Weekly birding round-up: 17 - 23 Jan 2023
You just can’t keep a good year down, and 2023, after a little bit of a pause to catch its breath in the preceding week, was back again with a vengeance in the week just gone. A couple of decent ducks, a rare seabird, and a passerine out of leftfield. This is what passes for normal these days…
Followers of Bruce Taylor’s Twitter account – and if you’re on Twitter and not following him, you really should be – will know that his new year has already been marked by some eye-opening finds, albeit not of the birding kind… beachcombing on neighbouring Vatersay has yielded a treasure trove of tropical seeds – Starnut Palm, Red Hamburger Bean, and Sea Heart.
Always fancied finding a Harlequin on Barra but never thought it would actually happen. Birding off-piste this morning south of Traigh Eais I noticed a small duck close in. It was the Holy Grail itself! Barra's first Harlequin. pic.twitter.com/DR7WABWxgb
— Bruce Taylor (@barrabirder) January 22, 2023
Surely it was about time he found something good of the feathered kind on his home turf of Barra? On 22nd, that’s exactly what he did, unearthing Barra’s first ever record of Harlequin Duck, a female / first-winter drake off Traigh Eais. Still present as the week drew to a close on 23rd, this further cements the Western Isles’ dominance where records of this enduringly rare duck is concerned - four accepted records to the end of 2020 are set to be augmented by last year’s drake on St Kilda and now this bird too.
It’s been quite the run of Harlequins we’ve enjoyed lately – the drakes last year off St Kilda and Unst (Shetland), this week’s bird, and not to forget the female / juvenile drake seen in Feall Bay on Coll (Argyll & Bute) at the very end of 2022 on 27th December. Given the latter is not a million miles from Barra, these might be one and the same bird.
First seen in Cornwall during the first week of January, and presumed to be the same bird initially noted off Quiberon (France) in late December, one would probably not have put much money on lightning striking twice and the young Black-browed Albatross in question being seen again any time soon off St Ives.
One would, it transpires, have been wrong. For there it was again, seen passing St Ives Island on 19th. Remarkable, huh?
Nope, for there it was again on 20th, and this time sat on the water offshore for over an hour in the afternoon. And then, just for good measure, it was seen flying past Pendeen on 21st. It was almost a surprise for it not to be seen off the Cornish coast on 22nd-23rd…
So can we get accustomed to another Black-browed Albatross becoming a regular(ish) sight in Britain? On the basis of the recent showing, just maybe. Watch this space.
Speaking of things that we might have to get used to – poor us, right? – if the current and most recent winter periods are anything to go by, it might be that Baikal Teal is flirting with the idea of becoming, if not a regular sight in these quarters, then potentially nowhere near as uncommon as once it was.
The first bird of 2023, the drake at Llangorse Lake (Powys), remained there as the week got under way, still being reported from there on 17th-18th. Then, over the weekend, news emerged of a female at the Nottinghamshire / South Yorkshire border at Misson / Finningley GPs on 22nd, having been present there since 20th, and still present as the week concluded on 23rd.
While Yorkshire’s no stranger to Baikal Teal, it’s a different story for Nottinghamshire and, if this bird is accepted in due course by BBRC, it’s a county first under the belt.
Last seen in Devon on 14th, the wintering Isabelline Wheatear at Colyford Common LNR was one of the more unusual wintering passerine records of recent years – we are, as we noted when it was found, much more used to them being seen in autumn.
More surprising still would be two winter examples of the species… A wheatear seen fleetingly and photographed in Cornwall near Perranporth at Holywell on 22nd was judged to also be an Isabelline, and was seen again there briefly in the afternoon of 23rd. The same bird, swapping coasts from the Devonian south to the Cornish north? Who knows…
Remaining constant in Ireland, the now resident Double-crested Cormorant remained for another week on Doon Lough (Co.Leitrim), being seen again there on 19th-20th.
Small numbers of Little Auks were noted this week, and a few recently deceased birds were also found – winter is a tough time for a tiny alcid. Birds retaining a vital spark were seen from Mull (Argyll & Bute) on 17th and 18th; Starr Gate (Lancashire & North Merseyside) on 18th; in South Nesting Bay (Shetland) on 20th where two birds were seen; from Filey Brigg (North Yorkshire) on 21st; between Mousehole and Newlyn (Cornwall) on 22nd; and a mile off Sumburgh Head (Shetland) on 23rd, where six birds were seen from the Zephyr pelagic vessel.
Just one White-billed Diver was seen this week, an adult off Vatsetter on Yell (Shetland) on 20th.
A dark morph Pomarine Skua was noted passing St Ives (Cornwall) on 21st.
