Weekly birding round-up: 14 - 20 Mar 2023
Most mid-March weeks aren’t like this – maybe the odd one or two overshooting early scarce migrants amidst the first pioneering Wheatears and suchlike. Perhaps a half-decent heron if we’re lucky. That sort of thing. But 2023 will surely live long in the memory for its unprecedented influx of monochrome marvels…
Staking a firm claim to being THE birding event of the spring, if not the year all told, the recent record-breaking Irish flock of seven Alpine Swifts in the prior week proved, in the week just gone, to be simply the vanguard for a remarkable influx of their kind.
And nor was the action confined to Ireland, though it continued to do handsomely well for itself, for as the week wore on many British sites also began to score multiple birds.
But first, Ireland… where, in the course of the week as a whole, at least 60 birds were seen. And in some cases, in actual flocks… Notable gatherings included four birds on 18th at Carrigaline (Co.Cork), four birds on 18th at Dungarvan (Co.Waterford), four birds on 17th near Kenmare (Co.Kerry), nine birds on 19th at Bray Head (Co.Wicklow), four birds on 20th at North Bull Island (Co.Dublin), and eight birds on 20th at Blackrock (Co.Dublin).
England came close to this largesse with a flock of six birds at Stanpit (Dorset) on 18th, but elsewhere failed to surmount duos at many sites in addition to scores of singletons spread from Scilly to Kent, and well up the east coast to Northumberland. In all, some 65 birds were noted in England.
Wales and Scotland didn’t completely miss out either – single birds were seen at Rhos-on-Sea (Conwy) on 16th, and Porthcawl (Glamorgan) on 20th, and two at Lamby Lake (Glamorgan) on 19th; and in Scotland, single birds on Iona (Argyll & Bute) on 16th, and Almorness Point (Dumfries & Galloway) and Falkirk (Forth) on 19th; a probable was seen briefly in Highland & Caithness on 20th at Plockton. Two birds were found on 19th at Point of Ayre (Isle of Man), with one still present on 20th.
All in all, the past week has seen a remarkable influx of approximately 135 Alpine Swifts into Britain and Ireland and, as we always say when these sort of events take place, who knows how many have gone overlooked in un-birded locations. The immediate days to come offer still more potential for further birds. What a self-found tick one of these mighty birds would be…
Two White-billed Divers were present in the usual wintering grounds of South Nesting Bay (Shetland) on 15th.
Cornwall notched up another Balearic Shearwater this week, seen from Pendeen on 14th.
Pendeen also scored one of the handful of Little Auks noted in recent days – also seen there on 14th. Another was logged from Barra (Western Isles) on 15th, and two birds in Freswick Bay (Highland & Caithness) on 18th. On 20th, an Irish sighting came from Kilcummin Head (Co.Mayo).
With a Red-rumped Swallow in Cornwall, and dozens of Alpine Swifts also streaming in, last week’s invocation of a scarce southern heron felt timely, in retrospect. Not perhaps surprising then to hear that a Night Heron was reported from Devon’s Broadhempston on 15th.
Co.Cork was amassing Glossy Ibises at Lough Aderra in recent days, with the prior bird there on 14th joined by another individual later that day, and numbers rising to half a dozen present there on 16th-19th.
English birds this remained at Titchfield Haven NNR (Hampshire), where the four steady birds were still to be seen on 15th-19th; at Fremington Pill (Devon), where the two birds were still present on 17th-20th; at Ham Wall RSPB (Somerset), where two lingered on 14th-20th; and at Dungeness (Kent), where two also remained on 15th-20th.
There was just the merest hint of the changing of the seasons about this week’s notable honkers and quackers, with numbers of some beginning to wane. Which isn’t to say the rarity duckpond was bereft of interest, for there was still plenty to go at. We’ll start again with The Goose Formerly Known As Canada in Northumberland, where the recent hutchinsii Richardson’s Cackling Goose continued to hang around Earsdon and Holywell Pond NR on 14th-19th. Another hutchinsii bird remained on the The Mullet (Co.Mayo) on 19th.
The blue and white morph Snow Geese remained on The Mullet (Co.Mayo) on 16th; another bird was noted on Hoy (Orkney) on 16th also, while a further sighting came from South Ronaldsay again on 19th.
A Black Brant was seen in Norfolk at Freshes Creek on 19th.
A possible Grey-bellied Brant was seen on 17th at Seabank (Co.Louth).
Two Red-breasted Geese were again present in East Sussex at Pett Level on 19th.
The drake Baikal Teal remained throughout the week until 19th at Forydd Bay (Gwynedd).
The drake Black Duck was still to be found on Cross Lough (Co.Mayo) on 19th.
