Weekly birding round-up: 17 - 23 Aug 2021
What was shaping up to be a fairly peaceful and uneventful August week took a sudden turn for the mega over the course of the weekend, with the discovery in Cornwall of a once in a generation bird. Oh, well, there was one in Norfolk last year too, but y’know… they’re like buses, apparently…
To be honest, it had been such a long time since the last bird – way back on 9th August 1980, on Devon’s Prawle Point – that I confidently expected never to write up a Rufous Bush Chat in the Round Up’s headlines. It just had a Little Whimbrel-esque aura of unrepeatable blocker about it.
(And more of the latter anon…)
And then, last year, John Reeves went and found what would prove to be an incredibly obliging bird in Norfolk at Stiffkey – for many, the absolute star bird of what had otherwise been a birding year they’d sooner have forgotten. So that was that, then - Rufous Bush Chat was unblocked good and proper, and we could look forward to the next 40 empty years with something approaching equanimity.
Or could we? Turns out that Rufous Bush Chats, like red buses, come along in quick succession after all as, this week, on 22nd, Douglas Wright and his wife went for a Sunday stroll on The Lizard (Cornwall) near Coverack and found an absolutely belting example.
Given that the 1980 bird on Prawle was Devon’s fourth record, two dating from the 19th century and two from the latter half of the 20th century, we might reasonably have expected Cornwall would have enjoyed a bird before now. But no… putting the cherry on the cake of this week’s find, it’s a Cornish first too, and only the tenth for Britain. Autumn is now officially under way and, where rare passerines are concerned, the renowned likes of Scilly, Norfolk, Yorkshire and Shetland are going to need to significantly raise their game in the weeks to come.
While the narrow lanes and restricted parking on The Lizard meant that seeing Cornwall’s first Rufous Bush Chat wasn’t quite the formality some might have hoped, the main thing was that it chose to linger, being present and showing well on 23rd.
Continuing to demonstrate a Coleridgean sort of obduracy for yet another week, we kick off the seabirds once more with the happy news that the adult Black-browed Albatross remained (more or less) in East Yorkshire at Bempton Cliffs RSPB throughout the week until 23rd, being absent only on 19th and, every now and again, popping up to brighten up a Flamborough seawatch for good measure.
Not that sea-watching off East Yorkshire was proving anything but dull in recent days, as a couple of notable sightings were definitely livening things up. A probable Scopoli’s Shearwater was reported heading north past Flamborough on 18th; with further sightings of a Scopoli’s or Cory’s Shearwater coming that day from Old Nab (North Yorkshire) and Cowbar (Cleveland).
Back in East Yorkshire on 18th, Spurn provided a sighting of a possible Fea’s / Desertas Petrel passing distantly by in the evening. It had, all in all, been quite a day.
Onto 23rd, and a probable Yelkouan Shearwater was seen off Berry Head (Devon) from a pelagic.
Around 950 Balearic Shearwaters represented another solid showing for the species this week – 325 seen from Portland (Dorset) on 23rd was comfortably the highest single site tally, followed by 241 seen from Dawlish Warren NNR (Devon) on 22nd.
The week was, on the whole, a poor one for large shearwaters, with Great and Cory’s Shearwaters alike barely ascending the dizzy heights of double figures. The peak count of the former were four birds seen from the Scilly pelagic of 23rd, while most of the week’s Cory’s were seen from the northeast coast on 18th, with two off Whitburn CP (Co.Durham) in the afternoon the peak count; one more was logged on 21st from West Haven (Angus), and another on 23rd past Spurn (East Yorkshire).
The Wilson’s Petrels, however, just kept on coming in recent days, not least from the ever-reliable Scilly pelagics where at least 17 birds were tallied in the course of the week. Pelagics off Baltimore (Co.Cork) also proved fruitful, with one bird seen on 20th, two on 21st, and five on 22nd.
The week was a stronger one for skuas than of late, with some 55 Pomarine and 30 Long-tailed Skuas logged nationwide, for the most part single birds.
And finally, for the third consecutive week, to wrap up the seabirds we’ve a report of a possible Booby sp - this time, one was seen heading west past Portland (Dorset) with Gannets on 20th.
Our weekly long-legged beasties start, by simple virtue of the initial news report reminding me of the lyrics of Half Man Half Biscuit’s ‘I Love You Because (You Look Like Jim Reeves)’, with a Purple Heron - this being the bird found from a canoe at Barton Broad (Norfolk) on 18th, and remaining there until 22nd. If you haven’t even got a canoe, you didn’t stand a chance… Another juvenile bird was found on 22nd in Kent at Conningbrook Lakes CP.
