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Weekly birding round-up: 23 - 29 Aug 2022

Well, if this early autumn week was anything to go by, we’re in for an absolute belter of an autumn ahead. Indeed, we’re left with the inescapable feeling that the week just gone’s going to take quite some beating…

All of which said, much of the past week was a reprise of some of the year’s greatest hits to date. There’s plenty of time yet for some rarer still variety – September is just around the corner, after all.

Bring it…

 

Surely a contender for bird of the year for a great many British birders, the Eleonora’s Falcon that made east Kent its home on 26th May – 4th June felt at the time like a once-in-a-birding-lifetime opportunity to get to terms with one of its kind in Britain.

Previously, the precious few on the British list were, almost to a bird (the exception being our first at Formby Point (Lancashire) on 8th-9th August 1977), all one-day birds – the preserve of the very fortunate few who happened to be in the right place at the right time. Two of those eight accepted records were found in Norfolk – one at Hickling Broad on 6th July 1987, and another at Winterton on 20th August 2020.

No other county had more than one past record to its credit. With another found during the week just gone, Norfolk goes some way to establishing itself as the county for finding oneself an Eleonora’s Falcon. First seen heading north over Horsey in the early morning of 26th, a dark morph bird was again present there half an hour later, but heading high northwest at this juncture. Was that it? Game over?

Some four hours elapsed before, in the early afternoon, belated news emerged from the county that it had spent 45 minutes being seen intermittently over the reedbeds at Hickling Broad NWT. This was shortly followed by confirmation it was still at Hickling and then… from mid-afternoon onwards, no further sign of it. Something of a return to form for the species in a British context, then. But a superb local bird for those fortunate enough to connect with it.

If this was all shaping up to be a thoroughly unsatisfactory spell of Norfolk birding for any but the most determined locals, the bird had other plans in store for us – found again on 29th at Winterton North Dunes in the morning, it went on to show well in the early afternoon back at Hickling Broad NWT. An Eleonora’s Falcon, in Norfolk, on a bank holiday Monday? That’ll do nicely.

Are they actually getting more commonplace in Britain? One wonders whether there’s come to be something of the alien abduction about them – people not stepping forwards to claim a close encounter for fear of being a laughing stock for doing so without any proof. Alongside Booted Eagle, barely a late summer or early autumn has gone by in the past decade without someone reporting one, usually without a photograph… at which point we’ve all probably been guilty at one point or another of exchanging knowing glances and wry smiles. Perhaps our collective cynicism was suppressing sightings.

But maybe the truth was out there all along. With almost every birder carrying a digital camera of some description or another nowadays capable of getting at the very least a record shot of a putative rarity, unsubstantiated reports will be getting thinner than ever on the ground. More Eleonora’s Falcons seem set to be nailed down in Britain in future. Booted Eagles, on the other hand, remain for now somewhat camera shy.

 

Surely the self-same bird as that last seen in the St Combs area of Aberdeenshire on 21st, the discovery of a Greater Sand Plover at Redcar in the evening of 25th was none the less welcome for that. Cleveland had never landed one before, so local birders would have been scrambling out of the blocks in short order, or at the very least nervously waiting to see if the bird would still be present the following morning.

It was. And, better yet, it went on to remain there through the weekend into 29th, allowing not only locals but those from further afield to connect with a truly beautiful wader. Judging by some of the images coming out of Cleveland, this was an obliging bird not only for the duration of its stay, but for a generally confiding nature besides.

 

It’s not every year we’re blessed with a drake Harlequin Duck in Britain, and it’s a proper bolt from the blue to find ourselves with two drakes found in Britain within a few weeks of one another.

But that’s what happened this week with the discovery of a drake out on St Kilda (Western Isles) on 23rd. Plumage details seem to confirm it’s a different individual to that seen on Unst (Shetland) earlier in the month on 5th-11th. Lightning really has struck twice – grimly so for one twitcher, who’d perhaps prefer to remain nameless, who’s dipped both birds… This latest drake, still present on 24th, alas hasn’t been seen since.

Still, zetlandicus Shetland Wren and hirtensis St Kilda Wren’s gotta be worth the effort, right?

 

In the wake of the previous week’s bird in Co.Cork, and drawing tantalisingly ever closer for British birders, the second Sharp-tailed Sandpiper of the autumn was found this week on 29th on the Isle of Man at Stinking Dub.

