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Weekly birding round-up: 16 - 22 Mar 2021

Spring continued to unfold this week, with the first Cuckoo heard announcing an early return to British soil, Garganeys enlivening freshwater bodies, and more determined Sand Martins and Wheatears. So far, so good – but what of rarer fare? Cornwall landed gull gold, but the week’s biggest news was after the event in Kent…

 

Kent’s been enjoying an enviable run of form in the past few months, with county firsts coming thick and fast over the course of the autumn and winter periods. From the gorgeous ashen tones of the Masked Shrike at Reculver, to the lingering, dynamic Crag Martin on the cliffs at Kingsdown… not to mention the unattainable Nearctic delights of a fleeting Common Nighthawk and an overwintering White-throated Sparrow.

(And, of course, an Eastern Yellow Wagtail, but it’s getting hard to eulogise about them these days, so regular are they becoming in a national context…)

If we’d drawn a line under that little lot, we could have concluded that the Garden of England had exhausted its luck for a while. A run of that sort of form had to end eventually. Turns out, we’d have been wrong, as there was a cherry lurking, on top of the icing on the cake, somewhere in the east of the county. Nothing less than a settled first-winter Eyebrowed Thrush that spent some weeks spanning January into early March in a rural Kentish garden.

Judging by the image of it posing in the snow alongside a tempting raspberry, confiding wasn’t the half of it during the duration of a 49 day stay that concluded on 3rd March. That there should be a wintering bird somewhere in the UK isn’t perhaps so surprising, for all the species remains one of the rarer Palearctic vagrant thrushes – Orkney and Shetland shared three birds between them last autumn, including the unprecedented double of two found on the same early October day in the latter archipelago; a bird was miserably shot in Spain later in October; and one more was found in Friesland in the east of Holland in November. It was plainly a good year for them… and it turns out Kent scored one too.

While maybe not another Eyebrowed Thrush, the BB Rarities report later this year will, surely, have a further surprise or two from this strangest of years nestled within its glossy pages…

 

Not holding a candle to an Eyebrowed Thrush in the glamour stakes, this week’s first-winter American Herring Gull in Cornwall was, nonetheless, a smart bird in its own right and did at least enjoy the benefit of immediacy – found by Martin Elliott at Newlyn on 17th, it obligingly remained until 22nd for the benefit of local birders. While not the rarest of Larids these days, they remain a deeply satisfying identification nut to crack.

 

Returning to a bird that’s the very definition of a feast for the eyes, the drake Baikal Teal found at the end of the prior week by Olly Frampton in Hampshire at Ripley Farm reservoir during a WeBS survey was, after appearing to have done one, back there again this week on 16th.

 

Back to Devon to wrap up the headlines, the settled Northern Mockingbird remained in the fruitful gardens of Exmouth for another week, being reported daily from there until 22nd.

 

What our seabirds may have, not unreasonably given the time of year, lacked in terms of outright quantity this week, they amply made up for in terms of quality, particularly in Ireland…

Here, on 17th, the Double-crested Cormorant was once again seen in Ballylongford Bay (Co.Kerry), while in Co.Mayo an adult Pacific Diver was lingering in Elly Bay on 17th-22nd.

British birders had to make do with slimmer pickings. Best of the lot was still the adult Long-tailed Skua in South Yorkshire at Mayfield Valley on 16th-17th; while further birds were noted at Chew Valley Lake on 16th and Bristol Airport (Somerset) still on 17th.

Returning to divers, White-billed Divers were about the best of it for those north of the border – Shetland providing two birds, one in the anticipated locale of South Nesting Bay still on 17th-18th, and the other off Yell in Basta Voe on 16th; while Orkney’s Papa Westray was once again fruitful with a bird logged off there on 17th.

 

While I’ve a sneaking suspicion that next week may be a different story, if the anticipated southerlies come wafting our way, the past week was, once more, the preserve of Glossy Ibises for the rarer of our long-legged beasties.

The week’s peak count was once more four birds in Devon at Fremington Pill on 21st-22nd, closely followed by the settled trio still present at Earith (Cambridgeshire) on 16th-22nd. Single birds remained happily tucked into Stanpit Marsh (Dorset) on 16th-22nd, Thrapston GPs (Northamptonshire) on 16th-22nd, Otmoor RSPB (Oxfordshire) again on 21st-22nd, and Haysden Lake (Kent) again on 22nd; while one more bird, with itchier feet, was seen on Anglesey over Rhosneigr on 17th. In Ireland, one remained at Pilmore (Co.Cork) on 22nd.

