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Weekly birding round-up: 25 - 31 Jul 2023

July closed with a bang at both ends of the country – unprecedented numbers of Cory’s Shearwaters in the southwest sweeping rarer congeners into our waters in their midst while, up in Shetland, a fiery county first was to be seen. August beckons, but we can look back on July’s closing birding movements with some considerable fondness.

 

Barely a year goes by without Shetland quietly adding still another new species to the already substantial Shetland list and, sure enough, this week saw another really chunky rarity added to the roster – a spankingly smart Hudsonian Godwit was found in the afternoon of 30th at Grutness on Mainland, and remained there throughout the afternoon and evening, and then on into 31st.

A first for Shetland, and only the fifth of its kind for Britain, it’s also merely the tenth record for the Western Palearctic. By any standards, that’s a heavyweight rarity and one that was warmly received by Shetland’s resident and visiting birders alike.

 

Any week with a Scopoli’s Shearwater photographed convincingly in British or Irish waters would be a Good Week – but little did we know just what the past week had in store for us when, on 28th, two Scopoli’s Shearwaters were found in quick succession in the late afternoon – one heading west past Porthgwarra (Cornwall) at 4:48pm, followed by another seen at sea from the Scilly pelagic at 5:30pm.

On 30th those promising beginnings began to snowball as the numbers of Cory’s Shearwaters reached an unprecedented crescendo – a Scopoli’s Shearwater was seen one third of a mile off St Mary’s (Scilly) at Innisidgen in the early afternoon, followed by at least three more birds seen from the pelagic later in the day. There will be countless thousands of photos pelagic goers took that will need sifting through, and further birds may come to light after the event… An additional possible bird was seen from Pendeen (Cornwall) in the afternoon of 30th followed, on 31st, by at least one confirmed bird still present in the waters off Scilly.

We could speculate that they were always out there, flying cryptically under our radar – and perhaps they were – but given the unprecedented volume of Cory’s Shearwaters seen this week, one assumes that this multiple arrival of Scopoli’s is similarly without precedent.

 

Given the long-awaited nature of the Black-winged Pratincole that’s been gracing Ireland for the past 18 days, it seems churlish to relegate the bird down into the main body of the shorebirds. It could easily be decades before the next Irish bird arrives… so we’ll leave the much-admired bird still present at Blanket Nook (Co.Donegal) throughout the week until 31st where it rightly belongs, riding high in the headlines.

 

Marking the resurgence of seawatching this week, Wilson’s Petrels enjoyed a renaissance with some 125 birds logged in the course of the week, from southern Ireland and the English southwest. There were some chunky numbers amongst that aggregate tally – 13 birds noted from the Scilly pelagic of 27th were followed by a mighty 21 birds on 30th, and a frankly mind-boggling 39 individuals on 31st; and 13 birds seen from Bridges of Ross (Co.Clare) on 29th. While Scilly, and to a lesser extent Cornwall, were doing the heavy lifting for England, one bird was seen further east in Devon, noted off Start Point on 31st.

A Leach’s Petrel was seen from the ferry between Cairnryan (Dumfries & Galloway) and Belfast on 25th; another was heard at night on North Ronaldsay (Orkney) on 26th, and two were trapped and ringed the same night further north, on Fair Isle (Shetland).

A Fea’s / Desertas Petrel was noted passing Galley Head (Co.Cork) in the morning of 27th. On 30th Cornish sightings came from Pendeen and Porthgwarra, and further Irish records from Ballyconneely (Co.Galway) and Galley Head (Co.Cork).

It’s perhaps no wonder that a number of sightings of Scopoli’s Shearwaters came this week, given how many Cory’s Shearwaters were being logged – while inevitably including some duplication, somewhere in the region of 12,000 of the latter were reported over the course of the week up until Sunday 30th. To give an idea of scale, 4,104 of those were seen from Galley Head (Co.Cork) on 28th alone; while in Cornwall on 29th 1,000 birds were noted from Porthgwarra, and 1,800 from Merthen Point. On 30th we strayed into the realms of unmanageable and hitherto unimaginable numbers – estimates from St Mary’s (Scilly) alone involved 16,000 off Giant’s Castle and 2,500 from Porthcressa; and 2,500 from the Scillonian. Throw in some 7,700 noted from Cornwall, and around 8,500 from Ireland, and one’s left wondering just how many of the world population of Cory’s Shearwaters were in Britain and Ireland’s waters over the weekend.

By comparison, Great Shearwaters were their poor relation, with just 2,650 birds logged. In any other week that might seem like a decent haul early in the season, but the Cory’s were simply dominating the waves. Peak counts of Great Shearwaters were 84 birds seen from Toe Head (Co.Cork) on 26th, and some 200 birds north of St Martin’s (Scilly) on 28th.

