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Weekly birding round-up: 30 Aug - 5 Sep 2022

Certainly no complaints to be had over the past week as autumn gradually began moving up through the gears on us, with fair numbers of migrants starting to drift our way – the likes of Wrynecks in particular appearing in appreciable quantities, but rarer fare was out there too for the finding, while recent highlights lingered in the east…

 

Bird of the week was, alas, not one that was set to be widely enjoyed or, at least, not for now. Who’s to say it won’t be relocated in the days to come? But we’re getting ahead of ourselves and definitely into the realms of wishful thinking. For now, we need to rewind a few days to the morning of 1st, and news hot out of Cliffe Pools RSPB (Kent) to the effect that an adult Lesser Sand Plover, thought probably to be a mongolus or stegmanni Mongolian Sand Plover was present there on the pools in front of the viewing mounds.

So far so good, but even locals had barely time to mobilise before a depressing update barely twenty minutes later to the effect that the bird had departed with Ringed Plover in the direction of Cliffe church. A handful of birders had connected… but surely the bird would return in due course?

As the first images and video made their way into the public domain, opinion coalesced around a fresh identity for the bird – not, as initially suggested, a mongolus-type, but instead that it looked a better fit for atrifons, or Tibetan Sand Plover. And, if this barrage of subspecies and suggested species names is coming a little thick and fast, hang on. Here’s what’s happening lately…

Recent genetic analysis of the broader sand plover species complex published earlier this year makes a compelling case for the mongolus and stegmanni subspecies of Lesser Sand Plover (what we’d formerly colloquially referred to as Mongolian Sand Plover) to be split into a distinct species, Siberian Sand Plover. Turns out they’re more closely related to Greater Sand Plover than they are to the atrifons, pamirensis, and schaeferi subspecies of Lesser Sand Plover – which, in turn, should in their own right be considered to fall under the umbrella of Tibetan Sand Plover. That proposed split is now on the current proposals list at the IOC, so there seems a strong chance it’s going to be formalised sooner than later.

Which brings us back to where we started, the Cliffe Pools RSPB bird of 1st. The British list, as it stands, has half a dozen accepted Lesser Sand Plovers on the books, from the first, a mongolus bird that spent 18th-19th August 1991 at Donmouth (Aberdeenshire), to our most recent, a mongolus bird that pitched down at Lossiemouth (Moray) on 16th July 2013 en route to spending a couple of days later in the month in Co.Cork.

And in between those first and last records? Two more mongolus, and two atrifons – the latter being one that spent three days masquerading as a Greater Sand Plover in Pagham Harbour (West Sussex) on 14th-16th August 1997 before being retrospectively re-identified as a Lesser Sand Plover, and another that settled at Rimac (Lincolnshire) on 11th-15th May 2002.

Reading Timothy Edwards’ account of the finding of the Pagham bird in Birding World, one’s reminded that John Bacon, the bird’s initial finder, felt it was probably a Lesser Sand Plover, but that determination was over-ridden by other birders who subsequently saw the bird. It was only after the bird had departed, and photographs of it were closely examined, that John’s instinct was proved correct.

So, given that bird was one that some would have felt uneasy ticking as a Lesser had they walked away from seeing it at the time comfortable they’d seen a Greater (this birding thing being about more than just ticking off numbers on a list), and the latter bird was 20 years ago, this week’s individual would have proven exceedingly popular had it been relocated at Cliffe Pools RSPB or, indeed, pretty much anywhere.

At the time of writing, that’s not happened. But there will be plenty of fingers crossed it does in the not too distant future.

(And, come what may, should the IOC follow the suggestions of the scientists behind the sand plover paper of earlier this year, we’re all going to need to get busy with our erasers – cos what we’ve been blithely referring to for years as Greater Sand Plover is potentially going to enjoy the shiny new name of Desert Sand Plover. Plus ça change and all that…)

 

We’ve never before had a day upon which both Lesser and Greater Sand Plover were present in Britain – though we came close in 2004 when a Greater Sand Plover at Snettisham (Norfolk) on 4th-5th July was closely followed by a Lesser Sand Plover at Aberlady Bay (Lothian) on 8th-9th July.

But, this past week, we hit the jackpot, as the recent showy Greater Sand Plover in Cleveland remained off Redcar on 30th-1st, hanging on in there just long enough to satisfy that meaningless but nonetheless pleasing little nugget of future sand plover trivia.

