• No news currently, check back later
• Why not check out our great value bird news subscriptions

 

Weekly birding round-up: 12 - 18 Oct 2021

There must be one or two birders, debutantes to the autumn pilgrimages to Scilly or Shetland, who have spent a week or two on either archipelago thus far this autumn, and may be re-thinking their plans for 2022. Because, really, one could do far worse than basing oneself in Yorkshire.

And just imagine what might have turned up there if the conditions had been really good…

 

It was only a week or two ago that we were speculating in these quarters about the possibility of a Taiga Flycatcher coming in someday soon under the Red-breasted Flycatcher radar. The latter, a cute pleasure to bump into on any autumn day on the east coast, always thoroughly deserving of a closer look as there’s a subtle, rarer, and therefore eminently desirable counterpart that just might prove to be what’s nailing insects in front of you.

Thing is, though, after three records of Taiga Flycatcher in a heady six year period in the early part of the current century, we’d not been blessed with another British record until only last year, when one graced Trow Quarry (Co.Durham) on 14th-18th October 2020. (Our Irish counterparts, meanwhile, only got their first on Galley Head (Co.Cork) on 21st-25th October 2018). Taiga Flycatchers retain genuine star quality.

Britain’s first was a mainland bird – and not only that, but one found in spring, present at Flamborough (East Yorkshire) on 26th-29th April 2003. It would probably be fair to say nobody saw that one coming…

It might also be fair to say that some didn’t make the effort to travel to Yorkshire at the time, as it wasn’t until 2005 that Taiga Flycatcher was split from Red-breasted Flycatcher - those who’d made the effort for insurance purposes being rewarded with an armchair tick, but for the rest of us it was to prove to be Shetland or nothing and then, after the long-staying bird that frequented Fetlar and Yell had departed on 17th October 2006, a whole lot of nothing for everyone.

Almost 15 years elapsed, years which included amongst their number some autumns that creaked at the seams with juicy eastern vagrants, but no Taiga Flycatcher was forthcoming. Last year’s bird in Co.Durham was starting to feel distinctly overdue but, under the testing circumstances of that dreadful year, it wasn’t one that everyone felt comfortable travelling to see for themselves.

Taiga Flycatchers will have been in the back of many a birder’s mind in the intervening years, refreshed anew by the Co.Durham bird. Would the possibility also have crossed the minds of those who trapped and ringed the Red-breasted Flycatcher this week at Flamborough on 15th? I bet it did. But it wasn’t one.

And then, on 16th, another Red-breasted Flycatcher was found on Flamborough. It wasn’t long, however, before alarm bells were ringing and, shortly afterwards, mega alerts too – this was Britain’s fifth, and East Yorkshire’s second Taiga Flycatcher. Game on. With the possibility of another long wait until our next bird, those who still needed Taiga Flycatcher will have been quick out of the blocks.

The bird continued to show well throughout the afternoon, delighting a succession of admirers, and a thoroughly fitting culmination to Migweek 2021.

(If anyone missed the collection tin, Migweek 2021’s JustGiving page, in aid of St Catherine’s Hospice in Scarborough, is very much still open…)

There was, however, a further birding distraction not a million miles away – a distraction that was also, for those present on 17th and in the absence of said flycatcher, to prove a consolation prize of some substance…

 

In the wake of France and Holland both scoring a Two-barred Greenish Warbler in the prior week, we lamented the lack of a British record. “Where’s ours?" was the plaintive cry. That should, of course, on recent form have been "Where's one going to be found in Yorkshire next week?".

On 16th, David Bevan’s day out in Yorkshire started badly, with a dip on the newly departed Long-toed Stint. Things were looking up by early afternoon with the faithful White-tailed Lapwing still putting on a good show at Blacktoft Sands RSPB, and David headed on to Spurn for the afternoon. And what a good call that proved to be – he’d no sooner arrived than he’d bumped into his first self-found Yellow-browed Warbler...

Except it wasn’t. A couple of hours later the mega-alerts chimed for a second time that afternoon – Spurn was hosting Britain’s tenth, and only Yorkshire’s second, Two-barred Greenish Warbler.

The renaissance of Two-barred Greenish Warblers in recent years is nothing short of remarkable – in the past five years there’ve now been six individuals found, with this week’s bird the fourth consecutive record from the British mainland. Given one of those past four birds was found in Dorset, at St Aldhelm’s Head on 15th-18th October 2017, this all represents a significant beacon of hope for birders working any coastal locale at this time of year – you just might get lucky, even away from the east coast.