Given how few British and Irish records there’ve been of the species, it’s not a huge surprise to learn this constitutes the first Manx record of Sharp-tailed Sandpiper. One for the locals – potentially their bird of the year.

 

Our fifth reprise of the week came courtesy of Lincolnshire, which gave those who’d not made the journey west to Cornwall for the settled Roller outside Camborne earlier in the year a second bite at the cherry with the discovery of a juvenile bird near Woodhall Spa at Timberland Delph on 26th-27th. Not necessarily the most satisfactory of birds, it had to be said, as viewing conditions were sometimes distinctly challenging, with the bird lost in the near distance in a shimmering heat haze, and prone to periods of inactivity to boot.

Nonetheless, it’s been a while since Lincolnshire enjoyed an individual of the species. The last was a one-day bird at Donna Nook on 28th May 2008 and, before that, we’re going right back to 1983 and a bird that spent a little over a fortnight in October near Woodhall Spa. Fair to say then that there will have been local birders with a gaping hole in their Lincs lists where Roller was concerned who will, this weekend, have finally scratched that itch, no matter how distant and shimmery the bird may have been at times.

 

Another superb week of seabirds were crowned by the very best of what sounded like a legendary seawatch off Brandon Point (Co.Kerry) on 24th, in the majestic form of a Black-browed Albatross. Many of us, at some point in our birding careers, may have made a pilgrimage to the likes of Hermaness NNR (Shetland) or Bempton Cliffs RSPB (East Yorkshire) for a summering Albert, but surely very little compares as a birding experience to one hoving into view during a seawatch?

Similarly, the adrenalin will always start pumping when, during a Scilly pelagic, the shout goes up for a Fea’s / Desertas Petrel approaching the boat. Scenes inevitably ensue… and suchlike will have unfolded again on 26th with the discovery of one such bird that evening. Irish seawatchers, meanwhile, were blessed with a bird passing the Skellig Islands (Co.Kerry) in the evening of 24th.

To say that birds were on the move off the Co.Kerry coast that day would be something of a masterful understatement, not least where Cory’s Shearwaters were concerned. Of the 3,000 or so birds logged in Britain and Ireland combined during the course of the week, fully 2,500 of them were noted from Brandon Point on 24th.

Great Shearwaters were more muted with only(!) 700 birds logged in Britain and Ireland – the best count of which were 150 birds seen from the Co.Cork pelagic of 27th. Some 1,700 Balearic Shearwaters were noted in the course of the week, with 300 seen out in Lyme Bay (Devon) on 25th the best of them.

Sure enough, the icing on the Brandon Point cake on 24th was a Wilson’s Petrel seen passing by – as if an Albert weren’t enough! Almost 20 birds were noted overall in recent days, with 10 seen from the Scilly pelagic of 23rd our largest return of the week.

Leach’s Petrels, meanwhile, were in fairly short supply. Two were seen on 24th from Bridges of Ross (Co.Clare); and one on 26th from Arranmore Island (Co.Donegal). A final bird was reported on 29th at Otterspool (Lancashire & North Merseyside).

Fair numbers of skuas continued to be seen – around 45 Pomarine Skuas, six seen on 28th off Canvey Island (Essex) the best single site count; and around 45 Long-tailed Skuas nationwide, of which Brandon Point’s (Co.Kerry) nine birds on 24th was the highest tally.

Which brings us to Trindade Petrel to wrap things up. Or rather, a wholly unconfirmed report of one, off Porthgwarra (Cornwall) in the morning of 23rd. Just putting that out there for general interest – while wholly unconfirmed reports tend to be absent from the weekly round-ups, it’s a timely reminder that the bird seen passing Porthgwarra on 29th July 2018 remains in adjudication limbo still, though maybe not for much longer…

At least that bird was seen by more than one observer. To the immense chagrin of those present at Porthgwarra on 23rd, they only learned of this week’s candidate, which apparently passed going west ‘close to shore’, after the event.

 

Somewhat quieter times generally this week where long-legged beasties were concerned, with a handful of Purple Herons making most of the running – in Kent, sightings came once more from Grove Ferry NNR on 24th and Stodmarsh NNR on 26th-27th, and at Seasalter on 27th; the juvenile bird remained at Weston Turville reservoir (Buckinghamshire) on 23rd-26th; and, further north, sightings came from Berwick-upon-Tweed (Northumberland) on 25th, and Teviot Haughs (Borders) on 27th-28th. As the weekend progressed, another was found down south in East Sussex at Weir Wood reservoir on 28th, and events took a turn for the incredible on Scilly where four birds were reported coming in off the sea to St Martin’s in the late morning, followed by two birds reported from St Mary’s later that afternoon.

