Weekly birding round-up: 1 - 7 Nov 2022
Another late autumn week under our belts, then. And while it was Germany that got the latest Nearctic passerine mega in an autumn that’s already done Europe proud, we didn’t do so badly for ourselves. More Pallid Swifts, a small late flurry of warblers and wheatears, more rain than anyone wanted, and the arrival of something interesting in Cornwall that will be the speculative gift that just keeps on giving as we await the deliberations of those who establish the parameters of the lists we keep…
With a shot across our bows lately in the pale form of Ireland’s second Isabelline Wheatear found on Co.Cork’s Toe Head – a bird still present there in recent days until 5th – and some decent historic precedent for past records of the species to boot, the week just gone was looking good for another.
But where? If you’d said Gwynedd, you’d have been forgiven for assuming it would be on Bardsey. To date, Gwynedd’s had three birds, and they’ve all been on there, from the county first in 1997, to the last in September 2019.
Seeing Ben Porter’s tweet announcing he and Gethin Jenkins-Jones had just found an Isabelline Wheatear on the Welsh mainland at Trwyn Bychestyn on the tip of the Llyn Peninsula on 3rd, their delight is palpable, as well it might be.
But then, on 4th, nada. The bird had done a bunk. Woe.
News then broke after dark on 5th that the bird had been relocated a few minutes away at Mynydd Mawr in the late afternoon and, happily for all concerned, there it remained on 6th-7th. No need to catch a boat to see this latest Gwynedd bird. Just a little patience required, and all was well.
If patience was required for the wheatear, something a little grittier was needed for anyone who’d yet to catch up with the recent Norfolk Alpine Accentor. And that, as it was out on Blakeney Point, was of course the grim determination to slog out there along the shingle for the bird.
Last seen out there around midday on 31st October, and with no news of the bird on 1st, it seemed fair to assume it had probably moved on. Unusually, birders who’d missed it were to be offered a second bite at the cherry when, on 2nd, it was re-found out on Blakeney in the mid-afternoon, albeit mobile.
Those who gritted their teeth the following day were to be rewarded, as the bird remained there through the day on 3rd. But then on 4th? It was gone again, and this time apparently for good.
As we’ve noted in these columns for years now, all ducks are equal but some ducks are more equal than others. Take Hooded Mergansers. An ornamental species that lends itself readily to being kept by duck fanciers throughout Britain and further afield in Europe, yet there it sits on the British list, with 16 accepted records to the end of 2021. As long as they’ve got a full set of wings, no incriminating bling on their legs, and turn up somewhere at a plausible time of year, they’re golden these days.
But it wasn’t ever thus. Given their abundance in captivity, the adjudicators of such things took a jaundiced view of prior records until the occurrence of a bird on North Uist (Western Isles) on 23rd October – 1st November 2000. That bird saw the species elevated to Category D on the British List the following year – not Category A, as there were still reservations about the potential escape risk from captivity of the species.
Then, in 2008, BOURC decided that there was enough of a pattern of vagrancy for at least some of the birds that were turning up in Britain to be considered of wild origin after all. Though to be fair, the same logic could probably be applied to other pretty American quackers that are also kept by duck fanciers and are generally accepted at face value – Blue-winged Teal, or American Wigeon, say.
And, for that matter, for Wood Duck. There’ve been a few down the years that have turned up at promising junctures and in plausible places, with a full set of wings and no bling, but BOURC’s remained resolute – like Hooded Merganser before them, they’ve been moved to Category D (in 2017), but there they remain. BOURC’s press release explaining that decision makes for interesting reading:
“Though there is now compelling evidence that this Nearctic species can exhibit vagrancy and cross the Atlantic being recorded both on the Azores and Iceland, in mainland Europe the situation is far more problematic. The species is held in collections in large numbers across the continent and so many birds seen in Europe are likely to be escapes. To identify genuinely wild individuals will therefore require independent corroboration, such as stable isotype analysis or a ringing recovery.”
Stable isotope analysis or a ringing recovery? That’s all well and good, but that’s not how the equally ornamental and duck-fancyingly popular Hooded Merganser got its upgrade. Some ducks, as we say, are more equal than others.
