Weekly birding round-up: 22 - 28 Mar 2022
The influx of Garganey continued with 1,733 bird days recorded this week. Following the peak last week daily occurrences fell away somewhat yet over 100 were recorded on each day during the week.
The earliest spring arrival of Garganey this year was on the 4th March with then a noticeable 'push' on 15th March and the influx peaked on 21st when a total of 320 was logged. Seawatchers at Dungeness, Kent recorded the highest counts with 31 passing on 16th, 32 on 21st, and 25 on 22nd. Maximum counts elsewhere this week were 10 passing east at Selsey Bill, West Sussex on 23rd, 14 on the Nene Washes, Cambridgeshire on 24th, 12 at Leighton Moss, Lancashire, and nine at Dorchester, Oxfordshire both on 25th, 23 on the Ouse Washes, Cambridgeshire on 26th, and flocks of eight at five other sites.
Earlier, during the winter 2021-2022 seven Garganey were recorded including four that were present after the turn of the year:
- Staffordshire 5th-24th December 2021
- County Durham 10th December 2021
- Glamorgan 23rd-27th December 2021 (at Gnoll Country Park, Neath, where it has been present, intermittently, since 14th May 2019 perhaps indicating that it is an escaped bird)
- Cornwall 18th January 2020
- Herefordshire 20th January 2020
- Oxfordshire 21st January-13th February 2020
- Suffolk from 13th February 2020
On 28th there was a simultaneous arrival of two Blue-winged Teals: a male at Tacumshin, County Wexford, and a female at Little Marlow, Buckinghamshire; the latter a county first. Although this is early in the spring for the species there are four historical records of Blue-winged Teals found during this week with one each in Devon, East Sussex, County Kerry , and County Wexford.
Common spring migrants continued to arrive with Sand Martin, Wheatear, Little Ringed Plover, Swallow, and White Wagtail,>, and Willow Warbler all now widespread. Diversity increased during the week with a selection of commoner species new for the year:
- Cuckoo one on St Mary's, Isles of Scilly on 23rd-27th and was followed by others in Argyll (2) and Cornwall
- Stone Curlew away from breeding sites nocmig records came from Hertfordshire at St Albans on 22nd, and Ventnor, Isle of Wight on 23rd
- Common Tern the first of the year flew past Selsey Bill, West Sussex on 25th and 28th and nearby East Head on 26th, with others inland at Fen Drayton, Cambridgeshire on 26th, and Wilstone Reservoir, Hertfordshire on 28th.
- Osprey away from breeding sites 52 migrants were intercepted
- House Martin fourteen logged
- Sedge Warbler four heard
- Reed Warbler three located
- Whitethroat the first two were recorded on 22nd at Longfield, Kent, with four more by the 27th
- Ring Ouzel a total of 29 individuals
- Redstart the first was at High and Over, East Sussex on 26th
- Whinchat an early bird was reported at Birdlip, Gloucestershire on 26th
- Yellow Wagtail sixteen were logged
- Tree Pipit the first to be reported was at South Woodham Ferrers, Essex with four more by the end of the week
The second-winter Double-crested Cormorant was still in County Leitrim at Doon Lough on 27th.
White-billed Divers Although only discovered in 2011 the annual spring accumulation in northeast Scotland again occurred this year with in Moray up to two at Burghead, six at Cullen, and one at Roseisle, and in Aberdeenshire eight offshore at Portsoy. Another was off Fair Isle, Shetland Isles on 27th, and on the Western Isles one was at Port Nis, Lewis on 28th; another traditional site.
A total of 69 Glossy Ibises was recorded of which most notable were an adult at Reading, Berkshire on 22nd-26th, nine still at Walmsley Sanctuary, Cornwall on 25th, and eleven still together on the Isle of Wight at Brading Marshes on 27th. A Spotted Crake was a surprise find at Exminster Marshes, Devon on 28th.
A good selection of rare and scarce geese comprised the remaining two of the four wintering adult Red-breasted Goose with one still with Greenland Barnacle Geese on Islay, Argyll on 22nd, and the popular bird still in Norfolk with Dark-bellied Brent Geese between Blakeney and Cley until 26th, whilst overwintering adult Black Brants were still with Dark-bellied Brent Geese in Essex and Norfolk on 22nd, Dorset on 23rd, and East Yorkshire on 24th. Three Richardson's Cackling Goose were still on the Western Isles on North Uist accompanying Greenland Barnacle Geese, whilst at least three Todd's Canada Goose were logged comprising two in Argyll on 22nd; one with Greenland White-fronted Geese on the Mull of Kintyre between Campbeltown and Machrihanish, and one with Greenland Barnacle Geese on Tiree, and in Lancashire at least one with Pink-footed Geese on Banks Marsh until 27th. The adult Ross's Goose was still with Pink-footed Geese in Aberdeenshire; at Newtonhill on 23rd and nearby Portlethen on 24th-25th, before flying north over Lieurary, Thurso, Highland on 27th. This individual was first seen at Montrose Basin, Angus on 20th October 2021 before wintering in Ayrshire and Clyde. It may emulate an earlier Ross's Goose that relocated to Iceland with Pink-footed Geese in spring having wintered in Britain; being seen there on 14th April 2015 and 11th April-11th May 2016. Five white morph Snow Goose remained in-situ with the bird accompanying Pink-footed Geese at Banks Marsh until 26th, three still together in Moray at Loch Spynie on 25th, and one still on North Uist, Western Isles until 27th. Just six Tundra Bean Geese comprised two in County Louth at Lurgangreen, one still at Golspie, Highland on 26th, and three together at Canewdon, Essex on 23rd-28th.