Numbers of Glossy Ibises picked up again, largely thanks to Cambridgeshire’s flock of 11 birds once more being reported from Berry Fen on 27th. Overall, almost 35 birds were seen in Britain and Ireland – the Irish contingent consisting of the trio still present at Lady’s Island Lake (Co.Wexford) until 29th.

Spotted Crakes continued to put in a good showing for another week, with over half a dozen birds noted in the course of recent days. Birds remained at Blacktoft Sands RSPB (East Yorkshire) on 23rd; North Cave Wetlands YWT (East Yorkshire) on 23rd-29th; St Aidan’s RSPB (West Yorkshire) on 23rd-26th; Burton Mere Wetlands RSPB (Cheshire & Wirral) on 23rd-28th; one more was found at Weybourne (Norfolk) on 26th; Ham Wall RSPB (Somerset) still on 28th-29th; on 28th, further Cheshire & Wirral individuals were found at Wimbolds Trafford and Donkey Stand Flash; and, on 29th, another bird was discovered in Lincolnshire at Boultham Mere.

Finally, one of the week’s more bizarre snippets of bird news concerned a Corncrake that landed upon a kayak at sea off Northumberland in recent days, and was released on rocks (obviously) at Cullercoats on 27th. Presumably this was the kayaker in question taking it to shore as an act of mercy and not someone making a somewhat wayward habitat judgement for Corncrakes… Another bird was found on 28th in Nottinghamshire on private land at Slaynes Lane.

 

With the discovery of the drake Harlequin out on St Kilda (Western Isles) headlining the week, we continued to make up in quality what we lacked in early autumn quantity on the rarity duckpond this week.

Ably assisted in this task, said Harlequin was joined in the news by the drake Black Scoter once more off Blackdog (Aberdeenshire) on 23rd-28th.

He shared the site still with a drake Surf Scoter on 25th-28th, with two of the latter species present on 28th; while further birds were logged this week at Lunan Bay (Angus) still on 23rd, and in Brandon Bay (Co.Kerry) on 26th.

In Northamptonshire the juvenile drake Ferruginous Duck was still present at Daventry reservoir CP on 23rd-29th.

A possible Blue-winged Teal was reported in flight down river at Purton (Gloucestershire) on 26th.

In Co.Derry, a female American Wigeon was present on Lough Beg on 23rd.

Lastly, our honorary wildfowl, the adult male Pied-billed Grebe, was once more seen on Loch Feorlin (Argyll & Bute) on 28th.

 

As we’d hope at this juncture in the early autumn, waders continued to put up a good show, with plenty of settled recent birds and some new faces found too.

Starting in Northumberland, was the possible Pacific Golden Plover at St Mary’s Island on 23rd that last seen at Saltholme RSPB (Cleveland) on 19th?

In Co.Wexford the American Golden Plover were seen at Tacumshin on 23rd and again on 28th, and the adult remained on North Ronaldsay (Orkney) on 23rd-25th.

The pace of Dotterel migration was certainly quickening, with around 25 birds noted over the course of the week. Most of these were singletons, but a couple were seen on The Lizard (Cornwall) on 27th-29th, two more on Great Ormes Head (Conwy) on 28th-29th, and four on Foel Grach (Gwynedd) on 27th.

A mobile Kentish Plover was tazzing around Severn Beach (Gloucestershire) on 26th and again on 27th.

Just two White-rumped Sandpiper sightings came this week, in Lothian at Musselburgh Lagoons still on 23rd-25th, and at Aberlady Bay on 29th.

Numbers of Pectoral Sandpipers, however, were firmly on the up, with 19 birds in all recorded over the course of recent days. Irish sightings came from Kilcoole Marsh (Co.Wicklow) on 23rd; on Broadmeadows estuary (Co.Dublin) on 25th-28th; and Ring Strand (Co.Cork) on 27th. Scottish birds were noted on Papa Westray (Orkney) on 23rd, and at Loch of Strathbeg RSPB (Aberdeenshire) on 24th-25th. English sightings, meanwhile, came from Filey Dams YWT (North Yorkshire) on 23rd-27th; Cliffe Pools RSPB (Kent) still on 23rd-29th; Blacktoft Sands RSPB (East Yorkshire) still on 23rd-27th; Stocks reservoir (Lancashire) on 24th; Frampton Marsh RSPB (Lincolnshire) on 24th and 28th-29th; Tresco (Scilly) on 24th-29th, with two birds present on the last date; Eyebrook reservoir (Leicestershire) on 25th-28th; Siblyback Lake (Cornwall) on 26th-28th, with two birds present on 28th-29th; Stanpit Marsh (Dorset) on 27th; Pennington Marshes (Hampshire) and Audenshaw reservoirs (Greater Manchester) on 28th-29th; and at Dungeness RSPB (Kent) on 29th.