So what prospect of the two Wood Ducks found in Cornwall this week coming in off the sea onto Helston Loe Pool on 6th changing the species’ narrative? A great time of year for them to be blown in, weather conditions seemed favourable, they’ve clearly got a full set of wings, and a fair supporting cast of other Nearctic wildfowl were being found elsewhere at the time. So far, so good. And no sign of them on 7th – so not even damning themselves by lingering more than a moment after making landfall. Note that BOURC concede that some of the European birds are genuine vagrants so, on the face of it, it’s all looking good.
But short of stable isotope analysis or the ludicrously long odds of one of them proving to be American-ringed, according to BOURC’s last word on them, they’re not going to make the grade.
On that basis, Hooded Merganser deserves to be punted back down to Category D until one gives up some feathers for stable isotope analysis, or bears the right sort of bling.
Or perhaps, recognising the inconsistency with which Wood Ducks are being treated, they should be reviewed yet again and the same grudging pragmatism that’s applied to all other Nearctic duck records, given their established status in captivity, should be the prism through which our past records are judged.
On the whole, the week’s seabirds were a considerably quieter affair than of late. The exception to that general rule was at Cornwall’s Lizard Point on 2nd, where an otherwise rather uneventful seawatch – just one Great Shearwater would have seemed miserly after the largesse of the preceding week – was greatly enlivened by a Band-rumped Petrel sp seen well at 200 yards range and, for good measure, a dark-rumped Leach’s Petrel too. It’s been quite a year for records of the former, while reports of the latter remain something of a perennial sea-watching enigma.
Certainly a few Leach’s Petrels were being logged in Cornwall and elsewhere over the course of recent days. Around 110 birds were recorded, mainly in the English southwest, with the highest single site tally being comfortably the 40 seen from St Ives (Cornwall) on 3rd.
The preceding week had featured around 9,000 Great Shearwaters, but the week just gone was a shadow of that, with around 1,100 birds recorded. Of those, 483 seen from The Lizard (Cornwall) on 7th were the best tally of them.
Cory’s Shearwaters remained scarcer still – two were seen on 2nd from Berry Head (Devon); a single bird off Spurn (East Yorkshire) a pleasant surprise on 5th; and a bird seen well inland in Hampshire passing southwest over Tweseldown Hill on 4th presumably left the finder dumbfounded. Local patch gold, right there.
Similarly, Balearic Shearwaters too were almost absent entirely – two were seen from Cornwall’s Pendeen on 3rd; a single bird off Berry Head (Devon) on 5th; on 6th a single bird off Porthgwarra (Cornwall), and two off Portland (Dorset); and, on 7th, single birds off Berry Head, The Lizard (Cornwall), and Ballycotton (Co.Cork).
Little Auks, however, were on the move. Not in vast numbers, but more substantial certainly than hitherto – 380 birds were logged nationwide over the week, with Fife enjoying the lion’s share. Notable counts came from the county at Isle of May, where 63 birds were noted on 1st and 143 birds on 3rd, and Fife Ness, where 46 birds were logged on 5th.
Numbers of Pomarine Skuas picked up a little, with around 140 birds seen during the week, of which 28 birds seen from Cley (Norfolk) on 4th were the highest count. Long-tailed Skuas meanwhile remained much harder to come by. Probable birds at Chesil Cove (Dorset) on 1st and off Mousehole (Cornwall) on 2nd were followed by confirmed singletons off Pendeen (Cornwall) on 3rd and Sheringham (Norfolk) on 4th; three birds seen from Strumble Head (Pembrokeshire) on 4th; one on The Fleet (Dorset) on 6th; a single bird off Berry Head (Devon) on 7th; and two on 7th seen from Ballycotton (Co.Cork).
A possible White-billed Diver was seen off Newbiggin-by-the-Sea (Northumberland) on 3rd, while another was seen from North Ronaldsay (Orkney) again on 5th. A possible Pacific Diver was once more reported from Loch Ryan (Dumfries & Galloway) on 3rd – last seen there on 28th October, it was frustratingly distant then, and remained so again this week.
