Weekly birding round-up: 21 - 27 Mar
We’ve become reluctantly accustomed to the American affectation of notable weather systems being afforded a name here in recent years and, this week, it was the turn of Storm Hoopoe to crash over us. But more on that in due course – for now, your headline birds…
With daily sightings of the pale morph juvenile Booted Eagle in Cornwall now consigned to weeks ago, it’s becoming an ever more elusive and unpredictable creature. But it’s not forsaken us just yet.
The week kicked off with a report of a (the?) pale morph juvenile seen for five minutes on 22nd in Gloucestershire at Pilning Wetland before it moved off southeast. Another report there the following day transpired to be an Osprey after all…
Then, on 25th, back in the more predictable environs of Cornwall, there was the pale juvenile again, this time at St Buryan; on 26th it showed well at Bartinney Downs; and then, as the week drew to a close on 27th, it was seen once more at St Buryan and near Sancreed.
Where next for this restless bird?
Marking a welcome return to Dorset for what’s now its third year, news came this week of the Forster’s Tern once more in Poole Harbour on 23rd, seen initially heading past Middlebere towards Shipstal Point. Further sightings came from the latter site on 24th-25th. Just a little earlier this year than its return in 2024, let’s hope it follows the pattern of 2023 and hangs around Poole Harbour well into the autumn; last year sightings were a little more intermittent after late April.
Dorset’s easterly neighbour scored something somewhat less anticipated this week – a Least Sandpiper at Needs Ore Point on 23rd.
This was the first for the county since a one-day bird at Farlington Marshes back on 22nd May 1977. (Well, apart from a bird reported at Farlington Marshes on 8th September 2011 that didn’t make it onto the official record). That was the good news. The bad news was that this week’s record was also a one-day bird, reported belatedly, and at a site with no general access. So, failing it being re-found elsewhere nearby, county listers remain thwarted for now.
From that heavily-twitched individual in Dorset at the Verne on 25th April – 8th July 1999 to the current day, Iberian Chiffchaff has gone from mega to thoroughly anticipated annual vagrant on these shores. Heaven knows, they’ve even bred here. None of which is to undermine them – in some years we’ve barely managed an accepted bird. Take 2021 and 2022 – each with just the one accepted bird on the books.
So while we’d hope there will be more of their kind in the post in the weeks and months to come, we take nothing for granted, and doff a respectful cap to the bird found in a Dungeness (Kent) garden this week on 22nd.
Our weekly seabirds section kicks off once again in Ireland, where the adult Pacific Diver was again to be found at Crookhaven (Co.Cork) on 23rd.
Just the one White-billed Diver was to be seen off Portsoy (Aberdeenshire) on 24th, while another was reported on the Tyne at North Shields (Northumberland) on 25th.
A very early Cory’s Shearwater was reported from St Ives (Cornwall) on 23rd.
Given the floods of Hoopoe pouring into the English southwest, and the time of year, it surely felt likely that one of the southern herons might also venture north too this past week, and so it was to prove – a Purple Heron being seen over Kynance Cove (Cornwall) on 21st.
Apart from that, it fell as ever to Glossy Ibis to provide the points of regular long-legged beastie interest. Numbers nudged towards 20 birds reported across the week, with several sites sporting multiple birds – two were present at Langford Lowfields RSPB (Northamptonshire) until 27th, with a third individual reported there on 24th; two remained at Deeping Lakes LWT (Lincolnshire) on 22nd-25th; two were seen at Titchfield Haven NNR (Hampshire) still on 21st-25th; two were still in Somerset at Ham Wall RSPB on 21st-25th; and, in Co.Wexford, two were still settled at Lady’s Island Lake on 23rd.
We’ll start the honkers and quackers in the far north on Shetland where, on 21st-27th, the Ross’s Goose remained on Mainland at Toft. The Galston (Ayrshire) bird of uncertain origin also remained this week around Galston until 25th.
Orkney enjoyed a Snow Goose on North Ronaldsay still on 21st-27th, while another was seen in Highland & Caithness at Harpsdale on 22nd.
A Black Brant was again seen in East Yorkshire at Easington on 24th and 26th; another was seen once more at Mersea Island (Essex) on 21st; and a bird at Snettisham RSPB (Norfolk) again on 26th.
A possible Grey-bellied Brant was seen at Portmarnock (Co.Dublin) on 21st.
We couldn’t forget The Goose Formerly Known As Canada - an interior Todd’s Canada Goose was seen on 26th at Ravenstruther (Clyde); with another on 27th again in Cumbria at Rockcliffe Marsh.