 

We usually reserve the headlines for nailed down to species-level birds but, of course, there are exceptions to that unwritten rule. Sometimes, there just have to be.

Such a time comes when a Band-rumped Petrel sp has passed by observers at close range, as happened at Lizard Point (Cornwall) in the morning of 5th. Actually drilling down to which of Cape Verde / Madeiran / Monteiro’s the Band-rumped Petrel sp in question actually was may prove more problematic – at the time of writing the four previous accepted British records don’t make the distinction, though it would of course be desirable to do so were it only possible from field observations. Bob Flood’s words in his British Birds paper ‘Identification of ‘black-and-white’ storm-petrels of the North Atlantic’ ring in our ears: “Land-based observation rarely affords the views essential to apply the finer points of [getting to grips with storm-petrels in the field]”.

And bear in mind that this was written in 2007, and speaks of Madeiran Storm-petrel. Whereas now, that former sole species option resides under a wider umbrella of subtle possibilities.

That probably matters relatively little to the latest observers blessed with a close encounter of the petrel kind. Shocked probably doesn’t come close to describing the sort of shaky euphoria that comes in the wake of a birding moment of that calibre.

 

There’s no precedent for 2022’s obliging Eleonora’s Falcon story – the species had, hitherto, been such an exclusive preserve. But now, in the wake of Kent in the spring, and an August Bank Holiday bird in Norfolk, that’s all changed.

Still, there would have been some unfinished business for some in Norfolk with the latter record – it didn’t hang around all that long at Hickling Broad NWT on 29th, after all.

The story wasn’t over there, though. A new week dawned, and the sightings continued to filter in – first seen over the sea between Sea Palling and Eccles in the morning of 31st, it popped up again on 1st – initially, in the morning, at Waxham; then over Horsey and Bosgrave Levels in the afternoon; and, not long after that, back at Hickling Broad NWT. You needed to be in the right place at the right time, but at least the bird was still in Norfolk. That’s a start.

Did it do a bunk, though? A probable came in off the sea in North Yorkshire at Hunmanby Gap in the morning of 4th before motoring off to the south. Same bird, maybe?

 

We may be into September, and our minds may be turning towards migrant passerine possibilities, but events this week showed that the seabirds were far from done with us just yet…

Not least in Highland & Caithness, where the seawatching was on fire this week, culminating with the discovery of a Fea’s or Desertas Petrel tracking along the coast past Lothbeg Point and Helmsdale on 4th. Later that day another possible individual was noted heading north off Flamborough (East Yorkshire).

Shearwaters were out there for the finding too, with Scottish observers enjoying notable moments with them as the days wore on – for Bruce Taylor, a keenly anticipated Western Isles house tick came in the form of a Great Shearwater off Barra, while Pete Stronach, in addition to the aforementioned Fea’s or Desertas Petrel also notched up five species of shearwater from Helmsdale in an intense 80 minute period of activity.

All that said, the peak counts were, understandably, not to be had that far north – of the 1,000 or so Great Shearwaters seen nationally this week, the best single site count owed itself to The Lizard (Cornwall), where 652 were logged on 3rd; numbers of Cory’s Shearwaters were much more muted, with around 100 noted overall; and Balearic Shearwaters, whilst ranging up into northern Scotland, remained most numerous in the English Channel, where our highest count of the week’s approximately 1,300 birds was 256 seen from Portland (Dorset) on 30th.

However, watchful eyes on The Lizard (Cornwall) had bigger fish to fry… Two Wilson’s Petrels seen from there on 3rd were just the warm-up for the main act – the Band-rumped Petrel sp seen heading west past there in the morning of 5th.

Another possible Wilson’s was seen passing Berry Head (Devon) on 4th. Leach’s Petrels, meanwhile, were in fairly short supply, restricted to sightings of a single bird in Norfolk at Cromer and Cley NWT on 31st, one seen from the Ullapool / Stornoway (Highland & Caithness / Western Isles) ferry on 5th, another singleton seen from Chynhalls Point (Cornwall) on 5th, and two seen from Toe Head (Co.Cork) on 5th.