The drake American Wigeon continued his stay at Otmoor RSPB (Oxfordshire) on 15th-20th; further birds this week were seen at Bowcombe Creek (Devon) briefly on 15th; at Darnconner Quarry (Ayrshire) still on 19th; and in Northumberland at Grindon Lough on 18th-20th and Blagdon Hall still on 19th.
Northumberland also gave us one of our week’s Green-winged Teals, seen again at Colt Crag reservoir on 15th; an additional English bird was logged at East Tilbury (Essex) on 17th-20th. Scotland shared the rest of Britain’s birds between Orkney – sightings at Inganess Bay on Mainland still on 14th-15th, and Sanday on 18th – the Western Isles, where birds were noted on Barra still on 14th, and Lewis still on 14th-18th; and Highland & Caithness, where the Easter Dalziel bird remained on 15th-20th. In Ireland, one remained at Larne Lough (Co.Antrim) on 20th.
At least two Ferruginous Ducks remained on Filby Broad (Norfolk) until 18th.
Some 30 Ring-necked Ducks logged across Britain and Ireland meant their presence remained unabated for now – Ireland continued to boast the best single site count, in the form of the five birds still present on Kilkee reservoir (Co.Clare) on 15th-18th. In Glamorgan, two remained settled on Lisvane reservoir on 14th-18th still.
This winter period’s Lesser Scaup story proved to not be over just yet, for this week, in addition to the settled birds still present on Farmoor reservoir (Oxfordshire) on 14th-18th and at Ham Wall RSPB (Somerset) still on 15th-20th, Cornwall got a bird too in the form of a female / first-winter drake on Port reservoir on 17th-18th, and another drake was found on 20th at St Mary’s Loch (Argyll & Bute).
The drake White-winged Scoter remained off Musselburgh (Lothian) on 15th.
Two drake Surf Scoters remained present off Llanddulas (Conwy) until 19th, while a female bird was found in the more unexpected quarters of Pennington Marshes (Hampshire) on 18th-20th, and four were reported off Musselburgh (Lothian) on 19th.
Finally, the second-winter King Eider was still present off Redcar (Cleveland) on 14th-20th.
Ever slimmer pickings where notable waders were concerned this week, though a couple of stalwarts meant the cupboard wasn’t bare just yet. In Gloucestershire the first-winter White-rumped Sandpiper was last seen at Slimbridge WWT on 14th.
Norfolk, meanwhile, continued to boast its first-winter Long-billed Dowitcher at Cley still on 16th-20th, with the recent Sanday (Orkney) bird also seen this week again on 14th and once more on 20th.
Scotland continued to enjoy the best of the rare larids lately – the week beginning with the first-winter American Herring Gull still in Highland & Caithness at Fort William on 15th-16th and again on 19th, and the adult Ross’s Gull still gracing Kinnaird Head (Aberdeenshire) on 14th-17th. An unconfirmed report of a first-winter Ross’s Gull at Lodmoor RSPB (Dorset) on 19th came to nothing further.
In Cornwall two Ring-billed Gulls were again seen on the Hayle estuary on 14th, an adult and a second-winter respectively. The adult at least was still there on 15th. An adult remained on Co.Kerry’s Tarbat estuary on 15th-17th, with one at Blennerville still on 18th; while in Co.Cork sightings came from Ring still on 16th, and Cuskinny Marsh NR again on 18th. On 19th the Carrickfergus (Co.Antrim) and Enniskillen (Co.Fermanagh) birds were again seen, the latter bird still present on 20th.
Numbers of white-wingers began to recede a little this week, with some 25 Glaucous Gulls and 55 Iceland Gulls noted across Britain and Ireland, with half a dozen of the latter on North Uist (Western Isles) still on 19th the only significant gathering of either species.
In Unst (Shetland), the juvenile Kumlien’s Gull was again seen at Uyeasound on 18th-19th; the adult, meanwhile, remained on Omey Island (Co.Galway) on 20th.
Co.Galway’s steadfast Forster’s Tern was once more seen on 19th at Traught Beach before moving off to the west.
Shetland enjoyed two frosty Rough-legged Buzzards this week, with one found on Unst on 18th, and another – that had been reported by locals earlier in the week – confirmed to be haunting the Black Gaet area near Scalloway on Mainland on 18th-20th. In Orkney, the lingering bird remained at Loch of Hundland on 16th. Another bird was reported from Hunmanby (North Yorkshire) on 18th.
In Norfolk, the juvenile female Pallid Harrier was seen again at Warham Greens on 16th and 18th-20th. Where’s she been in the meantime?