Moving to Lincolnshire, we find the juvenile Black Stork still hanging out, for the most part, at Frampton Marsh RSPB on 17th-23rd – it went AWOL on 19th-20th, relocating to Freiston Shore RSPB, but was back at Frampton later on 20th, and remained there as the week drew to a close.
And so to Glossy Ibises and, first and foremost, the intriguing flock of five again seen at Welney WWT (Norfolk) on 18th; elsewhere in the county, the single bird remained at Ken Hill Marsh on 17th-22nd. One lingered at Minsmere RSPB (Suffolk) on 17th-20th still while, in Kent, birds were seen again at Dungeness and Oare Marshes KWT on 19th-23rd and 19th-22nd respectively. On 22nd, westbound sightings in Cornwall came in the morning from Pendeen and the early afternoon at Cape Cornwall; while on Scilly, one was seen over Tresco in the morning and on St Mary’s in the afternoon. On 23rd the St Mary’s bird was still present and, in Cornwall, one was lurking around the Sennen area; while another was reported that morning in the east, at Botany Marshes RSPB (Suffolk); another was inland, at Rutland Water (Leicestershire); and one was seen in Lincolnshire at Alkborough Flats NR.
A Spotted Crake settled in for a few days skulking at Lodmoor RSPB (Dorset) on 17th-22nd; another was seen in Suffolk at Botany Marshes RSPB on 19th.
The rarity duckpond was, once again, almost bereft of notable quackers. Happily, the juvenile Ferruginous Duck remained at Draycote Water (Warwickshire) on 17th-18th; while on 19th a sighting of it or another (or a hybrid) came from Stanwick GPs (Northamptonshire).
Adding just a smidgen of variety, the drake Surf Scoter was once more seen from Kinnaber (Angus) on 19th-22nd.
We start the week’s shorebirds in the far north where, on Fetlar (Shetland), the Black-winged Pratincole remained at Funzie on 17th-20th, but wasn’t seen thereafter until 23rd, when there it was at Funzie again, adding itself to local birder Andy Cook’s house list. This had proved to be both an obliging and locally popular bird during its stay.
Speaking of which, the two recent adult Pacific Golden Plovers in Lincolnshire at Frampton Marsh RSPB have also been modest crowd-pleasers. One had moved on this week, but the other bird remained there until 22nd.
On Orkney’s North Ronaldsay, the adult American Golden Plover remained on 18th-23rd.
A couple of Dotterel were on the move – single birds seen at Frampton Marsh RSPB (Lincolnshire) and at Ben Cleuch (Forth) on 22nd.
Surely only the vanguard of more to come shortly, a trio of Buff-breasted Sandpipers were clocked this week – one, briefly, at Whittle Dene reservoirs (Northumberland) on 19th, another in Ireland at Clonakilty (Co.Cork) on 21st, and one in Kent as the week closed on 23rd at Elmley NNR.
A Pectoral Sandpiper seen briefly in the morning of 22nd at Steart WWT (Somerset) was followed by one, possibly heard on 22nd, found on 23rd in Dublin (Co.Dublin), and another briefly on 23rd in Norfolk at Breydon Water.
A Temminck’s Stint lingered in West Sussex at Sidlesham Ferry Pool on 17th-22nd, while another was seen in Cambridgeshire at Smithy Fen on 19th; with another probable bird on 19th also at Minsmere RSPB (Suffolk). Back in Cambridgeshire, one was present at Burwell Fen on 22nd.
Both recent adult Long-billed Dowitchers were still present this week – one remained in Cheshire & Wirral at Frodsham Marsh on 17th-22nd, and the other at the WWT National Wetlands Centre (Carmarthenshire) on 17th-23rd.
On Scilly, the adult Lesser Yellowlegs remained on Tresco on 17th-23rd.
A Red-necked Phalarope was found on 21st at Slimbridge WWT (Gloucestershire); and Grey Phalaropes were seen this week on 19th, when two birds were noted from the Scillonian, and 21st, when one was seen during the pelagic trip off Baltimore (Co.Cork).
In the English northwest, the adult Elegant Tern continued to spang around this week proving, at times anyway, an obliging beast. But not always… On 19th it was seen once more around Hightown (Lancashire & Merseyside) before, later that day, being seen at Crosby; and then, on 20th, it was at Knott End. By 22nd it had relocated to Ainsdale, where it remained the following day, intermittently.
In Ireland, the adult male Least Tern remained at Portrane (Co.Dublin) on 17th-18th, and was seen again on 22nd off the golf club on the Rogerstown estuary.
Meanwhile in Co.Louth, the adult Forster’s Tern was still present at Soldier’s Point on 17th-22nd.