Some half a dozen sightings of Temminck’s Stints were made this week – at Cheswick Sands (Northumberland) on 23rd; Trimley Marshes SWT (Suffolk) on 25th-29th; at Attenborough NR (Nottinghamshire) on 27th-29th; on 28th-29th in Cornwall at Maer Lake CBWPS, and on North Uist (Western Isles); and in Norfolk at Salthouse on 26th, Titchwell RSPB on 26th, and at Cley NWT on 27th-28th.

A Lesser Yellowlegs was present at Dundalk (Co.Louth) on 26th-29th.

On 29th a Long-billed Dowitcher was found at the mouth of the River Skivileen in Doonbeg (Co.Clare).

The party of four Black-winged Stilts remained at Doddington (Cheshire) on 23rd-25th.

Several Red-necked Phalaropes were seen this week – one lingering at Kilnsea Wetlands and Beacon Ponds NR (East Yorkshire) on 23rd-27th was joined by a second bird there on 28th-29th; another was found at Chew Valley Lake (Somerset) on 26th-29th; and on 28th-29th one was seen at Audenshaw reservoirs (Greater Manchester).

Numbers of Grey Phalaropes held firm, with around 40 birds once more seen from seawatches and pelagics. Best of these were eight birds apiece for Arranmore Island (Co.Donegal) on 24th, and the Scilly pelagics of 27th and 28th.

Finally, the week finished with a flourish on North Uist (Western Isles), where a Wilson’s Phalarope was found on Loch Paible on 29th. A glance at the statistics tells a story of years in the 1980s when we’d regularly scale the giddy heights of double figures of birds logged in the course of a calendar year. That sort of largesse feels unthinkable now, with four blank years in the past decade alone.

Wilson’s Phalarope is starting to quietly assume the mantle of a decidedly covetable species to see, let alone find in your home county. For birders in the Western Isles it was ever thus – with just two prior birds on the books, on 19th-23rd September 2005, and 21st September 2008, this would be a locally popular bird. September remains, on the whole, the best month for the species so fingers crossed we get another bird in the coming weeks. A top drawer self-find, wherever you go birding.

 

Numbers of Sabine’s Gulls continued to be delightfully high for another week, with at least 80 birds noted in the course of the days just gone. While observers at some sites were treated to more than the odd one or two birds, the laurels this week go emphatically once more to Bridges of Ross (Co.Clare) where, on 24th, 29 birds were recorded in the space of one day alone.

In Kent, the adult Bonaparte’s Gull remained present at Oare Marshes KWT on 23rd-27th; the other recent adult was again seen on Mull (Argyll & Bute) on 23rd; and another was found on 29th in Co.Cork in Cork Harbour.

White-wingers remained a scarce commodity for another week. Glaucous Gulls were noted on North Uist (Western Isles) on 23rd again, and at Kinnaber (Angus) on 26th; and Iceland Gulls at Mellon Udrigle (Highland & Caithness) on 25th, and the Lossie estuary (Moray) on 27th.

The recent Caspian Tern put in another sporadic appearance in Norfolk at Hickling Broad NWT on 27th.

In Co.Louth the Forster’s Tern was still present at Soldier’s Point on 26th-28th.

In a final twist in the terns’ tale, an adult probable surinamensis American Black Tern was seen in recent days on 21st-29th at Budle Bay (Northumberland).

 

Rarest raptor of the week was a Pallid Harrier picked up heading east towards Knockendon reservoir over Fairlie Moor Road in Ayrshire on 28th.

In Dorset a Montagu’s Harrier was seen heading out to sea at Portland in the early afternoon of 25th.

A Black Kite was found on 28th over Bartinney Downs (Cornwall). Another was reported on 29th in Surrey at Unstead.

A Snowy Owl was seen on South Uist on 26th.

 

As if we needed any reminding that autumn is starting to kick off in these parts, the southwest of England was at hand to fire a couple of shots across our bows in the course of the August bank holiday weekend.

