Weekly birding round-up: 10 - 16 Jul
We hit the Sargasso Sea that’s BST – Birding Summer Time – this week, with a massive lump of high pressure edging its way over us like your dad inching in towards the last burger on the barbecue. Unsubtle, and not terribly exciting times. All of which was perfectly okay if you were a fan of largely fine, settled weather but from a birding perspective? Not so much.
Unless, of course, you happened to be in Shetland in which case practically every conifer had the potential to sport a funky decorative crossbill sp or two…
What’s not to like about a summer influx of Two-barred Crossbills? Apart, perhaps, from where they turned up – tremendous, this week, if you happened to be a Shetland birder, as it seemed at times there was barely a stand of conifers that didn’t host one of these colourful finches. But for the rest of the country’s birders, Two-barred Crossbills were largely an abstract feature of the news.
So just how many Two-barred Crossbills were there in Shetland this week? Sightings came in daily, scattered across the archipelago. Some sites held onto birds, and others didn’t – so we’d have to assume there was an element of duplication involved as birds filtered and wandered their way around the islands. Nonetheless, daily tallies told their own tale, and that was one of an awful lot of birds involved in the influx.
32 birds were noted on 10th, followed the next day by an overall tally of 47 birds; and by Friday 12th we were up to at least 54 birds across the islands. Even by 15th there were still 32 birds being logged, and at least some of all of these must have been fresh faces as the week wore on. The largest flock was a spectacular 20 birds seen in Voe on 12th; closely followed by 18 birds at Stromfirth on 14th-15th. Throw in lashings of Common Crossbills and you’d a recipe for a good day’s birding.
Away from Shetland, it was a story of much slimmer pickings – Orkney accounted for eight birds on Westray on 13th, and a female on North Ronaldsay on 10th-13th; while three birds seen on the Brent Charlie oil rig 115 miles north-east of Lerwick (Shetland) on 10th spoke of a movement of a swathe of birds that had largely been north of Orkney. The first glimmer of mainland British hope came on 16th when a possible bird was noted going over Long Nab (North Yorkshire).
Elevated to this week’s headlines but for the grace of the ‘possible’ qualifier that accompanied the news this week, a possible Scopoli’s Shearwater seen from one of the Scilly pelagics this week on 11th kicks off our gentle weekly shear over the rolling waves of the seabirds section. Scopoli’s, the more elegant counterpart of the chunkier, commoner Cory’s Shearwater have long posed an identification challenge at sea in British waters – our first accepted record, one seen on 2nd August 2004 off Scilly, was prefaced by a handful of possible birds that didn’t have the level of evidence required to make the grade for a first for Britain.
Underwing pattern is key for anyone claiming Scopoli’s, with particular focus being on recording the white tongues extending into the longest primaries. Seeing that, let alone photographing it, is easier said than done. To date we’ve just that one well-documented bird on the books, though as Ashley Fisher and Robert Flood noted in their accompanying BB paper, there have been other good candidates, and will doubtless continue to be more sent to challenge us. Those Scilly pelagics have to be the place to go if you’re fancying chancing your arm for one.
Cory’s Shearwaters, meanwhile, were seen in small numbers this week - 16 birds were seen on 11th from the Scilly pelagic, with four more noted that day off Bishop Rock, and three seen on 12th from St Martin’s; on 13th one was logged from Bloody Foreland (Co.Donegal).
Cornwall accounted for the first of a similarly modest account of Balearic Shearwaters, in the form of a single bird off Downderry on 10th; one was seen from Inishbofin (Co.Galway) on 11th; one off Portland (Dorset) on 12th was followed on 13th by 10 birds logged from this traditionally productive vantage point, and further singletons on 14th and 15th; and two were noted on 14th in Lyme Bay (Devon).
Skuas were in particularly short supply this week, with the only notable records coming from Orkney’s redolent Stronsay on 13th, where a Long-tailed Skua was seen; and the Isle of May (Fife), where on 16th a Pomarine Skua flew past.
