Weekly birding round-up: 2 - 8 Mar 2021
There’s something delicious about the prospect of the spring that stretches ahead of us for some weeks, nay, months to come. There’s just so much promise, isn’t there. Not least in the wake of an autumn that delivered Nearctic birds of such high calibre. There’s almost certainly going to be some goodies we’ve not seen yet heading north… One such, or maybe it was a familiar face after all, starts the week’s headlines…
Pied-billed Grebe(s) have been popping up in the news a fair bit over the course of recent months. In the dimming embers of 2020 one was seen in Cumbria on Walney on 6th November; then a bird spent 26th November – 22nd December in Shropshire at Chelmarsh reservoir; and, lately, we heard one had been present at an undisclosed site in Worcestershire since 6th January.
A fresh sighting was added to the roster this week with the discovery of a Pied-billed Grebe at Bantons Lake outside Dolphinstone in Lancashire on 4th – a bird set to remain there until 8th, constituting the county’s third ever record, following the last at Leighton Moss RSPB on 25th April – 4th May 2015, and the first at Dock Acres GP on 24th May – 8th June 1997.
If one and the same bird, it appears to be heading north as the days lengthen and the sap rises. Who knows where it’ll end up once its Lancashire tenure draws to an end…
Meanwhile, news also came in this week from Argyll & Bute, where the resident adult male bird remained on Loch Feorlin on 5th. I bet he’d welcome a change from Little Grebe companions.
It may have all been too much, tempting Fate last week, speculating that our overwintering Nearctic rarities were feeling a migratory urge. The drake Bufflehead had just upped and gone from Warwickshire while, in Devon, the Northern Mockingbird was, for the time being, still settled in Exmouth. But for how much longer?
For a while, it began to look like we might find out this week, with news of the bird becoming more intermittent as the week wore on, with a couple of blank days. Those waiting to go and pay their respects will have been starting to feel their nerves fraying… but, for now, all is well – what may well prove to be the bird of the year was still in its favoured garden in the morning of 8th.
The same good news, happily, can be said for the most belting bird in Ireland of late, the long-staying first-winter male Belted Kingfisher at Dunboy (Co.Cork). Back in the headlines again this week, courtesy partly of an appearance in the news once more on 5th, and mostly because I simply can’t resist assembling headlines that include Northern Mockingbird and Belted Kingfisher, even if it’s for just one last time…
And that’s not all, folks. Just as the week was drawing to a close, news came hot off the press from Ireland – the Double-crested Cormorant, last reported from Carrig Island in Co.Kerry way back in mid-January, was still very much present there this week on 8th. Terrific news for Irish birders, of course, and a reminder to British birders if ever one was needed that there could yet be a bird closer to home that has, for now, gone unnoticed… It was, after all, quite an irruptive autumn for the species.
It was a largely very peaceful week indeed where seabirds were concerned, with only a couple of White-billed Divers enlivening an otherwise Sargasso-calm spell of bird news. One remained in South Nesting Bay on Shetland’s east Mainland coast on 4th; and a further bird was seen in Bantry Bay (Co.Cork) on 2nd.
Ever reliable in recent weeks, once again a Pomarine Skua was logged this week off Pennance Point in Cornwall on 5th.
Back to where we began, in Shetland this week a Little Auk was noted off Mavis Grind on 4th.
Numbers of Glossy Ibises recorded this week held fairly firm, with peak counts being three still at Fremington (Devon) on 5th and the regular trio at Earith (Cambridgeshire) still on 4th-7th also logged.
Single birds were seen once more in Dorset at Stanpit Marsh on 2nd-8th; in Nottinghamshire at Newark-on-Trent on 4th-7th; in Somerset at Clevedon on 7th; in Northamptonshire again at Thrapston GPs on 7th-8th; and at Dungeness (Kent) again on 8th.
Adding a hint of further southern glamour, a Night Heron was found at Nanjizal (Cornwall) on 7th.