Matters commenced on Scilly on 28th with the discovery of a milky-tea Booted Warbler on St Mary’s, a bird that lingered albeit elusively on 29th…

…while the new week dawned and saw the baton passed to neighbouring Cornwall, where a Paddyfield Warbler was trapped and ringed at Nanjizal Valley on 29th. That evening, another was trapped and ringed at the opposite end of the country, on Orkney’s North Ronaldsay.

Both species were the first of their respective kinds for 2022 – a distinction that’s set to be repeated, with any luck, week after week as September and October unfold. Watch this space…

The nets at Nanjizal were already having a fruitful time of it this week by the time the Paddyfield Warbler was plucked from them, having scored an Aquatic Warbler on 25th that remained there the following day, and a Melodious Warbler on 26th also.

Further Melodious Warblers were found this week in Pembrokeshire at Tresinwen on 27th, and up on Fair Isle (Shetland) on 25th-27th where the species remains decidedly rare in a Shetland context.

Not so much the case, however, where Icterine Warblers are concerned. All the week’s examples were found in the archipelago – on Noss on 23rd; at Grutness on Mainland on 23rd-24th; on Fair Isle on 23rd-26th; and on Whalsay on 25th.

We’d anticipated that the week’s forecast southeasterlies ought to herald a Greenish Warbler or two and, although we didn’t get the sort of fall of them that drops them all across the east coast, Shetland did land a couple in the first half of the week – one on Noss on 23rd, and another on Foula on 25th-27th. As the week drew to a close another was found on Holy Island (Northumerland).

For sheer good looks, though, a fresh Western Bonelli’s Warbler takes a lot of beating and, on 29th, showing that the newly arrived rare warblers weren’t confined to the English southwest, one was found on Skomer (Pembrokeshire).

Down in London, the Iberian Chiffchaff, meanwhile, clung on to Regent’s Park on 23rd.

Orkney and Shetland almost had the monopoly on Barred Warblers this week, the most notable exception being a bird trapped and ringed inland at Wintersett reservoir (West Yorkshire) on 27th, while another was found on Brownsman (Northumberland) on 29th. The Shetland birds comprised individuals on Unst on 23rd-25th and 29th; at Sumburgh on 23rd-26th; on Fair Isle on 24th-28th, with two present on there on 26th and 29th; and at Wester Quarff on 26th. Orcadian sightings came from North Ronaldsay on 24th-25th, and Papa Westray on 27th.

Honours were also evenly divided where Marsh Warblers were concerned, with Orkney getting a bird on North Ronaldsay on 24th, and Shetland a bird on Fair Isle on 26th-29th.

Back on Holy Island (Northumberland), a Subalpine Warbler sp was also found on 29th.

Red-backed Shrikes continued to be on the move in small numbers, with approaching double figures logged in recent days. Birds remained at Whixall Moss (Shropshire) on 23rd-28th, and on The Lizard (Cornwall) on 23rd-25th; and fresh individuals were found in Cleveland at Saltholme RSPB on 23rd and South Gare on 24th-28th, Tresco (Scilly) on 24th-25th, on North Ronaldsay (Orkney) on 24th-27th, and on Shetland near Bigton on 25th, and on Yell on 27th. 29th heralded further birds on St Mary’s (Scilly), and at Sandwich Bay (Kent).

In East Yorkshire the male Turkestan Shrike remained by Bempton Cliffs RSPB on 23rd-27th and still seemed very settled and happy with his lot indeed, being heard in song on several occasions. And then, on 28th, he was gone…

But no great loss – we’d enjoyed his presence for months now and, on 29th, there were new shrikes of note to replace him in our affections. Not least a strikingly early adult female pallidirostris Steppe Grey Shrike in Gloucestershire at Chipping Sodbury Common; and a Woodchat Shrike, thought to be probably a badius Balearic Woodchat Shrike found in Cornwall at Botallack’s Wheal Owles. Both, for now, still considered subspecies of their nominate brethren. But both potentially armchair ticks in the making for those who’ve caught up with either at some point.

The first Citrine Wagtail of the autumn, Gwent’s first ever bird, remained at Goldcliff Pools NR until 29th, and was joined in the dailies by further birds at Sumburgh (Shetland) on 23rd, on Portland (Dorset) on 25th, at Braewick (Shetland) on 26th, at Tacumshin (Co.Wexford) on 27th-29th, and on Tresco (Scilly) on 29th.