Finishing the raptors for this week, Norfolk also supplied a report of a probable Black Kite at Titchwell RSPB on 17th; two more possibles were seen over Hadlow (Kent) on 20th.
Adding a cherry to the general southern overshooting Alpine Swift cake this week, a Red-rumped Swallow was found in Cornwall at Walmsley Sanctuary CBWPS on 16th-17th. Another possible was reported from Kent at South Foreland on 19th.
Notable warblers, for a while, appeared to be melting away – the Hume’s Warbler remained in Kent at Elmstone on 16th-20th, while both the recent Dover and Folkestone birds were again seen on 20th also; and Yellow-browed Warblers in Bristol (Somerset & Bristol) between Westbury on Trym and Henleaze still on 14th, and in Lancashire & North Merseyside at Martin Mere WWT still on 17th-19th.
Waxwings however had a little bit of a better showing, with some 50 birds noted this week, including small flocks of 14 birds in Salsburgh (Clyde) on 16th-19th, 11 birds in Elgin (Moray) on 14th, and nine birds in Inverness (Highland & Caithness) on 14th also. Surely it’s just a dead cat bounce at this juncture in the late winter, and their numbers will continue to decline from here onwards.
Six Great Grey Shrikes were again noted this week – Scottish individuals remained in Moray near Tomintoul on 17th, and at Dalkeith CP (Lothian) on 14th-18th still. English birds remained in East Sussex at Black Down NT on 14th-19th, at Shatterford (Hampshire) on 14th-20th, and at Harwood Forest (Northumberland) still on 19th; and an additional bird was present at an undisclosed site in Buckinghamshire on 17th.
The Hoopoe remained at Marloes (Pembrokeshire) on 19th; another was found on 20th at Godolphin Cross (Cornwall).
Two Penduline Tits were again seen in Kent at Elmley NNR on 15th-18th.
Brief views of the masked bandits ,2 penduline tits at brickfields this morning. @RareBirdAlertUK @KentishPlover pic.twitter.com/VbW4KUCksa
— Elmley NNR (@ElmleyNNR) March 15, 2023
The first-winter Rose-coloured Starling remained in Somerset at Wiveliscombe on 14th-15th.
In Cornwall, the Isabelline Wheatear was still present at Holywell Bay on 14th-19th.
Suffolk held onto the Eastern Yellow Wagtail at Carlton Marshes SWT on 14th-18th.
The Richard’s Pipit was still at Awre (Gloucestershire) on 14th-18th; and the St Mary’s (Scilly) bird still there on 19th.
The recent exilipes Arctic Redpoll remained at Dorman’s Pool (Cleveland) on 14th-16th and again on 18th; another possible bird was present in a Doagh (Co.Antrim) garden on 14th-19th; and a final probable in King’s Lynn (Norfolk) on 19th.
A little ray of southern sunshine made it to Kent’s Harty Ferry on 18th in the form of a Serin, with another heard at South Foreland on 19th.
In Cornwall the wintering duo of Little Buntings remained between Boscregan and Cot Valley still on 14th, and the Metherell bird was also still in the county on 14th-20th for good measure. The ringed bird remained in Hertfordshire at Stanborough Reedmarsh on 14th-20th.
Finally, we learned this week that the wintering White-throated Sparrow was still buried deep in its favoured garden in Cheshire & Wirral’s Kingsmead on 18th.
Lingering rare passerines were very much the order of the day this week overseas, and we start once more in Sweden, where the male Siberian Rubythroat was still present at Trollhattan on 15th, and the Baltimore Oriole was also still to be seen at Förslöv on 15th-20th.
In Germany, the Dusky Thrush remained in Berlin’s Landschaftspark Rudow-Altglienicke on 14th-20th.
Belgium meanwhile continued to enjoy the settled Moustached Warbler at De Gavers on 17th-18th.
And then to Spain, where the male Moussier’s Redstart remained in Andalucia at Pinar de los Lances on 14th-19th.
Finally, in Israel the Pied Bushchat was still to be found at Ma’or on 18th.
As the week begins, it’s hard to see any compelling reason why the influx of Alpine Swifts may not continue to filter through to Ireland and the southern counties of Britain. Yes, there’s some weather coming our way off the Atlantic, but it could continue to sweep them up across the Bay of Biscay on its coattails.
And while it’s usually our wont in these quarters to shoot for the stars where the coming week’s rarities are concerned, there’s also something to be said for the low-hanging fruit. After all, was there ever a better opportunity to bump into an Alpine Swift on your local patch? You just never know but, at the moment, you can certainly dare to dream.
Jon Dunn
21 Mar 2023
Many thanks to all this week's contributors for your photos and videos
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