Compared with either of the preceding shearwaters, 200 Balearic Shearwaters were a positively modest national return, with the peak single site count a mere 29 birds seen from Berry Head (Devon) on 27th.

Almost 60 Pomarine Skuas represented a raise of their numbers on the preceding week – the best count being seven birds seen from Galley Head (Co.Cork) on 27th.

Single Long-tailed Skuas were noted from Toe Head (Co.Cork) on 26th; Fife Ness (Fife) on 26th; Porthgwarra (Cornwall) on 27th and 28th; and on the Scilly pelagics of 27th and 30th. On 30th additional Co.Cork sightings came from Mizen Head and Ballycotton. Three birds were seen circling The Lough at Cork City (Co.Cork) in the evening of 31st.

 

Firmly at the top of the long-legged beasties this week, a Black Stork was seen over Wymeswold (Leicestershire) on 27th.

Numbers of Glossy Ibis at Tacumshin (Co.Wexford) gradually increased again from one bird present on 25th still to two there on 27th-28th, and back to three birds on 29th again. Two were again seen at Dungeness (Kent) on 28th-31st; two remained at Aldeburgh Town Marshes (Suffolk) on 25th-31st; and one remained at Fen Drayton Lakes RSPB (Cambridgeshire) on 25th-29th and Berry Fen on 30th.

A Night Heron was once more seen between Sutton Courtenay and Abingdon (Oxfordshire) on 27th; one in Norfolk at Cantley Beet Factory on 28th; another at Fishlake Meadows HIWWT (Hampshire) on 30th-31st; a probable was noted in flight over St Mary’s (Scilly) on 25th; and a further possible bird was reported from Yarner Wood (Devon) on 28th.

Three Purple Herons were seen passing Porth Joke (Cornwall) on 26th.

Finally, a Spotted Crake was seen briefly on 31st at Burton Mere Wetlands RSPB (Cheshire & Wirral).

 

The rarity duckpond grew ever more turgid this week, with very little to show for itself.

Drake Ring-necked Ducks remained on Carlton Marshes SWT (Suffolk) on 25th-30th, and on Lisvane reservoir (Glamorgan) on 28th-30th.

In Scotland the second-summer King Eider was still present at Musselburgh Lagoons (Lothian) on 25th-31st.

The recent female Surf Scoter remained at Kinnaber (Angus) on 25th-30th.

 

The family fortunes of our breeding Black-winged Stilts this year continued for another week. The Worth Marsh (Kent) party of six birds remained on 25th-27th but fractured on 28th with the female relocating to New Downs; five remained on Worth Marsh on 28th-31st. Five birds were also still to be seen at Eddersthorpe Flash (South Yorkshire) on 25th-31st. 10 birds remained at Frampton Marsh RSPB (Lincolnshire) on 26th-28th, with four still seen there on 29th-30th.

The Pacific Golden Plover remained on North Ronaldsay (Orkney) on 25th-31st; and another was found on 29th around Spurn on the Humber.

The adult American Golden Plover remained on Skokholm (Pembrokeshire) on 25th-28th, and another was found on Myroe Levels (Co.Derry) on 28th-31st.

Back in Kent, a Kentish Plover was found at Pegwell Bay on 26th.

Three Pectoral Sandpipers were noted lately. One was found on Ouse Washes RSPB (Cambridgeshire) on 25th; one remained on Aldeburgh Town Marshes (Suffolk) on 27th; another was settled in Norfolk at North Point Pools on 27th-31st; and a final bird was seen on 30th in East Sussex at Pannel Valley NR.

Also in Norfolk, the Long-billed Dowitcher remained at Cley NWT on 25th-31st; and a further bird was seen on Orkney’s Westray on 30th-31st.

Bridges of Ross (Co.Clare) got the late summer Grey Phalarope ball rolling with a singleton noted from there on 27th, followed by three birds on 29th. On 30th a singleton was seen from Bardsey (Gwynedd), and two birds from Mizen Head (Co.Cork). On 31st two possibles were reported from Old Head of Kinsale (Co.Cork).

Co.Cork, meanwhile, gave us a Lesser Yellowlegs at Myross on 29th followed shortly afterwards, on 31st, by another found in Norfolk at Welney WWT.

 

The week’s gulls again begin once again at Oare Marshes KWT (Kent), where the adult Bonaparte’s Gull was still to be seen on 26th-30th. Another was found in Argyll & Bute on Mull at Scallastle Bay on 30th; and one more on 31st at Ullapool (Highland & Caithness).