Last but far from least, skuas were on the move too this week, with many a seawatch enlivened by at least one Long-tailed Skua. Whilst there was, doubtless, some duplication amongst their number along the well-watched points of the east coast, around 250 birds were tallied over the course of recent days, with a peak single site count of 16 coming from Sheringham (Norfolk) on 30th. Pomarine Skuas were less numerous, but still amounted to around 110 birds noted nationwide.

 

Our long-legged beasties are headed by another strong week for Purple Herons, with several recent birds putting in reappearances in recent days. Starting in the north, the Willington GPs (Derbyshire) bird was once more seen there intermittently on 30th-5th. The East Sussex bird was again reported from Weir Wood reservoir on 30th. In neighbouring Kent, sightings of juveniles came again at Stodmarsh NNR on 30th and 4th, and adjacent Grove Ferry NNR on 3rd. A new bird was seen on 3rd near Lakenheath Fen RSPB (Suffolk), while an additional possible bird was reported from Church Norton (West Sussex) on 1st.

Numbers of Glossy Ibises remained high nationally, with a shade over 30 birds once more reported in Britain and Ireland as a whole. Peak British counts came once again from Berry Fen (Cambridgeshire), where a dozen birds were noted on 30th and 2nd alike; and Dungeness (Kent), where numbers peaked with seven birds on 30th. In Ireland, the recent trio remained at Lady’s Island Lake (Co.Wexford) on 30th-3rd, while a single bird was found at Ballymena (Co.Antrim) on 30th-5th also.

Our national run of good form for Spotted Crakes showed little sign of abating this week, with numbers pushing up towards double figures once more. Lingering birds remained in Scilly on Tresco on 30th and again on 5th, at North Cave Wetlands YWT (East Yorkshire) on 30th, and at Ham Wall RSPB (Somerset) on 30th-5th. New birds were found on 30th-4th at Cantley beet factory (Norfolk); on 2nd on Calf of Man (Isle of Man) and WWT National Wetlands Centre (Carmarthenshire); on 3rd-4th at Farlington Marshes HWT (Hampshire); on 3rd-5th at West Rise Marsh (East Sussex); on 3rd-5th at Camp Lane Pits (Worcestershire); and on 5th at Titchfield Haven NNR (Hampshire).

 

Partly the time of year, and surely partly that birders’ attention was turned elsewhere, it was a quiet week on the rarity duckpond. Best of the deathly slim pickings was the female American Wigeon seen briefly in Essex on 1st at Lofts Farm GPs.

Ferruginous Ducks came out of the woodwork in central England once more – two again present at Draycote Water (Warwickshire) on 31st-2nd, the juvenile drake still at Daventry reservoir CP (Northamptonshire) on 30th-5th, and a drake in Oxfordshire at Grimsbury reservoir on 2nd.

In the absence of any scoter sightings, Scotland’s quacker news revolved around two King Eiders - the first-summer drake still at Musselburgh (Lothian) on 3rd, and the drake once more seen in Shetland off Yell in Basta Voe on 31st.

Also in Scotland, our honorary wildfowl, the adult male Pied-billed Grebe made it into yet another month on Loch Feorlin (Argyll & Bute) on 1st.

 

Needless to say, given the contents of the headlines, this was a good week for waders.

Starting in the very north, Fair Isle (Shetland) scored another flushed Great Snipe on 2nd, closely followed by another bird flushed on North Ronaldsay (Orkney) on 3rd.

North Ronaldsay also retained its recent American Golden Plover on 30th; further birds this week were seen at Cemlyn Bay NWWT on 31st-5th, Seaforth LWT (Lancashire & North Merseyside) on 1st-5th, and on 5th over Happisburgh (Norfolk).

On 5th an adult Pacific Golden Plover was found in Suffolk at Aldeburgh.

Dotterels continued to stream through the country, with some 25 birds noted over the course of the week at coastal locations from Shetland in the north to Cornwall in the south. Most were singletons, but a handful of duos were logged – on The Lizard and Stepper Point (Cornwall) on 2nd, and on Cleeve Hill (Gloucestershire) on 5th – all of which were blown out of the water by the trip of seven birds seen heading south at South Foreland (Kent) on 5th.

Nearctic waders were turning up in modest numbers in the west – a possible Baird’s Sandpiper at Goldcliff Pools NR (Gwent) on 2nd was followed by confirmed individuals on 4th-5th on Tresco (Scilly) and on 4th-5th at Tacumshin (Co.Wexford).