The male Baikal Teal at Swine Moor, East Yorkshire until 27th. In 2019 a male Baikal Teal that moved from Norfolk and Cambridgeshire on 20th March-22nd May through East Yorkshire between 23rd May-1st June, Forth on 2nd June, and finally Northumberland between 3rd June and 9th July was not considered acceptable as a wild bird by the BBRC. Perhaps importantly this Category E bird visited Hornsea Mere where the current individual was first discovered on 9th January 2022. Time will tell whether it returns there later in the spring. The adult male Black Duck remained on Cross Lough, The Mullet, County Mayo on 27th, and a new American Wigeon was on the Isle of Man at Derbyhaven on 28th. Twelve male Green-winged Teals were logged most notable of which were three found inland in England on 24th: Eldernell, Cambridgeshire, Wilstone Reservoir, Hertfordshire, and Venus Pool, Shropshire, and all remained until 28th
Following a bumper winter for Ring-necked Duck 36 were recorded this week including three still on Tiree, Argyll on 22nd, three on Lough Yganavan, County Kerry on 24th, and five still at Kenfig Hill, Glamorgan on 27th. A male Lesser Scaup remained throughout at Castle Loch, Dumfries and Galloway where it was accompanied by a 'Lesser Scaup-type' hybrid aythya, with other Lesser Scaups still at Lough Neagh, County Armagh a on 24th, on Lewis, Western Isles on 28th, and at Skinflats, Forth on 22nd where a pair there was suspected to be two of three that had overwintered at Woodend Loch, Clyde, where they returned on 27th. Eighteen Smew were recorded.
Seaduck were headlined as usual by the adult male White-winged Scoter still on the sea at Musselburgh Lagoons, Lothian until 26th where up to three Surf Scoter were present, with another adult male still in Moray off Roseisle on 26th. In Northumberland the adult male Black Scoter was still at Cocklawburn Beach on 23rd: if it remains for just over a fortnight it will have been visiting that coast for eleven years. Two King Eiders this week with an adult male in Highland at Loch Fleet from 22nd presumably the individual that had earlier been present at Nairn, and in Lothian the first-winter male was again off Musselburgh Lagoons on 27th-28th.
The remarkably long-staying White-tailed Lapwing remained at Frampton Marsh until 28th, and a surprisingly early Temminck's Stint was at Cliffe Pools, Kent on 26th-28th. Two overwintering Lesser Yellowlegs remained in-situ; at Minsmere, Suffolk and at Tacumshin, County Wexford throughout, with late news of another present recently at Cantley Beet Factory.
Three Bonaparte's Gulls this week with a second-winter in West Sussex at Chichester Gravel Pits on 22nd-28th, an adult at Cantley Beet Factory on 26th, and an adult at Tacumshin, County Wexford on 28th. The West Sussex individual was the same individual as that present at Cardiff Bay, Glamorgan on 29th January-13th March 2022; this is not the first time a Bonaparte's Gull from there have been relocated further east in spring. The first-winter Ross's Gull was still at Mutton Island, County Galway on 24th. Ten Ring-billed Gulls comprised singles in Argyll and Cornwall, two in Lothian, and five in Ireland most notable of which was three different birds at Tralee Bay Wetlands, County Kerry.
White-winged gulls comprised 70 Iceland Gulls including 17 together on North Uist, Western Isles on 26th, 21 Glaucous Gulls most notable of which was a juvenile at Foreness Point, Kent on 26th, and six Kumlien's Gulls: the adult still in Newlyn, Cornwall on 25th, an adult at Black Rock, County Kerry on 23rd, and four on the Western Isles: the juvenile still on Barra on 14th, and up to three on the North Uist.
The juvenile Northern Harrier was still at Lough Boora Parklands, County Offaly on 23rd, and the adult male Snowy Owl was still present recently on Ben Macdui, Aberdeenshire, the first sighting since 20th December 2021. A Dark-breasted Barn Owl was in Norfolk at Heigham Holmes on 26th.
Hoopoes arrived with 16 migrants all in southern and western counties and including at least three on the Isles of Scilly whilst the overwintering bird remained in Cambridgeshire at Duxford until 22nd .