Some concerted seawatching effort was repaid with a fair number of Sabine’s Gulls this week, edging into double figures. On 26th single birds were seen from The Lizard (Cornwall) and Galley Head (Co.Cork); on 28th a singleton was seen from Girdle Ness (Aberdeenshire), two from Bridges of Ross (Co.Clare), and three north of St Martin’s (Scilly); on 29th two birds from Bridges of Ross, and two off Bunowen (Co.Galway); on 30th one from Helvick Head (Co.Waterford) and another from Galley Head (Co.Cork); and finally, on 31st, one seen from Porthgwarra (Cornwall).

A second-summer Ring-billed Gull popped up in Penzance (Cornwall) at Battery Rocks on 25th.

White-wingers continued to have the distinct air of an afterthought this week. The Glaucous Gull remained on Barra (Western Isles) on 28th, with further birds also seen on 28th on Yell (Shetland) and in Spey Bay (Moray). An Iceland Gull was also seen on Barra on 28th.

Ireland this week continued to be all about the rare terns. Potentially the biggest news was the probable Elegant Tern seen briefly at Ballycotton (Co.Cork) on 29th. One to continue to watch out for in the coming week…

Co.Wexford meanwhile was substantially graced by Caspian Tern, with sightings coming from Tacumshin on 25th-26th, South Slob on 28th, and Rosslare Back Strand on 29th-31st. Another Irish sighting came from The Gearagh (Co.Cork) on 25th still. One continued to haunt Norfolk, being seen at Potter Heigham Marshes and Hickling Broad NWT on 25th-26th, and Breydon Water on 26th also. A further bird was seen from Girdle Ness (Aberdeenshire) on 30th, and final bird on 31st at Toft Newton Reservoir (Lincolnshire).

Back to Tacumshin (Co.Wexford), and the Gull-billed Tern remained settled there on 25th-27th.

Sightings of the adult male Least Tern continued to come from Portrane (Co.Dublin) on 25th and again on 29th, and back at Baltray (Co.Louth) on 31st.

In Dorset the first-summer Forster's Tern was proving settled at Arne RSPB on 26th-31st.

Finally, in the headlines but for the lack of a definitive ID, a Sooty or Bridled Tern was seen offshore from Pendeen (Cornwall) in the morning of 31st but not thereafter.

 

A male Montagu’s Harrier was seen at Wiveton Down (Norfolk) on 25th.

 

Still tenacious in Norfolk, the Trimingham Trio of Bee-eaters clung on for another week, being seen daily there until 31st. Three were also seen this week at Aldeburgh (Suffolk) on 26th.

On North Ronaldsay (Orkney) the Red-backed Shrike remained present on 26th-31st.

Ann unconfirmed report came of a Red-rumped Swallow on Holy Island (Northumberland) on 29th.

An Alpine Swift was seen on 27th at Saltfleetby St Peter (Lincolnshire).

Sticking with Lincolnshire a moment, news came this week of the county’s first known breeding record of Marsh Warbler. Elsewhere, one remained at Bempton Cliffs RSPB (East Yorkshire) on 25th, and another was trapped and ringed at Hollesley (Suffolk) on 25th also.

A Melodious Warbler found on Whalsay (Shetland) on 30th was only the second island record of its kind.

An adult Rose-coloured Starling was found at Pevensey Bay (East Sussex) on 27th-28th; the recent bird in Argyll & Bute at Carradale was found dead there on 29th.

The feldegg Black-headed Wagtail was again seen briefly at Myroe Levels (Co.Derry) on 28th.

Sightings of Serin came this week from Portland (Dorset) where, on 25th, a bird was seen at the bird observatory and Weston.

 

Starting the overseas news again in Denmark, the Steppe Grey Shrike was still present at Hirtshals on 25th-27th.

Much closer to home, on Jersey the Zitting Cisticola was still present on 26th.

France was warming up a little, with news that the Eastern Long-legged Buzzard was again at Thibie on 29th gilded by sightings on 27th and 30th of Sooty Tern at La Palmyre, and Elegant Tern at Le Grand Rouchet on 27th and Polder de Sebastopol again on 31st.

Germany’s female Steller’s Eider remained at Eider-Sperrwerk on 26th-30th.

A female White-headed Duck was found in the Netherlands on 30th-31st at Brabantse Biesbosch.

Finally, the Western Palearctic’s second White-faced Whistling Duck remained on Cape Verde on Sal on 25th-27th.

 

Very much as we dared to hope, the week just gone gave us both rare seabird and shorebird action. The coming week, all being well, ought to deliver more of the same.

Dare we really shoot for the stars, in the wake of a stellar week for seabirds in Britain? Could we raise the bar still higher than Scopoli’s Shearwater?

The first week of August boasts a Bulwer’s Petrel seen ten years ago on 1st August 2013 from Galley Head (Co.Cork). Irish and British birders alike would love another bite at that particular cherry were the occasion to arise. Those warm southwesterly waters may have a few more surprises to spring upon us before the coming month is out…

 

Jon Dunn
1 Aug 2023

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

 

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