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Weekly birding round-up: 6 - 12 Sep 2022

Autumn continued to rattle along at a brisk pace this past week, with decent seawatching rewards, rare raptors, and plenty of passerines. So often autumn can be a one-sided affair, with birders on one coast or at one end of the country amply rewarded by the weather at the expense of birders elsewhere, but this week was the exception. There was something, really, for everyone out there.

 

We’ve all been there. That is, driving to the coast on a Sunday morning in autumn, brimming with optimism that we’re going to find the big one. And, as the day unfolds, we gradually scale our expectations back until, by mid-afternoon, we’ve reached that point where even a Common Rosefinch is starting to dangerously implausible. By the time we head for home, we’re firmly in sour grapes territory, making the best of the things. “Sure, I wouldn’t have seen a Pied Flycatcher if I’d stayed at home…"

Just sometimes though the planets align, and early optimism proves not to be unfounded after all. Put yourselves in the shoes of Jamie Partridge and Rich Bonser late morning on 11th when their early fighting talk about the day looking like a good one for raptors proved, spectacularly, to be bang on the money when Kent’s first, and Britain’s sixth, Short-toed Eagle hove into view heading east over South Foreland.

Never mind the bird being right out of the blue. The air itself presumably turned blue too as the penny dropped what they had overhead. Moments like those are why we do what we do, week in, week out.

Could this be the bird that’s spent the past couple of summers haunting Highland & Caithness? Heading south for the winter, that begs the uneasy question of just how many birders’ patches it’s overflown if so en route to Kent…

Meanwhile, on 11th, that initial sighting was followed in the early afternoon by a handful of further sightings of the bird in flight over Ash Level and then, after the last report at 1:57pm, nothing further. Not, however, that this was the sum of all the rare raptor distractions in Kent that Sunday…

 

Earlier in the day the mega alerts had already had a Kentish work out with a message that was already all too familiar to a nation’s keenest twitchers, as it reprised events from earlier in the year – a dark morph Eleonora’s Falcon over Worth Marsh in the morning of 11th. Déjà vu, anyone?

Again, the speculation – could this be the bird seen recently up in Norfolk? Could it even be the bird from earlier in the year that’s been quietly summering unseen somewhere under-watched? Could it even be still another bird altogether? One was seen in the Netherlands too this week, after all. Maybe they really are turning up with increased frequency and in years to come we’re going to look back in wonderment, in the wake of further records, at how hard we yearned for one, just one, for all those years.

Last seen heading high towards Deal on 11th, there was no further sign of the bird as the day unfolded. Maybe Kent birders weren’t looking all that hard for it. They’ve enjoyed one showy bird already this year and, as the day wore on, they had other, bigger raptor fish to fry…

 

By any standards, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler remains a rare beast upon our shores. To date there are a mere 23 accepted British records and, once you subtract Shetland’s significant contribution to that total, you’re left with just 13 British records to the end of 2020.

Put like that, Ireland’s three prior accepted birds look like something of a minor miracle. So often sitting in the significant geographical shadow cast by Britain where eastern vagrants are concerned, three Eastern Olivaceous Warblers is pretty good going. All of them owe themselves to Co.Cork, from the first on 16th September 1977 on Dursey Island, to the last, on Cape Clear on 24th September – 1st October 2006, via another bird on Cape Clear on 18th September – 9th October 1999.

(A fourth prior record, present on Mizen Head on 10th-11th September 2009 was also in Co.Cork, but currently isn’t showing up in the record books.)

Indeed, that Dursey bird in 1977 was only the third record for Britain and Ireland as a whole. Ireland was always holding its own where the species was concerned. Or rather, Co.Cork was. That changed as this week drew to a close with the discovery of Ireland’s latest record of Eastern Olivaceous Warbler at Howth in Co.Dublin on 12th. The first Irish record away from Co.Cork and also, therefore, the first east coast record too for Ireland. Given the last Irish bird was over a decade ago, this one’s likely to be a popular draw for Irish birders, who will doubtless be hoping it follows the example set by two of their past birds, and puts in a stay of a week or more.