And so to honkers and quackers where there was both variety and weight of numbers to report this week. Starting with The Goose Formerly Known As Canada, interior Todd’s Canada Geese were seen at Banks Marsh NNR (Lancashire) and in the Druridge Bay CP (Northumberland) area still on 6th-7th, and also on 6th and 8th at Rockcliffe Marsh (Cumbria). A hutchinsii Richardson’s Cackling Goose was seen at Mersehead RSPB (Dumfries & Galloway) on 2nd.
Two Black Brants were once more seen on The Fleet (Dorset) off Butterstreet Cove on 4th; sightings from East Yorkshire came again at Kilnsea and Sammy’s Point on 5th-8th; a bird was seen in Essex at West Mersea on 5th; and one more was logged in Ireland at Darndale (Co.Dublin) on 7th.
A possible Grey-bellied Brant was at Kilcoole (Co.Wicklow) on 5th.
A Snow Goose was again seen on North Uist (Western Isles) on 8th.
Kicking off the quackers, in Ireland the first-winter drake Black Duck remained at Cross Lough (Co.Mayo) on 3rd.
Two American Wigeon sightings came in on 7th – at Saltholme RPSB and Port Clarence (Cleveland), and on Larne Lough (Co.Antrim); both birds remained the following day for good measure.
A trio of Green-winged Teals were also noted in Ireland this week – at Blennerville (Co.Kerry) still on 3rd-7th, Corballis (Co.Dublin) on 6th, and Cabragh Wetlands (Co.Tipperary still on 8th – but it was Scotland that emphatically owned the species in recent days… Three birds were a terrific score on Barra (Western Isles) on 4th; the regular bird remained on North Ronaldsay (Orkney) on 3rd; and further individuals were seen on Tiree (Argyll & Bute) on 4th, at Loch of Kinnordy RSPB (Angus) on 6th-7th, and on Unst (Shetland) on 7th. In England, the recent bird was again seen at Saltholme RSPB (Cleveland) on 8th.
Ring-necked Ducks continued to be seen in good numbers this week, with some small aggregations noted at several sites. Some 30 birds were logged in the course of the week and, amongst them, the peak count was five birds seen in Cornwall at Dozmary Pool on 4th-8th. Further multiples were four birds still at Talley Lakes (Carmarthenshire) on 4th-6th; three still present on Tiree (Argyll & Bute) on 3rd; and two still present at Radley GPs (Oxfordshire) on 6th-7th, with the two females still settled in Cornwall at Siblyback Lake on 8th.
A female Ferruginous Duck was seen on 7th in Wiltshire at Horwood Pond.
The first-winter female Bufflehead was again seen in Co.Cork at Nohoval on 6th.
A particular feature this winter has been vagrant King Eiders, and this week certainly didn’t disappoint. Known birds remained in Ireland, where the two first-winter females were once more seen at St John’s Point (Co.Donegal) on 6th, and the first-winter drake was again off Castlegregory (Co.Kerry) on 6th also; and the previous week’s Shetland first-winter drake was lingering in Vaila Sound on 2nd-8th. A further first-winter drake was an excellent birthday find for Brydon Thomason in Hascosay Sound off Yell on 2nd, remaining there the following day too.
Scotland was again doing well for rare and scarce scoters, not least with the finding of a drake Black Scoter off Embo (Highland) on 4th-8th; and, of course, the White-winged Scoter again seen in Lothian between Joppa and Eastfield on 2nd.
Embo was doing well for Surf Scoters too, with four birds off there on 2nd-8th. Further Scottish birds this week were seen at Musselburgh, where two were again present on 2nd-7th; and off Kirkwall (Orkney), where the drake was again seen on 5th-7th. Two birds were once more seen in Ireland’s Co.Meath from Ben Head on 6th-7th.
The Nearctic again provided a decent variety of shorebird species this week, not least in Co.Wexford where two Long-billed Dowitchers were seen on 6th-7th at Tacumshin; while in North Yorkshire the wintering individual was still present at Scorton GPs on 2nd-4th.