Speaking of remarkable slices of luck, this week’s Two-barred Greenish Warbler completes the set for East Yorkshire this autumn. The last of the early autumn’s Greenish Warblers was last seen at Kilnsea on 25th August... followed, memorably, by the popular Green Warbler at Buckton on 9th-14th September… and now this bird, still present at Flamborough on 17th-18th.

Green(ish) with envy? Me too. And who’d bet against East Yorkshire now going on to land one of the really lairy eastern Phylloscs in the next month or so? On present form, it feels almost fated, no matter what the prevailing wind does…

 

We can’t leave Yorkshire without paying our respects once more to what’s surely, when we look back at 2021 in years to come, going to stand the test of time as one of the biggest birds to be found that year – and that’s the adult Long-toed Stint at St Aidan’s RSPB (West Yorkshire), first identified on 8th.

For many, this proved to be the most obliging of birds, delighting many a birder either spending the autumn based on the mainland or, in some cases, heading home from Shetland or Scilly having rolled the dice for a week or two in either archipelago and, for once this year, crapped out. After a decades-long wait, a long-staying Long-toed Stint was hard-earned and keenly anticipated.

Long-staying, in the context of Yorkshire’s other recent wader superstar, the resident White-tailed Lapwing now up to tenure that’s reached 53 days, was proved to be relative this week as, while still present at St Aidan’s RSPB until 15th, that was the last day on which the Long-toed Stint was seen.

Still, after a stay that’s extended to a week and included a weekend for those trapped by weekday work regimes, we can hardly complain.

 

While the autumn has, in Shetland, been far from a classic, one would never bet against the archipelago as a whole turning up at least one really good bird, the sort that advances the county list inexorably one step further. Ditto Scilly, and there’s time yet for the Fortunate Isles to deliver the goods but, this week, the focus was on Shetland.

Specifically, it was on Foula, Shetland’s westerly answer to Fair Isle. It’s an island that, both in size and relative isolation from other land, shares some vital statistics with its more illustrious counterpart. What it lacks, however, is the sustained observer effort that the decades-long tenure of Fair Isle Bird Observatory has brought to the eponymous isle… and with dedicated observer effort in such a location comes the rewards in the form of some truly spectacular birds from time to time.

Not that doing Foula is easy. It’s not like, say, Fetlar where one can rock up to a regular daily ferry service to get on and off the isle, or pop into a shop for a restorative Mars Bar, a hot cuppa, or some groceries for the self-catering. Nope, you’ve got to be really serious and plan ahead if you’re going to base yourself in Foula. It’s a serious birding proposition.

Taking the chance, of course, won’t always pay off. But just sometimes it will, and this week the Fates smiled on those present on the isle when a juvenile female Northern Harrier ghosted through the isle – a fleeting encounter, but a significant one from a Shetland context as this, only the eleventh record for Britain, was a first for Shetland.

 

Is there anywhere in Britain presently that feels more like a nailed-on certainty to score a Fea’s / Desertas Petrel, even in a relatively quiet week in the closing months of the year, than North Ronaldsay? Orkney’s northern outpost must have had more bird days for the species this year than anywhere else in these quarters, and added to the roster this week with yet another sighting of a bird from there in the morning of 17th.

That’s not to say that sea-watching on the English east coast wasn’t productive this week, for it certainly had its moments for the faithful in recent days. Winterton (Norfolk) was haunted by the spectre of White-billed Divers, with the first report of one coming from there on 12th, followed by another sighting on 14th, and a further possible bird on 15th; while one was seen heading east past Cley (Norfolk) on 17th. A possible bird off Beadnell (Northumberland) on 13th presaged an individual tracked along the coast of Co.Durham and Northumberland on 15th, being seen in quick succession from points between Whitburn CP and Seaton Sluice that morning. A further probable was seen heading north past Hartlepool Headland (Cleveland) on 16th. A far less mobile individual remained in South Nesting Bay (Shetland) on 14th-16th. Some will be returning to winter off Orkney any day now, surely.

Small numbers of Great Shearwater also appeared to be present in the North Sea this week. The week began with one tracked north between Whitburn CP (Co.Durham) and Snab Point (Northumberland) on 12th, followed on 15th and 16th by more sightings of a single bird from a variety of Northumbrian vantage points of which Beadnell Point was notable for proving there was more than one bird responsible for all this – two were noted off here on 16th. A scatter of further sightings came, mostly at sea, this week – a Scilly pelagic chanced upon one bird on 13th; one was seen at sea off Baltimore (Co.Cork) on 15th; while the MV Celtic Explorer found four birds 43 miles southeast of Ballycotton (Co.Cork) on 12th, and seven birds 74 miles northwest of Pendeen (Cornwall) on 15th.