 

For still another week, rare seabirds remained very much on the agenda, and not least in Cornwall where, with the prior week’s Band-rumped Petrel sp very much in mind, diligent seawatchers were rewarded with two more sightings of probable birds – passing Pendeen in the early afternoon of 8th, and then off Cape Cornwall in the morning of 9th.

Numbers of Leach’s Petrels were on the up, with 25 birds noted over the course of recent days, predominantly in Cornwall where 20 birds were logged from various sites. Peak count of those were seven birds seen from Pendeen on 8th.

Cornwall certainly had no monopoly on potential rare petrels, for the week was barely under way on 6th before news broke of a possible Bulwer’s Petrel seen heading south past Seaton Point (Northumberland) just before 7am. Some 25 minutes later, another sighting of the bird, still heading south, this time past Snab Point.

Britain has a chequered history where Bulwer’s Petrels are concerned – which is to say, a string of past records that include, in their numbers, birds tainted by the Hastings and Tadcaster Rarities scandals, and some intriguing but ultimately unprovable sightings from Fair Isle and its immediate vicinity in the mid-20th century. For now, at least, it’s not on the British list, though Ireland has a bird to its credit, one from Galley Head (Co.Cork) on 1st August 2013.

It’s been another good late summer / early autumn season for Fea’s / Desertas Petrels, and that continued for another week with two birds seen on 7th – one from the more regular quarters of Co.Cork, where one was found off Cape Clear, and the other in a more unanticipated location – seen passing Ventnor (Isle of Wight).

Cornwall wasn’t finished with us for the week by 12th, for in the morning a Black-browed Albatross was found on the sea there off Predannack Head, before heading off west towards the open Atlantic.

Numbers of large shearwaters were, on the whole, very high, albeit the overall totals are skewed by exceptional tallies from Galley Head (Co.Cork) on 7th – of the 5,600 Cory’s Shearwaters and 3,000 Great Shearwaters seen in Britain and Ireland this past week, 1,500 of each were seen from Galley Head.

Around 1,600 Balearic Shearwaters were logged too in recent days and, once more, the highest single site count of those was made in Devon, where 230 birds were seen from Dawlish Warren NNR on 7th.

A possible Barolo Shearwater was enlivening the Scillonian passage past Porthgwarra (Cornwall) on 6th.

Finally, numbers of skuas dropped a little this week, delivering nationally around 110 Long-tailed Skuas and 80 Pomarine Skuas.

 

Once again, the week was another good one for Purple Herons, with a number of birds seen. In Derbyshire, the recent individual remained at Willington GPs on 6th-8th. Staying in the north a moment, another bird was seen at Hornsea Mere (East Yorkshire) on 7th. Kent remained a hotspot for the species with sightings again at Stodmarsh NNR on 10th and Seasalter on 10th also, and still another that day at Hythe. Nanjizal Valley (Cornwall) added another to the mix on 10th too; while on 11th one was seen on the Little Ouse River (Suffolk) at Lakenheath Fen RSPB.

Numbers of Glossy Ibises remained constant, with 35 birds recorded across the space of the week, including a few individuals at new sites. That said, Cambridgeshire remained their English heartland, with 10 birds once more seen at Berry Fen on 7th and again on 10th; the peak Irish tally being four again at Lady’s Island Lake (Co.Wexford) on 11th.

Spotted Crakes continued to be seen for another week, although sadly the most northerly of their number was picked up dead outside the island shop on Whalsay (Shetland) on 7th. The balance of the week’s birds were all lingering individuals – at Cantley beet factory (Norfolk) still on 6th-9th; on Calf of Man (Isle of Man) on 6th-12th; at Ham Wall RSPB (Somerset) on 7th-9th; at Camp Lane Pits (Worcestershire) on 6th-10th; and on Tresco (Scilly) on 6th-10th. Tresco’s single bird rose to three birds on the island on 10th, with one at least still present on 12th.

A Corncrake was present at Blithfield reservoir (Staffordshire) on 9th.