Sunday 4th was also marked by the discovery of a couple of Buff-breasted Sandpipers – one on Anglesey at Cemlyn Bay NWWT, and another out on St Kilda (Western Isles).

In Lothian, the recent White-rumped Sandpiper remained at Aberlady Bay on 30th-2nd. Another was reported at Idle Valley NR (Nottinghamshire) on 5th.

Numbers of Pectoral Sandpipers picked up still further, with some 30 birds reported over the course of the week. Whilst they were widely spread from Aberdeenshire down to Scilly, there was a predictably western bias to their sightings, with Ireland especially blessed – of the nine birds logged there, this included the week’s largest single site count at Kiltiernan Turlough (Co.Galway), where numbers rose from a singleton on 1st to three birds on 2nd, five birds by 3rd, and six birds on 5th. English duos were seen on Tresco (Scilly) on 30th-31st, and at Siblyback Lake (Cornwall) on 30th-3rd still.

Temminck’s Stints continued trickling through – a probable at Holland Haven (Essex) on 31st was followed by one present at Grafham Water (Cambridgeshire) on 31st-2nd; a bird at Attenborough NR (Nottinghamshire) on 30th-31st; another at Drift reservoir (Cornwall) on 1st; one at Hellifield Flash (North Yorkshire) on 1st that was joined by a second individual there by 3rd; one at Dungeness RSPB (Kent) on 4th; and one still present at Trimley Marshes SWT (Suffolk) on 3rd-4th.

The Lesser Yellowlegs remained at Dundalk (Co.Louth) on 30th-5th.

The prior week’s Wilson’s Phalarope remained on North Uist (Western Isles) on 30th-2nd, while another was found in Co.Kerry at Blennerville on 30th.

Red-necked Phalaropes made it into double figures, with the two settled birds at Kilnsea Wetlands and Beacon Ponds NR (East Yorkshire) on 30th-4th joined by a third bird there on 5th, and single birds at Audenshaw reservoirs (Greater Manchester) still on 30th; at Bishop Middleham (Co.Durham) on 31st; Aldeburgh (Suffolk) on 31st-1st; on King George V reservoir (London) on 1st-3rd; on 2nd at Dungeness (Kent) and Musselburgh Lagoons (Lothian); on 2nd-5th at Pett Level (East Sussex); on 3rd at Gibraltar Point NNR (Lincolnshire); and on 5th at Brockhall GPs (Herefordshire) and Manby Flashes (Lincolnshire).

Numbers of Grey Phalaropes, on the other hand, were greatly down on recent weeks, or at least, they were until week’s end. Two were seen in the Western Isles from the Oban/Barra ferry on 31st, with another that day seen from Barra itself; one was seen from Old Porthlethen (Aberdeenshire) on 1st; then on 4th, in Cornwall, single birds were noted from The Lizard and Perranporth, and three from Porthgwarra; one was seen off Tiree (Argyll & Bute); and four were off Toe Head (Co.Cork). On 5th, single birds were seen from Bridges of Ross (Co.Clare), The Gearagh (Co.Cork), and The Lizard, while eight were logged from Toe Head and five from Galley Head (Co.Cork).

 

Where Grey Phalaropes go in terms of abundance, Sabine’s Gulls inevitably follow suit, and so it proved this past week. Numbers dropped into the low double figures, with four birds seen from a pelagic off Loop Head (Co.Clare) on 30th the best tally, followed by duos noted from the Skellig Islands (Co.Kerry) on 31st and Bridges of Ross (Co.Clare) on 3rd. Single birds meanwhile were seen from Girdle Ness (Aberdeenshire) on 30th; Holland Haven (Essex) on 31st; Pett Level (East Sussex) on 31st; The Lizard (Cornwall) on 3rd and 4th; and on 4th from Ballycotton and Toe Head (Co.Cork). On 5th, the week concluded with a final bird seen from Helvick Head (Co.Waterford).

In Kent, the adult Bonaparte’s Gull remained present at Oare Marshes KWT on 2nd-5th.

A Glaucous Gull was seen on North Uist (Western Isles) on 1st, while another (or a hybrid) was found on 3rd at Mornington (Co.Meath), and a final bird was on Orkney Mainland at Loch of Stenness on 5th. Our only Iceland Gulls were a bird found on 31st in Co.Durham at Whitburn and Boldon Flats NR, and another on 4th at Magheroarty (Co.Donegal).