A juvenile White-winged Black Tern was found in Kent on 23rd at Bough Beech reservoir.
Just two Sabine’s Gulls were seen in the early part of the week - one from North Ronaldsay (Orkney) on 19th and the other, on 21st, from Titchfield Haven NNR (Hampshire) – before, on 22nd, a flush of sightings came pouring in: single birds seen off St Mary’s (Scilly), Hartlepool Headland (Cleveland), Flamborough (East Yorkshire), Whitburn CP (Co.Durham), Fife Ness (Fife), and at sea off Baltimore (Co.Cork). On 23rd one more was noted from a Scilly pelagic.
In Shetland, the second-winter Bonaparte’s Gull was still present on Unst at Norwick on 17th-23rd; the Kentish adult bird was still present at Oare Marshes KWT on 17th-23rd; and a second-winter individual was seen at Aghada (Co.Cork) on 18th.
The adult Ring-billed Gull was still present at Blackrock (Co.Louth) on 22nd.
In a sign (possibly) that the nights are drawing in and winter is coming, we did a little better than of late for white-wingers – with Glaucous Gulls logged at Ballykelly and Coleraine (Co.Derry) on 18th and 22nd respectively, on the Blyth estuary (Suffolk) on 21st, and in Spey Bay (Moray); and an Iceland Gull still present in Cornwall at Trevilley on 20th. Another of the latter species was reported from Beckton (London) on 23rd.
In extremely peaceful times for interesting raptors, we’ve just the male Montagu’s Harrier seen on 21st on Foulness Island (Essex), and Black Kites found on 23rd at Great Cowden (East Yorkshire) and Skomer (Pembrokeshire) of interest.
(Though goings on in Dorset on 23rd were intriguing – a probable pale morph Eleonora’s Falcon in the morning over Cogden Beach transpired to have been a juvenile Peregrine; but there was no further resolution of the possible pale morph bird seen that afternoon between Tyneham and Kimmeridge).
In our closing remarks of last week we suggested the coming week was a good one for an Aquatic Warbler and, just for once, wishful conjecture wasn’t completely wide of the mark – one was found, in ringers’ nets, at Lytchett Fields RSPB (Dorset) on 17th. Finding one at large, in the field, is becoming something of a serious test of a rarity-finder’s mettle these days…
Other warblers were giving themselves up a little more readily, not least on 22nd, a date marked by the arrival of the first of a notable wave of Greenish Warblers. One was found in Norfolk at Burnham Overy Dunes; another at Kilnsea (East Yorkshire), and one at Filey (North Yorkshire), with yet another reported from Scarborough Castle too; one was found in Aberdeenshire at Collieston; and in Shetland, one more was seen on Foula. The Foula, Kilnsea, and Filey birds remained on 23rd, with the latter joined by a second individual, one of which was in song… while further birds were found on 23rd at Flamborough (East Yorkshire), Whitburn CP (Co.Durham), and Blakeney Point (Norfolk).
A Barred Warbler was still present on Out Skerries (Shetland) on 18th, with three birds present on there on 22nd. Elsewhere on 22nd, further birds were found at Flamborough (East Yorkshire) and on Holy Island (Northumberland). Blakeney Point (Norfolk) added one to its good run this week on 23rd, with one also scored that day at SAFC Academy (Co.Durham), another seen at Saltfleetby-Theddlethorpe Dunes NNR (Lincolnshire), and one more at Burnham Overy Dunes (Norfolk).
A Melodious Warbler was found in Cornwall at Porthgwarra on 19th; Cornwall added to its tally on 22nd with further birds at Kynance Cove and trapped and ringed at Nanjizal Valley, while another was seen on 22nd in Kent at Langdon Cliffs NT. More were forthcoming on 23rd – one trapped and ringed at Portland (Dorset), another trapped and ringed at Nanjizal Valley, and two on Bardsey (Gwynedd). An Icterine Warbler was found on Blakeney Point (Norfolk) on 22nd-23rd.
A Marsh Warbler was found on Yell (Shetland) on 23rd.
A handful of Red-backed Shrikes were logged this week – one present in Aberdeenshire at Corby Loch on 18th-23rd, one up in Shetland at Rerwick on 17th, and a Scillonian bird on St Martin’s on 23rd, and in Norfolk individuals on Blakeney Point and Gramborough Hill on 23rd also.
A Wryneck was found in Shetland’s south Mainland at Scatness on 22nd, with further birds seen later that day at Blakeney Point (Norfolk), Happisburgh (Norfolk), Gunton (Suffolk) and, on 22nd-23rd, at Winterton (Norfolk). The pace quickened on 23rd, with two found at Warham Greens (Norfolk), and single birds at Blakeney Point and Holkham (Norfolk), and Freiston Shore RSPB (Lincolnshire).