The cold snap in England certainly wouldn’t have been appreciated by our resident cohort of Glossy Ibises, but some stalwarts were clinging on in recent days in the south – two birds in Devon still at Fremington Pill on 18th, with at least one still there on 20th; four still in Hampshire at Titchfield Haven NNR on 18th-22nd; and three birds still in Kent at Dungeness on 20th-22nd.
We start the weekly waddle through the honkers and quackers of note with The Goose Formerly Known As Canada, where we find the interior Todd’s Canada Goose still in Lancashire & North Merseyside at Banks Marsh NNR on 20th-21st; two Cackling Geese still present on North Uist (Western Isles) on 20th; and hutchinsii Richardson’s Cackling Geese still on The Mullet at Barnagh (Co.Mayo) on 23rd, and in Argyll & Bute near Campbeltown on 23rd, the latter individual still hanging out with a Todd’s Canada Goose for good measure. On 23rd a Todd’s Canada Goose was also reported at Crawcrook (Co.Durham).
Following a sighting in Clyde in the early morning of 21st of a probable Snow Goose at Loch Lomond, the white morph was once again seen near Drymen (Forth / Clyde) on 21st. The two recent birds remained settled on The Mullet at Barnagh (Co.Mayo) on 23rd.
The Red-breasted Goose was still to be seen on Islay (Argyll & Bute) on 19th-20th.
Black Brants this week were seen in Essex at Copt Hall on 17th, Hamford Water still on 21st, and Goldhanger on 23rd; in East Yorkshire still at Beacon Ponds NR on 17th-18th; and in Hampshire still at Farlington Marshes HWT on 18th-22nd; with another reported on 21st from Holkham Freshmarsh (Norfolk).
A Lesser White-fronted Goose lingered in Northumberland at Big Waters NR over the weekend on 21st-22nd and then, on 23rd, a bird was seen in Lancashire & North Merseyside near Staynall. As ever, the provenance of these birds remains a moot question, with the taint of escaped, feral birds making the assessment process for rarity committees and workaday birders alike far from straightforward. I guess if a bird was on one’s doorstep a visit for insurance purposes wouldn’t hurt. Finding the Northumberland bird hanging out with Greylag Geese, though, wouldn’t have been particularly confidence-inspiring.
Settled drake American Wigeons remained this week at Shapwick Heath NNR (Somerset) on 17th-23rd, in Northumberland at Big Waters NR on 17th-23rd, and in Orkney at Loch of Ayre on 18th.
Absent from the news for a while now, the drake Black Duck was again seen at Cross Lough (Co.Mayo) on 23rd.
Green-winged Teals comfortably remained in double figures nationwide, with Highland & Caithness a particular hotbed for sightings lately – at Tain still on 19th-20th, Milton on 20th, and Alturlie again on 21st-23rd. Additional Scottish sightings came from Lewis (Western Isles) still on 19th-21st, and Hunterston Sands (Ayrshire) on 23rd. The individual on Isle of Man was again seen at Poyllvaaish on 21st. In Northumberland, one was again noted at Colt Crag reservoir on 17th-23rd, with additional English birds seen in Lancashire & North Merseyside at Samlesbury Bottoms on 19th, and at Stanpit Marsh (Dorset) on 22nd-23rd. Irish sightings came from Achill Island (Co.Mayo) still on 17th-20th, and in Co.Kerry at Black Rock on 20th and Blennerville on 21st.
Norfolk’s Ferruginous Duck winter wonder continued, with two birds on Filby Broad still on 17th-19th, and one there on 20th-22nd; and a female again on Rollesby Broad on 19th. In Co.Tyrone the returning drake was still present on Ballysaggart Lough on 22nd.
Ring-necked Ducks remained ubiquitous across Britain and Ireland, with around 30 birds logged over the course of the week. Amongst their number were again a few multiple birds – three present on Lough Fern (Co.Donegal) still on 20th; two again in Norfolk on Filby Broad on 19th; two still on Siblyback Lake (Cornwall) on 21st; two still at Lisvane reservoir (Glamorgan) on 17th-19th; two still at Standlake (Oxfordshire) on 23rd; two on Loch Lochy (Highland & Caithness) still on 21st; and two on Mill Lough (Co.Fermanagh) on 22nd.
Three Lesser Scaups were sitting tight this week – the female on South Uist (Western Isles) still on 18th-20th; the female still on the Somerset Levels at Shapwick Heath NNR on 17th-23rd; and the first-winter drake still on Staines reservoir (Surrey) on 17th-21st.
In Cleveland the second-winter drake King Eider remained present around Redcar on 17th-23rd.
Both recent White-winged Scoters were again available this week – the first-winter female still off Achill Island (Co.Mayo) on 17th-23rd, and the drake off Musselburgh (Lothian) on 18th.