Numbers of Balearic Shearwaters were significantly down this week, with just a shade over 50 birds in total seen nationally – and of these, the count of 42 off Downderry (Cornwall) on 12th was comfortably the lion’s share of sightings.

Leach’s Petrels also faded away to virtually nothing in recent days. The week began with a wrecked bird inland at Grafham Water (Cambridgeshire) on 13th; followed on 14th by one seen from Corsewall Point (Dumfries & Galloway), and a probable off Cromer (Norfolk).

The baton continued to be passed to Little Auks, with a handful of sightings made between Shetland and Norfolk. Single birds were seen on 12th from Out Skerries (Shetland) and St Mary’s Island (Northumberland); on 14th from Dunnet Bay (Highland) and Winterton (Norfolk); on 14th from Tynemouth (Northumberland); two were seen on 16th from Unst (Shetland); half a dozen from North Ronaldsay (Orkney) on 17th; and one off Portmahomack (Highland) on 18th. Further unconfirmed reports came of two off Titchwell RSPB (Norfolk) on 12th, and a single bird seen from Hornsea (East Yorkshire) on 15th.

Some 80 Pomarine Skuas nationally represented a lift on the prior week’s showing, with a couple of notable single site tallies amongst them – half a dozen birds seen from Seahouses (Northumberland) on 12th, and 19 from Old Nab (North Yorkshire) on 15th. Long-tailed Skuas, meanwhile, were seen in much smaller numbers, barely breaking double figures nationwide. Duos were noted on 12th from Newbiggin and St Mary’s Island (Northumberland); and single birds on 12th from Eyemouth (Borders); on 14th from Corsewall Point (Dumfries & Galloway); on 15th from Rhunahaorine Point (Argyll & Bute), Flamborough (East Yorkshire), and Scarborough (North Yorkshire), with another reported from Hornsea (East Yorkshire); and on 17th off North Ronaldsay (Orkney).

 

Our regular weekly headlining fixture amongst the long-legged beasties, Glossy Ibises, continued to be a dominant presence this week, and nowhere more so than in Cambridgeshire, where half a dozen birds were once more seen at Berry Fen on 15th-16th and Little Fen on 17th-18th. Elsewhere, there were further multiple tallies amongst the 22 birds seen across Britain and Ireland in the course of the week – duos being logged at Dungeness (Kent) on 12th-18th; at Chew Valley Lake (Somerset) on 16th; at Tacumshin (Co.Wexford) on 14th-17th; and over Ripple Pits (Worcestershire) on 17th.

In West Sussex the juvenile Purple Heron remained on show at Pagham on 12th-18th.

 

It’s mid-October and, to my dismay, I’ve already seen a Christmas advert on TV. Along with the police getting younger every day, Christmas seems to come sooner every year. But as the old saying goes, Christmas is coming and the goose section of the honkers and quackers this week is getting fat…

Nowhere more so than amongst the serried ranks of The Goose Formerly Known As Canada. There were heaps of them found this week… Starting with interior Todd’s Canada Geese, three were seen at Budle Bay (Northumberland) on 12th-14th, with one still present there on 15th; another was seen on 13th on Montrose Basin (Angus); a probable was seen on 12th near Collieston (Aberdeenshire); and a further possible bird on South Uist (Western Isles) on 17th.

On Islay (Argyll & Bute), Loch Gruinart RSPB landed a Cackling Goose on 12th, followed by a new bird there the next day; one of them remained present until 18th. Two were found on 16th at Loch Paible on North Uist (Western Isles); and in Ireland, one more was present at Inishkea South (Co.Mayo) on 14th.

Nor was this all Loch Gruinart RSPB (Argyll & Bute) had to offer this week – the recent Red-breasted Goose also remained there on 18th.

The week was also characterised by white Snow Geese. In Orkney, two birds were again seen on Sanday on 13th, while on the opposite side of Orkney that same day two were present on Mainland at Bay of Skaill. Three were seen at Nairn Bar (Highland) on 13th-14th; three near Elgin (Moray) on 18th; and one more Scottish bird was reported passing Hunterston Sands (Ayrshire) on 12th. A final bird continued to bounce around Lancashire this week with Pink-footed Geese - seen at Birkdale Moss on 13th-14th, Plex Moss on 15th, and Altcar Moss on 16th.