All good things have to come to an end, and so it proved this week without a sniff of a Caspian Tern. It’s been a good run though… and some consolation remained out there in the form of White-winged Black Terns found on 31st at Hartlepool Headland (Cleveland), on 2nd at Dungeness (Kent), and on 4th at Cemlyn Bay NWWT (Anglesey).

In Co.Louth the Forster’s Tern was still present at Soldier’s Point on 2nd-4th.

 

Aside from the obvious distraction in Norfolk, the best of the week’s raptors were a small arrival of Red-footed Falcons – initially a juvenile seen coming in off the sea at Southwold (Suffolk) on 31st, but this followed by a more obliging, lingering bird on 31st-5th at Marton Mere LNR (Lancashire & North Merseyside); back in Norfolk on 5th a bird at Waxham and latterly Horsey and Winterton; and, on 5th, another in Lincolnshire at Mablethorpe.

A probable juvenile Pallid Harrier in Surrey at Staines Moor on 1st wasn’t seen again there subsequently. We’re surely due more in the weeks to come.

A Black Kite was found in Gwent at Goldcliff Point on 2nd, and was followed by a further probable bird on 3rd at Steyning (West Sussex).

 

The week just gone picked up right where the preceding week had left off, with helpful easterlies wafting some decent passerines our way – not least Wrynecks, which arrived in substantial order with around 80 birds noted across the course of recent days.

Red-backed Shrikes too were picking up a little, nudging into double figures – birds being found on St Mary’s (Scilly) on 30th-5th; at Whixall Moss (Shropshire) still on 30th-31st; in East Yorkshire at Easington on 31st and Spurn on 1st-2nd; on 1st-2nd at Marske-by-the-Sea (Cleveland); in Shetland on Fetlar on 2nd and Whalsay on 4th; at Whitburn CP (Co.Durham) on 2nd-4th; in Kent at Sandwich Bay on 2nd-3rd and Hythe on 3rd; and at Cruden Bay (Aberdeenshire) on 3rd. On 4th the pace quickened, with birds discovered at Kinneff (Aberdeenshire), Mizen Head (Co.Cork), and Marston (Lincolnshire); and a final bird was found on Unst (Shetland) on 5th.

A rarer shrike or two seemed a distinct possibility – perhaps the only surprise being that we got just the one, a Woodchat on Unst (Shetland) on 2nd. The coming week may yet yield more, and perhaps our first Brown Shrike of the autumn…

Scarce and rare warblers remained a daily fixture of late. Sure enough, in the vanguard were fair numbers of Greenish and Arctic Warblers alike…

Greenish Warblers were found in Shetland in Lerwick on 30th – an excellent garden tick for Rebecca Nason and Phil Harris – and at Quendale on 1st-3rd; on the Isle of May (Fife) on 3rd; on Holy Island (Northumberland) on 30th-5th; at Filey (North Yorkshire) on 30th and 5th; at Flamborough (East Yorkshire) on 1st-4th; at Cromer (Norfolk) on 2nd; and at Nanjizal Valley (Cornwall) on 3rd.

Arctic Warblers, meanwhile, were found in Shetland on Fair Isle on 30th-1st, on Unst on 1st, on Foula on 2nd-5th, on Out Skerries on 2nd, and in the lush depths of Geosetter on 3rd-5th. Away from Shetland, additional birds were found at Spurn (East Yorkshire) on 30th-31st, and at Loch of Strathbeg RSPB (Aberdeenshire) on 3rd-4th.

It wasn’t, then, perhaps such a surprise that an early(ish) Yellow-browed Warbler pitched down too – found on 5th at Fowlsheugh RSPB (Aberdeenshire).

On St Mary’s (Scilly), the recent Booted Warbler was once more seen on 30th; and another possible bird was reported from Spurn (East Yorkshire) on 30th also.

Coming as something of a surprise, the summering Iberian Chiffchaff was still present in Regent’s Park (London) on 2nd-4th. When’s it going to give up?

A Western Bonelli’s Warbler was found on 4th on Great Saltee Island (Co.Wexford).

Also found late on 4th, a Subalpine Warbler sp evaded specific identification on Blakeney Point (Norfolk).