 

But for Shetland and its King Eiders, for a while it felt like we’d almost be looking at a blank week for notable quackers. Two drakes were noted up there in recent days – off Scalloway on 7th-8th, and in the mouth of Yell’s Basta Voe again on 8th.

In addition to them, the drake Surf Scoter was once more seen off Blackdog (Aberdeenshire) on 11th; while another was present in Gosford Bay (Lothian) on 12th.

Also on 11th, the drake Black Duck was once more seen on Cross Lough (Co.Mayo).

And, proving 11th to be as good a day as any this week for ducks, a female Ring-necked Duck was found on Loch Leven (Perth & Kinross).

Our honorary wildfowl, the adult male Pied-billed Grebe on Loch Feorlin (Argyll & Bute), was once more seen there on 9th.

 

It’s impossible to ignore Fair Isle (Shetland) as we go into the week’s waders. Amongst an absolutely golden day on 9th two Great Snipes were present on the island – rising, magnificently, to three birds the following day. Nor was that all in a Shetland context, for another was found out on Foula on 9th also. Away from Fair Isle, they remain a decidedly hard to come by commodity in a Shetland context.

Nearctic waders, however, weren’t going quietly, and numbers of several species continued to tick along nicely elsewhere.

The prior week’s couple of Buff-breasted Sandpipers heralded more of this gorgeously attractive sandpiper in Ireland – single birds at Myroe (Co.Derry) on 7th and Ballycotton (Co.Cork) on 10th surpassed by Tacumshin (Co.Wexford) where one bird on 7th-8th rose to three present there on 9th-10th.

Pectoral Sandpipers meanwhile were decidedly numerous, with a little over 40 birds seen from Shetland in the north to Scilly in the south. Numbers were highest, however, in Ireland, where half a dozen were again logged at Kiltiernan Turlough (Co.Galway) on 7th, and four at Tacumshin (Co.Wexford) on 10th.

On Tresco (Scilly) the Baird’s Sandpiper remained present on 6th-9th – new birds, however, were all Irish finds. One was at Ballycotton (Co.Cork) on 8th; another at The Cunnigar (Co.Waterford) on 8th-9th; while The Cull (Co.Wexford) landed a further bird on 10th.

A handful of scattered Temminck’s Stints were found this week – one in Ireland at Ballycotton (Co.Cork) on 8th-12th; and English birds at Dungeness (Kent) on 7th-10th, Shropshire’s reservoir (Cambridgeshire) on 9th, and Filey Dams YWT and Wykeham Lakes (North Yorkshire) on 9th.

Two of our recent American Golden Plovers remained settled, at at Cemlyn Bay NWWT (Anglesey) on 6th-11th, and Seaforth LWT (Lancashire & North Merseyside) on 6th-12th.

Busy times still for Dotterels, with some 25 birds once more noted over the course of the week. Again, many of these were ones and twos, but seven were seen on Cleeve Hill (Gloucestershire) on 8th, and three found on Great Ormes Head (Conwy) on 8th rose to four birds noted there on 10th-12th.

The Lesser Yellowlegs remained at Dundalk (Co.Louth) on 6th-12th.

Red-necked Phalaropes had another good showing of late. Starting in East Yorkshire, the duo remained at Kilnsea Wetlands and Beacon Ponds NR on 6th-8th, but birders south and west of there had options of their own available too. While the bird remained on King George V reservoir (London) on 6th-8th, a popular alternative settled at Little Marlow GPs (Buckinghamshire) on 8th-12th. The recent bird remained in Herefordshire at Brockhall GPs on 6th-12th, and another was seen on Glaslyn estuary (Gwynedd) on 7th. One was seen on Holy Island (Northumberland) on 10th; another in Dorset at Abbotsbury on 11th-12th; one on 12th on Anglesey at Llyn Coron; while, in Ireland, a bird was present at Lisselan (Co.Waterford) on 8th.

Numbers of Grey Phalaropes remained steady, with some 25 birds in all logged over the course of the week, the best of which were four noted from Pendeen (Cornwall) during the excellent spell of seawatching there on 9th.

