presence of the juvenile female Pallid Harrier still in the Warham Greens area of Norfolk on 31st-6th.

Apart from this, it was back to Shetland for the week’s only Rough-legged Buzzard, this time an individual seen on Mainland at Tingwall on 31st.

 

What’s better than a wintering Pallas’s Warbler in Britain? That would, of course, be two wintering Pallas’s Warblers - and that’s just what we’ve got this week with the lingering bird in Swalecliffe (Kent) still on 31st-6th joined in the dailies by the discovery of another bird in Co.Durham at Willington on 31st-6th, at times so happy with its surroundings it was even heard in song. Both birds were hanging around sewage works, proving the old adage that where there’s muck, there’s Pallas, and surely providing a small incentive to go check out your local sewage treatment plant. You just never know…

Meanwhile, in Somerset the Hume’s Warbler was still present at the sewage works outside Compton Dando on 31st-6th; and, in Kent, the lingering bird remained in Dover on 31st-6th also.

The Yellow-browed Warbler remained at Martin Mere WWT (Lancashire & North Merseyside) on 2nd-6th; another was found this week in Devon at Berry Head on 2nd; and a final bird reported on 6th in Cornwall at Penryn.

Numbers of Waxwings continued to be fairly subdued, with some 70 again logged nationwide over the course of the week, with the modest flock of up to 30 birds in Edinburgh (Lothian) at Sighthill until 6th the best of them.

Our only Great Grey Shrike was seen in Hampshire around Shatterford still until 5th. The days of double-figures of wintering birds scattered around Britain seem long gone now.

Still going strong in Somerset, the first-winter Rose-coloured Starling was hanging round Wiveliscombe on 1st-4th, while the Cornish individual was again seen in Sennen on 31st-6th.

Cornwall also continued to play host to the Isabelline Wheatear at Holywell Bay on 31st-5th.

Further upcountry, the Richard’s Pipit continued to delight this week in Dorset at Wyke Regis on 1st-5th.

Back in Cornwall, the two Little Buntings were still going strong between Cot Valley and Boscregan on 1st-4th, with at least one of them still present in the area on 5th.

And finally, news that the wintering White-throated Sparrow was still tucked deep inside its inaccessible Kingsmead (Cheshire & Wirral) garden on 2nd. In terms of birder frustration, it’s probably just as well it’s not a rarer sparrow still.

 

Sweden’s excellent winter continued apace this week with news of a male Siberian Rubythroat in Trollhattan on 1st – still present there on 5th, and it had seemingly been there for a couple of days at least by the time news broke. Also proving steadfast, the Baltimore Oriole remained at Förslöv on 31st-6th.

In Poland, the drake Stejneger’s Scoter was still present at Krynica Morska on 3rd, and Katy Rybackie on 5th.

In Belgium the Moustached Warbler was still to be seen at De Gavers on 31st-6th.

France’s recent Killdeer stuck around Guissény on 31st-5th.

Further afield, in Israel a Brown Booby was seen offshore from Tel Shikmona on 4th; and the Pied Bushchat was still present on 6th at Ma’or.

And in the Azores, the Great Blue Heron remained on Terceira on 1st.

 

While the second week of February intuitively feels like it’s firmly in the late winter doldrums for rarities, a glance at birds past suggests it’s actually a week redolent with some proper quality. Highlights since the turn of the century include an Irish Slaty-backed Gull, a Scottish Northern Harrier, a Welsh Common Yellowthroat, and an English Allen’s Gallinule.

Granted, the latter bird was running terminally on fumes when it was picked up – literally – on Portland (Dorset) in 2002, but you get the general thrust of things. The coming week can, and does, deliver from time to time.

But will 2023 be one of those years?

Time alone and the days to come will tell, but if the past week’s taught us anything, it’s that now is a good time to spend a while savouring the possibilities of your local sewage treatment works. It’s a habitat type that almost everyone has somewhere relatively close to home and, while it may not have the same magnetic local patch allure of, say, a reservoir or some coastal scrub, that’s only because we’re birders and not warblers.

To a Phylloscopus warbler, there’s nowhere finer to be at this time of year. Go find us a Pallas’s, Hume’s, Dusky or Yellow-browed Warbler. There’s got to be one of them still wintering unseen out there.

 

Jon Dunn
7 Feb 2023

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

 

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