Finally, in Co.Leitrim the Double-crested Cormorant remained on Doon Lough on 2nd.
Our long-legged beasties kick off once more this week with Purple Heron, or rather, herons plural – the Kentish bird remained at Seasalter on 1st-2nd, while another was seen in Devon at Bowling Green Marsh RSPB on 3rd.
Glossy Ibises remained omnipresent in Britain and Ireland alike, albeit in somewhat reduced numbers – down to just over 20 birds reported this week, some shortfall from the 30-35 birds we’ve become accustomed to in recent months. Peak counts were mere quartets – four birds in Ireland at Tacumshin (Co.Wexford) on 3rd-5th still, and four in Cambridgeshire at Fen Drayton Lakes RSPB on 5th.
We’re now into the period of late autumn and early winter when the honkers and quackers have the capacity to spring some surprises upon us – we need look no further than the headlines for proof of that. This week, there was plenty of variety amongst the non-headliners too – quantity as well as quality.
Kicking things off with The Goose Formerly Known As Canada, a probable interior Todd’s Canada Goose lingered in Nrthumberland at Budle Bay on 1st-3rd, a confirmed bird was seen at White Sands Quarry (Lothian) on 5th, and a bird was found on 6th near Southerness (Dumfries & Galloway). A hutchinsii Richardson’s Cackling Goose was still to be seen at Lissadell (Co.Sligo) on 4th, and a Cackling Goose was seen again on North Uist (Western Isles) on 3rd and 6th.
In Lothian, the white morph Snow Goose remained at Tyninghame Bay on 1st-4th.
A couple of Black Brants were seen this week – one again on The Fleet (Dorset) at Butterstreet Cove on 3rd, and another in East Yorkshire at Kilnsea Wetlands on 3rd.
In Lincolnshire, the recent Blue-winged Teal was still present at Winter’s Pond on 1st-2nd.
Numbers of Green-winged Teals swelled this week, with over half a dozen recorded. The bulk of these were in Scotland, where birds were seen on the Lossie estuary (Moray) still on 4th-7th; at Tain Links (Highland & Caithness) still on 1st-6th; on Sanday (Orkney) still on 2nd; on Lewis (Western Isles) on 4th; and at Lochwinnoch RSPB (Clyde) and on Benbecula (Western Isles) on 7th. Ireland notched up two birds, on Inch Island Lake (Co.Donegal) on 2nd, and Blennerville (Co.Kerry) on 5th; and an English record came from Colt Crag reservoir (Northumberland) on 4th.
The drake American Wigeon remained in Somerset at Shapwick Heath NNR on 1st-7th; another drake was found in Shetland on Loch of Spiggie on 4th-5th; and then, on 6th, two drakes were found in Lincolnshire at Bardney Pits, and another drake at Crook of Baldoon RSPB (Dumfries & Galloway). One of the Lincolnshire birds remained as the week closed on 7th.
The female Ferruginous Duck remained in Co.Donegal at Inch Island Lake on 3rd.
Numbers of Ring-necked Ducks picked up a little, with a shade over 20 birds recorded in Britain and Ireland as a whole. Peak count came in the form of four birds on Lough Beg (Co.Derry) on 1st; duos were seen on Hornsea Mere (East Yorkshire) on 2nd, on Inch Island Lake (Co.Donegal) still on 4th-6th, on Lisvane reservoir (Glamorgan) still on 4th-6th, and on Appleford GPs (Oxfordshire) on 6th.
Onto seaduck, and in Lothian the returning drake White-winged Scoter remained settled in the Musselburgh area on 3rd-7th.
In Northumberland the drake Black Scoter was still present off Cocklawburn Beach on 1st-2nd and 6th-7th, and Cheswick Sands on 3rd-4th.
The Surf Scoter remained in Lunan Bay (Angus) on 3rd.