 

Some 50 Sabine’s Gulls seen around Britain and Ireland this week marked something of a return to form again for the species – especially at Pendeen (Cornwall) where at least 18 birds were logged on 8th.

In Kent, the adult Bonaparte’s Gull remained present at Oare Marshes KWT on 7th-11th.

A quartet of Glaucous Gulls were seen lately – the regular fast food addict still in Co.Derry sampling the delights of the Burger King at Coleraine on 10th; and further birds found on 6th at Glengormley (Co.Antrim), on 9th in Lerwick (Shetland), and on 10th at Ullapool (Highland & Caithness).

In Ireland the Iceland Gull remained at Magheroarty (Co.Donegal) on 10th.

A juvenile White-winged Black Tern was found on 11th-12th at Longham Lakes (Dorset).

 

Needless to say, a glance at the week’s headlines tells us this was a good week for raptors, but the joys weren’t confined to Kent. Birders attending the Spurn Migration Festival 2022 in East Yorkshire on 11th were treated to a flyover female Pallid Harrier - a great bird, at a great event, at a great place. This followed a possible juvenile at Cleeve Hill (Gloucestershire) on 6th, a confirmed juvenile over Branston GPs (Staffordshire) on 10th, and a further possible juvenile on 11th in Derbyshire over Middleton Moor. On 13th the female resurfaced in East Yorkshire at Welwick in the late afternoon.

In Norfolk, the juvenile Red-footed Falcon remained at Winterton North Dunes on 6th-8th, with an additional sighting briefly at Hickling Broad NWT on 7th; and, in Lancashire & North Merseyside, the juvenile remained at Marton Mere LNR on 6th-12th, with a further possible seen at Longton Marsh on 6th.

A Black Kite was found in East Sussex over Brighton on 10th and, on 12th, another was seen significantly further north, at Out Head (Fife).

 

What did we say last week? That in the wake of the Woodchat Shrike on Unst (Shetland), we were surely due some more rare shrikes in the week to come, and perhaps our first Brown Shrike of the autumn?

I won’t rush out and buy a lottery ticket just yet, but still, nice to get a prediction right once in a while… For, this past week, a smart female cristatus Brown Shrike pitched up at Bullers of Buchan (Aberdeenshire) on 8th-9th. The first of the autumn, and hopefully not the last.

She shared the site for a time with a Red-backed Shrike too – the week proved to be a good one for them in the wake of sustained easterlies of one flavour or another, with around 30 birds in all logged nationwide, including two at South Gare (Cleveland) on 11th.

Also making a first and doubtless not a last appearance in the autumn news this week was an early Red-flanked Bluetail, found on 10th in Fife at Kilminning .

Three Bluethroats were seen too – on Noss (Shetland) on 6th, at Farlington Marshes HWT (Hampshire) on 10th, and at Slimbridge WWT (Gloucestershire) on 8th-10th.

Red-breasted Flycatchers were beginning to build up a quiet head of steam, with 11 birds noted in recent days, of which curiously none were in Shetland. A couple of Orcadian birds were as far north as they were seen, with the remainder, bar one, scattered down the east coast from Highland & Caithness to Norfolk – the outlier being a bird seen on Tiree (Argyll & Bute) on 9th.

What Shetland wasn’t lacking, however, were warblers. Pick of the bunch was the fine Western Bonelli’s Warbler found at Quendale on 10th-12th by Anne Powell; another Bonelli’s Warbler sp at nearby Toab on 10th couldn’t be pinned down, alas.

Arctic Warblers began to arrive in Shetland in modest numbers, with the lingering birds on Foula still on 6th and at Geosetter still on 6th-11th joined by fresh faces – one of which was at Geosetter on 10th as well as the settled bird. In addition to this, though, birds were found on Whalsay on 6th, Unst on 7th and 10th-11th, at Channerwick on Mainland on 8th, at Kergord on Mainland on 10th, and at Maywick on Mainland on 11th. Away from Shetland birds were seen on Papa Westray (Orkney) on 8th-9th, Barra (Western Isles) on 9th, and on Tory Island (Co.Donegal) on 8th.