 

Starting the honkers and quackers, as ever, with The Goose Formerly Known As Canada, we’ve got three records of interior Todd’s Canada Geese, all individuals we’re more or less familiar with from past days and weeks – one again in Lancashire on Banks Marsh NNR on 19th and 21st; one in Cumbria the preceding day at Rockliffe Marsh again; and one also on 18th up on Tiree (Argyll & Bute). Meanwhile, on North Uist (Western Isles), the two hutchinsii Richardson’s Cackling Geese remained until 22nd.

Black Brants had another strong showing in recent days, with five birds noted across the region. One lingered at Kilnsea (East Yorkshire) on 16th-19th still; north Norfolk provided a sighting at Wells on 20th; one was seen in Essex at Cudmore Grove CP on 19th; one was present in Kent on 19th also, at Lower Halstow, with a further possible bird noted in flight past Kingsdown Leas on 21st. An Irish representative was again seen in Dublin (Co.Dublin), being noted in flight over the River Liffey on 16th.

A possible Grey-bellied Brant was at Lurgangreen (Co.Louth) on 21st-22nd, joined by an additional three birds there on the latter date.

In Orkney, the white morph Snow Goose was once again seen on Sanday on 19th; two were seen on 21st-22nd at Inverallochy (Aberdeenshire).

A couple of recent drake American Wigeons remained settled in recent days, these being the individuals at Port Clarence (Cleveland) still on 16th-17th, and that on Larne Lough (Co.Antrim) still on remained present on 17th-21st. A further bird was seen at Frampton Marsh RSPB (Lincolnshire) on 22nd.

With a dozen individuals seen, Green-winged Teals again made it into double figures overall, with one site still boasting multiple birds – this being Lewis (Western Isles), where four were logged on 18th; South Uist, meanwhile, hosted a single bird on 18th also; and North Ronaldsay’s (Orkney) bird was again reported on 21st. Northern England provided three birds – at North Duffield Carrs (North Yorkshire) on 16th-20th still; at Mythop Hall (Lancashire) on 16th-21st still; and at Saltholme RSPB (Cleveland) on 17th-22nd still. Finally to Ireland, where lingering birds remained at South Slob (Co.Wexford) on 16th-17th, and Blennerville (Co.Kerry) on 18th; and one more was seen, on 22nd, at Donabate (Co.Dublin).

Ireland scored a drake Lesser Scaup at Portmore Lough (Co.Antrim) on 19th, presumably the selfsame bird last seen there on 26th February.

Speaking of Irish quality, the first-winter female Bufflehead was still quietly going about her business on the lake outside Nohoval (Co.Cork) on 20th.

Back to quantity, and our excellent spell for Ring-necked Ducks showed little sign of easing just yet, with again around 30 birds logged over the course of the week. Of these, quartets were the highest single site tallies, being noted again at Llyn Pencarreg (Carmarthenshire) on 18th and Dozmary Pool (Cornwall) on 19th. Other notable counts were the two settled birds still present in Oxfordshire on Radley GPs on 16th-22nd, and the duo still at Tacumshin (Co.Wexford) on 18th-19th. One wonders whether, one of these days, we might get a wild breeding pair stay for the summer… meanwhile, in Greater Manchester, the Whalley Range female is rumoured to be the source of considerable interest to a local drake Tufted Duck.

Scotland once again provided us with all sorts of lovely seaducks in recent days of which the best was the drake Black Scoter still present off Embo (Highland) on 19th-21st. He shared the site with four Surf Scoters on 19th for good measure; while two remained off Musselburgh (Lothian) until 21st at least, and four drakes were seen in Lothian near Ferny Ness on 21st.

In Shetland, the first-winter drake King Eider was still present in Vaila Sound on 16th.

We conclude the quackers with the predictable news that the female Hooded Merganser continues to persist at Staverton Pools (Suffolk), being seen again there on 17th…

…but round off the section with a more wholesome waterbird altogether – the recently found Pied-billed Grebe in Lancashire continued to prove an elusive wraith at Bantons Lake on 16th-21st.

 

Our regular recent roll-call of Nearctic waders got a little variety this week courtesy of Benbecula (Western Isles), where a first-winter American Golden Plover on 19th mixed things up a bit; and St Agnes Head (Cornwall) where, on 21st, another bird flew over.

Staying in Scotland, the first-winter Spotted Sandpiper at Culzean Bay (Ayrshire) continues to acquire some spots, and was still present there on 16th-22nd.

Moving south, in North Yorkshire the Long-billed Dowitcher remained at Scorton GPs on 17th; while the two recent individuals were once more seen in Ireland at Tacumshin (Co.Wexford) on 17th-21st.