In terms of rarity, the cherry on the wader cake this week remained the Wilson’s Snipe still present on St Mary’s (Scilly) on 1st-7th. They surely have historically gone overlooked in Britain and, in the wake of such an autumn for transatlantic vagrancy, there must be a good chance there’s one or two more out there for the finding. Scilly’s historic monopoly on accepted records is there for the breaking if someone’s prepared to put the time and effort into examining the snipe on their local patch.
A couple of fresh White-rumped Sandpipers served as a timely reminder that Nearctic waders are still on the agenda – birds being discovered this week on Benbecula (Western Isles) on 1st-7th, and Inch Island Lake (Co.Donegal) on 2nd-5th.
Inch Island Lake was having a good week on the whole, with a Pectoral Sandpiper on 3rd to its credit too. Another was found at North Bull Island (Co.Dublin) on 1st; another new bird on 2nd in Greater Manchester at Carrington; and the settled bird remained at Misson (Nottinghamshire) on 2nd-7th.
Settled American Golden Plovers remained on Myroe Levels (Co.Derry) on 2nd, and North Uist (Western Isles) on 3rd. Another was seen on North Ronaldsay (Orkney) on 1st-2nd.
In Somerset the adult female, German-ringed Kentish Plover remained at Burnham-on-Sea on 1st-5th.
In Norfolk, the juvenile Long-billed Dowitcher was still hanging around around Cley and Salthouse on 1st-7th.
A trio of Lesser Yellowlegs were seen this week – one remained at Marshside RSPB (Lancashire & North Merseyside) on 1st-4th; another on Papa Westray (Orkney) on 2nd; and a new bird found at Loch of Strathbeg RSPB (Aberdeenshire) on 3rd-4th.
A probable Red-necked Phalarope was seen passing St Ives (Cornwall) on 4th; and another settled on Sherpa Marsh (Devon) on 4th-6th.
Grey Phalaropes meanwhile continued to be seen in fair numbers, with around 40 birds in total recorded over the course of the week. Cornish vantage points were proving fruitful, with five birds seen from St Ives on 1st, and five off Pendeen on 3rd.
A Sabine’s Gull proved an amenable discovery this week lingering at Port Lympne (Kent) on 4th-7th, it latterly transpiring the bird had been present there since 27th October; more transitory individuals were seen at St Ives and Pendeen (Cornwall) on 1st, with both sites logging two birds; and single birds were seen from Pendeen on 3rd, in Weymouth Bay (Dorset) on 5th, briefly back in Kent on 6th off Sandgate, and on 7th off Hunmanby Gap (North Yorkshire).
Ireland again gave us a couple of Ring-billed Gulls - birds still at Nimmo’s Pier (Co.Galway) on 2nd, and at Blennerville (Co.Kerry) on 4th.
A Bonaparte’s Gull was found on 6th in Northumberland at Stag Rocks.
Seven Glaucous Gulls were logged this week – winter may be coming, but it’s not here just yet. Six were birds seen in Scotland – in Shetland on Yell on 2nd, and on Mainland at Boddam on 2nd also, and in Lerwick still on 7th; in Orkney on North Ronaldsay on 3rd, and on Mainland at Loch of Bosquoy on 5th; and on the Lossie estuary (Moray) on 5th. The final bird was down in Devon on 6th-7th in Exeter.
Scotland also accounted for most of our weekly Iceland Gulls - birds seen on Lewis (Western Isles) on 1st and 4th; one on the Lossie estuary (Moray) on 2nd; and another in the Western Isles on Benbecula on 5th. The only outliers to this Scottish dominance were a bird found on 6th in Coleraine (Co.Derry), and a probable seen off The Lizard (Cornwall) on 7th – the same day a Kumlien’s Gull was seen from the latter site.
In Co.Galway the Forster’s Tern was again back at Kinvarra on 7th.
Pick of the week’s raptors once more is the returning female Northern Harrier, again seen lately at Lough Boora Parklands (Co.Offaly) on 3rd.
Norfolk was still serving up Pallid Harrier sightings in recent days, at Wells on 1st-3rd, and Warham Greens on 2nd and 4th. Additional birds, away from there, were seen coming in off the sea at Fort Victoria CP (Isle of Wight) on 2nd, and on Islay (Argyll & Bute) on 6th.