Biggest news in the long-legged beasties this week concerned the smallest example of its kind available – a Little Bittern heard at Belvide reservoir (Staffordshire) on 14th. With the county boasting just one previous record, a misfortunate bird shot in May 1901 at Hanley, a Little Bittern is definitely big news for Staffordshire birders. A further heard-only report of this probable bird came on 16th. Will it give itself up, once and for all, in the coming days?
Our only other interesting herons were the Purple Heron still lurking and occasionally giving itself up nicely at Shapwick Heath NNR (Somerset) on 10th-14th; and another of its ilk at Minsmere RSPB (Suffolk) on 15th.
We’ve storks of both colours to report this week – more of a feelgood factor about the Black Stork seen at Westfield (East Sussex) on 13th, and something of a resigned shrug of confusion about the provenance of any White Stork nowadays accompanying the news of one seen on 13th also, this time over Tewkesbury (Gloucestershire).
Three Glossy Ibises this week were all seen at regular sites – one apiece at Marshside RSPB (Lancashire) on 10th-14th, Newport Wetlands NNR (Gwent) still on 13th, and at Fremington Pill (Devon) again on 14th-15th; and a further sighting came on 13th in flight over Longton Brickcroft NR (Lancashire).
Two Common Cranes found Shetland’s Twatt to their liking on 13th-14th; a single bird was heard over Newport Wetlands NNR on 14th; and on 15th, three birds were seen on the Ythan estuary (Aberdeenshire) while a single bird was seen over Rhoose (Glamorgan). The week ended on 16th with a further bird logged at Upper Bittell reservoir (Worcestershire).
Finally, a singing Corncrake was heard once more on North Ronaldsay on 13th.
Away for a week and I return to find… no news of the long-staying Baikal Teal? Well, that’s nice.
(Betcha it’s refound again before the year’s out…)
Sticking with the teal theme for a while, Clyde continued to prove attractive to drake Blue-winged Teals with sightings from Frankfield Loch still on 10th-15th and Douglas Water on 11th; and, in Norfolk, the Green-winged Teal was still present at Cley on 11th-13th.
Highland’s omnipresent drake Black Duck remained this week at Strontian until 12th at least.
Elsewhere in Scotland, the Lesser Scaup was still in residence at Mire Loch (Borders) on 10th-11th.
A drake Ferruginous Duck was seen in East Sussex at Pett Level on 13th-16th.
Finally, a drake Surf Scoter was noted at the traditional Scottish locale of Musselburgh (Lothian) on 13th.
Cheshire’s third Terek Sandpiper remained this week at Burton Mere Wetlands RSPB on 10th, and remained the pick of the week’s waders.
Pectoral Sandpipers at Leighton Moss RSPB (Lancashire) on 14th-16th, South Huish Marsh (Devon) on 14th, Pannel Valley NR (East Sussex) on 15th-16th, and Inch Island (Co.Donegal) on 16th meanwhile, hinted at the imminence of autumn wader migration. There’ll be plenty more of these understated but handsome birds in the weeks to come.
Waders on the move are rarely tracked across the region as individuals, but that’s just what’s happened with the Lesser Yellowlegs found this week at Oare Marshes KWT (Kent) on 10th-16th – examination of photos has shown this bird to be one and the same as that first seen on Fair Isle and the Shetland mainland earlier in the summer and, latterly, at Cley (Norfolk) on 7th-8th July.
Sticking with Norfolk, the two Black-winged Stilts remained at Potter Heigham Marshes on 10th-13th.
A Marsh Sandpiper was an elegant find at Minsmere RSPB (Suffolk) on 10th-11th.
Finally, a probable Temminck’s Stint was noted in East Sussex at Pett Levels on 14th.
Oare Marshes KWT in Kent was having a good week of it with not only the wandering Lesser Yellowlegs dropping in but also the return of the regular adult Bonaparte’s Gull, seen there again on 10th-16th.
North Uist (Western Isles) provided the rest of the week’s gull news, with sightings of first one Glaucous Gull there on 11th followed by two birds present on 12th.
Terns provided considerably more variety this week, starting with the White-winged Black Tern still present at Lough Funshinagh (Co.Roscommon) on 10th; a Gull-billed Tern was present at Adwick Washlands RSPB (South Yorkshire) on 10th-11th; and a probable Caspian Tern was logged at Titchwell RSPB (Norfolk) on 12th.