A handful of Paddyfield Warblers were seen – one found on Blakeney Point (Norfolk) on 30th; another at Mire Loch (Aberdeenshire) on 31st; one again seen on North Ronaldsay (Orkney) on 1st-2nd; and one found on Fair Isle (Shetland) on 4th-5th.

Formerly an enigmatic rarity, and now considered an autumn staple, Blyth’s Reed Warblers were also on the move, and half a dozen of their kind were found this week. Shetland landed a couple of birds, one on Unst on 30th-31st, and another on Fair Isle on 30th-5th. Blakeney Point (Norfolk) was having a good day on 30th with one present in addition to the Paddyfield. A bird lingered in East Yorkshire at Bempton Cliffs RSPB on 2nd-5th. Birds were trapped and ringed at Hollesley (Suffolk) on 30th and in Nanjizal Valley’s incomparable Cornish rarity-gathering depths on 2nd. On 4th two birds were found in Aberdeenshire at Kinneff. A possible individual was found on 2nd in East Sussex at Newhaven, but proved elusive in dense cover.

A couple of Marsh Warblers were seen in Shetland lately – one on Fair Isle still on 31st-2nd, and another on Unst on 2nd. A further bird was trapped and ringed on Bardsey (Gwynedd) on 31st.

Also on Fair Isle, the recent Melodious Warbler remained present on 1st-4th. Further birds were found in more anticipated quarters this week on Bryher (Scilly) on 31st, and in Cornwall at Kenidjack and Nanjizal Valley on 2nd; and then, on 5th, Aberdeenshire landed a brace at Cruden Bay and Donmouth respectively.

Numbers of Icterine Warblers picked up just a little, with around a dozen birds in all found nationwide, and now away from Shetland too – indeed, Shetland’s only bird this week was an individual found at Toab on 1st. The week began with one on Scilly on St Agnes on 30th, and this was followed by a further August bird on 31st at Spurn (East Yorkshire). Westerly birds were found on 1st on Skokholm (Pembrokeshire) and the Skellig Islands (Co.Kerry). A bird was trapped and ringed in Lincolnshire at Ashby-de-la-Zouch on 2nd. On 3rd birds were found in Norfolk at Gramborough Hill; on Holy Island (Northumberland); at Tarbat Ness (Highland & Caithness); and a final possible at Thorpeness (Suffolk). On 4th additional birds were found at Collieston (Aberdeenshire) and on Isle of May (Fife); and on 5th another was found at Goldsborough (North Yorkshire), and one more in East Yorkshire at Buckton.

Barred Warblers also made it into double figures with around 15 birds noted over the course of the week – mostly singletons, but with a couple of islands in Shetland notching up two birds: on Fair Isle on 30th and again on 2nd, and on Unst on 2nd.

More autumnal signs were to be seen in recent days. A classic of their kind were the arrival of the first Red-breasted Flycatchers, with birds seen this week in Nanjizal Valley (Cornwall) on 2nd, at Muchalls (Aberdeenshire) on 3rd, and at Gibraltar Point NNR (Lincolnshire) on 5th.

Also clocking in for the first time of late, but surely not the last, a Bluethroat was found at Farlington Marshes HWT (Hampshire) on 2nd-4th, with another found in Gloucestershire on 5th at Slimbridge WWT.

No doubt we’re in for more eastern stonechat sp, but the first of the autumn made landfall at Flamborough (East Yorkshire) on 30th. Keen eyes and poop scoops at the ready…

A Rose-coloured Starling present at Kilchoan (Highland & Caithness) on 30th had been present in the area for several days beforehand; and another lingering bird was to be seen at Turnberry Point (Ayrshire) on 31st-5th.

The week was a decidedly good one for Citrine Wagtails, with perhaps double figures logged in all. Quite how many were in the South Mainland of Shetland was, however, a moot point – did one mobile individual account for the sightings at Grutness on 31st-1st, Sumburgh on 3rd, and Quendale and Dalsetter on 5th? Elsewhere in Shetland the usual stalwart islands provided two birds on Unst on 30th, and one on Fair Isle on 31st. Away from Shetland, Gwent’s first ever bird remained at Goldcliff Pools NR until 31st; and additional birds were found on Tresco (Scilly) on 29th-31st, Kilnsea (East Yorkshire) on 30th-5th, and Walmsley Sanctuary CBWPS (Cornwall) on 3rd. Additional probable birds were over Ventnor (Isle of Wight) on 3rd, and heard at Marloes Mere (Pembrokeshire) on 4th.