In Norfolk, the Black Brant was again seen at Wells on 13th; another bird was present in Kent at Seasalter on 12th-18th, with a second bird noted there on 14th; and on was seen at the Ferrybridge end of The Fleet (Dorset) on 18th.

A possible Grey-bellied Brant was seen in Highland on 13th at Tornagrain.

Moving onto the quackers, the drake American Wigeon remained settled at Barleycraft Lake (Cambridgeshire) on 12th-18th.

After an absence of some days, the Blue-winged Teal reappeared at Neumann’s Flash (Cheshire) on 17th-18th.

A widespread scatter of Ring-necked Ducks were once more noted this week. Starting in the north, on Shetland one remained on Yell on 13th-18th, with another found at Tingwall on 15th-17th. One remained on Tiree (Argyll & Bute) on 15th-17th. In Lancashire, a bird settled on Fishmoor reservoir on 13th-18th, while a female was back in Surrey at Priory Pond on 16th-18th, and, in Cornwall, the drake at Dozmary Pool on 12th-17th was joined by a second bird from 14th onwards. The sole Irish records this week came in the form of two birds present at Lough Gara (Co.Sligo) on 12th, and one found on 18th at Knockaderry reservoir (Co.Waterford).

Both recent King Eiders remained present in Shetland for another week – the second-winter drake still off Wadbister on 12th-15th, and the drake still showing off Wester Quarff on 13th-16th.

Sticking with Shetland a moment, the drake Surf Scoter was still brightening up Fair Isle on 12th-18th. Other birds this week were noted from Lothian off Fisherrow on 12th-13th and Musselburgh still on 16th-18th; in Spey Bay (Moray) on 12th; and at Banna Strand (Co.Kerry) on 12th also.

 

Back to the top of the pile for another week, the lingering White-tailed Lapwing continued to offer a pleasant distraction for those in-bound to East Yorkshire in recent days with passerines on their mind – still present throughout the week to 18th at Blacktoft Sands RSPB.

Down in Hampshire, the adult Western Sandpiper remained at Normandy Marsh until 14th, with a reappearance there on 17th.

The juvenile Semipalmated Sandpiper in Cornwall remained at Hayle Estuary RSPB on 12th-18th, with further Cornish sightings coming from the Camel estuary on 13th, Walmsley Sanctuary CBWPS on 17th, and Clapper Marshes on 18th. A further juvenile was found on 13th in Carne Harbour (Co.Wexford).

A mobile Baird’s Sandpiper was seen around the Misson (Nottinghamshire / South Yorkshire) area on 12th-18th; another was found in Somerset at Steart WWT on 16th-17th.

Numbers of Pectoral Sandpipers were slashed this week, with barely double figures logged nationwide. Irish birds were present at Tacumshin (Co.Wexford) until 17th; at Lissagriffin (Co.Cork) still on 12th; at Lough Beg (Co.Derry) on 16th-17th; and on the Bann estuary (Co.Derry) on 17th. British sightings came from Heversham Moss (Cumbria) on 13th; at Carlton Marshes SWT (Suffolk) still on 12th-17th; at Frankfield Loch (Clyde) on 12th still; at Lytchett Fields RSPB (Dorset) on 12th-18th; at Budle Bay (Northumberland) still on 13th-16th; at Stithians reservoir (Cornwall) on 13th-14th; at Oxey Marsh (Hampshire) again on 15th-18th; on Papa Westray (Orkney) on 17th, where two birds were noted; and, on 18th, on Benbecula (Western Isles).

A juvenile Spotted Sandpiper on St Mary’s (Scilly) on 14th-16th was proving locally popular.

In Ireland, the Semipalmated Plover was still present at Crookhaven (Co.Cork) on 12th-18th.

The adult Pacific Golden Plover, meanwhile, also remained in situ in Co.Kerry at Blennerville on 12th-18th. One was again present on Holy Island (Northumberland) on 12th-14th.

American Golden Plovers enjoyed another strong week, with some 20 birds reported over the course of recent days. Most of these were in Ireland, the exceptions being birds noted at Steart WWT (Somerset) still on 12th-13th; on Barra (Western Isles) on 13th-17th; on Shetland Mainland around Ringasta on 13th-16th; at Dale Airfield (Pembrokeshire) again on 15th; on the Isle of Wight on 14th at The Duver; and at Banks Marsh NNR (Lancashire) on 18th; with one more probable bird seen at Saltholme RSPB (Cleveland) on 12th, and a possible at Waxham (Norfolk) on 17th.