In Scotland, the Spotted Sandpiper was still present at Culzean Bay (Ayrshire) on 2nd-5th.
The Lesser Yellowlegs remained in Devon at Aveton Gifford on 4th-7th, while the Killongford Pools (Co.Waterford) individual remained there on 7th also.
In Hampshire, the recent Grey Phalarope remained at Pennington Marshes on 2nd; while in Somerset, the wintering Kentish Plover was once more noted at Stert Island on 6th and on the seafront at Burnham-on-Sea on 7th.
Tacumshin (Co.Wexford) was having a good day on 6th – in addition to those two Long-billed Dowitchers we’ve already heard about, there was also a Bonaparte’s Gull present there. Nor was that the only bird seen in Ireland that day, as another was logged in Co.Cork near Cobh, with presumably the same bird at Whitegate on 7th; these sightings coming hot on the heels of another Co.Cork record, in Bantry Bay on 2nd.
Of the 11 Ring-billed Gulls seen in recent days, Ireland – as usual – enjoyed the lion’s share of them, with just birds seen at Hayle RSPB (Cornwall) on 3rd-8th and Eastfield (Lothian) again on 5th-6th breaking the monopoly. Irish individuals were seen on 2nd-4th at Carrickfergus (Co.Antrim); on 3rd-8th at Tralee Bay Wetlands Centre (Co.Kerry), where two birds remained; at Enniskillen (Co.Fermanagh) on 3rd-6th still; at Belfast Waterworks (Co.Antrim) still on 3rd; at O’Callaghan Strand (Co.Limerick) still on 3rd; at Foynes (Co.Limerick) and Blackrock (Co.Louth) still on 4th; at Cobh (Co.Cork) still on 6th; and on 7th at Swords (Co.Dublin).
A possible second-winter American Herring Gull was seen on the morning of 8th at Lochgilphaed on Loch Gilp (Argyll & Bute).
A shade over 25 Glaucous Gulls was a drop on previous weeks – most were single birds, with a peak count of four seen across South Uist (Western Isles) on 4th. Iceland Gulls held a little firmer, with some 60 birds logged over the course of the week, of which the best single site was of five birds in ever-reliable Scrabster harbour (Highland) on 7th.
Co.Kerry supplied most of our Kumlien’s Gulls this week - a juvenile at Cashen on 5th, and an adult bird at Blennerville on 6th – while in Cambridgeshire the second-winter bird was again seen at Smithy Fen on 7th.
Two Rough-legged Buzzards were noted in recent days – one in Scotland north of Grantown-on-Spey (Highland) on 2nd, and one way to the south on Sheppey (Kent) at Elmley NNR on 5th.
Their spring counterpoint was seen this week in Kent where, at Worth Marsh on 6th, a Black Kite passed overhead.
Just a hint of southern, exotic spring colour checked in this week – a pleasant omen of things to come. Top of the pile were the three Penduline Tits found in Somerset at Weston Airfield on 6th-7th…
…run a close second by the Hoopoe seen on St Agnes (Scilly) on 6th-7th.
Shades of winter remained in the form of the best of the overwintering warblers - Dusky Warblers seen again at Ainsdale NNR (Merseyside) on 2nd-7th, with two there again on 6th; and again in Gloucestershire at Siddington on 4th-5th. Another individual was reported from Leighton Moss RSPB (Lancashire) on 3rd, but wasn’t seen there subsequently.
Yellow-browed Warblers, meanwhile, were found this week on 8th at Patching sewage works (West Sussex) and Crumlin (Co.Dublin).
Traditional winter fare came in the form of a handful of Great Grey Shrikes seen lately – in Hampshire, at Woolmer Forest on 3rd-8th; at Capel St Mary (Suffolk) again on 5th-7th; in Surrey at Ash Ranges still on 6th; on 7th near Slaley (Derbyshire) and at Frampton Pools (Gloucestershire); and a further bird reported from Teviothead (Borders) on 4th.