A possible drake Black Scoter was again seen in Northumberland on 21st off Stag Rocks.
Scattered Surf Scoters continued to be seen lately, with Scotland well-represented in this regard – two drakes were seen from Embo (Highland & Caithness) on 20th, with one still present on 21st; one remained off Islay (Argyll & Bute) on 20th; and a drake was seen from Rhunahaorine Point (Argyll & Bute) on 20th-23rd, with a juvenile also there on the last date. A drake remained in Wales off Llanddulas (Conwy) on 20th-21st. Ireland’s sole bird was a drake in Co.Kerry off Carrahane on 20th-22nd.
Finally, in Ireland the drake Hooded Merganser was still finding Rosduane (Co.Mayo) much to his liking on 19th-22nd.
The shorebird pickings were getting ever slimmer this week, and it remains to be seen at the time of writing if the cold snap in East Anglia does for the Long-billed Dowitcher on Norfolk’s north coast – this week it was getting restless, relocating to Holkham Freshmarsh on 18th-19th, and Stiffkey Fen on 20th.
In Somerset the ringed female Kentish Plover was still content to remain at Burnham-on-Sea on 17th-23rd.
Just the one Grey Phalarope was logged lately, this being the bird that settled lately at St Gothian Sands LNR (Cornwall), still present there for a few more days until 19th.
That just leaves us the rarest of the week’s waders, the wintering first-winter Greater Yellowlegs still present near Lismore (Co.Waterford) at Tallow Bridge on 17th-22nd.
Arguably the most popular bird of the year to date, the confiding adult Sabine’s Gull in Hampshire remained around the shoreline at Budds Farm sewage works throughout the week on 17th-23rd. A first-winter bird was seen in Cornwall at Carnew Basin on 18th.
The recent second-winter Laughing Gull was reported again from Slapton Sands (Devon) on 19th, but wasn’t seen thereafter.
In Cornwall the first-winter American Herring Gull was again seen at Mousehole on 17th, with an additional probable sighting there on 20th, but it wasn’t for pinning down and giving itself up reliably just yet.
Also present in Cornwall, the adult Ring-billed Gull remained at Lelant Saltings on 17th-21st; the adult was again seen in Hampshire at Blashford Lakes HWT on 21st; and the adult was still in Clyde at Strathclyde Loch on 18th-21st. Irish sightings came from Blackrock (Co.Louth) still on 21st; Ballysaggart Lough (Co.Tyrone) on 17th; and Blennerville (Co.Kerry) on 21st.
Numbers of white-wingers remained pretty modest this week, with no winter influx to speak of. Around 55 Glaucous Gulls were seen nationwide, with 15 hanging around Unst (Shetland) on 21st the highest tally – only potentially approached by the 12 probable birds seen distantly in neighbouring Orkney off Westray on 18th.
Similar numbers of Iceland Gulls were seen in recent days – around 50 birds nationally, of which the peak single site count was four birds present at Scrabster (Highland & Caithness) on 20th.
In Cambridgeshire, the adult Kumlien’s Gull continued to please at Dernford Farm reservoir on 17th-23rd. Additional birds this week were present at Tralee Bay Wetlands (Co.Kerry) again on 18th, on Unst (Shetland) on 18th, and at Keadew Bridge (Co.Donegal) on 19th-20th.
Another generally quiet week of raptors was headed by the juvenile female Pallid Harrier, still centred around the Warham Greens area of Norfolk on 17th-23rd.
In Shetland, a Rough-legged Buzzard flew through Whalsay on 21st, with a report of a possible bird across the water on Mainland at Laxo that day potentially relating to the same individual. Another was seen on the Scottish mainland near Whitebridge (Highland & Caithness) on 22nd.
The passerines this week start in Somerset, where the Yellow-browed Warbler found at Compton Dando sewage works on 16th turned into a Hume’s Warbler on closer examination – and remained delightfully showy there this week on 17th-23rd. While wintering birds are far from unprecedented nowadays in Britain, this bird was doubly notable in a Somerset context, being a county first. Our other two recent birds both continued their respective sojourns, at Brancaster (Norfolk) on 17th-21st, and in Dover (Kent) on 17th-23rd.
A small flurry of new Yellow-browed Warblers served as a timely reminder that these, or their rarer counterpart, should remain very much on the local patch-workers’ radar at this time of year. Fresh birds were found at Martin Mere WWT (Lancashire & North Merseyside) on 17th-23rd; Titchfield (Hampshire) on 20th; Dinton Pastures CP (Berkshire) on 20th; Crewkerne (Somerset) on 20th; and Wigston (Leicestershire) on 20th-23rd. Additional birds were reported from Heamoor (Cornwall) on 19th, and near Abingdon (Oxfordshire) on 20th; while the established Oxfordshire bird remained at Donnington Bridge on 18th, and the Dorset bird was again seen beside the Lily Lane allotments in Chickerell on 22nd.