Irish individuals were seen on 12th at Lem Lough, and at Carrahane Strand (Co.Kerry) still; on 12th-13th at Tramore Backstrand (Co.Waterford); on 12th-15th still at Lissagriffin (Co.Cork); on 13th-14th still at Ballycotton (Co.Cork); on 13th-18th at Loop Head (Co.Clare); on 14th at Truska (Co.Galway) and Ballycastle Strand (Co.Mayo); on 14th-16th at Cashen (Co.Kerry); on 16th at Kerry Head (Co.Kerry) and Bannow Bay (Co.Wexford) still; and on 18th on Omey Island (Co.Galway).

A couple of wandering Dotterel were found on 15th – one apiece on Tiree (Argyll & Bute) and near Guyhirn (Cambridgeshire), the former individual still being present on 17th.

Ireland supplied our sightings of Long-billed Dowitchers again this week, with birds still present in Co.Derry at Lough Beg on 15th, and on the Bann estuary on 12th-16th still; and one at Tacumshin (Co.Wexford) on 12th-17th also.

Tacumshin also held on to its recent Wilson’s Phalarope on 12th-17th, and the Lesser Yellowlegs on 12th-17th for good measure.

Further Lesser Yellowlegs remained this week at Walmsley Sanctuary CBWPS (Cornwall) on 12th; Kilcoole (Co.Wicklow) on 12th-18th; and Loch of Strathbeg RSPB (Aberdeenshire) on 12th-13th. An additional Cornish sighting came from Clapper Marshes on 16th-18th; while a bird was present on North Ronaldsay (Orkney) on 13th-15th; and another was found in the dying embers of the week on 18th at Lough Gash (Co.Clare).

Showing greater longevity at Loch of Strathbeg RSPB, the adult Greater Yellowlegs remained present there until 17th.

An unconfirmed report came of a Red-necked Phalarope at SAFC Academy (Cleveland) on 16th.

Finally, just over a dozen Grey Phalaropes were logged this week right around the British coast – all single birds bar two seen from Cley (Norfolk) on 12th.

 

Numbers of Sabine’s Gulls logged this week tumbled into single figures – English examples were noted in the Channel off Portland (Dorset) on 16th and Folkestone (Kent) on 13th, while in the North Sea one was seen from Cley (Norfolk) on 12th. Scottish birds were noted from Chanonry Point (Highland) on 14th, off Iona (Argyll & Bute) on 16th, and at Inverbervie (Aberdeenshire) on 17th-18th; and Irish sightings came from Portstewart (Co.Derry) on 12th and Mizen Head (Co.Cork) on 14th. A final possible bird was seen in Dorset off Peveril Point on 18th.

The adult Ring-billed Gull was still present at Blackrock (Co.Louth) on 16th.

Sixteen Glaucous Gulls were noted in recent days – most of those being in Shetland, with exceptions being single birds seen on 12th at Dunnet Bay (Highland) and Westray (Orkney); on 16th off Weybourne (Norfolk) and on the Bann estuary (Co.Derry) again; and on Sanday (Orkney) on 17th.

Our only Iceland Gull came late in the week, seen on 18th at Wick Bay (Highland).

In Co.Louth, the adult Forster’s Tern was once more seen at Soldier’s Point on 18th.

Lastly, sharing Inverbervie’s Bervie Bay (Aberdeenshire) with a Sabine’s Gull on 17th was a juvenile White-winged Black Tern.

 

With recent northerlies and northwesterlies, the sighting of a possible grey morph Gyr this week at Noss Head (Highland) on 15th has all the chilly auspices one would hope for with one of those northern executioners.

Further south, a possible Rough-legged Buzzard was noted at Sunk Island (East Yorkshire) on 14th; and one was seen on 18th in Suffolk at Sudbourne Marshes.

Finally, the female Snowy Owl was still going strong on St Kilda (Western Isles) on 18th.

 

We’ll start what, if we’re honest, is rather a denuded passerines section with a couple of nods to the Nearctic…

On Holy Island (Northumberland) the prior week’s Red-eyed Vireo was still present on 12th; another was found on Lundy (Devon) on 16th.

A brief, probable Blackpoll Warbler on St Mary’s (Scilly) on 15th alas came to nothing further.