I left the Rarity Round Up a fortnight ago predicting we might be on for an orange-billed tern sp of one kind or another imminently – and while the bird seen this week on 15th at Beacon Ponds NR (East Yorkshire) came a few days later, it came nonetheless. I’d hoped for a Lesser Crested but, alas, the bird this week was all too brief and evaded a definitive identification. One to keep an eye out for in the coming days, for sure.
Just one rare raptor again this week, and once more it’s a Red-footed Falcon - a female seen late on 16th just outside West Ayton (North Yorkshire).
Were it not for all those Two-barred Crossbills this week we’d not have had much passerine action to report upon. So, moving on swiftly, here’s what we did have on offer…
A Hoopoe was found on 11th in Nottinghamshire at Edwinstone.
Most unseasonably, two Waxwings were seen on 10th at Corstorphine (Lothian).
A Grey-headed Wagtail was present in Shetland on 10th at Tingon Head.
Shetland also provided the first Arctic Warbler of the autumn, present on Fair Isle on 13th. Were it not for the Savi’s Warblers still belting out some tunes at Minsmere RSPB (Suffolk) on 10th and at Cors Ddyga RSPB (Anglesey) on 16th, that would have been our one and only interesting warbler this week.
A male Red-backed Shrike was noted in Norfolk at Holme on 13th.
Rose-coloured Starlings made for welcome summer colour, with a distinctly Scottish bias to records – the only exception to this rule being a bird at Dundrum (Co.Down) still on 10th. Our other birds were seen on Lewis (Western Isles) on 10th-15th; on Grimsay (Western Isles) on 10th; in Shetland on Fetlar on 10th and Unst on 13th; and on Jura (Argyll & Bute) on 13th still.
In Kent, the settled Serin remained in song at Littlestone-on-Sea on 10th-16th.
Finally, a Common Rosefinch was reported on Lewis (Western Isles) on 10th; and a probable Little Bunting was noted on North Ronaldsay (Orkney) on 15th.
Norway continues to have an absolutely belting year, this week adding to an already stellar showing a Tufted Puffin in Svalbard at Melvatna on 14th; and a Black Scoter for good measure at Komagvaer on 13th-14th.
Sweden wasn’t taking that lying down, and replied emphatically with a Little Whimbrel at Kroken on 10th-11th. Imagine that turning up in Norfolk someday soon… there would be scenes.
Little Curlew, Numenius minutus photographed near Göteborg by Peter Hvass - 2nd record for Sweden and 8th for WP pic.twitter.com/oVCHkY0aVv
— Tarsiger (@TarsigerTeam) July 10, 2019
Interesting waders provided much of the remaining flavour of the week in the region – a Pacific Golden Plover was found in Iceland at Garour on 12th-13th; and in Germany a Stilt Sandpiper was present at Meldford Speicherkoog on 13th. Germany also landed an Audouin’s Gull at Horumersiel on 13th, the sixth national record.
We end in Spain where, at Caleta de Velez, the Red-footed Booby remained until 15th at least.
While the past week has been a quiet one, on the whole, we’re coming into a time of year when we might reasonably expect the odd decent shorebird or seabird to drop in, so we’ve grounds for some quiet optimism as we look to the week ahead.
Looking at overseas news in the past week, the likes of Sweden’s Little Whimbrel is the stuff of dreams, but Iceland’s Pacific Golden Plover is perhaps a more attainable goal – 10 past British records for the coming week suggest there’s a decent chance of stumbling across one of these smart birds.
I wouldn’t be surprised if a decent petrel or two was found, not least off Scilly where we’re coming into prime time for Wilson’s Petrels; and who can forget the Swinhoe’s Petrels that turned up on Fair Isle in the past? Alternatively, a Fea’s-type Petrel could, conceivably, scythe past pretty much any promontory one cares to mention. As ever with these pelagic birds, it’s a case of right place, right time… and with some low pressure wafting winds in off the mid-Atlantic as the week begins, we could be on for something to please the petrelheads.
Jon Dunn
17 July 2019
Many thanks to all contributors for their photos and videos this week.
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