In Kent, the Pallas’s Warbler was still present at Swalecliffe on 18th-23rd.
Penduline Tits, such a feature of recent weeks, had another strong showing lately. Ireland’s first record, the trio at The Gearagh (Co.Cork), were again seen there on 19th-23rd. In Kent, meanwhile, fully a month after they were last reported, three birds were again seen at Elmley NNR on 17th, dropping to two birds the following day, and just one confirmed individual on 20th-21st. A final female bird was found in Somerset at Stockmoor on 22nd-23rd.
Numbers of Waxwings contracted, with around 80 birds reported over the course of the week just gone. Of these, a flock that fluctuated between 20-30 birds in Edinburgh (Lothian) at Sighthill on 17th-23rd proved locally popular, and were by some margin the largest aggregation seen in a national context.
A very few wintering Great Grey Shrikes were seen this week – staring in the New Forest (Hampshire), sightings came from Pig Bush still on 18th-20th, and Shatterford again on 21st-23rd; one remained in Northumberland’s Harwood Forest on 19th; one was again seen at Llyn Brenig (Denbighshire / Conwy) on 21st; and a final bird in Wiltshire on 22nd at Bishops Cannings.
In Suffolk, the probable Eastern Yellow Wagtail was once more seen at Carlton Marshes SWT on 21st.
The juvenile Common Rosefinch remained this week in Weymouth (Dorset) until 23rd.
In Co.Mayo, the hornemanni Arctic Redpoll was still present at Tarmon on 23rd.
The two recent Little Buntings remained between Cot Valley and Boscregan (Cornwall) on 20th.
Finally, what a headline bird this would have been had the male Red-throated Thrush reported in fields at Cricklade (Wiltshire) on 18th not been couched in almost every caveat in the book – a report of a possible bird that was wholly unconfirmed. We were just missing ‘distant’ for the full set – but, more pertinently, the bird itself was missing from the news in the hours and days that followed. The first-winter male that showed well at The Naze (Essex) on 29th September – 7th October 1994 is but a distant memory now, and shaping up to be a persistent blocker. Another bird would be warmly welcomed, to say the least.
Speaking of unimaginable scenes were a blocker to fall, not a million miles from home this week a bird was giving Belgian birders the very best start to their new year – the country’s second Moustached Warbler was showing well at times at De Gavers on 17th-21st. Excised from the British list in 2006, a British first would cause a bit of a fuss.
Moustached Warbler, Acrocephalus melanopogon photographed at De Gavers, Harelbeke, province of Western Flanders, photo by Baptistin Legeay - 2nd record for Belgium pic.twitter.com/sV3vnBkzzh
— Tarsiger (@TarsigerTeam) January 17, 2023
Likewise, imagine if we could trade this winter’s settled Pallid Harrier in Norfolk for an Eastern Long-legged Buzzard as site faithful as the bird currently wintering in France at Thibie… the latter still present this week on 17th.
In Sweden, the Baltimore Oriole remained at Förslöv on 17th-22nd.
In Poland, a drake Stejneger’s Scoter was again seen at Krynica Morska on 20th.
Moving further afield now, in Israel the Pied Bushchat remained settled near Ma’or on 17th-21st.
And finally, news from the distant Azores, where on Terceira a Great Blue Heron remained present on 19th, and a Common Yellowthroat on 21st.
Crikey, it’s already the last week of January. It’ll be spring before we know it. But, for now, you don’t need me to tell you we’re still in the grip of winter as, at the time of writing, it looks like the cold snap in southern and eastern England at least is set to endure a while yet.
And while history would tell us that the coming week is a strong one for scarce and rare ducks to be found – with double figures of both Ferruginous Duck and Lesser Scaup found in the past half century in late January – there’s no ignoring another species entirely.
And yes, it’s another gull. The dying days of January are a classic time for a Ross’s Gull, with 14 accepted records on the books since 1970 alone. There’s a really encouraging spread to those records too, with birds found as far south as Devon and Cornwall, to the west in Co.Galway and, of course, as far north as Shetland.
These dainty diamond-tails are one of the most gorgeous examples of all the gull tribe, and never fail to please when they’re found on these shores. Better yet, one-day birds are the exception rather than the rule at this time of year – should one be found, there’s a half-decent chance it’ll stick around for a few days.
Jon Dunn
24 Jan 2023
Many thanks to all this week's contributors for your photos and videos
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