A possible Alpine Swift was seen on Hoy (Orkney) on 20th.
A Bee-eater flew over Minsmere RSPB (Suffolk) on the morning of 18th; another probable bird passed over Medmerry RSPB (West Sussex) on 21st; and, on 22nd, one was heard over Baugh on Tiree (Argyll & Bute).
On 21st, a Golden Oriole was seen in Nottinghamshire at Misson.
Rose-coloured Starlings continued to have a strongly Scottish bias to their sightings this week, with four birds seen north of the border – one remained on Fair Isle (Shetland) on 19th-20th; one was again seen on Orkney at Stromness on 20th; and in Highland, one was seen again at Stoer on 18th, and another at Culkein on 20th. Lingering birds remained in Wales at Nefyn (Gwynedd) on 18th, and in Ireland at Dungarvan (Co.Waterford) on 18th-21st; and one English example was seen at Wellington (Somerset) on 22nd.
A Blue-headed Wagtail was seen on 19th at North Cave Wetlands YWT (East Yorkshire).
While a Serin was reported from Haldon Forest (Devon) on 21st, Common Rosefinches were made of more substantial, beady-eyed stuff in recent days – birds were found on the Isle of May (Fife) on 18th-19th; on Fair Isle (Shetland) on 20th and 23rd; on Out Skerries (Shetland), where three birds were seen on 20th-22nd; two were logged on Unst (Shetland) on 22nd, with one still present at Norwick on 23rd; one was seen on Noss (Shetland) on 22nd; and on Whalsay (Shetland) on 23rd, where a flock of four birds were kicking around the ever-promising surroundings of Isbister.
For a second consecutive week, we start the overseas news in Germany where, in addition to the settled Western Swamphen still present at Der Spieß - An der Spießbrücke on 17th-21st, and Germany’s first-ever Oriental Pratincole found at Hauke-Haien-Koog on 22nd-23rd (with three (three!) Long-billed Dowitchers there on the latter date), a dozen Pygmy Cormorants remained at Grober Kiesse on 14th-17th.
Elsewhere in Europe, another Pygmy Cormorant was seen in Switzerland at Klingnauer Stausee on 19th; and the settled bird remained in Holland at Plas Laagraven on 17th-23rd. As we said last week, food for thought there…
Speaking of which, before we get to the predictions for the coming week in Britain and Ireland, Wilson’s Phalaropes might usefully be on our radars – for one was found in Iceland this week on 22nd at Breiðabólsstaðatjörn, the eighth national record of the species. Also on 22nd, two White-rumped Sandpipers were seen at Höfn, while the Black-and-white Warbler was still present on 19th at Syðra Lágafell. Belated news from Iceland concerned another mega passerine – Iceland’s first and only the fourth ever Western Palearctic Eastern Kingbird, photographed on 20th July at Suður-Bár.
In Norway, the Sandhill Crane was seen on 18th at Lakselv.
Out in Belarus, an immature Pallas’s Fish Eagle on 22nd at Wolma fish farm was a national first.
We conclude with a couple of rare seabird species – close(ish) to home, a South Polar Skua seen off the Galician coast of Spain at Estaca de Bares on 21st; and further afield, two Swinhoe’s Petrels seen on 22nd off Eilat (Israel) in the Gulf of Aqaba. Both endure as highly sought after species in Britain and Ireland – while the latter’s occurrence in the Atlantic and Mediterranean at all remains an unresolved enigma.
Well, here we go – the last week of August lies ahead of us and, beyond it, we’re starting to move into the sharp, pointy end of autumn – the time when given half a chance the birding can really catch fire. We’re still not quite there yet though, but that’s not to say that the closing days of August need be entirely uneventful…
Anyone out on a Scilly pelagic must surely fancy their chances of connecting with a Fea’s / Desertas Petrel round about now – it’s really prime time now.
But surely we’re due another decent wader before August is out? While Nearctic species offer the shorter odds, something tasty from the east could also come our way around about now. Nine prior records of Sharp-tailed Sandpiper for the coming week suggest that, while a long shot, it’s a good time to keep our eyes peeled for one…
Meanwhile, for the truly wishful thinker, in the aftermath of a week in which a former blocker passerine has just turned up (again), it’s worth getting all misty-eyed and thinking about both our past Little Whimbrels - both found, in 1982 and 1985 respectively, in the last week of August.
If only…
Jon Dunn
24 Aug 2021
Many thanks to all this week's contributors for your photos and videos
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