The male Belted Kingfisher remained at Roach Bridge throughout. Of the ten previous Belted Kingfishers in Britain and Ireland the successfully overwintering birds were last been recorded on 21st March (County Tipperary 1985), 25th April (County Cork 2021), and into June (Cornwall 1980), whilst the two actually found whilst on migration were located on 1st April (Staffordshire 2005) and 18th April (Isles of Scilly 2018). The Lancashire bird has been suggested to be an adult and was rumoured to have been present in the area last summer so it will be interesting to see whether it does leave in the coming month.
Just three wintering Great Grey Shrikes remained: at Backwater Reservoir Angus, Comberton Cambridgeshire, and Cropton Forest North Yorkshire, with a similarly poor showing from Waxwing of which three lingered in Nethy Bridge, Highland until 22nd and singles were in Middlesbrough, Cleveland on 23rd, and Kingsteps, Highland on 28th. A total of 22 Shorelarks comprised eight in Kent at Leysdown, at least seven in Cleveland, four in Norfolk at Holkham, and two on Holy Island, Northumberland.
The pair of Penduline Tits remained at Weston Airfield, Somerset throughout; last year one remained there until 14th April.
Both of the wintering Hume's Warblers were still present: at Eastbourne, East Sussex on 25th, and St Margaret's Bay, Kent on 26th, as were Yellow-browed Warblers at Milton Country Park, Cambridgeshire on 23rd, and at Bridport, Dorset on 28th. A Dusky Warbler remained at Walthamstow Marsh, London throughout with another new at Stiffkey, Norfolk on 27th-28th.
Although Red-flanked Bluetail is no longer an official rarity in Britain one on Great Saltee Island, County Wexford on 26th-27th was only the seventh record for Ireland, whilst in Norfolk another was reported in the west of the county on 26th. Up to four Serins were present together in Cornwall at Coverack throughout the week with others at South Foreland, Kent on 22nd, and Land's End, Cornwall on 27th.
Two Little Buntings remained together at Kelling Heath, Norfolk from 21st until 25th whilst up to eight Lapland Buntings continued at Buckton, East Yorkshire, although their favoured field has now been ploughed, with otherwise just five migrants including three from watch points bordering the Irish Sea.
Spain enjoyed a bumper week with a Brown Booby at Fuenterrabía, Euskadi on 23rd-27th March, a Moroccan White Wagtail (form subpersonata) at El Varadero, Algeciras, Cádiz, and a Cream-coloured Courser in Andalucia at Cabo de Gata on 25th, a male Moussier's Redstart at La Devesa, Albufera de València on 25th with another at nearby Estany de Pujol on 27th, and a Black-and-white Warbler at Mediona, Barcelona on 27th
In Luxembourg a national first was an Eastern Imperial Eagle near Clervaux on 24th. This bird was bearing a satellite transmitter from an Austrian nest and by the end of the week it had reached France having now visited thirteen countries since fledging: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czechia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Sloavkia, and Slovenia.
In Egypt two Pied Crows in the Eastern Desert at Ras Gharib on 28th is the third national record.
Elsewhere major rarities confirmed as still present were the Western Rufous Turtle Dove (form meena) in Germany on 22nd, Pygmy Cormorant in the Netherlands on 24th where the Western Swamphen was present throughout, the Siberian Rubythroat still singing in Sweden on 27th, and two White-winged Scoters in Iceland.
A female Ring-billed Gull trapped, ringed and released with a satellite transmitter in eastern Poland on 4th December 2021 before heading west across Germany and the Netherlands to winter in Belgium started it's spring migration on 23rd March moving rapidly northeast through the Netherlands to Germany and east through Poland and Belarus before reaching Kiev, Ukraine on 27th where it stopped to feed at a landfill. Wherever next?!
On the Shetland Isles the Sperm Whale remained in South Whiteness Voe, Mainland all week.
Looking to the coming week the history books reveal some gems from the past:
- Red-billed Tropicbird Isles of Scilly, from the M.V. Scillonian III, 29th March 2002
- Little Crake Ayrshire, Girvan Harbour, 29th March 1909
- Calandra Lark Dorset, Portland Bill, 2nd April 1961
- Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Dorset, Langton Herring, 2nd April 1978
- White-throated Sparrow County Cork, Cape Clear Island, 3rd April 1967
- Little Crake Essex, River Crouch Marshes, 3rd April 1965
- Crested Lark Cornwall, Marazion, 4th April 1965
Along with three different Slate-coloured Juncos and five Killdeers.
The current warm and sunny weather tempts thoughts of Great Spotted Cuckoo (of which seven have been found this week in the past), Little Bittern (six), Short-toed Treecreeper (3), and Sardinian Warbler (3), but with the weather set to change dramatically with cold northerly winds forecast perhaps the star bird of the week will by a Gyr, Snowy Owl, or Ross's Gulls of which 26, 11, and four respectively have been found on this week in the past.
Chris Batty
29 March 2022
Many thanks to all this week's contributors for your photos and videos
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