Both of the prior week’s Blue-winged Teal remained in East Yorkshire at Brough Airfield Marsh on 21st-23rd.
A little reduction in Green-winged Teal saw numbers dip to around a dozen individuals noted across Britain and Ireland this past week. Five or six, or maybe even eight American Wigeon were logged lately – on Shetland at Loch of Hillwell on 21st still; on South Uist (Western Isles) still on 21st; at Kenfig (Glamorgan) still on 21st-25th; at Milltown Bridge (Co.Kerry) still on 21st-26th; and a drake and a possible female were also reported from Hauxley NR (Northumberland) on 25th followed, on 27th, by two birds reported from Druridge Pools NR.
Two Ferruginous Duck remained this week at Fen Drayton Lakes RSPB (Cambridgeshire) on 21st-22nd, with a female seen there in the intervening period until 27th, when both were once more logged there; two remained at Napton Reservoir (Warwickshire) on 21st; and another remained at West End GPs (Lincolnshire) on 21st-22nd.
A shade over 30 Ring-necked Duck were a drop on the prior week’s largesse, but nonetheless still a decent haul. As ever, some sites held multiple individuals – four remained on Termon Lough (Co.Galway) on 21st; three were seen at Blagdon Lake (Somerset) on 23rd, with two noted at Shapwick Heath NNR on 23rd also; two remained at Gouthwaite Reservoir (North Yorkshire) on 21st-27th; and two were still on Loch Scarmlate (Highland & Caithness) on 25th-26th.
Duos of Lesser Scaup remained at Abberton Reservoir (Essex) on 23rd-26th, and at Tacumshin (Co.Wexford) on 22nd-24th. Singletons remained at Longham Lakes (Dorset) on 21st-27th; Whelford Pools (Gloucestershire) on 21st-27th; Lochwinnoch RSPB (Clyde) on 21st; at Oxford Island (Co.Armagh) on 22nd-23rd; and at Bateman’s Lake (Co.Cork) on 22nd still.
In Scotland, a drake White-winged Scoter was still to be seen off Gullane Point (Lothian) on 22nd-27th.
In Devon the Surf Scoter remained off Three Beaches Headland on 21st-27th.
Finally, in Shetland the drake Bufflehead remained at Loch of Hillwell in the south Mainland on 21st-27th, while the more sporadically reported American Coot was still nearby at Loch of Spiggie on 21st-22nd.
Two Long-billed Dowitcher were seen this past week, these being the Tacumshin (Co.Wexford) individual still present there on 23rd, and the North Ronaldsay (Orkney) bird again there on 26th.
An early Dotterel was found on 27th at Portland (Dorset).
Three Bonaparte’s Gull were again seen this past week – we start with two recent birds, in Cornwall again at Hayle Estuary RSPB on 23rd, and the first-winter bird still in Glamorgan on the Ogmore Estuary on 21st-25th; and conclude with one seen in Dorset at Swineham GPs on 25th.
Ireland made the running once more for Ring-billed Gull, with birds seen again at Tralee Bay Wetlands (Co.Kerry) on 24th and at Blennerville again on 26th, in Cork (Co.Cork) still on 25th, and at Enniskillen (Co.Fermanagh) on 25th still. A Scottish representative was again at Loch Turret Reservoir (Perth & Kinross) on 26th.
Glaucous Gull just about scraped into double figures for Britain and Ireland as a whole again this week, while numbers of Iceland Gull dwindled again, down to around 15 individuals noted across the region.
Scotland once more gave us Kumlien’s Gull at Helmsdale (Highland & Caithness) on 22nd, and Lewis (Western Isles) on 23rd, while the Unst (Shetland) individual that may yet surprise us all and prove to be a Thayer’s was still there on 23rd. The Aber Ogwen (Gwynedd) juvenile remained present on 22nd-26th; and in Co.Kerry an adult was seen at Dingle on 24th and again at Blennerville on 26th.
A final magnificent flourish came on 27th – an adult White-winged Black Tern found at Monikie CP (Angus).
Two of our regular recent trio of Pallid Harrier remained on station this week – the settled female still in Norfolk around Warham Greens on 21st-25th; and the more mobile second-winter male again in Pembrokeshire at Pen Anglas Point on 24th.
A Dark-brested Barn Owl was present throughout the week at Bourne in Lincolnshire.
There’s only one place we can start the passerines this week, and that’s with Hoopoe. Not just a pretty face, they were turning up en masse during the week, with barely a day going by without dozens of new birds reported. Perhaps there was some recycling going on here and there as mobile birds filtered inland or bounced between sites – even non-birders were likely to see and pass comment upon something as lairy as a Hoopoe - but the takeaway message this week was that we enjoyed an absolute deluge of their kind.