The week began with an unconfirmed report of a Rough-legged Buzzard in Kent at Cobb’s Hill on 1st, while the Orkney bird remained that day on Westray; one lingered in Norfolk at Burnham Overy on 2nd-3rd; and another was reported on 4th at Kirby Misperton (North Yorkshire).
As the week dawned, the remarkable influx of Pallid Swifts was still continuing apace, with 26 birds identified on 1st, among those five in Northumberland alone, and four in Moray at Lossiemouth. A few more were picked out on 2nd and 3rd including a particularly wayward bird up in Highland & Caithness at Brora, but by 4th it was clear that the arrival was over, with the week’s total sitting at 38 birds. No new sightings came during 4th-5th; and then, on 6th, there was Northumberland again with a bird at Stag Rocks; before, on 7th, another Scottish record from St Cyrus (Aberdeenshire).
Down in Cornwall, Nanjizal Valley wasn’t letting go of autumn anytime soon, with scarce warblers coming one after the other there this week – a Dusky Warbler trapped and ringed there on 5th remaining present on 6th, and joined there that day by a Blyth’s Reed Warbler.
An additional probable Blyth’s Reed was present on Mizen Head (Co.Cork) on 4th; while Dusky Warblers were found on St Mary’s (Scilly) on 2nd-3rd and 6th-7th, St Agnes (Scilly) on 3rd, Durlston CP (Dorset) on 4th, and Quendale (Shetland) on 6th.
Radde’s Warblers were seen this week on Cape Clear (Co.Cork) and in St Just (Cornwall) on 4th.
A handful of Pallas’s Warblers were noted lately, largely on islands – individuals on Sanday (Orkney) on 1st, St Agnes (Scilly) on 1st-4th, North Ronaldsay (Orkney) on 2nd, trapped and ringed on Lundy (Devon) on 3rd, and on the Isle of May (Fife) on 7th – while British mainland birds were at The Naze (Essex) still on 1st, and at Durlston CP (Dorset) and Fleetwood (Lancashire & North Merseyside) on 3rd.
Numbers of Yellow-browed Warblers were very much in abeyance, with barely 30 birds recorded over the course of the week. As November gets under way, we’d be hoping for their late-travelling cousins and, sure enough, a Hume’s Warbler was found in Shetland at Grutness on 7th.
A late Arctic Warbler lingered on Knockadoon Head (Co.Cork) on 3rd-4th.
Speaking of late birds, St Mary’s (Scilly) had a couple this week – the Melodious Warbler hanging on there on 1st-4th still, and a Marsh Warbler for good measure on 3rd-5th.
Gilding the Scillonian lily still further, a Subalpine Warbler sp was found on St Mary’s on 3rd. In Northumberland, the recent bird remained at Tynemouth on 1st, with opinion coalescing towards a Western Subalpine Warbler identity for it by this stage.
Just a couple of Barred Warblers were logged lately – these being birds at Toab (Orkney) on 1st-2nd, and Ardfield (Co.Cork) on 1st-5th.
A Red-flanked Bluetail was reported from beside the Cromford Canal between Amergate and Whatstandwell (Derbyshire) on 4th, but wasn’t latterly seen there.
A couple of fresh eastern stonechat sp were found on 5th – one, thought probably to be a Siberian Stonechat, at Dungeness (Kent); and another in Norfolk on Blakeney Point. The Dungeness bird remained present there on 6th.
In Orkney, the Eastern Black Redstart remained on North Ronaldsay on 1st.
Red-breasted Flycatchers were found this week in Lerwick (Shetland) on 1st, and at Toab (Orkney) on 2nd.
The week was a good one for rare wheatears as, in addition to Gwynedd’s Isabelline. In Northumberland, a Pied Wheatear proved an obliging and popular draw at Whitley Bay on 1st-7th; while a probable Desert Wheatear was seen coming in off the sea at Covehithe (Suffolk) on 2nd.
Suffolk was also getting in on the Eastern Yellow Wagtail action this week, with a bird seen at Carlton Marshes SWT on 3rd-5th. Another probable was lingering, for its twelfth day, on the Isle of Wight at East Cowes on 7th.