The feeling really was that nothing much new was coming in from the west – a sense perhaps reinforced by the absence of any new examples of former stalwart American Buff-bellied Pipit until 18th, when one was found on Benbecula (Western Isles). Instead, on 12th, four prior birds remained on view – those on Fair Isle (Shetland), St Kilda (Western Isles), Landimore (Glamorgan), and Castle Point (Co.Clare), the latter bird remaining until 15th.

Mere handfuls of the scarcer pipits were logged in recent days. The week began with an Olive-backed Pipit over Nanjizal Valley (Cornwall) on 13th, with a further probable that day over North Queensferry (Fife); another was found in Cornwall at Park Head on 14th; on 16th, a possible bird over Spurn may well have been one and the same as that noted over Kilnsea; and a further possible bird was in flight over St Mary’s (Scilly) on 17th.

It was a similarly scant story with Red-throated Pipits - with Nanjizal scoring a double with OBP on 13th, with a flyover of the former species too. A probable bird was noted on Lundy (Devon) on 13th also; a mobile bird was bouncing around St Mary’s (Scilly) on 13th-17th, with another Scilly record coming from over St Agnes on 14th; and one made it to Lissagriffin (Co.Cork) on 13th, the latter a particularly scarce bird for Ireland.

Richard’s Pipits just about scaled the dizzy heights of double figures, with a largely east coast bias once more. Exceptions were those found in the north on Sanday (Orkney) on 12th, on the south coast at Farlington Marshes (Hampshire) on 17th, and in the west at Park Head (Cornwall) on 14th and Great Ormes Head (Conwy) on 16th, and Porthcurno (Cornwall) on 17th. On the east coast, Norfolk was again busy, with records coming from Salthouse on 12th; Gramborough Hill, Burnham Overy Staithe, and Weybourne on 14th; Cley on 15th; and Sidestrand on 17th-18th. East Yorkshire landed a bird at Paull Holme Strays on 13th; and Suffolk one at Bawdsey Quay on 17th.

A probable Eastern Yellow Wagtail was found in Shetland in fields at Toft on 16th; while a probable leucopsis Amur Wagtail was on the roof of the Lakenheath Fen RSPB (Suffolk) visitor centre that day also.

A Red-flanked Bluetail was found on Shetland at Hestingott on 17th; preceded by one trapped and ringed on Calf of Man (Isle of Man) on 16th.

A couple of Bluethroats lingered in Shetland too – at Ollaberry and Orbister still on 12th, with another found on Fair Isle on 17th – while one more was present on Bryher (Scilly) on 13th-18th.

In Kent, the male Desert Wheatear remained at North Foreland on 12th-13th. Surely more to follow in the weeks to come…

Some 20 Red-breasted Flycatchers were found in recent days – from this point onwards every one of them, of course, getting a close second glance.

There would certainly have been a double take for the finder of a dead White’s Thrush, found beneath a Weymouth (Dorset) window, having probably collided with it on 12th. Had it only been found alive, it would have been an immense county bird – Dorset’s one and only prior record being one that was shot in Christchurch almost 200 years ago, on 24th January 1828.

Heading into the warblers, the excellent run of Western Bonelli’s Warblers continued with birds found in East Yorkshire at Kilnsea on 12th-14th and Flamborough on 15th. Frankly, on recent form, the only surprise here being that Yorkshire hadn’t delivered an Eastern Bonelli’s…

St Mary’s (Scilly) pulled a Dusky Warbler out of the ether on 15th-17th, hot on the heels of a Radde’s Warbler on 14th. A further Radde’s was found on 16th-17th at Sandwich Bay (Kent), with another reported down the road in Kent that day at Bockhill Farm. Another Dusky Warbler cropped up on 18th at Barns Ness (Lothian).

An Arctic Warbler was trapped and ringed at Hartlepool Headland (Cleveland) on 12th; another was found, way to the west, on Clare Island (Co.Mayo) on 13th.

Some 100 Yellow-browed Warblers spoke volumes about the generally poor state of eastern traffic at this time of year – compare this with other mid-October weeks from recent years, when we’ve been tallying well into the high hundreds and beyond…

The first Pallas’s Warbler of the autumn checked into The Naze (Essex) on 18th followed, later in the day, by another found in Shetland at Sumburgh Head.

Back in Shetland, the Blyth’s Reed Warbler was again seen at Gorie on Bressay on 12th, with another still present that day on Foula – the latter sharing the island with a Marsh Warbler too. Another Blyth’s Reed was found on 18th on St Agnes (Scilly), and a probable Marsh Warbler on Sanday (Orkney) on 18th.