The male possible iberiae Spanish Wagtail was still present on Rathlin Island (Co.Antrim) on 24th; and the Blue-headed Wagtail was again reported from Tealham Moor (Somerset) on 23rd, with another female probable bird at Nanjizal Valley (Cornwall) on 27th also. Two more Blue-headed Wagtails were found on 29th on Tresco (Scilly), and a probable bird in Suffolk on Cavenham Heath.

Numbers of Wrynecks held steady for a second consecutive week, with around 30 birds reported, from Kent in the south to Shetland in the north. Nanjizal Valley (Cornwall) figured prominently in their number with one bird trapped and ringed on 27th followed by two more the next day, and still another on 29th.

Scilly scored one of the week’s Hoopoes on St Mary’s on 25th and again on 28th-29th; another being seen on 28th at Fraserburgh (Aberdeenshire); and a final bird in Devon on 29th in Torquay.

In Norfolk the breeding party of Bee-eaters at Trimingham finally finished fledging their young from the two occupied nest holes, and dispersed into the wider countryside, some being seen intermittently in the area until 29th. Elsewhere, birds were noted this week at Collieston (Aberdeenshire) and Havant (Hampshire) on 23rd, and Ventnor (Isle of Wight) and Spalding (Lincolnshire) on 24th.

The increasingly autumnal feel amongst the passerine news was reinforced by a few Common Rosefinches in Shetland this week – one on Unst on 23rd followed by two on the island on 28th, another at Grutness on 23rd-24th, one in the lush depths of the Swinister Burn on 27th, one at Quendale on 29th, and numbers on Fair Isle rising from one on 23rd to two on 26th, three birds by 27th, and back to two on 28th-29th. Another was found away from Shetland on Isle of May (Fife) on 28th for good measure, followed by a final bird for the week on North Ronaldsay (Orkney) on 29th.

A Serin was heard only in Kent on 29th at Sandwich Bay.

Those listening out for nocturnal migrants began to reap their just rewards this week with the first of the autumn’s flyover Ortolan Buntings - one at Whetstone (Leicestershire) on 25th; another at Biggleswade (Bedfordshire) on 26th; and a probable over St Catherine’s Point (Isle of Wight) on 26th. The moral of the first two, inland, birds being that one could reasonably be detected almost anywhere, given the right time of year and due attention paid to what’s passing overhead at night. Another was found in private bulb fields near Skewjack (Cornwall) on 28th.

 

A little more variety in our overseas news this week, and we’ll start with where it doesn’t get much more overseas from our perspective which is, of course, out in the Azores. Well, it could be more tangential still, as this week’s best bird out there was seen at sea off Graciosa – a Zino’s Petrel on 23rd. To put the scale of the enormity of that into perspective, it’s only the fifth confirmed record away from Madeira. Elsewhere in the archipelago the leucoptera White-winged Crossbill remained on Sao Miguel on 23rd.

Closer to home next and, in France, an Elegant Tern was seen on 27th at Pointe de Jean Place.

In the Netherlands, a counterpoint to our domestic news was seen on Texel on 24th – a Greater Sand Plover.

A Bonelli’s Eagle passed over De Panne in Belgium on 24th.

In Germany, meanwhile, an Audouin’s Gull was found at Greifswalder Oie on 24th also.

Poland scored a Sociable Lapwing at Wolka Zatorska on 27th-29th.

And, in Spain, a Western Reef Egret was seen on 28th at Urdaibai.

 

September! At last! Dammit, we love September in these quarters. All sorts of good stuff can start to happen at this point and, from the birds found in the past week here, the auguries are looking good for the month ahead.

As is the weather forecast – at the time of writing, we seem set for easterlies for southern Britain developing into easterlies for the whole of Britain by the weekend. Let’s not hope it’s too early, but judging by some of the birds that were trickling in at the end of the week just gone, we might be in for some imminent fun.

We’ve already had one Great Snipe this autumn, but another, preferably on the British mainland, would be undoubtedly popular.

As for passerines, more Greenish Warblers and perhaps the first Arctic Warblers of the autumn seem inevitable. Without shooting for the stars this week, so too are more Citrine Wagtails - with records in the past week from as far west as Co.Wexford and Scilly, on the south coast too on Portland, and with Gwent’s recent bird fresh in mind too, surely this is a species that could, potentially, be found on anyone’s local patch if you only get lucky.

 

Jon Dunn
30 Aug 2022

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

 

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