Further wagtail distractions came in the form of two Blue-headed Wagtails on Tresco (Scilly) on 31st, and a probable Grey-headed Wagtail in West Sussex at Climping on 3rd-4th.

A probable Blyth’s Pipit was seen at Nanjizal Valley (Cornwall) on 30th.

A couple of Hoopoes checked in on 3rd in the southeast – one apiece for Dungeness (Kent) and Seaford Head (East Sussex); Scottish individuals were found as the week drew to a close, on 4th in Aberdeenshire at Kings Links Golf Course, and at Polbain (Highland & Caithness), the latter at least remaining present on 5th; and a final English bird was seen on 3rd-5th at Staintondale (North Yorkshire).

Belated news came on Monday 5th of a Roller in Bere Ferrers (Devon) at some point in the preceding weekend.

Kent scored a Bee-eater on 3rd at Worth Marsh.

A Golden Oriole was found on Barra (Western Isles) on 1st.

Norfolk got itself a brief Red-rumped Swallow on 5th at Salthouse.

Numbers of Common Rosefinches were accelerating fast this week, particularly in Shetland. Overall, some 25 birds were seen nationally, with outliers as far south as Sandwich Bay (Kent) on 30th and St Mary’s (Scilly) on 3rd, but otherwise it was really Shetland that stole the show – peak counts coming from Fair Isle, where five birds were present on 31st; Unst, where four birds were logged on 2nd; and Out Skerries, where four birds were seen on 2nd also.

A few Serins provided southern colour – in Kent, one was heard only at Worth Marsh on 31st, and one was seen at South Foreland on 3rd; and one passing over North Ronaldsay on 1st was a top drawer Orkney record.

Ortolan Buntings continued to filter through. Scilly accounted for sightings on St Mary’s on 30th and St Agnes on 2nd; birds were seen at Tide Mills (East Sussex) on 2nd and St Aldhelm’s Head (Dorset) on 3rd; over Portland (Dorset) on 5th; and a final probable passed over Porthgwarra (Cornwall) on 31st.

Last, but as always never least, a Little Bunting was seen on 5th at Steart (Somerset).

 

We have to start the overseas news in Iceland this week, not least because on 4th Icelandic birding legend Yann Kolbeinsson was celebrating his birthday. And how better to do so than by starting the day by finding a Pacific Golden Plover and then going on to follow that up with a first for Iceland in the form of a Grey-tailed Tattler at Ásmundarstaðaey later in the day? Happy birthday, Yann…

Something of a feature of the Irish and Manx news in recent weeks has been Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, and there’s clearly been a small movement of them in the wider European context as, this past week, a couple more cropped up – one in Germany at Berga on 3rd, and another in Norway at Kvassheim on 2nd.

Norway was enjoying a fine week all in all, with Sandhill Crane on the Lakselv Delta on 31st-4th, a Greater Spotted Eagle at Ruskeneset on 1st, and a Thick-billed Warbler trapped and ringed at Reve on 30th.

In France, an Elegant Tern was seen on 3rd at Sainte-Clement-des-Baleines.

Finally, out in the Azores, the White-winged Crossbill was still present on Sao Miguel on 1st-3rd.

 

While we’d love the coming week’s sustained south-easterlies and easterlies to be hitting the east coast in approximately a month’s time, there’s no point in wishing our lives away just yet – we should be grateful for winds from that direction at any point in the course of the autumn, and not just in peak October.

After all, we’ve just enjoyed a thoroughly rewarding week of early migrant action, with a fair scatter of scarcer warblers studded amongst the commoner stuff. And there’s ample precedent for the week to come to give us plenty to get our daydreaming teeth into…

Particularly where warblers of various hues are concerned. More Arctic and Greenish Warblers are a given, of course. One or two Paddyfield or Booted feel probable too.

All so far, so good. Rarer fare still? Historically, the coming week boasts ones and twos of previous Sykes’s and Eastern Olivaceous Warblers. Either of those pale surprises would be a fine find for someone in the days to come.

 

Jon Dunn
6 Sep 2022

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

 

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