A mere half dozen or so Barred Warblers were noted nationwide – one remained on 12th at Blackdog (Aberdeenshire), with further birds seen that day at Ollaberry (Shetland) and on Sanday (Orkney); one was found on 14th on Barra (Western Isles); another on 15th at Mundesley (Norfolk), and one on 16th at Paston (Norfolk); on 17th in Co.Cork, at Garinish and on Cape Clear; and on 18th on Dursey Island (Co.Cork).

A late Melodious Warbler was seen on 15th in Shropshire at Lydbury North.

Five Red-backed Shrikes were logged this week – one remained at Whiting Bay (Co.Waterford) on 12th-15th; and new birds were seen at Winspit Valley (Dorset) on 12th; Aberlady Bay (Lothian) on 13th; on Barra (Western Isles) on 15th-17th; and on St Mary’s (Scilly) on 16th-18th.

The first-winter Woodchat Shrike remained in Aith (Shetland) on 12th.

A Great Grey Shrike was found on Sanday (Orkney) on 18th.

What was presumably the same Red-rumped Swallow was seen in Scilly this week initially on St Martin’s on 14th, and latterly on St Mary’s on 15th.

A possible Alpine Swift was noted over Whipsnade Zoo (Bedfordshire) on 14th.

A Hoopoe found at Carrigaline (Co.Cork) on 12th was in a bad way, and was taken into care; further birds were seen on Inishbofin (Co.Galway) on 12th-17th, at Preesall (Lancashire) on 15th, and at Uplyme (Devon) on 17th.

Six Wrynecks were found in the English southwest – one at Bartinney Downs (Cornwall) on 12th; Scillonian birds on Bryher on 13th-16th and St Mary’s on 16th; at Gulval (Cornwall) on 15th; at Dawlish Warren NNR (Devon) on 16th; and at St Agnes Head (Cornwall) on 17th – while one was reported from Fulham (London) on 17th.

A Penduline Tit was noted at Beddington Farmlands (London) on 16th and again fleetingly on 17th.

The Short-toed Lark remained on St Kilda (Western Isles) on 12th-13th, while a possible bird was seen in flight on Bryher (Scilly) on 12th, and another was seen in flight in Hampshire at Tweseldown Hill on 17th.

Just four or five Rose-coloured Starlings were seen in recent days – at Barns Ness (Lothian) still on 12th-13th; at Balnakeil (Highland) again on 12th; on Bryher (Scilly) still on 14th; at Skateraw (Lothian) on 17th-18th; and a further possible bird on 17th in flight at Potter Heigham (Norfolk).

Once again, a little over a dozen Common Rosefinches were logged in recent days but, as we expected on the back of brisk northwesterlies, the week belonged to a finch with much more presence altogether – hornemanni Arctic Redpolls. In Shetland, two lingered on Unst at Norwick on 12th-17th, with another seen at Halligarth on 12th; one was trapped and ringed at Gorie on Bressay on 12th; and one was found out at Dale of Walls in the west Mainland on 15th. A probable exilipes bird was found on Orkney on Sanday on 13th.

On Scilly, the Serin remained on St Mary’s on 12th-14th; another was noted over Owenahincha (Co.Cork) on 15th.

Scilly was the dominant force for Little Buntings this week – nationally, just half a dozen were reported, and two-thirds of those were on Scilly. The exceptions were, on 12th, seen at Kilnsea (East Yorkshire) and Cunningburgh (Shetland); and, on 18th, at Grutness (Shetland). On Scilly, sightings came from St Martin’s on 12th; St Mary’s on 14th; and, on 16th, from Tresco in the morning and Bryher that afternoon.

St Mary’s held onto its Rustic Bunting on 12th-13th. Further east, one was noted passing over Sandwich Bay (Kent) on 12th, and another was trapped and ringed at Charleston Reedbed (East Sussex). On 18th, a possible bird was seen in flight in North Yorkshire near Runswick Bay.

 

The Azore’s brief tenure at the head of the overseas news is over, at least for the week just gone, as there’s a new island in town. Move over, Corvo, and make way for Ouessant. France’s answer to Fair Isle was playing an absolute blinder this week, with a succession of mouth-watering birds, not least two species that are particularly welcome to keep coming north across the English Channel any time they feel like it…

Still present on Ouessant on 13th were both Spotless Starling and Black-winged Kite; with a second Black-winged Kite present on the island on 15th. By that stage, neatly mirroring what was to be found dead on Portland this week, a White’s Thrush had been seen on 14th; and this was to be followed, on 17th-18th, by the discovery of France’s second ever White-throated Sparrow.