Back to England and, in Devon, the Lesser Yellowlegs was still present at Aveton Gifford on 17th-22nd.

 

Away from Cornwall, the best gull of the week was still present in Dorset where the recently found second-winter Laughing Gull remained at Lodmoor RSPB in the morning of 16th and roosting in Weymouth Bay that afternoon. It had decamped to West Bexington by 17th and, thereafter, there was no further news of it.

Keeping it Nearctic a while longer, the adult Bonaparte’s Gull was again seen at Donemark (Co.Cork) on 17th, while the first-winter individual was once more present in Gloucestershire behind the closed doors of Slimbridge WWT on 17th also.

As ever, it fell to Ireland to enjoy the lion’s share of the week’s 11 Ring-billed Gulls, with all but one bird recorded across there – the exceptions being a brief adult on Loch Ryan (Dumfries & Galloway) on 18th, and the adult again in Cornwall at Hayle Estuary RSPB on 22nd. Those Irish individuals were the two adults still present at Tralee Bay Wetlands Centre (Co.Kerry) until 22nd, and single birds noted at Limerick (Co.Limerick) on 16th still; Dundalk (Co.Louth) still on 16th; Foynes (Co.Limerick) on 17th; Wexford (Co.Wexford) still on 18th; on North Bull Island (Co.Dublin) on 19th; at Enniskillen (Co.Fermanagh) again on 19th-22nd; and at Dunkettle (Co.Cork) on 20th.

Some 35 Glaucous Gulls logged this week marked little change in their numbers at a national levels; meanwhile, around 85 Iceland Gulls were logged nationwide, of which half a dozen birds in their reliable stronghold this winter of Scrabster harbour (Highland) on 18th were the highest single site count.

Finally, an adult Kumlien’s Gull was seen on 18th at Tralee Bay Wetlands Centre (Co.Kerry), the icing on the regular Ring-billed Gull cake there; the second-winter bird was once more noted in Cambridgeshire at Dernford Farm reservoir on 21st.

 

A Rough-legged Buzzard was seen on 21st over Potteric Carr YWT (South Yorkshire), while further birds consisted of one reported from Kenninghall (Norfolk) on 21st and a further possible example seen distantly on 22nd at Amberley Wild Brooks SWT (West Sussex).

A possible Black Kite was reported from Weymouth (Dorset) on 19th, seen heading inland towards Upwey. As we stand on the cusp of April, we can be fairly sure more of them are waiting in the wings…

 

Once again heading up the passerines, the three Penduline Tits remained in Somerset at Weston Airfield this week until 22nd, a deservedly popular and at times photogenic trio.

They would, however, have been displaced at the head of proceedings had the possible first-winter Eastern Yellow Wagtail at Frodsham Marsh on 15th-21st only been confirmed as what would be the county’s first confirmed record of the species. That’s a species that’s firmly set to be a county first all over the UK in the years to come, with growing awareness and, it seems, perhaps swelling numbers too.

Scarce wintering warblers were still a notable feature of the month – the settled male Yellow-browed Warbler remaining at Watermead Lake (Buckinghamshire) on 16th-22nd, and joined by two more garden birds found on 18th, at Herne Hill (London) and Wavertree (Merseyside). Merseyside also continued to host a Dusky Warbler at Ainsdale NNR on 16th-22nd.

These were not quite the pick of the warbler crop, though, as belated news emerged this week of a Pallas’s Warbler present on 10th February at Chailey (East Sussex) for its 19th day.

Wintering Great Grey Shrikes continued to be reported in recent days – at Capel St Mary (Suffolk) still on 16th-22nd; in Derbyshire at Bonsall Moor on 17th-20th; in Harwood Forest (Northumberland) still on 17th-20th; and at Crabtree Hill (Gloucestershire) still on 20th-21st. A further unconfirmed report of a possible bird came fromm Cheshire at Burton Point on 19th.

One Waxwing, noted flying through Ballater (Aberdeenshire) on 20th, and four seen at Cairn Rynetin (Highland) on 22nd, were a poor return for the week, though we’d expect numbers to be dwindling around about now, and it’s been far from a classic winter for the species.

The first-winter male Rose-coloured Starling was still present at Eyemouth (Borders) on 22nd.

In Shetland, a Black-bellied Dipper continued to delight local birders in Voe on 16th-19th; another possible bird remained in Co.Derry near Castlerock on 21st.

Arguably one of the most exciting passerine finds of recent weeks was made in Surrey on 17th – a county that’s been spoiled of late anyway with the trio of scarce wintering buntings scored a first-winter female Two-barred Crossbill trapped and ringed on Crossbury Common.