Scotland again held onto the best of the Waxwings this week, with eight seen once more in Elgin (Moray) on 4th with four remaining there on 8th, and four still settled at Nethy Bridge (Highland) on 2nd-4th. English sightings came from Brislington (Somerset) on 2nd, and Billingham (Cleveland) where three birds seen on 2nd had dropped to a singleton by 3rd; with three more reported on 6th in Chester (Cheshire).
Just one Rose-coloured Starling made the news this week – one of the recent birds still present in Borders at Eyemouth on 2nd.
In Shetland, at least one of the recent two wintering Black-bellied Dippers was still haunting the length of Kirkhouse Burn outside Voe on 4th-7th. A further possible bird was seen on 6th in Co.Derry near Castlerock.
Staying in Shetland for a moment, up on Unst the Little Bunting remained at Baltasound on 2nd, while the two birds were still settled in Surrey at Thursley Common NNR on 2nd-8th, sharing the site still with the Rustic Bunting on the same dates. Belated news came of another of the latter species in Co.Waterford at Bunmahon on 19th February.
Finally, a probable Arctic Redpoll was seen on 8th at Hunnington (Worcestershire).
The previous week’s overseas headliner remained this week in Spain on Gibraltar where, at Europa Point on 2nd, the Myrtle Warbler was still to be seen. Elsewhere in Spain, a Lesser Flamingo was present at Laguna del Camino de Villafranca on 4th-6th, and a Sociable Lapwing at Laguna del Hoyo still on 5th-8th.
In France, the Pygmy Cormorant was still present at Marias de Buisson Gros on 4th; while a Sociable Lapwing was seen at Jaulges on 5th-7th.
In Germany, a Sociable Lapwing was found on 7th-8th at Unterer Knappensee, while a White-headed Duck lingered at Quecksee on 3rd-7th. Austria, meanwhile, landed a Little Bustard at Im Gsieg on 8th.
In Poland, the Baikal Teal remained at Pakoslaw reservoir on 5th-6th, while the meena Western Rufous Turtle Dove was still present at Katowice on 4th-7th.
Sweden’s settled Black-throated Thrush remained at Sjorrod on 5th-7th; and a fine duo of Stejneger’s and Black Scoter were seen on 8th at Snapparp.
In Iceland, the White-winged Scoter was again seen at Keflavik on 7th.
Moving into the Atlantic, on the Azores the Belted Kingfisher was still present on Pico on 6th.
The Canary Islands also continues to hold a Belted Kingfisher, with the bird still present on Lanzarote on 5th. One wonders how many other birds turned up in the Western Palearctic in the same movement that delivered in Co.Cork and are settled, unseen, in some sheltered tidal creek somewhere… An American Herring Gull was also seen in the Canary Islands this week on Tenerife on 3rd.
In Israel, the Three-banded Plover remained at Ein Bdolach fishponds on 7th.
We finish the overseas news with some belated news from Egypt where, on 12th January, an adult Yellow-crowned Night Heron was seen at Sharm El Sheikh – a national first if accepted as of wild origin.
After a week that saw some high pressure loitering over us, that’s looking set to change in the days to come. Low pressure is a-coming and, with it, an unhelpful lump of low pressure that’s set to swirl some weather systems in off the Atlantic. What’s that going to augur, apart from – the joys – some fresh rain?
Probably not something from southern climes, at least not in the early part of the week. Half a dozen past records apiece of Alpine Swift and Great Spotted Cuckoo probably flatter to deceive.
As does, despite it being an irruption year in North America, the anniversary of our Evening Grosbeak, found on 10th March 1980 in Nethybridge (Highland). Long shots come little longer than that.
Let’s aim for a decent-ish duck, maybe one that’s gone overlooked elsewhere this winter on an un-birded patch of water, one that’s maybe starting to think about moving on, a bird that doesn’t really pay much heed to some wind and rain. Eight historic records of Lesser Scaup for the coming week say that’s an attainable target…
Jon Dunn
9 March
Many thanks to all this week's contributors for your photos and videos
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