Just how many, then? Somewhere in the region of 170 birds were reported across the week, the vast majority of them hitting southwest England and southern Ireland, but outliers penetrating north into Scotland too. Some sites enjoyed notable hauls – the highest British count being 10 counted on St Martin’s (Scilly) on 23rd; while four were present near Dunmore (Co.Waterford) on 24th.
It would feel odd at this point for a week to go by without a Pied Crow and, while we were missing certainty, we did get a report of a probable seen on the A565 near Hightown (Lancashire & North Merseyside) on 21st.
Three Great Grey Shrike continued to be seen in recent days – these being the Cannock Chase (Staffordshire) bird still on 21st-27th, one in Devon near Bellever Tor still on 21st-27th, and the Hatfield Moors NNR (South Yorkshire) bird there again on 25th. A fourth bird was unavailable to the general public, being seen in Lincolnshire south of Lincoln in an area with general access on 27th.
In Co.Dublin a male Waxwing was lingering in Dublin on 24th-26th.
The first of the spring’s Bluethroat were a sight for sore eyes, with a handful of birds found this past week. Two lingered at Brownstown Head (Co.Waterford) on 22nd-24th, with one still present there on 25th-26th; another was found in Ireland at Hook Head (Co.Wexford) on 22nd; a final Irish bird was seen on 27th at Helvick Head (Co.Waterford); while English birds were seen at Hornsea (East Yorkshire) on 24th-25th, and at Worthing (West Sussex) on 25th-26th.
In Buckinghamshire, the Richard’s Pipit remained outside Newport Pagnell on 21st-27th, while the Awre (Gloucestershire) bird was also present on 21st still.
Given the way the straws are blowing in the lumpy taxonomic wind at the moment, and the rumour that Eastern Yellow Wagtail may be coming back under the Yellow Wagtail umbrella, it would be an optimistic birder who held much hope for the myriad races of Yellow Wagtail ever amounting to much. But that’s not to say they don’t catch our attention. Doing their best to hold their own with Hoopoe this week, many Blue-headed birds were noted, particularly in southwest England, with a peak count of at least 16 on Tresco (Scilly) alone on 24th.
Two putative iberiae Iberian Wagtail were also on Tresco on 24th, and a cinereocapilla Ashy-headed too for good measure. Another Ashy-headed settled in Cornwall at Pendeen on 21st-24th.
A couple of Serin checked in this week – one seen at The Lizard (Cornwall) on 22nd, and another on 25th at South Foreland (Kent).
Finally, the wintering Little Bunting remained at Send (Surrey) on 21st-27th.
The winter 2024/25 Spectacled Eider story took something of a further twist this past week, with not only the drake still present in the Netherlands off Texel on 21st-25th, but another probable drake seen heading north past Norway’s Lisa on 22nd. We’re still trying to imagine the chaos should a drake be found off the British coast in the weeks to come…
Speaking of scenes, Moustached Warbler continues to haunt our fever dreams. A bird was found this week in Poland at Slupsko Reservoir on 22nd-23rd.
In Germany, the Western Orphean Warbler remained in its favoured Eching garden on 21st-23rd.
Nor was that the only quality garden bird of the week. A first-winter male Indigo Bunting was in a lucky homeowner’s garden in Denmark at Tjæreby on 25th-27th.
Closer to home, a Alpine Accentor was present in the Channel Islands on Jersey on 23rd-25th.
Finally, a Lesser Moorhen remained in Morocco at Asif Tifnout on 23rd.
What’s left of March seems set to be dominated by westerly-infused weather coming at us from the Atlantic, but the new month and the latter half of the week may yield some light southeasterlies.
So what might be coming our way? The week ahead isn’t particularly notable for top drawer vagrants, but we’ve a trio of decent historic birds to conjure with in the closing days of March in Kent alone – these being a singing Zitting Cisticola at St Margaret’s at Cliffe on 28th March 2010, a Short-toed Treecreeper at Dungeness on 30th-31st March 1998, and an Iberian Chiffchaff at Seaton GPs on 30th March – 17th April 2017. Kent also boasts a couple of Short-toed Treecreeper from the opening few days of April, in 1994 and 2020.
So, not wishing to heap too much pressure on one county alone this coming week, but it’s over to you Kent…
Jon Dunn
28 Mar 2025
Many thanks to all this week's contributors for your photos and videos
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