If Shetland was enjoying a near monopoly on Arctic Warblers the same couldn’t be said for Greenish Warblers – just the one being found there this week, on Unst on 7th. Pleasingly, Tory Island (Co.Donegal) got one of these in addition to their Arctic, found there a couple of days in its wake on 10th. British records were scattered down the east coast – at Whinnyfold (Aberdeenshire) on 6th; at Whitburn CP (Co.Durham) on 7th, with another possible that day in Norfolk at Winterton North Dunes; at Bempton Cliffs RSPB (East Yorkshire) on 8th; at Fife Ness (Fife) on 11th; and a probable at Woodhorn (Northumberland) on 10th.

Yellow-browed Warblers meanwhile began to arrive in fair numbers – pushing into low double figures across the week, with some 40 birds recorded. There’s plenty of time yet for them to soar into triple or quadruple figures in weeks to come.

One of the week’s more intriguing warblers has to be the probable Iberian Chiffchaff trapped and ringed at Owenahincha (Co.Cork) on 9th. Doubtless time and DNA will tell on that one…

Back in Shetland, a Booted Warbler was trapped and ringed at Sumburgh on 7th while, a few miles to the south on Fair Isle, the Paddyfield Warbler remained present on 6th-9th.

Fair Isle also landed a Blyth’s Reed Warbler this week, trapped and ringed on there on 9th in the wake of one trapped and ringed on Whalsay the previous day; another was found on Mainland at Wester Quarff on 10th. A possible bird was seen in Aberdeenshire at Whinnyfold on 6th, but the week’s most notable Blyth’s Reed has to be the inland ringing record at Stanford reservoir (Northamptonshire) on 8th.

We’ve already alluded to Fair Isle’s golden day on 9th – a day upon which two Great Snipes were found, but also another classic bird for the isle – a typically confiding Lanceolated Warbler.

Icterine Warblers remained in fairly short supply, with some 15 birds seen nationwide this week. Just a couple of Melodious Warblers joined them in the dailies – one remained at Cruden Bay (Aberdeenshire) on 7th-9th, and another was seen at Porthgwarra (Cornwall) on 7th. A bird of undetermined species, one or the other, was found on 12th at Ferring Rife (West Sussex).

There was no shortage of Barred Warblers, however, with around 35 birds logged nationwide in recent days. Most were single birds, but a few sites scored a double – two were on North Ronaldsay (Orkney) on 9th; two on Shetland Mainland at Brae on 10th; and two at Budle Point (Northumberland) on 10th.

Finally for the warblers this week, an elusive female Subalpine Warbler sp was present at Barns Ness (Lothian) on 10th-11th.

The recent flood of Wrynecks showed no signs whatsoever of abating, with around 135 birds noted over the course of recent days, allowing many east and south coast birders the opportunity to find one for themselves on their local beat.

Happily for Devon birders the recent Roller at Bere Ferrers was seen there again on 8th-11th, and news was released in a timely manner allowing anyone who wanted to the opportunity to come and see Devon’s third Roller of the current century – all three of which have been seen in the space of the past decade.

Dorset had to make do with sightings of a Bee-eater at Harman’s Cross on 9th, near Stoborough on 10th, and on Portland on 11th-12th; a flock of eight birds was seen at Minsmere RSPB (Suffolk) on 9th.

A few Hoopoes were lingering this week – at Polbain (Highland & Caithess) on 8th and again on 12th; and on 10th on private land at Cliffe (Kent), on 10th-11th on Inner Farne (Northumberland), and on 10th-12th in Torquay (Devon).

A Golden Oriole spent a couple of days on North Ronaldsay (Orkney) on 6th-7th.

On 9th a Short-toed Lark was seen at Dale Airfield (Pembrokeshire).

Juvenile Rose-coloured Starlings were found this week at Thornham Harbour (Norfolk) on 6th, Dorking (Surrey) on 7th, near Butterstreet Cove (Dorset) on 11th, and at Balmossie (Angus) on 11th-12th.