Not bad going. And France wasn’t messing around, as Île de Sein also landed a White’s Thrush on 13th, with an American Buff-bellied Pipit also on the island on 13th. Classic east meets west, right there. Finally, on mainland France, the Pygmy Cormorant remained at Barrage de Lavours on 15th.

Skirting our way around northern Europe, in Holland the Black Scoter was still present at Schiermonnikoog on 13th, and the Greater Sand Plover on Texel on 17th.

Denmark’s second Oriental Pratincole was present on 17th at Videåen.

Norway’s first Veery found itself on Utsira on 16th-17th; a Brown Shrike was at Kvitsoy on 17th-18th; and a Siberian Rubythroat was trapped and ringed on Frøya on 18th.

Finland, meanwhile, also got a Brown Shrike at Viikki on 14th.

A hint of what might have come our way, had the winds only be kinder to us, could be seen in Latvia and Belarus on 14th – both scored a Siberian Accentor apiece, at Birzgale and Sasnovy respectively.

In Spain, a White-backed Vulture was seen at Algeciras on 13th, and a House Bunting on Gibraltar on 15th.

Moving to the Western Palearctic’s outer limits, on Iceland the Northern Harrier was still present at Sandgeroi on 14th-18th; and, in Israel, the Pintail Snipe was still present on 12th at Tel Afek National Park.

Last, but by no means least, it’s out to the Azores. We joke about Corvo being displaced by Ouessant because, of course, there’s no arguing with the big guns of the Azores when they’re hitting the target. And we could ignore the supporting cast entirely this week, summing up the biggest, brightest news of all in just three pithy words.

Male Prothonotary Warbler.

Mika Bruun’s photo of the individual found on Corvo on 12th-15th is eye-searingly good. Just look at the absolute state of that bird… the second for the Azores and the Western Palearctic alike, it’s sheer eye candy. Just imagine the chaos that would ensue if one of those bad boys popped up in a hedge on St Agnes…

Nor was that all Corvo had in store this past week – the roll call includes Cape May Warbler still on 12th-16th; two Northern Parulas on 13th; three Red-eyed Vireos on 12th; Cliff Swallow still on 12th; Upland Sandpiper, Rough-legged Hawk and two Semipalmated Sandpipers on 13th; Semipalmated Plover and Swainson’s Thrush on 13th-14th; Scarlet Tanager and a probable Red-footed Booby on 14th; and Grey-cheeked Thrush on 15th.

Azorean neighbour Terceira held one Great Blue Heron still on 14th-18th, with two birds present on 16th, and a Solitary Sandpiper on 18th; and the Green Heron remained on Flores on 15th still. All in all, head-swimming stuff.

 

Well now. If there was any week in the year to conjure with, the coming week is it. For my money, it’s the biggest week of the year, home to past records of a scintillating host of spicy eastern vagrant birds. It’s hard to know where to begin. I guess we just have to push our way through the crowd of six(!) past Siberian Rubythroats and look for the real quality…

Siberian Blue and Rufous-tailed Robins? Oh yes, one each of them, at Minsmere (Suffolk) on 23rd October 2000, and Fair Isle (Shetland) on 23rd October 2004 respectively.

Never mind the two past Black-faced Buntings, what about Chestnut and Chestnut-eared Buntings? One apiece of those, on Papa Westray (Orkney) on 19th-29th October 2015, and Virkie (Shetland) on 23rd-25th October 2012 respectively.

Further back in time, we’ve White-winged Lark at King’s Lynn Beet Factory (Norfolk) on 22nd and 24th October 1981… and the Bimaculated Lark from a long ago Scilly season, present on St Mary’s on 24th-27th October 1975.

Tasty warblers? Yeah, them too. How’s about a nice Eastern Crowned Warbler like the crowd-pleaser at Trow Quarry (Co.Durham) on 22nd-24th October 2009? Or the freshly dead Pale-legged Leaf Warbler picked up on St Agnes (Scilly) on 21st October 2016?

Let’s be brutally honest – we’d happily settle for any of the above. But if we could choose? Well… it would have to be a repeat of the Pale-legged or Sakhalin Leaf Warbler found, and this is the critical bit, alive on Portland (Dorset) on 22nd October 2012.

Alive, and preferably present for a couple of days somewhere on the British mainland. That would do nicely this week…

 

Jon Dunn
19 Oct 2021

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

Share this story

Tweet  

 

 

 

Latest photos

Register free to upload

Latest articles