Widely separated Red-throated Pipits were seen at opposite ends of the country – two birds on St Mary’s (Scilly) on 1st, and another in Shetland at Norby on 4th.
A similar pattern was seen with Olive-backed Pipits - St Mary’s getting a bird on 4th, while Shetland enjoyed birds at Levenwick on 2nd-7th and Grutness on 2nd-7th. Another bird was seen on the Isle of May (Fife) on 1st, while a probable was noted in Lincolnshire at Frampton Marsh RSPB on 3rd.
Just two Richard’s Pipits were found lately – at Great Ormes Head (Conwy) on 3rd, and on pipit-magnet St Mary’s (Scilly) on 5th.
St Mary’s added some additional variety this week with the discovery of a Penduline Tit on there on 3rd-4th, while another was reported from Dawlish Warren NNR (Devon) on 6th.
A Short-toed Lark was also seen on St Mary’s on 2nd…
…and at the risk of this getting monotonous, St Mary’s also retained its recent Red-rumped Swallow on 1st. Additional birds were seen elsewhere this week – at Spurn (East Yorkshire) on 1st and 3rd-4th; and at Foreness Point (Kent), where two birds were found on 5th-7th.
A couple of Hoopoes filtered in – one in Suffolk in Ipswich on 4th, and another at Dungeness (Kent) on 5th – while the recent bird remained at Ince Blundell (Lancashire & North Merseyside) on 1st.
The recent Wryneck stuck around at Longham Lakes (Dorset) until 4th, while additional birds were found on 4th at Barcombe and Newhaven (East Sussex), the Barcombe bird being seen again there on 7th.
A Red-backed Shrike was found on Anglesey at Rhoscolyn on 1st.
Great Grey Shrikes were filtering with, in addition to the settled bird still in Shropshire at Whixall Moss on 1st-6th, a further 10 birds found over the course of the week. Two were present on Fair Isle (Shetland) on 1st, with one still present on 2nd-3rd; Shetland also had birds at Grutness on 2nd, Channerwick on 3rd, and on Unst on 2nd-5th; one was on Sanday (Orkney) on 1st-5th; birds were seen at Thorne Moors (South Yorkshire) on 2nd-4th, and Langdale Forest (North Yorkshire) on 3rd; another was on Anglesey at Holyhead on 4th-5th; and a bird was found at Stoke Common (Buckinghamshire) on 4th-6th.
The hotly anticipated winter Waxwing influx gathered a little pace this week, with some 250 birds logged in recent days. Small flocks were seen in Scotland but, as the week wore on, decent sized English aggregations were found – on 5th, 25 birds at Pickering (North Yorkshire), and 30 at Nuneaton (Warwickshire).
A probable Rose-coloured Starling was seen in Norfolk at Holkham Marshes briefly on 2nd.
Into the finches, the last remnants of the autumnal influx of Arctic Redpolls lingered in Shetland, where a mobile hornemanni bird was seen in Lerwick on 5th; and Orkney, where the lingering bird was again seen on North Ronaldsay on 6th-7th.
North Ron also landed a late Common Rosefinch, trapped and ringed there on 5th; while an adult male was found on Portland (Dorset) on 7th.
A probable Serin was noted over Tynemouth (Northumberland) on 5th also.
Finally, three widely scattered Little Buntings were seen this week – one on Galley Head (Co.Cork) on 1st; another on North Ronaldsay (Orkney) on 2nd; and a bird at Felixstowe Ferry (Suffolk) on 4th.
France has made so much of the running this autumn for Western Palearctic and, in particular, Nearctic vagrant birds but, this week, the mantle was passed to Germany in some emphatic fashion when belated news emerged of a Red-breasted Nuthatch trapped and ringed at Tonsheider Wald on 28th October. Happily for both German birders and those from further afield keen to augment their Western Palearctic lists with the first individual of the species widely available since the wintering Holkham Pines (Norfolk) bird of 1989/90. Still present there until 5th, it almost goes without saying this was a first for Germany – indeed, it’s a first for mainland Europe.