Citrine Wagtails remained a daily fixture, with a couple of settled birds proving particularly reliable – not least at Kilnsea (East Yorkshire) on 6th-11th, where the prior week’s bird was joined by a second individual on 10th. Also hanging around was the recent Cornish bird still present at Walmsley Sanctuary CBWPS on 6th-12th. Further birds were found on Unst (Shetland) on 6th; Cape Clear (Co.Cork) on 6th-8th and again on 12th; Tresco (Scilly) on 7th-9th; Mull (Argyll & Bute) on 7th; at Easter Skeld (Shetland) on 8th; and at Hillswick (Shetland) on 12th.

Blue-headed Wagtails meanwhile were seen at Longton Marsh (Lancashire & North Merseyside) on 6th; Fair Isle (Shetland) on 9th, rising to three there on 11th; and at Chew Valley Lake (Somerset) on 9th-10th. Fair Isle also landed a Grey-headed Wagtail on 6th-8th, with additional Shetland birds seen on Unst on 8th and Out Skerries on 9th.

Did we mention Fair Isle was having a good day on 9th? Yet another component of that was the discovery of the autumn’s first Olive-backed Pipit there that day, with it or another seen again on 11th.

Further autumnal pipit fare came in the form of a couple of Richard’s Pipits this week – one at Kelling Heath (Norfolk) on 7th, and another in East Yorkshire at Flamborough on 8th.

Numbers of Common Rosefinches held steady for another week with around 30 birds noted nationwide. Of these, three on Holy Island (Northumberland) on 10th were the highest count.

A Serin was found in Cornwall at St Germans on 8th.

Ortolan Buntings remain scarce fare in Shetland, but two were found in recent days – one on Out Skerries on 8th, and another at Toab on 11th. A Scilly bird was found on 11th on St Mary’s while a small arrival on 12th constituted birds at Porthgwarra (Cornwall), Portland (Dorset) and on Lundy (Devon).

Shetland also landed a couple of Little Buntings - one at Pool of Virkie on 8th, and another in Maywick on 9th-12th.

 

A generally rather quiet week for overseas news starts, in the Netherlands, with something of an echo of our headlines – an Eleonora’s Falcon seen on 8th at Bentwoud.

Continuing the good European run for the species, another Sharp-tailed Sandpiper was found this week – on this occasion in France, at Anse du Gois on 8th. The recent German bird remained at Berga on 6th-9th.

France also scored a Bridled Tern at L’Aiguillon-sur-Mer on 7th.

Norway too boasted a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper at Kvassheim on 11th, while the Sandhill Crane remained on the Lakselv Delta on 7th-11th.

 

On the face of it, the coming week’s not looking a patch on the week just gone. Those lovely easterlies that ushered in so many fine things look to be over, and a set of north-westerlies may be slamming the door on much of interest.

(Though, as many a Shetland birder might attest, it’s when the door’s slammed shut after easterlies that sometimes the big bird comes out of the woodwork…)

And the coming week has, historically, plenty of pedigree. The third week of September is a good week. Taking our cues from the week just gone… a rare raptor? Sure, Amur Falcon, found at Tophill Low NR (East Yorkshire) on 14th September 2008. Outrageous seabird? Sure, one of those too – like the Tufted Puffin found in Kent near Oare Marshes KWT on 16th September 2009. Or a quality passerine in Ireland? Can do. Wilson’s Warbler on Dursey (Co.Cork) on 18th-21st September 2013.

All birds of the highest calibre, and all in the not too distant past. Proof that no matter what the weather’s playing at, this coming week has the capacity to spring a surprise.

Perhaps few would be greater than a Yellow-breasted Bunting. An erstwhile September staple in the wake of the sort of weather we’ve just enjoyed, they’re in deep trouble with a population in global freefall. The sort of bird nowadays that, when you see one, you wonder if it’ll be your last.

 

Jon Dunn
13 Sep 2022

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

 

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