We wrap things up with those buntings – Thursley Common NNR’s (Surrey) first-winter male Rustic Bunting continued his long sojourn until 22nd, even trying out a little song at times too. Also present there, the two Little Buntings remained until 20th, with one still present on 21st-22nd. Further Little Buntings seen this week numbered the recent bird still present in West Sussex at Warnham LNR on 16th-21st, and further individuals found at Frodsham Marsh (Cheshire) on 19th and Nanjizal Valley (Cornwall) on 22nd.

 

Before we head overseas, we’ll pause to record a couple of further notable British and Irish wildlife sightings in the past week – starting with a wandering Walrus that made the national headlines in Ireland and Wales alike. First found on Valentia Island (Co.Kerry) on 14th, what’s presumably the same animal was relocated in Pembrokeshire at Trefalen on 20th and, on 22nd, near Saundersfoot at Monkstone Point (Pembrokeshire).

Contra some of the outlandish claims made in the more excitable elements of the media, Walruses (and various Arctic seals) are more than capable of wandering considerable distances south without the aid of icebergs… It’ll be interesting to see where this latest record of the species ends up.

While we’re myth-busting, the resurgence of Large Tortoiseshells on the near Continent () suggests that the species is more than capable of re-colonising southern England without human intervention. Recent observations from Holland show that, while nitrogen deposition continues to drive declines of some butterfly species, climate change is allowing some opportunistic species to prosper. How long will it be before Britain’s first Southern Small White is confirmed? And, in due course, our first breeding record? They’re surely coming…

Murky – and, it has to be said, seemingly unsubstantiated - rumours swirl around the origin of Large Tortoiseshells seen in recent years on Portland (Dorset) but, given contemporaneous sightings elsewhere in Dorset and along the south and east coasts between Cornwall and Suffolk, it’s entirely plausible that continental migrants could prosper here, not least in the warm microclimates afforded by Portland’s quarries and sheltered combes.

Small wonder then that the first confirmed wild-breeding for decades came from Portland last year, where Will Langdon’s determination paid off handsomely – not to mention the larvae found ambling in nearby Weymouth too. The first overwintering insects of 2021 were seen in late February and, this week, some eight butterflies were seen on the wing on 16th on Portland. I’d bet money they’ll be confirmed breeding away from the Portland and Weymouth area in the next year or two…

 

We’ll start the overseas news out in the Azores again this week where, on Sao Jorge, the Western Palearctic’s fourth Swallow-tailed Kite was still present this week on 16th-22nd, while on Pico the Belted Kingfisher remained present on 16th also, and at least one Double-crested Cormorant remained in recent days too.

Moving (a little) closer to home, on the Canary Islands a Hudsonian Whimbrel was seen on Tenerife on 17th.

In Spain, the Sociable Lapwing remained at Laguna del Hoyo on 16th. Three Lesser Flamingos were seen on 16th at Laguna de Fuente de Piedra, with one bird still present there on 17th.

France also landed a Lesser Flamingo, seen on 18th at Montiles du Versadou.

Poland was enjoying a good week, with a drake Baikal Teal at Popowo Koscielne on 20th-21st, and a Calandra Lark at Bzianka on 20th-21st.

In Germany, the White-headed Duck remained settled at Quecksee on 17th-21st.

Meanwhile, in Belgium an Oriental Turtle Dove remained at Heist on 19th-22nd, having been present there for almost a week beforehand. French birders would have to content themselves with a Pied-billed Grebe at Rocheserviere still on 21st.

The stuff of serious daydreams for British birders was found in Denmark on 16th-17th – a drake Steller’s Eider at Hirsholm. One wonders if we’ll hear any more of the young drake last seen in Orkney on 24th April 2020… Also in Denmark this week, the female Pine Bunting remained at Rødhus on 19th-21st, the sixth record for the country.

Finally, in Israel the Three-banded Plover remained happily tootling around the fishponds at Ein Bdolach fishponds on 17th and, on 22nd, Hadoram Shirihai found a local mega – Israel’s second ever European Shag at Ashkelon.

 

After grimly gritting our teeth and bearing the past fortnight, it looks – at time of writing – like we may be in for some southerlies in the days to come. That has, in the last week of March, to be good news. Game, hopefully, on…

While rarer southern options are definitely now starting to be a possibility, and with early records for species after species coming in recent days (https://www.rarebirdalert.co.uk/v2/content/spring_migrants_2021.aspx?s_id=22783276), let’s opt for one that has both the virtue of decent precedent, in the form of several dozen historic records for the week to come, and sturdy, robust presence – an Alpine Swift seems like a good call for a southern coastal county or, indeed, a little further north.

 

Jon Dunn
23 March

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

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