One-day trip to a forest near Aukrug (Schleswig-Holstein) to see the first validated red-breasted nuthatch (Rotbrustkleiber/Kanadakleiber) in germany and fourth in WP in history! Great 4h search with ~25 other birders from entire germany. pic.twitter.com/BZgYqwdutn
— Bennett Stolze (@BennettStolze) November 7, 2022
5 min in the forest and we hit the jackpot. Red-breasted Nuthatch! pic.twitter.com/Ar1zJAKoT7
— Twitchingholland (@DavevanderSpoel) November 5, 2022
Additional lustre was added to Germany’s week in the form of a Western Olivaceous Warbler on Heligoland on 5th-7th.
The Netherlands, meanwhile, had an Alpine Accentor at Ouddorp on 2nd-3rd.
And France? Still plenty going on there, of course. Starting on the irrepressible Ouessant, in addition to the lingering Northern Harrier still present there on 2nd, an Eastern Olivaceous Warbler was seen on 4th. Elsewhere, the Eastern Long-legged Buzzard remained at Thibie on 2nd-6th, and the Sociable Lapwing at Cheppes-la-Prairie on 4th still. Additionally, a Brown Booby was seen at Chenal de la Vielle Riviere on 4th.
Not a million miles from France, a Blyth’s Pipit was found on Guernsey on 3rd-7th, a first for the Channel Islands.
Turns out the pipit Mark Guppy @guernseyguppy and I found yesterday in La Société Guernesiaise Fields, Pleinmont was, as we cautiously suspected from views + calls, the first Blyth's Pipit for the Channel Islands. Still present today. #guernseybirds pic.twitter.com/10LboN34wN
— Wayne Turner (@WayneTurner4) November 4, 2022
In Denmark, a Western Black-eared Wheatear was found on 2nd-6th on Rindby Strand at Fanø.
Switzerland’s superb first Common Yellowthroat remained at Magadino on 1st-6th.
Hungary got itself a Sandhill Crane at Balmazujvaros on 5th.
In Israel, a Verreaux’s Eagle lingered at Atek Canyon in the Eilat Mountains on 31st-5th; and a Tawny Eagle passed over Eilat on 4th.
Heading offshore next, in the Canary Islands two Pied Crows were present on Tenerife on 3rd; and a Black-capped Petrel at sea off Santa Cruz on 4th.
Finally, about as offshore as it gets in the Western Palearctic, in the Azores a Great Blue Heron remained on Terceira on 2nd, with a Snowy Egret there on 2nd also.
Our pragmatic wheatear predictions last week stood a fair chance of coming true, given ample historic precedent, and sure enough, we got both confirmed Isabelline and Pied Wheatears, and a probable Desert Wheatear too for good measure.
And the coming week? Well, you wouldn’t bet against another one or two. But the weather forecast, for the most part, looks like it’s going to be dominated by wetserlies. It’s not a particularly wonderful forecast for the pragmatic birder.
But for the wildly optimistic birder, there’s some hope bound up in it. Some choice quackers, for starters – we’ve past records of Bufflehead, Canvasback, and Hooded Merganser in the week to come. If you’re checking freshwater, there’s also some succour to be drawn from five historic Pied-billed Grebes and two American Coots - time to start checking the local Common Coots for a bird sporting a pair of white sweet cheeks.
Nor is it too late for a good Nearctic passerine. Britain’s first Varied Thrush and Ruby-crowned Kinglet both owe themselves to this week in years gone by. The former, of course, was unblocked last year in glorious fashion on Orkney. The latter, unfortunately, turned up on the Western Isles during the darkest days of Covid in 2020, and was sensibly kept quiet at the time. Another would be warmly welcomed, but such a tiny passerine making it to us is always the longest of shots and probably not happening again any time soon.
Maybe it’s time to harness our recent collective swift-hunting enthusiasm for something of a westerly persuasion. With two past records for the coming week, Chimney Swift is also a long shot, but perhaps not as blindly optimistic as a kinglet…
Jon Dunn
8 Nov 2022
Many thanks to all this week's contributors for your photos and videos
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